Back On Track: Men’s team finishes the week 2-1, including home win over Lane

Going into last monday’s game versus Portland Community College, Linn-Benton’s men’s team was in a bit of a slump.

After winning their league opener, the team dropped the next four games and was sitting at the bottom of the Southern region of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). The boys, however, bounced back, starting with an 86-78 win over Portland.

The team was led by sophomores Kaj Bansen and Brodie Marchant. Bansen had a team-high 21 points while Marchant finished with an impressive 14 point, 11 rebound double-double.

The Roadrunners then traveled home to host Lane Community College on Jan. 25. The game was very close throughout, with the Roadrunners winning eventually 94-90. Both teams were nearly identical in total rebounds, bench scoring, defensive stops, and points per possession.

This time, the team was led by the Marchant brothers, Brodie and Jesse. Jesse had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Brodie had a team-high 19 points to go along with 6 rebounds. Sophomore Kendrick Abraham also contributed 15 points.

The last game of the week was hosted by Clark College in Vancouver, Wash. The Roadrunners unfortunately couldn’t keep the momentum going and ended up losing the game 83-64. The boys just came out flat on the first half, scoring only 22 points and shooting a measly 31.3% from the field.

“Clark leads the league in defense and we allowed them to slow the game down in the first half,” said Head Coach Everett Hartman.

They seemed to find their rhythm in the second half, scoring 42 while only giving up 50, but just couldn’t overcome the deficit from the first half. Leading scorers for LBCC were Jesse Marchant, Kendrick Abraham, and Tanner Autencio finishing with 15, 13, and 10 respectively.

Next league game is in fact a home game where the men will host Clackamas Community College on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Clackamas currently sits on spot ahead of the Roadrunners at a record of 3-4.

“We will need to the rebounding battle, shoot more free throws, and take care of the ball with better team defense,” said Hartman.

After a bit of a difficult beginning of the season it’s exciting to see this men’s team start to turn things around.

Story by Nick Fields

Photos by Joshua Knight