Whitworth basketball sails into second half of season
The Whitworth men and women’s basketball teams have thrown up some impressive numbers as both teams begin the second halves of their conference seasons tonight against Lewis & Clark at Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The No. 17 women (16-1, 7-1 Northwest Conference) started the season on a 14-game winning streak before losing Jan. 17 at undefeated George Fox. The No. 21 men (16-2, 8-0) have won 15 straight games since losing Nov. 22 to St. Thomas, which is ranked No. 2 by D3hoops.com.
“I think our team has positioned itself well for the stretch run,” men’s coach Matt Logie said. “We are looking forward to that challenge. I think we have grown a lot since the beginning of the year.”
The men’s team is seeking its sixth consecutive conference title and ninth-straight trip to the Division III NCAA tournament. It’s getting contributions from many of those players Logie highlighted at the beginning of the season.
Sophomore wing Christian Jurlina leads the Bucs with 16.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a game. Senior center Taylor Farnsworth (Mead) roams the paint where he has 23 blocks and averages 8.6 points.
Newcomer Matt Staudacher had to replace departed conference player of the year Dustin McConnell at point guard. But the junior transfer from Simon Fraser has played well and is averaging 9.2 points a game.
But the biggest jump has come from sophomore guard Kenny Love. He started the season coming off the bench, but Love is now leading the team with 16.6 points a game in conference play.
“It’s not really surprising,” Logie said of Love’s production. “We’ve always believed in his ability. It just took him a little bit of time to find his rhythm.”
Junior forward George Valle always seems to find a way to score about 10 points and grab five rebounds. Logie also said the team has benefitted greatly from 6-foot-7 forward Forrest Baker (Mead), who transferred in from Lewis-Clark State College.
“Forrest is getting better every week. He’s a talented kid,” Logie said. “He gives us depth at the 4 position that we didn’t have last year. He’s made a big impact for us in some big games.”
Tonight the Pirates take on a Lewis & Clark team that has won six straight after losing its opening games to Whitworth and Whitman.
“They are playing very well,” Logie said of the Pioneers. “We played arguably one of our best halves of basketball against them, but they are certainly a dangerous team in our conference and one we respect a great deal.”
The Bucs will have guard Kionte Brown (Shadle Park), who had been out with a wrist injury, available. However, Logie said it appears 6-5 forward Austin Damon (LC), who transferred in from Northwest Nazarene, will have to give up basketball.
“He had some medical issues recovering from knee surgery,” Logie said. “It’s one of those situations that won’t improve.”
Women looking to repeat
The women’s team roared out of gate and set the school record for most wins to begin the season as they try to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the third-consecutive year.
The team is led by guard KC McConnell, who is Dustin’s younger sister. She is averaging a team best 17.6 points a game. She also has 44 assists, 29 steals and has grabbed 5.4 rebounds a game.
“She is that one-of-a-kind player. We obviously coach her, but she has that ‘it’ factor,” coach Helen Higgs said. “She’s incredibly competitive and has a tremendous work ethic. She wants to do whatever it takes to be successful.”
Along with starting guard Lexie Zappone (Lakeside), the Pirates have gotten huge contributions from forward Jessica Kramer, who at 5-9 remains a force in the paint.
Kramer has nearly doubled her scoring from last year to 10.1 points and more than doubled her rebounding to lead the team with 7.2 per game.
“She’s so comfortable with her back to the basket,” Higgs said. “She finds a way, and she can rebound.”
Higgs now hopes to at least match the team’s effort in the second half against a conference that has three ranked teams. Puget Sound is ranked No. 22 and only has road losses to Whitworth and No. 5 George Fox.
“For a while, we had teams that were similar in quality and only get one or two ranked,” Higgs said. “It’s good basketball. It kind of talks about the depth in our league and it’s recognized now.”