The Bellevue College men’s basketball team continued North Region play last week with two home games against high-scoring competition. The Bulldogs hosted the Dolphins of Shoreline Community College on Wednesday, January 8. The game was a contrast in styles as Bellevue entered the game leading the NWAACC in scoring defense and Shoreline came into the game averaging 92 ppg and had not scored less than 82 points in a game all year.
Bellevue was able to put their stamp on the game from the jump, using suffocating defense to take a 46-28 halftime lead. Bellevue kept up the defensive intensity in the second half holding Shoreline to just 37% shooting from the field. This, coupled with Bellevue’s own hot shooting (54% for the game) led, to a comfortable 93-62
win for the Bulldogs.
Bellevue finished with six players in double-digit scoring, led by Anthony McLaughlin’s 21 points and team leading 11 rebounds. Austin O’Keefe added 10 points and six rebounds. Freshmen point guards Dominique Jordan and Jalen Ward came off the bench to score 17 points and 12 points, respectively. Sophomore wings Darien Moungvang and Daniel Greer added 11 points and 10 points to complete the double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs.
Next up for the Bellevue men’s team was a battle for first place in the North Region standings with the 2-0 Everett Trojans. Bellevue hosted this pivotal game on Saturday, January 11. Everett came into the game averaging 93 ppg and had scored over 100 in two of their previous three contests. Bellevue again looked to control the pace of the game and succeeded for the first ten minutes as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 29-9 lead. However, Everett would not go away easily and responded to Bellevue’s lead with a run of their own eventually drawing within four points at halftime.
The second half saw both teams go back and forth hitting big shot after big shot. Everett eventually tied the game in the second half, but could never take a lead. In the end, Bellevue was able to knock down free throws to seal the victory 77-73. O’Keefe led the Bulldogs with 19 points and Greer added 16 points with four successful three-point attempts. The freshmen point guard duo of Jordan and Ward combined for 24 points and six assists off the bench. Moungvang filled up the stat sheet with five points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Bellevue is currently tied at the top of the North Region standings with the Skagit Valley Cardinals. The Bulldogs go on the road to take on the defending league champion Edmonds Community College Tritons on Wednesday, January 15, at 7:00 p.m. The next home game for the Bulldogs is Saturday, January 18, at 6:00 p.m. against the Whatcom Orcas.
Last Updated February 12, 2014
