The Olympian

Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Sophie Siemion

Media Credit: Sophie Siemion [Click to enlarge]

The Olympic College men's basketball team is showing some new life after a tough first half of the season, with two wins in as many games.
Coming off a pair of losses to Shoreline and Bellevue, the Rangers finished their road trip on a high note by squeaking out a win against Seattle before coming home to beat Skagit Valley in a 71-59 victory Saturday night.
The Rangers started off strong against the Cardinals, opening the game with an 11-0 run. Things soon slowed down, however, as Skagit Valley closed the gap and eventually took a one-point lead during the first half. The OC men did not let up, though, and went into the intermission leading 30-29.
"To move to the upper echelon, we've got to finish games," coach Billy Landram told his team after the win.
Finishing strong is just what the Rangers did on Saturday. The close battle continued through most of the second half, but toward the end of the game the Rangers were able to pull away for the 12-point victory.
Forward Duntae Jones, who had 16 points, talked about the difficulties that this team of all freshmen has faced, and the fact that they are only recently starting to gel together.
"Now we're used to playing with each other. We know each other's strong points," Jones said.
Landram also expressed the need to strengthen certain areas, such as free throw shooting, where the Rangers were outdone, 81 percent to 45 percent against the Cardinals.
With most of their remaining opponents ranking above them, it will be essential that the OC men maintain their current vitality and correct any mistakes if they want to finish in the top half of their league.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools