MOSES LAKE — The Walla Walla Community College men’s basketball team had a tough time slowing down Big Bend’s Brendan Westendorf on Saturday.
Westendorf erupted for a game-high 35 points, including a perfect 13-of-13 performance from the free throw line, as the Vikings beat the Warriors, 84-69.
“We just don’t have anyone that could guard him,” WWCC coach Jeff Reinland said. “It’s just hard to stop him. He went 1-on-1, we fouled him. When we left him open from 3, he hit a 3. He’s a good player.”
Reinland said the Warriors (12-14 overall, 5-7 NWAACC East) came out flat and simply could not recover as Big Bend (19-7, 8-4) extended its lead to 42-31 at halftime. The Warriors finished the first half shooting only 38 percent, compared to 45 percent for the Vikings.
The second half started much like the first, as the Warriors ran four unsuccessful plays to Nate Richards and Prince Lacey.
“We ran four special plays to two different players,” Reinland said. “They were all open shots and we missed them all. I really think that turned the game. If we would have made those, we might have had a chance.”
The Warriors finished 12-of-34 from the perimeter, as Caleb Bravard led Walla Walla with three treys. Lacey, Garret Sawyer and Joel Underdahl all hit two apiece.
Bravard led WWCC with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He picked up three fouls early in the first half, Reinland said, forcing Reinland to bench him.
“He did a nice job,” Reinland said of Bravard. “He worked hard and played hard. He got a little frustrated out there at times, but it was a pretty frustrating game for us.”
But Bravard’s effort wasn’t enough to overcome the Vikings. Outside of Westendorf, Richard Black also chipped in 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting and hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds. Ultimately, Reinland said his team’s laid back attitude doesn’t work against good teams like Big Bend.
“It was just a fact that they played more tenacious than we did,” he said. “It forced us to turn it over — they’re flying around out there and we’re not. We kind of got in over our head today. They took it to us and we weren’t ready to respond.”
The Warriors square off with Blue Mountain at home on Wednesday.
Box Score
http://nwaacc.org/basketball/box_score3.php?g=3721&sport=mbasketball&home=BBCC&visitor=WWCC
