Walla Walla Community College’s men’s basketball team survived a shaky start on Friday to top Gonzaga Club, 90-79, then settled down Saturday to pound Fairchild Air Force Base, 94-64.
The two games at the WWCC Dietrich Dome gave the defending Northwest Athletic Conference champion Warriors a 2-0 record heading into the Warrior Classic tournament Dec. 1-2.
“It was a good start for us overall,” WWCC coach Jeff Reinland said.
Friday’s game didn’t appear to be the start the Warriors were looking for, as Gonzaga’s club team took a 44-38 lead at the half.
“They took it to us for awhile,” Reinland said. “They were very athletic and very good.”
Graduation has decimated the defending champion Warriors, who were showing first-game jitters, Reinland noted.
“We only have one player back with any experience,” Reinland said.
Fortunately for WWCC, that one player – 6-foot-1 point guard Landon Radliff – was on fire against Gonzaga Club. Radliff, the NWAC Championship’s MVP last March, scorched the Dietrich Dome nets for 36 points on 11-for-13 shooting from the field, five-for-seven from the three-point line and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
The second half belonged to WWCC, as the Warriors outscored the Bulldogs’ club team 52-35.
Saturday’s win featured a three-point Warrior barrage, with starter Brandon Porter and reserve Marcus McKone each hitting a half-dozen bombs. WWCC tallied 17-of-47 three pointers, while Fairchild was 5-of-23 from long range.
“They didn’t defend us as well as Gonzaga Club did,” Reinland said. “We were getting our guys open pretty good.”
The Warriors took a 53-24 halftime lead, but outscored Fairchild by just a single point in the second half.
“We cooled down in the second half,” said Reinland, noting the inherent difficulty of sustaining momentum after jumping to a big lead. “We didn’t play nearly as well in the second half,” he said.
Porter, a 6-2 wing, paced WWCC with 25 points. Six-foot guard Damen Thacker tallied 22, and McKone’s three-pointers fueled a 19-point outing by the 6-3 guard. Jake Albright, a 6-6 post player, came off the bench to grab a team high nine rebounds as the Warriors took a 50-46 edge on the boards.
After the Thanksgiving break, the Warriors will host Mt. Hood Community College, Columbia Basin College and Blue Mountain CC in the Warrior Classic.
“It’s going to be a challenge for us,” said Reinland, noting that Mt. Hood – the Warriors first foe in the Classic – may be the biggest of those challenges. “It’s always hard to play after a holiday break,” he added, although it may give the Warriors a chance to heal.
“We need the rest. We’re a little banged up,” Reinland said.
Friday
WWCC 90, Gonzaga Club 79
Gonzaga Club (79) — Stepovich 3 0-0 8, Garcea 3 0-0 7, Pete 9 4-6 25, Matunas 5 5-6 15, Cunningham 7 2-3 19, Stenberg 00-0 0. Longoria 2 1-1 5. Totals 29 12-16 79.
WWCC (90) — Porter 4 0-0 9, Thacker 6 6-7 20, Radliff 11 9-10 36, Watson 3 2-2 6, Engstrom 3 2-2 6, Tiller 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Kitchen 0 0-0 0, Albright 2 2-2 6, McKone 2 0-0 5. Totals 34 21-23 90.
Halftime — Gonzaga CLub, 44-38. 3-point goals — Gonzaga Club 9 (Stepovich 2, Garcea, Pete 3, Cunningham 3), WWCC 9 (Porter, Thacker 2, Radliff 5, McKone). Total fouls — Gonzaga Club 22, WWCC 14. Fouled out — Gonzaga Club (Longoria). Technical fouls — none. Rebounds — Gonzaga Club 43 (Pete 15), WWCC 45 (Engstrom 9). Turnovers — Gonzaga Club 12, WWCC 8. Assists — Gonzaga Club 6 (Stenberg 2), WWCC 4 (Porter, Thacker, Engstrom, Albright).
Saturday
WWCC 94, Fairchild AFB 64
Fairchild AFB (64) — Winters 4 1-1 10, Myers 0 0-0 0, Ray 3 1-1 7, A. Davis 6 1-5 14, Sipos 2 2-2 8, T. Davis 2 3-4 8, Macy 3 1-2 7, Rollins 3 1-1 7, Leak 1 0-1 2, Fausone 0 1-2 1. Totals 24 11-20 64.
WWCC (94) — Porter 9 0-0 24, Thacker 5 8-11 22, Radliff 10-1 2, Watson 3 4-4 11, Engstrom 3 0-2 6, Tiller 1 0-1 2, Smith 0 0-0 0, Anderson 0 2-2 2, Kitchen 0 0-0 0, Seme 0 0-0 0, Ramos 0 0-0 0, Albright 3 0-0 6, McKone 6 1-2 19. Totals 31 15-23 94.
Halftime — WWCC, 53-24. 3-point goals — Fairchild AFB 5 (Winters, A. Davis, Sipos 2, T. Davis), WWCC 17 (Porter 6, Thacker 4, Watson, McKone 6). Total fouls — Fairchild AFB 20, WWCC 19. Fouled out — WWCC (Watson). Technical fouls — none. Rebounds — Fairchild AFB 46 (Macy 10), WWCC 50 (Albright 9). Turnovers — Fairchild AFB 15, WWCC 12. Assists — Fairchild AFB 7 (Winters 4), WWCC 12 (Thacker 4).
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