Saints men’s basketball continues their reign over the Southern Region

One game at a time, unanticipated and seemingly unnoticed, the Saints men’s basketball team racked up an eight-game win streak, going nine for ten before falling to the Chemeketa Storm on the road. Following the loss, the Saints have won three of their last three games against Southern Region teams and have won 11 of their last 12 games.

But beyond the wins are a group of friends, each of whom speaks to the extreme closeness of the team, “Everyone has everyone else’s back,” said sophomore guard Cutis Papenfuss earlier in the season.

The Saints, who were the only Southern Region team to be ranked in the Feb. 1 Alaska Airlines Coaches Poll, (tied for 7th place with Big Bend), currently lead the NWAACC in three-point percentage (42%) and share the lead with Tacoma in shooting with 50%.

The team, under third-year head Coach Geoff Gibor and assistant coaches Corey Nielson, Kamiron Jackson and Justin Speer, have put in the hard work and are the heavy favorite to take the Southern Region Title.

All of the pieces are in place, the team is ready, the coaches are ready, combined with talent and hard-to-match team chemistry. The Saints are making a statement this season. So take a moment and pay attention, before you miss it.

Saints mens basketball, keeping the wins coming

It came with a little more than four minutes left on the clock in regulation, freshman guard Evan Orth knocked down a three-point shot, causing an eruption from the Saints men’s basketball bench and fans in attendance who yelled out, “Bieber!!!” a nickname given to Orth because of his physical resemblance to pop sensation Justin Bieber. The shot from outside the arc was followed by another consecutive shot by Orth, which caused an even louder burst of applause from onlookers breaking the period of silence that had plagued the gymnasium.

The Saints men’s basketball team defeated the PCC Panthers 93-35 at home, Wednesday night. The team, who have now won 11 of 12 and sit in the number one position in the Southern Region with an 8-1 record, were the clear favorite to win over the Panthers who sit at the bottom of the Southern Region with a 0-9 record.

Coach Geoff Gibor, who watched his team come out hard against the Panthers, going on a 22-0 run at one point in the first half, was less vocal in coaching from the sidelines than in previous games, “It was a difficult game to coach,” said Gibor, “You don’t want to run up the scoreboard, you want to be respectful to the other team and their program. But, it was good, it gave everyone a chance to play,” Gibor added.

Still, they put on a bit of a show for the home crowd, throwing up lobs for dunks and tossing no-look passes. “They shot well and played unselfish and the crowd embraced it,” said Gibor Thursday.

The Saints, who are tied with the Tacoma Titans for the highest field goal percentage in the league with 50 percent, were also the only Southern Region team to be ranked in the Feb. 1 Alaska Airlines Coaches poll (tied in 7th place with Big Bend).

Wednesday’s win follows the Saturday Feb 4, 86-73 victory for the Saints on the road against the Lane Titans, making the Saints 2-0 against the Titans who currently hold a 3-5 record in the South.

But, despite the excitement that comes along with consecutive wins, the Saints have to refocus their energy on upcoming games. Saturday the Saints will play the Umpqua Riverhawks on the road. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 14, when the Saints bested the Riverhawks 108-68 on home court.

The Riverhawks who currently sit second to last in the South with a 2-7 record, may not present a problem for the Saints on paper but at this point in the season no games are being taken lightly.

“We need to do the same things, stay patient, get easy baskets,” said Gibor, “we have a mindset, we are out to prove a point.”

The Saints will play the Riverhawks on the road with a game start time of 6 p.m.

Wednesday Feb. 15, the Saints will play Rival Clackamas Cougars at home with a game start time of 7:30 p.m.