By Tra Friesen in Sports
A jam-packed crowd watched as both the women’s and men’s basketball teams easily defeated divisional rivals Lower Columbia College Wednesday night.
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The women started with a 9-0 run and never looked back, leading 52-41 at half. LCC guard Arinesha Smith willed the Red Devils to within two with a series of layups, but the Penguins responded with fast breaks.
“We had good preparation for this one and executed our game plan very well,” women’s head coach Al Aldridge said. “We tried to get out on shooters and play the 3-point line harder than we usually do, taking our chances with their post kids one-on-one.”
The Lady Penguins handily defeated the Red Devils 95-81, moving them up to 10-2 overall. Sophomore Brooke Bowen led Clark with 21 points, shooting an efficient 67 percent and Haley Grossman led players in rebounding, snagging 14.
The men also got off to a quick start after a Collin Spickerman dunk put them up 12-6 early in the first. The Red Devils responded by forcing turnovers, pushing to an LCC halftime lead of 30-34.
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Momentum-building 3-pointers in the second half, from Max Livingston helped the Penguins to a 69-60 lead with under two minutes to go. He made four of six from 3-point range.
The Penguins triumphed over the Red Devils, 75-65. Sean Price led all scorers with 18 points and Spickerman tallied four blocks; more than the entire LCC team combined. The men are 10-1 this season.
“Our guys stood tough,” said men’s head coach Alex Kirk. “Tonight was a great atmosphere and it really provided us with a huge lift, and that stuff makes a big difference.”
