Linn-Benton Men's Basketball opens NWAC play with a win over Chemeketa

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 star 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 anyway 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, Jaden 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 three steals plus 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 really been putting things together and gelling as of late.

    With freshmen like Best, who is making a serious case for NWAC player of the year 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 four straight for the young Beaks.

    Important bench pieces also continue to be pivotal to the team’s success, freshman guard Kai Russell and sophomore big Jackson Oglseby 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 its a two possession game I don’t care if we’re up or down we’re going to win,” Zimmerman said.

    The men’ basketball team’s next game is Saturday Jan. 10 against Portland.