Saints men’s basketball team rides a seven-game win streak

It’s an exciting time for the Saints men’s basketball team, who remain undefeated in league play after pushing their win streak to seven with a 61-59 win over the Clackamas Cougars in Oregon City Wednesday night.

The Saints, at 4-0 and tied for first with Chemeketa in the Southern Region, continued their success by getting out on defense early. “They (the Cougars) started off with a couple of quick scores, and rebounded well,” said head coach Geoff Gibor Thursday. “But we were patient offensively and were up seven points at the half.”

Robbie Rivers, who injured his hip in last week’s game against the PCC Panthers, stepped up to lead the Saints in scoring with 13 points. Rivers, in his second season with the team, is happy about how his team is playing so far.

“We’re feeling pretty good, confident. I’m confident that we can stay undefeated,” said Rivers.

The boost of confidence is no surprise following the Saints 108-68 slaughter of the Umpqua Riverhawks Jan. 14. The Saints dominated on offense, converted for 33 points off turnovers and outrebounded the Riverhawks 45 to 27.
Sophomore Coletun Tarr lead team scoring with 23 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists.

But the Saints still have quite a few games ahead in league play and remaining unbeaten won’t be easy­­­­. Gibor said, “As long as we can stay focused each game, each game is a new challenge. It only takes one game for us to think we’re better than we are. Then we’ll get a wake-up call.”

This year’s team, which has a strong class of veteran sophomore leaders, is already showing a unique camaraderie that differs from past teams. “Last year’s team had really good chemistry off the court. This year’s team has chemistry on and off, ” said Gibor, who added, “They’re not worried about their stats. If someone’s open, they pass the ball and are more concerned about getting the W. That’s what makes us the team we are,” said Gibor.

That chemistry, along with the “system” that Gibor and his coaching staff continue to impress upon their team, seems to be staying in the minds of players. “Rebounding and defense,” said Rivers laughing. “Those are the big ones.”

The next test for the Saints will be the Southwestern Lakers, who will face a tough MHCC crowd Saturday. “We need to get out in transition and limit their number of easy baskets. We need to defend home court,” said Gibor.

“We need to really continue to play defense, and stop the other team and not give them a chance to score,” he said.

The Saints will play the Lakers Saturday at home with a start time of 6 p.m.