OREGON CITY, Ore. — Sam Waller and J.T. Terrell scored 23 points apiece as the Peninsula College men’s basketball team (10-1) cruised to an 85-65 win over host Clackamas in the championship of the Clackamas Holiday Invitational on Friday.
The Pirates won their second straight tournament of the season with five Pirates scoring in double figures.
“This was our most even effort of the year outside of our defensive rebounding in the first half,” coach Lance Von Vogt said.
“We played together as a team and forced them to shoot difficult guarded shots throughout the game.” Dudley Ewell had 13 points, Corey Clement added 10 points and tournament MVP Deshaun Freeman had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Pirates.
The Pirates picked up their defense in the championship game, holding the Cougars to 37.9 percent (26/66) shooting for the game and forcing 16 turnovers in all, led by a game-high four steals from Waller.
“It is a blessing to have so many capable scorers on the team,” said Von Vogt.
“But what I am so excited about is the commitment to the defensive end of the floor this weekend.
“This was like a mini-NWAACC championship with three good wins against three recent NWAACC champions.
“Definitely a great experience for our guys.”
The Pirates took a nine-point lead going into halftime (39-30) and pushed the lead to as many as 21 points in the second half.
A drop-off pass to Freeman for a one-handed slam dunk from Daniel Sims was the exclamation point to the championship victory.
All-tournament team selections included Ewell and Waller as well as Freeman.
“To beat Clackamas in this tournament, in their gym is a significant accomplishment,” said Von Vogt.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished and we are ready to begin league play next week.”
Clackamas Community College had 27 of the previous 29 Holiday Tournaments they have hosted and also were the back-to-back NWAACC champions until the Pirates took the title last year.
The Pirates, who have won 17 of their last 18 contests dating back to last year, end the year on a seven-game winning streak and end their non-conference slate with back-to-back tournament championships.
Peninsula opens up NWAACC North Region play at North Seattle on Jan. 4 and will be back at home Saturday night as they take on Skagit Valley at 7 p.m.
In Thursday’s semifinal game, Terrell hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 21 seconds left and the Pirates held on for a 78-75 victory over Tacoma.
Tacoma used a suffocating defense and Pirate miscues early in the game to build a 26–11 lead with 13:12 remaining in the half.
With leading scorer Terrell relegated to the bench after picking up his third foul of the half, the Pirates shifted from a man to man to a zone defense.
The zone proved fruitful as the Pirates closed the half on a 25– 4 run.
“Although we weren’t playing well in the first half, we were battling and playing through adversity,” Von Vogt said.
“I liked our chances at halftime being down only four points after how poorly we played.”
After trailing 40-36 at halftime, the Pirates gained control in the second half with aggressive defense and timely shooting, pushing their lead to 71–57 with 8:57 remaining in the game.
With sharpshooting point guard Tyler Funk fouled out, Tacoma returned the favor by switching to a zone defense and making a comeback of its own.
Tacoma’s zone held the Pirates to zero points for seven minutes while the Titans scored 14 points of their own to tie the game at 71.
“Their zone took the wind out of our sails.,” Von Vogt said.
“We didn’t attack the zone and played too passively. I take responsibility for that as we haven’t spent enough time working against zone defense in our practices.”
Tacoma’s late push ultimately gained them a 75-73 lead on a Mark McLaughin jumper with 59 seconds to play.
This was Tacoma’s first lead since the opening minute of the second half.
The following possession, Peninsula was headed for what looked like a game-tying layup when Tacoma stripped the ball, causing a turnover.
The Titans were up two and had possession with 30 seconds remaining until Terrell, Ewell and Waller trapped a Titan, causing a turnover.
Terrell received a pass from Waller on the left wing approximately 30 feet from the goal and after one dribble with a defender hanging on him he elevated into a twisting 27-foot shot that swished through the net to give the Pirates the 76-75 lead.
The Pirates caused a turnover on the following possession and Ewell sank two free throws with 8 seconds remaining to provide the final score.
McLaughin’s tying attempt was wide left as time expired.
Freeman recorded his second straight double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Ewell matched Freeman with 21 points and Waller added 16 points with five assists, respectively.
Terrell was held in check for the Pirates, who won their sixth straight, with 10 points on 4 of 10 shooting for the game.
