In the NWAC’s toughest region for women’s basketball, Linn-Benton is giving it their all in a battle for the postseason.
Over the week, the Roadrunners traveled to face Mt. Hood on Jan. 11 before facing off against Clackamas on Jan. 15. Linn-Benton earned a 62-45 win over the St. Bernards before falling 73-45 to the Cougars.
Against Mt. Hood, Linn-Benton fought hard in a closely contested first quarter before taking control of the match in the second. The Roadrunners entered the second quarter leading 15-12 before outscoring the St. Bernards 11-6 to take an eight-point lead into the break.
Linn-Benton would continue to pile onto their lead as play resumed for the second half, outscoring Mt. Hood 22-12 in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 18. The margin would be too much for Mt. Hood to handle as Linn-Benton cruised to a 62-45 victory in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Roadrunners’ win was their stifling defense. Linn-Benton out-rebounded Mt. Hood 50-38 and forced the St. Bernards into committing 26 turnovers. The Roadrunners also managed to hold their opponents into taking just 38 shots throughout the game while putting up 79 shots of their own.
Katelynn Weaver led the Roadrunners with an impressive double-double performance, recording 13 rebounds and 13 points. Weaver also joined her teammates, Kylee Baumgartner, Hannah Berschauer, and Natalia McBride, for leading the team with 3 steals each.
With Mt. Hood out of the way, Linn-Benton prepared themselves for a tough away match against the 11-4 Clackamas Cougars.
Despite the quality of their opponents, the Roadrunners started their match against the Cougars with their foot on the gas, racing out to a 14-0 lead in the game’s first four minutes. However, the unrelenting Cougars would battle back from this deficit by going on a 19-8 run to end the first quarter.
With Linn-Benton up 22-19 entering the second, Clackamas would finally find their defensive composure in a second quarter that turned the match on its head. The Roadrunners scored just four points opposed to the Cougars 11, giving Clackamas the halftime advantage at 30-26.
Holding on to a narrow four-point advantage, Clackamas entered the second half reinvigorated. The Cougars would dominate both sides of the ball, outscoring the Roadrunners 20-10 to take a pivotal 14-point lead into the fourth.
As the fourth quarter of the game started, Clackamas quickly stopped any attempt for a Linn-Benton comeback. Clackamas opened the quarter by going on an 18-3 run in the first five minutes to put the game well beyond reach.
When all was said and done, Linn-Benton would fall 73-45 to the Cougars in a match that had started with Clackamas on the ropes. The result put the Roadrunners’ overall record at 10-6 and their conference record at 2-2. Molly Goeckner would lead the Roadrunners in both points and rebounds, scoring 10 points while grabbing 10 boards in a double-double display. Weaver would record a team-high of 5 assists while also nabbing 3 steals.
Even with the loss, the Roadrunners remain well and truly in the hunt for a postseason position, currently sitting in 5th place out of eight teams in the NWAC South Region.
Linn-Benton will look to avenge their loss in their next match against Clark at home. The game will take place tonight, with a tip-off time of 5:30 p.m.
