Saints rebound to take first place in Southern Region

The men’s Saints basketball team bounced back from a crucial Southern Region defeat to the Chemeketa Storm by coming home Jan. 28 to beat the Linn-Benton Roadrunners 86-67.

The Saints now sit alone atop the Southern Region with a 6-1 record.
Sophomore starter Spencer Clayton, who sat out the Chemeketa game due to an injury, played a critical role in the victory. “It’s always tough to have to sit out and watch your team struggle,” said Clayton. “I think that everybody had a chip on their shoulder after the loss.” Clayton led the Saints with a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.

Up to this point, Saints players and staff have been vocal about their goals for the season: winning the Southern Region and winning NWAACCs. Neither goal is out of reach for the team, which has shown its strength and consistency in beating traditionally tough teams and demonstrating its athletic ability and tenacity on the plywood.

Still, the Saints have to remain focused moving forward. “Six and one means nothing” were the words spoken to Saints point guard Drew Johnson by assistant coach Kamiron Jackson following a Wednesday night practice.
Sophomore Robby Rivers, who posted 13 points against the Roadrunners, said, “They (the coaches) don’t want us to think because we’re 6-1 that we don’t have to go as hard.”

The Saints, who will head down to Eugene Saturday to face the Lane Titans for the second time this season, are looking to best the Titans on their home court. “It’s gonna be tough. Games on the road are more difficult,” said Rivers. “We need to do what we do better.”

The last time the two teams met, the Saints had home-court advantage and shot the ball extremely well, shooting 18-of-31 from behind the arc. They held the Titans to 5-of-15 from behind the three-point line to best the Titans in shooting and take the 104-76 win. Earlier this year, Titans head coach Bruce Chavka said, “I personally think Mt. Hood is the best team in the Southern Region,” adding that the Saints are “the cream of the crop” in the Southern Region.

But it seems the Saints are taking nothing for granted. They have had a week full of grind-out, physical practices, putting in the work to ensure continued success.

“We talked about the importance of coming in every day and focusing,” said head coach Geoff Gibor who pointed out that shooting on the road won’t match the shooting the Saints produced at home against the Titans. “We shot the ball so well, but we’re not going to shoot the ball like that on the road. We have to stay focused,” said Gibor.

Clayton echoed that sentiment, saying, “We have to focus on continuing to play our game, keep playing tough defense and rebounding. If we do those things, we feel like we have a chance against anybody.”

The Saints will play the Titans Saturday in Eugene with a 6 p.m. start time. On Wednesday, the Saints will play the PCC Panthers at home at 7:30 p.m.