SPSCC comes from behind to top Centralia College in back-and-forth affair
OLYMPIA — No lead was safe. No momentum swing could last. No one on either sideline could be certain of which team would claim victory until the final buzzer sounded.
Finally, the pendulum finally swung in favor of the South Puget Sound Community College men's basketball team Saturday afternoon against Centralia College, as the Clippers prevailed 74-70.
In a contest that saw eight ties and a dozen lead changes, SPSCC overcame a nine-point deficit in the final nine minutes, outscoring the Trailblazers 22-9 over that span.
"Our guys, they defend. They've been defending all year long," SPSCC head coach Zach Smith said. "Early on, [Centralia] hit some shots, but our guys trusted the scout, and I think that, over the course of 40 minutes, our defense paid off."
The first eight minutes alone resulted in four lead changes, with Centralia finally getting the first multi-possession advantage at 17-12 midway through the first half and extending that lead to 22-14 by way of a 14-4 run. Elijah Mack and Jamaal Elliott helped SPSCC chip away, yet any time the Clippers would make a push toward a lead change, Centralia had a big answer.
On four occasions, SPSCC narrowed the lead down to two and the Trailblazers scored on the ensuing possession. The Clippers, who trailed 34-32 at halftime, struggled mightily at the free-throw line, hitting just 6 of 13 and missing six straight to finish the first half.
In the second half, the Clippers took their biggest lead of the night as Nakalayah Fabello and Caleb Bowden drilled 3-pointers to give them a nine-point cushion. But in the next 90 seconds, Centalia immediately answered with 10 consecutive points to take a 46-46 lead with 15:33 remaining. Andrew Collins was responsible for six of those points on a pair of triples.
"When we were up, we were pushing the ball," CC head coach Josef Chirhart said. "We were trying to get some tempo and make them defend."
The two NWAC rivals exchanged buckets before CC finally gained separation on a 11-0 run to give the Trailblazers their biggest lead of the night at nine with 8:43 remaining.
But for the remainder of the game, the Trailblazers' offense went cold. They missed six of their next eight shot attempts and turned the ball over five times. Jalen Hyppa gave SPSCC its final lead at 67-66 with 2:35 left, and he provided the dagger on a layup out of a timeout on a long pass from Elliott.
"Tonight, we knew it was going to take 40 minutes. Early on, we got down and had some bad turnovers," Smith said. "But over the course of 40 minutes, our guys were tough and they were gritty. It was a good win for us. We needed this one."
Elliott and Hyppa paced the Clippers with 15 points apiece, while Bowden was right behind them with 14. Jeremiah Lewis recorded 11 points and five rebounds, and Mack finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
It's back to the drawing board for Chirhart's Trailblazers, who have now watched sizable leads disappear against two of the top three teams in the NWAC West, as they also blew a 20-point lead in a double-overtime loss to Lower Columbia at home Jan. 7.
"I can't take anything away from SPSCC. They forced us into some tough shots. They defended well in that second half," he said. "We started to settle for some tough, contested mid-range shots. We didn't work hard enough to get the easy looks or work deep down into the shot clock. We've got to have a lot more patience and a lot more maturity. We played soft in that second half."
Luke Brewer led all scorers with 19 points, and Collins tallied 14. Clay Morgan provided 11 off the bench.
Centralia College (12-8, 2-4 NWAC West) will look to get back on track at home Wednesday night against Pierce College. SPSCC (15-6, 4-2 NWAC West) gets a crack at taking down the top team in the NWAC West standings in Green River on the road Wednesday night.
SPSCC and Centralia College will meet again in Centralia Saturday, Feb. 21 for the Clippers' sophomore night.