BC WOMEN CLINCH TOURNAMENT PLAY-OFF SPOT
February 19, 2013

DeMarea Caples was one of three sophomores honored on Sunday in the final home game at vs. Whatcom. photo by Rich Dworkis

If you have a pacemaker, watching the first few moments of the first half of a Bellevue College women’s basketball games is not the place to be. In the past several games, both at home and away, the Bulldogs have come onto the floor at two trots above a walk, then seem surprised to find themselves either behind in scoring or just barely in the lead.

That was the case again on Wednesday, Feb. 13, when Bellevue hosted the Edmonds Tritons in the Courter Family Athletic Pavilion. Edmonds at 1-9 has not been enjoying a successful year, but the Bulldogs were able to shoot only 31% to the Tritons’ nearly 26% from the floor during the first half. Bellevue finally began to pick up speed right before the break, and took a 28-17 lead at half time. However, coming back in the second half,
the Bulldogs were fired up and ready to take charge, knocking back 12 out of 19 free throws, and upping the field goals to nearly 68%, resulting in a final victory for Bellevue of 80-31. Airashay Rogers and Jori Hall led in scoring with 16 and 15 points respectively, with DeMarea Caples netting 11. Brenna Anderson hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds and scored eight points.

Sunday, Feb. 17, the Bulldogs again played host, but this time to a much tougher opponent, the Whatcom Orcas, ranked eighth in the NWAACC Alaska Airlines poll, and locked into a 9-2 league tie with Bellevue. It would be rough going as the Bulldogs had beaten the Orcas at home in Bellingham 57-45 not quite a month before, and Whatcom was looking to return the favor. First, the Bulldogs honored their sophomores DeMarea Caples, Brenna Anderson, and Chanel Cambronero who were playing their last home game at Bellevue. Then, the ‘Dogs went to work.

There was no first half slump, not even a hint as Bellevue held Whatcom scoreless for nearly the first five minutes of the game, but then it became a back-and-forth battle as the teams traded baskets and the lead. It was a game of defensive boards and by half time, Bellevue held a slim one-point lead, 25-24. Even though the Bulldogs came out charging on all cylinders in the second half, it was still an uphill battle against the Orcas’ defense. The Bulldogs’ team worked together, with each player getting a hand on the ball and scoring, making the hard-earned final score of 61-51 settle in the Bellevue “win” column. Cambronero led the Bulldogs’ scoring 13 points, with five assists; Alexis Berrysmith scored nine points and had nine rebounds; Anderson also pulled in nine rebounds.

With these wins, the Bellevue women clinched one of the four playoff berths from the North Region to the NWAACC Basketball Championships the first week in March, but still have two tough battles for seeding. On Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Bulldogs (now 10-2 17-8) head off to Mount Vernon to take on Skagit Valley (10-2, 18-7), at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 23, it’s a trip across the Sound to Port Angeles to face the Peninsula College Pirates (8-4, 13-9), also a 5:00 p.m. game time. Stay tuned!