Words and images by Joe O’Leary
LB overcomes adversity, defeats Chemekata, 69-62
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The Beaks brought it in their NWAC conference opener against a familiar foe in Chemeketa, winning 69-62 on Jan. 7 in a game defined by gritty plays, active hands and a good deal of adversity.
Real troubles came on the other end of the court, however, for the team with freshman forward Anthony Best getting into foul trouble early. The man to step up and provide the offense the Roadrunners needed to secure victory would be sophomore forward Gabe Townsend.
“I think we all went unconscious for a little bit (in the middle of the second half). All of us were doing everything to contribute any way we could. I think we started a little slow and that was just when we upped the intensity,” Townsend said.
And up the intensity they did, Townsend especially, at multiple points screaming in celebration towards his team’s bench and his opponents on the Storm bench after scoring during that part of the game – one that marked a huge momentum shift.
From there, it all came down to fending off the Chemeketa offense.
“Our defensive coach, Jalen Schlegel, put in a great game plan for us to just pressure the ball,” freshman point guard Braxton Long explained. Long logged 38 minutes with a steal plus two blocks, making him one of many players who had a big night on that end of the court.
As a whole, the team put up eight steals and five blocks, albeit with a fair amount of turnovers themselves.
“Home conference games are must-haves, having so many freshmen come in and get so much big time in their first league game like that and feel the intensity and the difference, and to have our older guys step up and make plays,” head coach Todd Zimmerman said.
All things considered, it seems like Linn-Benton has been putting things together and gelling as of late.
With freshmen such as Best – who is making a serious case for NWAC player of the year by averaging just under 20 points per game and eight rebounds a game on 62% shooting – leading scorer Kaiden Ford and a heads-up, pass-first point in Long gluing together the lineup, the win over Chemeketa made three straight for the young Beaks.
Important bench pieces also continue to be pivotal to the team’s success, with freshman guard Kai Russell and sophomore big Jackson Oglesby being key defensive anchors in the second unit.
“This is back-to-back-to-back games that were within two possessions with under two minutes left. We feel like, look, if it’s a two-possession game I don’t care if we’re up or down, we’re going to win,” Zimmerman said.
The men’s basketball team’s next game is on the road Saturday, Jan. 10, against Portland.
