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MEN’S BASKETBALL WINS CROSSOVER TITLE
December 17, 2007
The BCC Men’s Basketball team (7-3) won three consecutive games December 14-16 to take home the championship trophy at the 2007 Southern Region Crossover Tournament at Lane Community College.
The Bulldogs ran away from opening round opponent Blue Mountain Community College by a score of 95-80, and were paced by a career high 28 points from sophomore post Josh Monagle. Also in double figures for Bellevue was sophomore Steve Wiseley, who totaled 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals, and Michael Duty and Sam Cartmell who both tallied 11 points. BCC scored 39 points off of 31 Blue Mountain turnovers, while committing a season-low 14 turnovers themselves.
Up next, Bellevue faced Clark College in the semifinals. The Bulldogs led 43-34 after 20 minutes, but Clark pulled even midway through the second half. Down the stretch, Bellevue executed their offense effectively, and Wiseley shot a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line to help the Bulldogs hold off the Penguins for a 87-80 victory. Cartmell led all scorers with a career-high 20 points, while Monagle chipped in 16 points and 9 rebounds. Duty played well again, recording 13 points and 6 rebounds, while freshman Steven Stone provided a spark off the bench with 12 points in 14 minutes.
In the Championship, the Bulldogs found themselves matched with a familiar opponent in Northern Region rival Peninsula College. BCC stormed out to an early 20-10 lead, only to see the Pirates close the half on a 19-5 run to take a 29-25 halftime lead. The Bulldogs clamped down defensively in the second half, and once again executed well down stretch. Redshirt freshman Curron Singleton made a dramatic three pointer in the final seconds to help put the game out of reach, and BCC claimed the win by a score of 65-54. Monagle was a force again, with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Duty contributed 14 points. Wiseley showed poise and leadership in the final minutes, earning the assist on Singleton’s shot, and contributing 12 points of his own. Bellevue’s defense was the difference, holding Peninsula leading scorer Clay Greenland to just 9 points, 8 below his average of 17.2.
With 59 points and 22 rebounds in three games, Monagle was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He currently leads the Bulldogs in scoring (18.1) and rebounding (7.7) through the first ten games of the season.
Up next, BCC travels to Longview, WA for a game against Lower Columbia College at 7:00pm on December 20. After a break for the holidays, the Bulldogs will play their final pre-league game of the season on December 28 against Yakima Valley College at 7:30pm.
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