Ronnie Anderson

Men’s Basketball: Wolves Come Up Just Short to Beacons

2/19/2018 9:58:00 AM

Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director

Eugene, Ore. –After building a double-digit first-half lead, the Beacons barely hung on after a Wolves second-half comeback that come up just short.

The energy was high from the get-go, and after senior night pre-game celebrations for Northwest Christian, they built an 18-9 lead in the opening five minutes, powered by the three-point shooting for Michael Loomis, who started the game off 3-for-3 from deep. Walla Walla Jacob Vargas answered with a three of his own moments later and the Wolves looked as though they may be making a move to take back the lead. Kenny Blackwell and Loomis responded with back to back three's that put Northwest Christian up by double-digits. Walla Walla would not take the lead in the first half, but their scrappy play and outside shooting kept things close. Josh Hager nailed a three to put them within three points, 31-28, with just under seven minutes remaining. The shooting remained the biggest factor for the Beacons, and Loomis drilled another late in the first half to extend the lead back to 10 points. The Beacons shot 13 of 24 from deep in the first half, compared to Walla Walla going 6 of 17. After a Blackwell layup, Northwest Christian went into halftime with a 50-43 lead.

In the opening moments of the second half, things looked like they might slip away for Walla Walla. Another three from Loomis extended the lead to 12-points with just under 14 minutes remaining in the game. Instead, the Wolves slowly began to chip away at the lead, and over a 10-minute span, Walla Walla closed the gap. With just over four minutes remaining, a layup from Dylan Browning tied the game up for the first time since it was 0-0 at the tip. A minute later, Vargas finished under pressure in the post for the bucket and a free-throw that put Walla Walla in the lead, 89-88, for the first time in the game. Northwest Christian would answer back with a pair of free-throws to take back the lead. In the final two minutes, the Wolves missed several opportunities to tie the game or take back the lead. After coming so close to giving up the game, the Beacons managed a 9 to 2 run over the final two minutes of the game. As time was running out, Senior Wesley Burke, connected on the final three of his college career, making the final 98-94 in favor of the Beacons.

The game's leading scorer was Michael Loomis, who scored 34 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Walla Walla's Wesley Burke and Jacob Vargas each had 26 for the Wolves, and Dinesh Brown lead the team in rebounding with 10. This concludes the season for Walla Walla, but Cascade Conference playoffs are starting up. For more information on that, please visit cascadeconferenece.org.

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