With 2025 underway, the most important time of the year has started for the Linn-Benton men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Both teams tipped off their regular season campaigns with a win over Portland following a home doubleheader in Albany on Saturday, Jan. 4th. The women’s team started the night with a commanding 67-54 win over the Panthers before the men’s team picked up a thrilling 87-85 overtime win.
“We knew that this was going to be a big game for us,” said Hannah Berschauer, “it’s great to come into the new year off of a great win.”
In the first match of the night, the Roadrunners took the early advantage, racing out to a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to the team’s high-flying offense.
Linn-Benton would add to their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring Portland 22-12 to take a 16-point lead into the half at 42-26. The Roadrunners entered the halftime break without trailing once and outshooting their opponents 53% to 37% from the field.
Linn-Benton’s offense slowed down slightly in the third, scoring just 11 points; however, the team’s unrelenting defense would see Portland only cut the 16-point deficit by three heading into the fourth quarter.
The Roadrunners held on to their lead for the rest of the match, with both sides putting up 14 points in the fourth quarter to make the final score 67-54. Linn-Benton looked the better side for much of the game, only allowing Portland to get within 10 points once in the second half.
Berschauer led the team with 20 points, while Katelynn Weaver and Kylee Baumgartner each contributed 13 points. On the defensive side, Molly Goeckner grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds while recording a pair of steals.
“I was excited to be back out there, playing with my team that I love,” said Berschauer, “We all work together and when we work together we get a lot of really good looks.”
With the win, the Roadrunners improved their overall record to 9-4 and their conference record to 1-0.
With the women’s team taking care of business, it was time for the men’s team to take the court. Throughout the opening minutes of the contest, there was nothing to separate the two sides, with the score knotted up at 8-8 through six minutes.
However, after the close start, Portland went on a 19-6 run to take control of the match at 27-14. The Roadrunners responded to this with an 18-9 run of their own to cut the deficit to four at the break.
Neither side could pull ahead by more than four in the second half, with each team looking to pick up a hard-fought win. After a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands multiple times, the Panthers seemed to have the win in the bag after a pair of Edy Essien free throws made it 75-72 Portland with just 25 seconds remaining.
Needing a three to tie the contest, the Roadrunners knew they needed a moment of magic. After Liam Spencer received the ball from Eli Lerman, Spencer made the moment his own, maneuvering to the corner before throwing up a contested three-pointer with just under 8 seconds left to tie the game.
“I kind of just closed my eyes, honestly, hoping that he made it,” said Jackson Oglesby, “then I heard the crowd pop and knew that it was good.”
Spencer’s clutch shot sent the game to overtime, where the Roadrunners would finally pull ahead, outscoring the Panthers 12-10 to earn an 87-85 win. The win improved Linn-Benton’s overall record to 6-8 and gave them a 1-0 start to conference play.
Spencer led the team with a 27-point performance, while Oglesby put in a personal season-high of 18 points. Mykah Mendoza grabbed 12 rebounds, while Lermann led the team with 6 assists. On the defensive side, Cade Smith recorded 4 steals, while Oglesby nabbed 3 of his own.
“We just need to stay consistent with our performance on the court and in practice,” said Oglesby, “so we can beat these teams by a lot more than just a couple points.”
Both teams will return to action on Wednesday with another home doubleheader against Lane. The women’s match starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s match at 7:30 p.m.
