Saints take game off top-ranked Chemeketa

Coming off two close losses, the Saints were looking to bounce back Wednesday against Chemeketa in the MHCC gym.

And that’s exactly what they did, thumping the Storm 87-67 in a runaway win.

The Saints, who were 2-3 in the South Region before the game, had a tall order as Chemeketa came into the showdown with a 4-0 record in the South.

“We prepared for a fast, up-tempo style and wanted to break their pressure,” said head coach Geoff Gibor. The team did just that — after going shot for shot for most of the first half, a technical foul on Chemeketa head coach David Abderhalden sparked a 12-to-4 run to end the first half 49-33 in Hood’s favor.

A poorly managed second half by the officiating crew lead to continuous fouls, turnovers, and the ejection of Storm guard Jonny Howard seemed to overshadow a great performance by the Saints. Yet again, Mt. Hood took care of business in the “hustle stats,” shooting better from the floor (44 percent for the Saints, 32 percent for the Storm), attempting and making more free throws (28 of 39 compared to 20 of 28) and grabbing significantly more rebounds (45 to 27).

Their aggressive gameplay on both sides of the floor gave Mt. Hood the advantage from start to finish. Asked about who stood out, Gibor said it was “a team effort. Our point guards did a great job of not turning the ball over, and Mac’s double-double was huge.”

“Mac” is freshman center Mac Johnson, who scored 21 points and snared 12 rebounds. Freshmen Landon Rushton and Blake Updike each scored in double figures, 13 and 12 respectively, and Jalen Thomas contributed 12 points off the bench.

On Saturday in Coos Bay against SWOCC, the Saints outrebounded the Lakers and attempted more free throws and had a better shooting percentage from the floor. But Mt. Hood couldn’t overcome the sharp shooting of SWOCC guard Riley Grandinetti, who drained eight of nine three-point field goals and shot an overall 10 of 13 from the floor. Led by the hot hand of Grandinetti, the Lakers edged the Saints 71-67.

“Up four with two minutes left, we just didn’t defend the perimeter very well,” said Gibor. Sophomore forward Colby Mitchell led the Saints in scoring with 14 in the losing effort.

But after the Chemeketa game, Gibor described that win as a confidence booster for his young roster, saying anytime they can compete and even come away with a victory against one of the best teams in the region is good news.

Now 3-3 in Southern Region play (and 7-11 overall), the Saints will travel to Albany this weekend to take on the Linn-Benton Roadrunners (1-5 in the South, 5-11 overall).