Saints winning streak ends

SALEM — In a grind-out battle Wednesday night, the Chemeketa Storm beat the Saints 89-77 to snap MHCC’s eight-game winning streak.

The Saints are now 5-1 and locked in a three-way tie for first place in the Southern Region with the Storm and the Linn-Benton Roadrunners. The Saints, who looked strong in previous wins against league teams, faced a highly athletic and fast-paced offense in the Storm.

Chemeketa jumped to a 5-0 run before the Saints could get on the board. They came out blazing up and down the court, forcing the Saints to adjust on defense, and controlled the game tempo. “For a while we got caught up in playing their style of basketball, when we needed to slow it down and control the tempo of the game,” said Saints sophomore guard Robby Rivers, who contributed six points against the Storm.

To their credit, the Saints, who matched up evenly with the Storm in both size and talent, rallied to end the first half tied at 39. But the Storm, traditionally one of the region’s best teams, came out aggressively on offense in the second half, and the Saints, who were missing sophomore power forward Spencer Clayton due to an ankle injury, were making on-court adjustments throughout the game.

“The lack of defensive intensity and the injury to Spencer Clayton definitely contributed to the loss,” said sophomore guard Marcus Moore who was one of the Saints key game contributors with 19 points, but fouled out with less than a minute left in regulation.

The loss follows the Saints January 21 victory over the Southwestern Lakers at home where the Saints defeated the Lakers 88-76 on home court. Jensen led Saints scoring with 19 points and 12 rebounds with Moore and sophomore guard Curtis Papenfuss both contributing 15 points each.

At this point in the season, the Saints are benefitting from a deep roster, stacked with talent in every position. Sophomore forward Rei Jensen, who led all Saints in scoring with 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists, showed veteran leadership on the court, and kept a level head despite questionable calls late in the game. Drew Johnson, who had six points, stayed aggressive from start to finish and led the team with four assists.

In spite of Wednesday’s loss, the Saints remain serious contenders to take the Southern Region title and go deep into post-season play as long as they play their style of ball. “We need to do what we do best — work on defense and rebounding. Our offense will take care of itself,” said Rivers Thursday.

The Saints will face the Linn-Benton Roadrunners Saturday where they will have a chance to show resilience in the face of a recent tough loss. Head coach Geoff Gibor said the loss can serve as a positive. “A loss takes its toll mentally. There’s a lot of things that can be covered up by wins. A loss allows you time to refocus and reevaluate,” said Gibor.

The Roadrunners will be no easy feat for the Saints but unlike the Storm, they run an offensive tempo that’s more evenly matched with the Saints. “I am more than confident that we will get the win on Saturday,” said Rivers. “They’d better be ready — we’re comin’.”