Seniors are honored as they play final game of their college careers
The Evergreen Men’s team had a tough weekend going against two of the top teams in the Cascade Conference last weekend. Playing a doubleheader against Oregon Tech (#7 in CC) and Southern Oregon (#3 in CC, #24 Nationally).
In the first game Friday night, the Geoducks hosted reigning national champions OIT, playing them very closely in the first half. Though the Owls got off to a hot start leading off with a 15-6 run, the Geoducks regained form and went into halftime down just 26-32.
The second half got off to a great start for Evergreen with point guard Frankie Johnson and forward Elzie Dickens III combined for a quick 10 points to bring Evergreen within just one point of OIT. The Owls responded in championship form by running off seven consecutive points on the Geoducks shortly afterwards. From that point on Evergreen wouldn’t be able to get within nine points of OIT, ending with a 54-68 loss for the Geoducks.
Dickens III had an impressive performance, pulling down a team high 14 rebounds, a ludicrously high nine of which came on the offensive side, to go along with 10 points for a double-double.
Going up against one of the top teams in NAIA Div. II, the Geoducks suffered a tough loss at the hands of Southern Oregon Saturday night, in the final home game of the season.
In the first half, the Geoducks were absolutely suffocated by the Raiders’ defense, getting outscored 40-20 during the opening period. Though Evergreen managed to bring the deficit down from 17 to 10 with just over five minutes remaining in the period, Southern Oregon ran off a 10-0 stretch to end the half.
In the second period, the Geoducks regrouped and took control of the game, outscoring the Raiders 36-35, showcasing the great talents of the roster in spite of an embarrassing first half. Guard Frankie Johnson put up the best numbers of the night, scoring 18 of his team high 22 points in the second half, and collecting team highs with five steals and four assists over the course of the game. Johnson, who was promoted to the starting lineup due to midseason injuries, has now lead the team in scoring for the Geoducks eight straight games and looks to be one of Evergreen’s top scorers for the coming seasons. Forward Cody Peters also showed strongly putting up 12 points and seven rebounds despite only playing for 30 minutes due to foul trouble. Seniors Travis Wagner and Elzie Dickens III were honored before their final home game.
“I was proud of my teammates, to be honest,” said Wagner. “It was fun watching the younger players fight and show they wouldn’t quit. The second half was another example of how far the transfers and freshmen have grown this season.”
The Geoducks will wrap up its 2012-13 season this Friday against Northwest.
By David Lukashok
