Women’s basketball has one more chance to win

The Saints women’s basketball team is one game away from the end of another frustrating season, and for some players, it can’t come soon enough.

Mt. Hood is now 0-11 in conference play, and 2-22 overall, after being pounded 88-40 by the Clackamas Cougars Wednesday night, at Clackamas Community College.

The Saints were outscored in the first half 46-14 by the Cougars and couldn’t recover, and suffered their second blowout loss in three days.

“We didn’t show up to play in the first half,” said discouraged Saints head coach Tyler Rose. “Our girls (got) down on themselves and frustrated so quickly that it took us out of our game plan.

Rose urged his players at halftime to “understand that what they are playing for” and to emphasize team play and building for the future, he said.

On Saturday, the Saints have one more chance to regroup and to chase an upset win, against Umpqua (9-2 in the South region, 20-6 overall).

The 2 p.m. home game is the season finale, and the sophomore players’ last game together.

In the Clackamas rout on Monday, Mt. Hood shot just 24 percent from the field, while the Cougars shot 51 percent. Sophomore guard Whitney Warren had a team-high 11 points, hitting three three-pointers and grabbing seven rebounds, while freshman center Marley Yates added 10 points and five rebounds.

Having long been eliminated from playoff contention, first-year Saints players acknowledge the team’s focus has shifted.

Freshman guard Hannah Wahlers voiced the mood when asked about the focus for the next game, or next year.

“The right answer would be ‘next game,’ but I’m looking at more, so next year, definitely.”

Yates agreed. “I would say I’m a little more excited for next year,” she said. “We should be a little more better and the sophomores have more to improve. The off-season (work) will hopefully pay off.”

Wednesday’s loss followed a painful 101-41 thumping on Monday to Lane Community College, second-ranked team in the South region of the NWAACC.

The makeup game in Eugene was forced by the snowstorm earlier this month that shut down the Lane campus.

The Titans quickly jumped to an early lead with full court pressure defense and fast-break basketball, taking a commanding 40-24 lead with 4:19 left in the first half.

A flurry of Mt. Hood turnovers (the Saints committed 34 turnovers in the game) fueled a 17-3 run by Lane that pushed the halftime score to 57-27.

It didn’t get any better in the second half. Lane opened with an 18-0 run, its quicker pace continuing to force Mt. Hood turnovers, and again outscored the Saints by 30 points.

No Mt. Hood player would score in double figures. Sophomore Whitney Warren led the team with eight points and added five rebounds.

Players were left grasping to channel their emotions, some using laughter as a coping mechanism. The team huddled after the Lane defeat to talk about its response.

“There were many factors that lead to our team’s lack of focus for the last 10 minutes of the game, and after the game we spoke on it as a team,” said sophomore forward Megan Nelson. “I think I am burnt out, honestly, being a sophomore, being through what we did last year (a 2-23 overall record) is really, like, too much. (I’m) mentally and physically drained.”

Warren said the Saints’ long losing spell (which stands at 12 games), including several narrow defeats, has taken a toll.

“This is just how we have learned to cope with it,” she said. “We’ve done the crying, done the pissed-off, and now we’re just to a point where it’s just funny to us, I guess.”