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February 6, 2012

BELLEVUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROLLS ON

Sophomore Sanda Milovic photo by Rich Dworkis

The Bellevue women’s basketball team hosted Edmonds Community College on Monday, Jan. 30, as a make-up for a game previously cancelled due to severe weather. Playing their sixth game in 12 days, the Bulldogs were looking to keep their winning streak alive. Bellevue jumped out early in the first half to hold the Tritons at bay, and continued to dominate up to the buzzer and went into the break leading 42-16. The second half would be no different for the Bulldogs. “We defended throughout the game and maintained our level of energy on the court and on the bench,” said Coach Brent Hermanson. “It can be easy to have a letdown with a big lead, but the ladies continued to work hard throughout the game.”

At the final buzzer, the Bulldogs notched their seventh North region victory with an 86-39 score. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Kelsey Sparks with 16 points, followed by Brittany Barrington’s 14 and TyShana Burgess with 12.
DeMarea Caples nailed a double-double, hitting 15 points and pulling in a game-high 10 rebounds.

In the second game of the week, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Bulldogs hosed the Olympic College Rangers. Starting off the second half of league season, the Bulldogs were ready to start the second half the same way they started the first half, with a win over Olympic. For the third consecutive game the Bulldogs found themselves up big going into the half, 43-17, “But we all remembered what happened against Peninsula with a similar lead, so we made sure the team focused for the second half,” said Hermanson. Though the Bulldogs did cool a little in the second half, they still maintained the advantage and finished the contest with a 73-41 victory. Again, four Bulldogs shot in double digits, with Burgess netting 13 points; Caples, 12, and ten each for Sanda Milovic and Taylor Wofford.  “It was a great team effort, everyone got in the game, everyone scored and we got to rest some of our players as we finished up a pretty tough stretch,” said Hermanson.

Following a bye on Saturday, Feb. 4, and some much-needed rest, the Bulldogs gear up to take on the North region-leading Skagit Valley Cardinals (10-0, 15-5) on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 5 p.m. in Mount Vernon. Bellevue will host the North Seattle Storm (4-6, 6-12) on Saturday, Feb. 11, game time 4 p.m. The Bulldogs currently sit 8-1, 16-4 in sole possession of second place in the North Division.

BULLDOGS MEN TAKE TWO AT HOME

Keaton Hayenga scored 25 points in a nail-biter win over Olympic. photo by Rich Dworkis

The Bellevue College men's basketball team hosted two home games last week to wrap up the first half of North region play. On Monday, Jan. 30, the Bulldogs played the Tritons of Edmonds Community College. Bellevue relied on great team defense to hold Edmonds to just 37% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and had a season low with only 13 turnovers in the game. The extra possessions combined with solid defense led to a 73-52 Bulldog victory. Bellevue was led by Keaton Hayenga who recorded another double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Eric Turner turned in one of his best performances of the year with 11 points, five assists and only two turnovers in 35 minutes of play while Rex Nelson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 16 points.

Two days later the Bulldogs finished their run of six games in 12 days by hosting the Rangers of Olympic College. In a tightly contested match-up, the Bulldogs were able to do just enough to come away with a squeaker 74-71 victory. Hayenga again led the Bulldogs with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Nelson also turned in a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Andrew Squiers scored 10 points.

With their two victories the Bulldogs take their record to 7-2 in North region play, 17-2 on the year. Bellevue is now ranked 4th in the NWAACC Coaches Poll joining two other North region teams in the top four. Bellevue travels to Mount Vernon on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to take on the Cardinals of Skagit Valley College (2-8, 6-12) at 7 p.m., then the Bulldogs will host North Seattle Community College Saturday, Feb. 11, with a 6 p.m. tip-off.

GOLF TEAM FUNDRAISING TOURNAMENT MARCH 12

The Bellevue College Golf Team Annual Fundraiser Tournament will be held Monday, March 12, at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue. Entry fee is $150 per person with all proceeds benefiting the Bellevue College men’s and women’s golf teams. Registration forms available at the BC Athletics office or contact Kirk Johanson, BC Golf Head Coach at (425) 746-7377.

Q and A With This Week's Featured Athlete: Laura Friar, BC Volleyball

FreshmanVolleyball Sensation Laura Friar

Every two weeks, BC Athletics will feature a "Q & A" session to provide insight at a more personable level with a featured athlete. This week: Laura Friar who led Bellevue's volleyball team to a 22-13 record and was named First Team All-North Regon this past fall.

1. Where were you born?
Seattle, WA

 2. What is your most fond childhood memory?
Swimming with dolphins in Hawaii with my family.

3. What is your most memorable athletic experience from your prep days?
Winning volleyball state my senior year.

 4. Why did you choose Bellevue College to play in your sport?
My friend Patti played volleyball for BC and recommended me to go there, so I looked into the College and realized it was a great fit for me both athletically and academically.

 5. What has been the highlight of your time at Bellevue up to this point?
The volleyball NWAACC tournament in November.

 6. What are your goals for the team this year?
Win a NWAACC championship!

7. What are your goals for you individually this year?
Improve my overall game as a volleyball player, help my team to a NWAACC championship and hopefully earn a scholarship to a 4-year university.

 8. After my time here at Bellevue, I want to… (Complete this sentence)
continue my athletics at a four-year university.

9. One word that describes you....
humorous

 10. What’s your radio station set on right now.
93.3 Old School Lunch

11. Movie Character that best depicts you.
King Leonidas (in girl form)

12. Person who has had the biggest influence in your life.
Jesus Christ

13.Stranded on an island with one possession, what is it???
A volleyball of course!

Please visit the BC Athletics website http://bellevuecollege.edu/athletics/ for additional team information. For complete standings, coaches’ polls and up-to-the-minute results go to http://nwaacc.org

GO, BULLDOGS!