The Bellevue College men’s basketball team entered the final week of North Region play needing two wins to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bulldogs were two games behind both Peninsula College and Everett Community College, and needed at least one of those two schools to lose their final two games to force a playoff game for the NWAACC tournament.
Bellevue began their week with a trip to take on Skagit Valley College on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The Bulldogs clearly felt the pressure of the must-win scenario as they began the game cold from the field knocking down only eight field goals in the first half. Luckily for the Bulldogs, the SVC Cardinals were similarly cold from the field only shooting 29% in the first half. Bellevue went into the break with a slim 28-22 lead. In the second half, the Bulldogs found their shooting touch and were able to pull away from Skagit Valley. Bellevue hit seven three-point shots in the second half and shot 60% from the field. This hot shooting display allowed the Bulldogs to cruise to a 78-58 final victory.
Eleven different Bulldogs scored in the contest, led by 16 points from Andrew Squiers. Squiers played a tremendous all-around game finishing with nine rebounds and six assists. Alec Wilson scored 15 points while Reggie Clinton and Andrew Holloway scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. On the van ride home, Bellevue got the news that Peninsula College had lost to Shoreline, setting up a chance for the Bulldogs to play their way into the NWAACC tourney.
On Saturday, Feb. 23, the Bulldogs traveled to Port Angeles to face the Peninsula College Pirates. The game held many playoff implications. With a Bellevue win, the Bulldogs could set up a tie-breaker scenario for the 4th and final playoff spot from the North Region, but a Peninsula College win would clinch a spot in the NWAACC tournament for the Pirates. The game was a back-and-forth affair from the start with each team taking leads in the first half. Bellevue finished with the final run of that half and led 36-33 at the break.
The second half followed a similar trend as neither team was able to completely pull away from the other. The Bulldogs took control with less than two minutes to play when Daniel Greer hit a deep three-pointer as the shot clock expired giving Bellevue a 63-58 lead. Peninsula got one free throw on the ensuing possession, but fouled the Bulldogs immediately after which sent Bellevue to the line with 1:45 to go in the game. Unfortunately, Bellevue quickly lost all momentum and saw their dreams of a 9th straight appearance in the NWAACC tourney fall apart. Bellevue missed the front end of the one-and-one free throw which led to a quick transition bucket for the Pirates. The next three Bellevue possessions resulted in two turnovers and one blocked shot. In this time, Peninsula was able to grab a two-point lead. The Pirates’ final possession ended with a desperation three-point attempt that hit off the glass and fell through the hoop to end Bellevue’s season with the final score in Peninsula’s favor, 69-63.
In the loss Bellevue was led in scoring by Tyler Stracener with 16 points. Stracener also grabbed nine rebounds. Squiers added 13 points, BC freshman Laudon Thomas scored 10 points in just eight minutes of play. Holloway played an excellent all-around game leading the team with 10 rebounds to go along with nine points and six assists. The loss not only ended Bellevue’s season, but also a couple of playoff streaks. The Bulldogs NWAACC tournament appearance streak ended at eight. And their NWAACC record seven straight seasons of placing at the NWAACC Tournament will also end with this season.
Bellevue received some good news with great representation on the NWAACC All-Star teams: sophomores Marcus Tibbs and Andrew Squiers were named to the All North Region First Team, and Squiers was named the North Region Defensive Player of the Year.
The Bulldog players and coaches would like to thank all those that supported them throughout the 2012-2013 season. We look forward to next year and getting back to the NWAACC tournament!
Thanks to you, Coach Jeremy Eggers, and your team of assistant coaches: Donald Brady, Tom Eggers, and Marcus Fermon for an exciting season!
Last Updated November 1, 2013
