BULLDOG MEN TAKE SEVENTH PLACE; FINISH IN TOP EIGHT FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
March 3, 2008

Bellevue Sophomore Josh Monagle averaged 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in leading BCC to a 7th place finish at the 2008 NWAACC Championships. For his efforts, Monagle was honored with a place on the All-Tournament Second Team.

The BCC men’s basketball team closed out the 2008 season with a seventh place finish at the NWAACC Championship Tournament February 28 - March 2 in Kennewick, Washington. Feelings were mixed, as the Bellevue players and coaches had hoped for another trip to the NWAACC Championship game, but instead settled for a 2-2 performance. Still, BCC finished in the tournament's top eight for the third consecutive season, the only NWAACC school to do so during that span.

Bellevue's opening contest was a thriller, as the number 3 seed Bulldogs took on Eastern Region number 2 Big Bend. Bellevue raced out to a nine point advantage in the first half, only to see the Vikings tie the game up in the second period and send the game to overtime. In the final seconds, the Bulldog defense held strong, and BCC escaped with a hard fought 86-84 victory and a trip to the semifinals. Sophomore Michael Duty turned in the best game of his career as a Bulldog, totallying 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals to lead the BCC effort.

The quarterfinals pitted Bellevue against the number 1 seed from the Southern Region, the Umpqua Community College Riverhawks. The Bulldogs raced out to an early 8-2 lead, only to see Umpqua counter with a 10-0 run of their own. Bellevue recovered to lead 36-35 at the half. The second half was a back and forth struggle until the final 6 minutes of the game, when Bellevue went cold from the field and the Riverhawks found their stride. A pair of late three pointers kept the Bulldogs in striking distance, but Umpqua iced the game at the freethrow line, and came away with an 80-73 win, dropping BCC into the consolation bracket. Point guard Steve Wiseley combined 19 points with 10 assists and 5 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs.

In their first consolation game, Bellevue was matched with West Region number 1 seed Lower Columbia College. In the early going it looked as if the Red Devils would avenge a December 20th loss to Bellevue, sprinting out to 14 point first half lead. The Bulldogs responded by cranking up the defensive pressure, forcing the Devils into 29 turnovers, and outscoring their opponent 44-28 in the final stanza to secure a 70-63 victory. Leading scorer Josh Monagle led the Bulldogs with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Saturday's win setup an all-too-familiar matchup between North Region rivals, as BCC took on Peninsula College for the fourth time in the 4th-7th place game. A ragged game throughout, Bellevue's defense held tough as a Steve Wiseley three at the halftime buzzer gave BCC a 25-16 lead. Four games in four days caught up to BCC in the second half, as the Bulldogs simply didn't have the legs to hold of a determined Pirate run, falling by a final score fo 60-44. As he did all season, Monagle led Bellevue's scoring effort with 12 points, and hauled down 8 rebounds. Duty also played his heart out in his final game, combining 8 points with 11 boards.

Bellevue finished the 2008 season with an overall record of 22-10 and a fourth consecutive trip to the NWAACC Tournament. Three sophomores, Steve Wiseley, Josh Monagle, and Randy Bolick ended their two years at Bellevue with 50 wins-- more than any other group of sophomores in the NWAACC. It was the fourth consecutive 20-win season for the Bulldogs, who have cemented themselves as a perennial playoff contender.