PASCO- The EvCC men’s basketball team began their trip to NWAC Tournament with a bang on Thursday, March 7th, upsetting Southwest Oregon 86-76 in the sweet sixteen. The Lakers, led by head coach Ryan Grandnetti were the 2nd seed out of the south region and finished an impressive 23-6 on the season before falling to the Trojans.
After a slow start, the Trojans, who are led by first year head coach Daniel Thompson, went on a 19-2 run in the first half while establishing the pace. Although, the final ten minutes of the frame were frustrating for Thompson’s bunch, gathering 15 fouls while allowing the Lakers to cling to a close game.
“We just needed to relax,” Thompson said. “They got some momentum, but even with how bad those last ten minutes went we were still winning so the message was just for everybody to collect themselves and go execute.”
Sophomore guard Derek Smith would help the Trojans take control in the 2nd half, finishing the game with a team-high 25 points on 8-12 shooting, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.
“After a long season with so many ups and downs it feels really good to get to this point,” Smith said.
After trading baskets for the first five minutes, the Trojans would push their lead to double digits for the final 11 minutes, never looking back enroute to their 2nd straight elite 8 appearance.
“I think we just fed off each other really well especially when we share the basketball. When everybody is scoring that is when we were at our best,” Smith said.
The Lakers were led by sophomore guard O’shen Cazimero, who had a game-high 26 points on 8-13 shooting. However, Grandnetti’s squad struggled all game with ball security with 20 turnovers.
The Trojan’s look to continue their postseason run on Friday, March 8th at 4pm against the Tacoma Titans who are coming off of their own dominant upset win over the higher seeded Treasure Valley 87-70. The Trojans lost to the Titans 87-79 earlier in the season in a game Thompson’s squad led by 10 at halftime. Thompson emphasized the importance of his team staying true to their identity in the rematch.
“We just can’t let this team dictate the pace, we have to play our own game.”
