NWAACC CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND UPDATE (03/03/08)

The Clippers attended the banquet dinner on Wednesday night for all 16 teams, on both the men’s and women’s side, to celebrate great seasons. Alicia Richardson and Whitney Titus were both recognized for being named All-Conference players in the Western Conference. It was an enjoyable evening and South Puget Sound was represented very well with both the men’s and women’s teams making it as the 3rd place seed. It was the kick-off to the tournament weekend.

Our first opponent was the 2nd place team from the South, Umpqua, who was also picked 3rd overall in the NWAACC in the final poll of the season. Umpqua averaged 86 points/game throughout the season, and certainly was the bigger and deeper team. We got off to a slow start and finished the first half down 39-26. As Clipper fans have gotten used to from this special group, there was no quit in the team, and we rallied behind great games by Whitney Titus and Dre Castaneda. We did it on both ends of the court, holding Umpqua to only 24 2nd half points while scoring 51 ourselves. Whitney Titus led all scorers with 23 points and Dre Castaneda scored 21. Alicia Richardson also was in double figures, adding 13 points, even though she had to sit most of the first half due to foul trouble. The Clippers only committed 9 turnovers in the game, while forcing 25 with their trademark defensive pressure. The final score was 77-63 which was the lowest point total Umpqua had been held to all season long. Even though it was the 10:00 pm game, we had a great crowd, and the Sensational Six instantly became the buzz of the tournament. We received compliments from people working the tournament, from other coaches, from people in the stands who had never seen us play before. They were blown away by both the end result and the manner in which it was done.

The Clippers were rewarded for their incredible performance by next facing Columbia Basin, the team picked to win the whole tournament. CBC is located in Kennewick so for them, it was essentially a home game with all of their regular supporters. Once again, we got off to a very slow start, and largely due to Whitney Titus, we went in at half only down 6. We looked very tired and weary; the adrenaline from the victory the night before was gone, and the reality of the toll such extended minutes of intensity takes on only 6 players was hitting us. We continued to play outstanding defense and can be very proud of holding CBC to only 58 points for the game, but our tired legs were much more evident on the offensive end. We did not execute well, were very stagnant without the ball and the result was very low percentage shooting from the floor. Whitney Titus led us in scoring again, with 18 points, and had to work so hard to get to the foul line for the bulk of those. Dre Castaneda and Alicia Richardson also were in double figures, both scoring 11 points. We ended up losing 43-58, but could certainly hold our heads high for our effort all 40 minutes.

Saturday’s game put us against Western Conference rival, Centralia, after their loss to Walla Walla the day before. Neither team looked particularly sharp, now playing the third game in as many days. Again, that is such a testament to the determination and competitive spirit of the Clippers to be competing so closely with the best of the NWAACC when opponents’ player rotations of 9-12 allowed so much more rest, and even they look tired. We got pounded on the boards, and still struggled with our offensive execution and shooting. Thanks to our defense, we were never completely out of the game, and we competed to the final buzzer. Holding Centralia to only 64 points, we fell short on the offensive end and lost by 10.

The Clippers want to extend their thanks and appreciation to Dr. Pumphery for cheering us on and taking pictures at the tournament. We would also like to thank Pam, Vernell and Troy for their support and work throughout the tournament. It was certainly nice to hear the familiar voice calling the game, and see the familiar face at the game table. We were lucky to have so many parents able to make the trip and show their support for these final games. And I sure hope that we have a picture of the elaborate team posters made in honor of the Sensational Six!

The Sensational Six represented our school, our basketball program, their families and themselves exceptionally well both on and off the court at the tournament, just as they have all season long. So many people, completely unrelated to South Puget Sound, saw them play and had nothing but praise for the never-quit attitude, the teamwork, the defense, and the accomplishments with a roster of only 6. They have had a ripple effect on people who they may never actually meet in person, because those who were lucky enough to see them play, will be using their story as inspiration for others who are facing adversity, obstacles and challenges. They truly embody commitment, teamwork and an indomitable will, and I could not be prouder to have been a part of this remarkable team.
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TWO CLIPPERS NAMED TO ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

The coaches meet after the season to vote on All-Conference teams. Since we are not allowed to vote for our own players, the decision represents how other coaches see our team, and who they felt had the biggest impact against them. It is always an honor to be recognized in this way, but especially so as a freshman. We had 2 of our Sensational Six with this honor.

Alicia Richardson, our 5’11 freshman post, was named 1st Team All-Conference. With no other size on our team, opponents could definitely key on her with all of their size, which made every game a huge challenge. She was our leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.4 points/game and 8.3 rebounds/game. That placed her 6th in scoring and 3rd in rebounding for our Western Conference; it placed her 21st in scoring and 6th in rebounding for the entire NWAACC. Alicia is a great athlete who runs the floor exceptionally well, and does an outstanding job with her post defense. Opposing coaches always had to prepare for her physical play and how competitive she is on every single possession.

Our other honoree was Whitney Titus, named 2nd Team All-Conference. At 5’6, Whitney had the unenviable job of always having to guard another team’s post player (since other teams had more than one!). Always outsized, Whitney’s fundamentals on post defense and blocking out to rebound were the key. Whitney averaged 12.3 points/game and 6 rebounds/game, which was second on our team in both categories behind Alicia. Whitney could so some of everything in the game; she was a stat filler. If we needed her more on the perimeter, she could handle the ball, drive and get to the foul line, see the floor well and make good passes and shoot the 3. Her competitive spirit and knowledge of the game were intangibles that played a critical role in our team’s success.

Congratulations to Alicia Richardson and Whitney Titus for their awards. This honor is certainly well-deserved by both of them.
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FINAL HOME GAME IS ONE TO REMEMBER (02/25/08)

For our last conference game, we could not have asked for a better situation. It was at home in front of a packed Clippers crowd who all lined the gym floor to help with our starting line-ups. It was Sophomore night for our one sophomore, Megan Sanders. And it was against LCC, who we beat at their place and we were tied for 2nd going into this last conference game.

Right from the tip, the game was intense and hard-fought, and it stayed that way the entire 40 minutes. Both teams were playing aggressive, pressure defense. Both teams were executing their offense very well. Going into the game our points of emphasis were: transition defense, ball pressure and weakside help since they are so much bigger than us, and all 5 blocking out and rebounding. We did those things and this game could have gone either way. The first half was back and forth and ended with LCC up 33-30.

During the second half, we had one short segment where we gave up easy shots on defense and then didn’t execute as well on the offensive end. LCC actually went up 11 at one point, and with about 7 minutes left in the game we were down 7. Characteristic of the Sensational Six, though, we never gave up. We would get a defensive stop, and then come down and score, until finally the game was back to a one possession game again. With about 40 seconds left in the game and LCC up one, we played outstanding defense and got the rebound from their miss. We pushed the ball downcourt, attacking with the mindset of either getting a high percentage shot going to the hoop or we would get to the foul line. We got the shot we wanted, but it just rimmed out, and then we had to foul them on the rebound with only 1.5 seconds left.

Alicia Richardson led all scorers with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Dre Castaneda played an all-around spectacular game scoring 18 points, pulling down 4 rebounds, and finishing with 9 assists and 4 steals, as well as her smothering on-ball defense. Whitney Titus, who, at 5’6, is always matched up against other teams’ post players, was a rock for us once again with her interior defense. She also finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. With 7 lead changes, 6 ties, and the stat lines for both teams extremely close, this game could have gone either way. LCC prevailed with a final score of 62-59.

Our Clippers fans in the crowd were so enthusiastic and have been all season. Their support has been much appreciated by the team and coaches. In my 4 years at SPSCC, this was the most incredible game that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, and I could not be prouder of the Sensational Six for their performance. We finished 13-3 in conference, and are now headed to the NWAACC Championships where we will play the #2 seed from the South, Umpqua, in our first game.
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CLIPPERS BEAT PIERCE (02/23/08)

The Clippers played with a lot of intensity on both ends of the court. The emphasis was on the half court defensive pressure, and we sustained that fairly well. Forcing turnovers led to many fast break scoring opportunities, and everyone got involved on the offense. Once again, our unselfish play was evident in the extra passes leading to wide open shots, and a team total of 34 assists. Megan Sanders, Dre Castaneda and Whitney Titus each had 8 assists. Alicia Richardson did a great job of running the floor and finishing, shooting 70% from the floor, and finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds, her fourth double-double this year. Dre Castaneda also had a great offensive night, shooting 60% from the floor and finishing with a double-double as well, 20 points and 10 rebounds. Whitney Moser and Kiara Honore were the other Clippers in double figures scoring 17 and 11 points respectively. The final score was: 96-34. The Clippers need to take this confidence and momentum into Saturday’s game against undefeated Lower Columbia College to finish the first half of conference play.
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CLIPPERS MOVE TO 12-2 IN CONFERENCE PLAY (02/20/08)

This was a game that not only did we need to win, but also we needed to improve. We only got the win. After a very slow start and being down 11-2, we started to wake up. Knowing that they could not guard us off the dribble, the first 6 minutes of the game we instead wanted to come down, make one pass and shoot the 3. Our defensive pressure was not with our typical intensity, and we dug ourselves a hole. Whitney Moser came in off the bench and was a huge spark scoring 11 points. The final 10 minutes of the half was more like the Clipper basketball we usually play and we finished the half up 37-24.

To start the second half, however, we went back to being at the game physically but not mentally. Our first 5 possessions of the half were unforced turnovers, as the Gators closed the gap. Kiara Honore and Dre Castaneda did a great job of pressuring Green River’s guards, getting a lot of tips, steals and tying up the dribbler. We also had 5 of our 6 players score in double figures: Kiara had 14 points (and 6 steals), Whitney Moser had 13, Dre had 12, Alicia Richardson had 11, and Megan Sanders had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Dealing with foul trouble throughout the game, we had 2 players foul out, and finished the game with only 4. Luckily it was only for the final minute. We only beat the Gators in the second half by a score of 29-27. This was a lackluster performance, and hopefully it is out of our system for our final 2 games of conference play and then the NWAACC Tournament
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SECOND HALF SURGE LEADS TO BIG WIN (02/14/08)

After only beating Clark by two in our first game, and with Clark being in the hunt for a fourth place spot to get to the NWAACC’s, the Clippers were ready for a battle. We jumped out early in the game, but then Clark got to the foul line and used their bigger size to close the gap. At half time, we held a slight lead, 33-27.

It was the start of the second half that broke open the game. With great defensive pressure and good shooting, we went on a 17-0 run and dominated the rest of the game. Clark’s leading scorer, a sophomore post, had 10 points in the first half, and was held scoreless in the second. The defensive pressure forced 28 turnovers by Clark and we scored 28 points in transition. Kiara Honore and Dre Castaneda did a great job of ball pressure, getting tips and steals that led to easy scoring opportunities. The Clippers put on a clinic for fastbreak passing in the many two on one situations we had.

Four Clippers were in double figures: Alicia Richardson had a big night, finishing strong inside and putting up another double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Megan Sanders had 21 points and was an impressive 8-8 from the foul line. Whitney Titus had an all-around strong game with 18 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and outstanding interior defense. And Kiara Honore finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists to only 1 turnover, and 4 steals. The final score with a dominant second half was 79-51. The Clippers are now 11-2 and tied for 2nd place in the Western Division. The final 3 games will determine if we go to the NWAACC’s as the 2nd or 3rd place seed.
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ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE WIN FOR THE CLIPPERS (02/11/08)

Any roster would be affected if two of the main players were out, but that impact is significantly more when that roster only has 6 to begin with. That was the situation the Clippers were faced with for a tough game against a deep, athletic and much bigger Highline. Once again, the Sensational Six cease to amaze!

Megan Sanders and Alicia Richardson had both been in bed since the game Wednesday at Centralia. Thursday and Friday’s practices were not chances to fine-tune as a team since we only had 4. With those two being so sick, the game plan was that the other 4 would play the entire time, while Alicia and Megan would go for 3-4 minute spurts and then sub for each other throughout the game. On a night where neither team shot the ball well, and most of the stats were fairly even except Highline out rebounding us, and we forced twice as many turnovers from Highline, the biggest difference was heart. The Clippers played every possession like it was the last, and the defensive pressure made up for the poor shooting night. Whitney Titus led the scoring attack, and had a huge defensive night guarding a much bigger post throughout and still finished with a double-double, 19 points and 10 rebounds. Alicia Richardson, in only 24 minutes of play and feeling about 50% at best, scored 12 points and had 7 rebounds. Kiara Honore did an outstanding job of running the show as point guard. She had constant pressure on Highline’s ball handlers, and she knew when we had the advantage and needed to push versus when to slow it down and set it up. Since we were struggling to score we had to find ways to get to the line for easy points, and Kiara set many of those opportunities up with her passing. She finished with 6 assists and no turnovers, 3 steals, 4 rebounds and 4 points.

An appreciative Clippers crowd, who could see we were far from 100% and having to struggle for everything, gave the team a standing ovation as the final horn sounded. The never-quit attitude, the defensive intensity and hustle and the unity this team plays with have won them a huge fan club, and it is well-deserved. Final score: Clippers won 52-46 and are now 10-2 in conference play with 4 games left before the NWAACC Tournament.
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WINNING STREAK COMES TO AN END (02/07/08)

With 2 of the 3 teams tied for first place playing each other, expectations were high on both sides. Unfortunately, Centralia showed up ready to play from the tip and we did not. We had too many defensive breakdowns, fundamentals that have helped us be successful to this point, and were absent in the first half. As Centralia’s lead grew, our mistakes were compounded by a “deer in headlights” panic that also affected our execution on the offensive end. At the half we were in a huge hole, down 48-19, which would be nearly impossible to recover from against a lesser opponent, let alone against the dominant #1 team.

We had nothing to hang our heads about given the effort the entire 20 minutes of the second half, though. The character and heart of this group were very evident in continuing to battle as if the score was tied. We shot the ball better in the second half, and we attacked more off the dribble, getting to the foul line which were contributors to us outscoring Centralia in the second half 38-33. Whitney Titus led all scorers with 15 and did the best job of attacking off the dribble. She also went 9 for 10 from the foul line. Alicia Richardson also got to the foul line in the second half, scoring 6 of her 10 points. Megan Sanders added 11 points. Final score: Centralia wins 81-57.
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7TH WIN IN A ROW (02/04/08)

Once again, our defense was the highlight of the game. We consider any score in the 40’s shows a great defensive effort; we improved upon that by holding Tacoma to 34 points on 19% shooting from the floor. Dre Castaneda did an outstanding job defending Tacoma’s leading scorer. In Tacoma’s last game, a win over Clark, she had 44 points. Dre did not give her any breathing room, held her to 10 points and clearly had her frustrated.

Offensively, we played well in spurts, but did not have a good flow of cutting and passing. Whitney Moser came off the bench in the first half to give us a big spark with her shooting. She finished the game with a double-double, 17 points and 11 rebounds. Megan Sanders had a solid game with 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Whitney Titus finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. In addition to Dre’s tenacious defense, she filled out the stat sheet as well with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Clippers are now 9-1 in conference play, still in a 3-way tie for first
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SENSATIONAL SIX STRIKE AGAIN (1/31/08)

The game against Grays Harbor marked the start of the second round of conference play. The results show how much progress the Clippers have made in a short amount of time. In our first meeting we won by a slim margin, 67-62. Last night, we dominated with the final score of 83-41. Grays Harbor was held to only 16 points at half, and once again, our defense was intense. Forcing 33 turnovers, much of our offense was generated from our pressure defense. We had a very balanced scoring attack with all 6 players scoring in double figures. Dre Castaneda led the way with 18 points, Alicia Richardson finished with 17, Whitney Titus added 14, Megan Sanders scored 12, and Whitney Moser and Kiara Honore both had 11 points in the lopsided victory. Kiara Honore, our point guard, played her best game of the season. In addition to her 11 points, she had 6 rebounds, 10 assists and only 1 turnover, and 7 steals. Her pressure defense was a real spark for our team.

The Clippers are now 8-1 in conference play, having won their last 6 in a row. It is still a 3-way tie for first place, quite an accomplishment for our Iron 6.
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BIG WIN ON THE ROAD (1/28/08)

Lower Columbia, undefeated before the Clippers came to town Saturday night, should not have overlooked South Puget Sound. LCC was in first place, but the Clippers were tied for second with Centralia. Also, if you looked at points allowed in conference play, LCC was in first place giving up 48 points per game, and the Clippers were in 2nd place giving up 50 points per game. In many ways, it was #1 vs. #2, and the Clippers certainly proved we were deserving of our record in conference.

We jumped on LCC with tenacious defense, and held them to 5 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Offensively, we were shooting well and the biggest lead of the game was with about 9:30 left in the first half with us leading 21-5. LCC made a run and got the score to within 2, but we did not back down. We finished the final 1:30 of the first half with our own run and were leading at half time 40-32.

Clearly, a big part of the message to LCC at halftime was about crashing the offensive boards since they had a huge size advantage. LCC started the second half aggressively on the boards and either scored or got fouled in the process. We played through the foul troubles, that included the only size on the roster, Alicia Richardson, only able to play 20 minutes in the game due to foul troubles. LCC got into the Bonus much earlier than we would have liked, and used their size against us. However, great shooting, especially from the foul line down the stretch, and a relentless effort on both ends of the court, led to our biggest win of the season. The final score was 71-66.

Megan Sanders played an all-around great game scoring 20 points, including key free throws down the stretch, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. Kiara Honore added 17 points and Dre Castaneda finished with 10 for the 3 in double figures. In a game where we did not take care of the main areas we thought would determine the outcome: our turnovers (we had 27, about 10 too many!), fouls (Alicia played limited minutes and we put them into the Bonus), and limiting their offensive rebounds (we gave up 28), the difference in the stats was our good shooting, especially getting to the foul line and finishing. The bigger difference was not evident in the stats and that was the intensity and the determination this very special group of 6 plays with for 40 minutes. These mighty six have won a lot of fans because of how hard they play in every game, and how well they play together. At the end of the first half of conference play, we are now 7-1 and in a 3-way tie for first place.
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CLIPPERS BEAT PIERCE (1/24/08)

The Clippers played with a lot of intensity on both ends of the court. The emphasis was on the half court defensive pressure, and we sustained that fairly well. Forcing turnovers led to many fastbreak scoring opportunities, and everyone got involved on the offense. Once again, our unselfish play was evident in the extra passes leading to wide open shots, and a team total of 34 assists. Megan Sanders, Dre Castaneda and Whitney Titus each had 8 assists. Alicia Richardson did a great job of running the floor and finishing, shooting 70% from the floor, and finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds, her fourth double-double this year. Dre Castaneda also had a great offensive night, shooting 60% from the floor and finishing with a double-double as well, 20 points and 10 rebounds. Whitney Moser and Kiara Honore were the other Clippers in double figures scoring 17 and 11 points respectively. The final score was: 96-34. The Clippers need to take this confidence and momentum into Saturday’s game against undefeated Lower Columbia College to finish the first half of conference play.
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CLIPPERS DOMINATE GREEN RIVER (01/22/08)

After a sub-par performance on Saturday against Clark, the Clippers rallied and played a very dominant game at both ends of the court. Our defensive pressure forced 22 turnovers, and we capitalized on some of those scoring 21 points. For the game, we held the Gators to shooting only 26% from the floor, a great sign that they did not get the shots they wanted and they were contested. We put them on the foul line too often, giving them easy opportunities to score. This is something we must improve both because of our numbers, and it will be the difference in closer games.

Offensively, the Clippers pushed the ball in transition well, sometimes scoring on the fastbreak, and other times pulling it out to run offense. We had much better movement, and very selfless team play with making the extra pass---we finished with 24 assists. Whitney Titus had an all-around incredible game: she finished with 26 points on 50% shooting, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. Her level of play made her teammates better as well. Alicia Richardson had a great game with 18 points, 9 rebounds and very strong interior defense. Megan Sanders added 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in a very solid game. And Kiara Honore, our point guard, scored 10 points, had 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. She led our fastbreak many times, making good decisions and her on-ball defensive pressure was very tough.

FINAL SCORE: Clippers 78, Gr. River 51
The Clippers are now 5-1 in conference play.
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GUTSY WIN AT CLARK (01/28/08)

We had a long drive (early in the morning) to Vancouver for a 1:00 game against Clark, also 3-1 in conference. After two injuries at practice on Thursday, it was questionable if our roster of 6 was going to be enough even to play the game. The toughness, the heart and the commitment of this group outweighed the question marks and they were ready to go.

We got off to a great start at both ends of the court building a lead of 17-5. Then we hit a wall when it came to our offensive execution and shooting. The half ended with us trailing Clark 25-27. As the second half started, our shooting woes continued and we compounded the problem with 21 turnovers (mostly unforced), and little to no movement on offense. Our one constant, like always, was our tough defense.

Then, another hurdle: Dre Castaneda went down with a sprained ankle and was done for the game, leaving us with 5 players. And we had to make defensive adjustments because Alicia Richardson picked up her fourth foul with about 12 minutes left in the game. We managed to finish the game with 5 on the court, and a 2 point victory. Megan Sanders led the team in scoring with 16, and hit the big shot to put us in the lead with only 8 seconds left. Whitney Titus and Alicia Richardson also scored in double figures with 13 and 11 respectively. Kiara Honore and Whitney Moser provided great defensive energy throughout the game.

Although it was not a pretty game, I am so proud of the tenacity and persistence of this group. It would have been very easy to give up, mentally or physically, but quitting is not in their vocabulary. Instead, these obstacles are just bringing the team closer together and highlighting their competitive spirit. The Clippers are now 4-1 in conference.
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CLIPPERS WIN AT HIGHLINE (01/14/08)

Once again, the team defense was the dominant factor in beating Highline, 58-51. Playing with only six, and being outsized in nearly every position, rebounding and not getting into foul trouble were major points of emphasis. We did outstanding in both areas, limiting their offensive rebounds to only 11, and not getting into the Bonus in either half. At the same time, we put enough pressure on them to force 26 turnovers, and we capitalized scoring 25 points off of turnovers.

Offensively, we were much more consistent than we have been. Our lapses in execution were less frequent and also less in duration when they did occur. We handled their denial pressure well, taking what the defense gave us with some great backdoor cuts and passes, and attacking off the dribble. We got them into foul trouble and got to the line for 27 free throw attempts.

With no depth in our roster, it puts a lot of pressure on each person to make significant contributions on both ends of the court. We don’t have the luxury that other teams have with a deep bench to sub someone out on an “off night”. Everyone had an impact in this game. Alicia Richardson finished with another double-double, (her fourth this season) with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Dre Castaneda played a great all-around game with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, as well as outstanding defense. Whitney Titus shot well and converted from the foul line to score 14 points. Whitney’s interior defense is one of those intangibles that is so crucial to our team’s success. Megan Sanders and Kiara Honore both added 7 points, and Whitney Moser finished with 5 points and 8 rebounds. This was a great team win on the road against the team that won the Western Division the past two years.
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TOUGH DEFENSE NOT ENOUGH (1/10/08)

The Clippers’ defense, once again, was the strength of the game holding the #1 team in the West to 60 points, 12 points below their average. It was our offense, both poor execution and poor shooting, that hurt us so badly. In the first half we shot 19% from the floor, wanting to only make one pass and then shoot instead of executing our offense. We finished with only 11 points at half.

Centralia is a very good team with size, depth, many returners, and solid in all positions from point guard through the post. In the second half we showed we could actually compete with them, losing that half only 33-32. That was in spite of making 11 turnovers in our first 14 possessions, mostly unforced. Then we finally calmed down, and played the final 14 minutes of the game well on both ends for the first time all night.
Alicia Richardson led the Clippers with a great effort on both ends of the court. She finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals. Megan Sanders and Dre Castaneda both added 8 points.
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DEFENSE LEADS TO DOMINANT WIN BY CLIPPERS (01/07/08)

Although the final score was 58-42, those watching know that it easily could have been 70-42 given the missed free throw and lay in opportunities the Clippers did not finish. The real highlight of this game for the Clippers was the stifling defensive pressure. The Clippers held a team that is averaging 59 points per game to 42 and a field goal percentage of 24.6%. Tacoma’s leading scorer, who was averaging 18 pts/gm and had 30 in their conference opener was held to 3 points, and no one for Tacoma was in double figures. That defensive pressure also led to forcing 22 turnovers and outrebounding the Titans by 15. It was a great team effort with a lot of intensity on the defensive end.

Offensively, we struggled to get into any kind of rhythm where all 5 were moving, making hard cuts, setting good screens and playing together. We had several stretches where our offensive execution let us down, and we did not get the high percentage shot that we wanted. However, when we pushed the ball in transition, and attacked off the dribble, we got open jumpers or a feed into the post. It was a very balanced attack with Alicia Richardson leading the way with her third double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Whitney Titus also played a great game with a double-double, 14 points and 12 rebounds. All 7 Clippers scored, as well as having most contribute in numerous categories such as their points, rebounds, assists and steals, as well as many intangibles that don’t show on the stat sheets. The Clippers are now 2-0 in conference play, and 5-6 overall. This game was an improvement from Grays Harbor, and we want each and every game for the rest of the season to get a little bit better than the one before.

The Clippers had three high school seniors who they are recruiting for next season in attendance at the game. Afterward, the team enjoyed visiting with them, sharing about SPSCC academically and athletically, and having some pizza and pop. Hopefully they will be in Clipper uniforms next year.
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CLIPPERS DEFEAT GRAYS HARBOR IN CONFERENCE OPENER (01/03/08)

The Clippers were on the road to open conference play against Grays Harbor. Although we started the game with a lot of defensive pressure, early foul trouble forced us into more zone than we would like. It also allowed Grays Harbor to get to the line in the Bonus with 8:30 left in the half. Our fouls, combined with giving up too many offensive rebounds and some unforced turnovers, led to being down 30-33 at halftime.

Those 3 areas, fouls, offensive rebounds and turnovers, were the focus at halftime, and the Clippers took care of business in all three areas in the second half. The team had to come back two different times, including being down 41-33 at one point early in the second half. That showed a lot of growth from some earlier games of not being able to fight our way out of a hole. Dre Castaneda and Whitney Moser both played all-around great games with their defensive energy and impact and their offensive play. Dre finished with 25 points and Whitney had 16 to lead the Clippers. Alicia Richardson, coming off the flu and not being 100%, added 11 points and 5 rebounds. Our pressure defense forced 28 turnovers by Grays Harbor, and we pushed the ball, scoring 28 points in transition. It was a great team win with all 7 players making a needed contribution. Final score: 67-62

The Clippers are now 4-6 overall, and 1-0 in conference.
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Coach Horton's Pre-Season Recap (12/07)