SALEM, Ore. – Honoring four spectacular senior student-athletes this evening on Tim Hills Court, the RV Corban Men's Basketball team (19-9, 15-7) sent them out with a bang in an absolute thriller against the Oregon Tech Owls (14-14, 11-11), taking a 64-61 victory in the final regular season game before they embark on their postseason playoff run.
"It's always a big win when you can beat OIT, they've been such a good program for so long," Corban Head Coach Taylor Kelly said shortly after his team's 19th win this season. "Our guys found a way to fight through some adversity and get enough stops down the stretch to close out the game.
Kelly went on to share, "Taylor made a massive shot down the stretch to provide some much needed breathing room. I'm so proud of our guys' resilience and toughness to close this one out. Looking forward to seeing how our group plays as we start our conference tournament next week."
There were a handful of playoff scenarios at play tonight as the second through eighth seeds in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament were all up for debate in numerous win/loss requirements across the league. In order to host the quarterfinal round, the Warriors knew they needed a win tonight against the Owls before they could start planning for a first round opponent.
But before they could focus on winning a basketball game, there were far more important recognitions to be made prior to their warmup period after the women's game wrapped up. Four important senior members of this team took to the court with their families and friends, including forwards Darius Henderson and James Carlson, alongside guards Mateo Escheik and Masie Mohammadi.
After suffering a physical setback last night against Southern Oregon University, Mohammadi was unable to completely suit up for his final regular season contest. However, that didn't stop the Warriors from honoring him with one final start, as the Owls agreed to a staged tipoff in which they would win the tip, score with ease, then allow a hobbled Mohammadi to layup the final two points of his incredible career in front of his family and dearest loved ones before subbing out to a roaring applause from both Corban and Oregon Tech fans.
Following the senior recognitions, the Warriors and Owls proceeded to entertain everyone present tonight at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center with a rigorous back-and-forth game of momentum that ran eerily similar to Corban's bout with SOU the night prior, in which the Raiders staved off a double-digit deficit to pull within a few possessions down the stretch.
Tonight's first half was no different than last night's huge victory for the Warriors, as they managed to set up the offense and shut down OIT's playbook on multiple occasions throughout the first 10 minutes of play, jumping out to a ten-point plus lead that fluctuated up and down over the remaining minutes of the opening period. Multiple runs by both squads caused for tensions points to rise, yet each team was able to keep it's cool through adversity to not allow this contest to run out of control for one bench or the other.
Junior guard Collin Warmouth secured the opening half MVP mark for Corban, as he was the only player in double figures with 10 points scored and added a pair of boards along the way. Meanwhile, the big man in the center for Oregon Tech, Joey Potts, had his way with his defenders in the first half to shoot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
Slowly but surely over the second half, the Owls chipped away at their double-digit deficit, finally taking the lead at the 7:10 mark on a pair of free throws from guard Jamison Guerra. Despite blowing a 10-plus lead for the second consecutive night, the Warriors held resilient in their ability to score when it mattered most, as deep three-pointers from Carlson and junior guard Taylor Anderson followed by defensive stops on the OIT offensive end of the floor was enough to send the Owl fans in attendance hustling for the exits.
Guerra had one final attempt to send this game to an overtime effort with a nearly full-court shot, but the ball fell well short of the basket to allow the senior Warrior student-athletes to walk off Tim Hills Court one final time with a victory.
While the game was centered around the seniors for a majority of the night, Anderson and Warmouth stole the show with 15 and 14 points, respectively, scoring at will to keep the Owls looking for answers.
For the seniors, Escheik added 13 points and three steals, Henderson tallied a respectable seven points, eight rebounds, and five assists, Carlson added six points, six boards and four blocks, while Mohammadi's solo bucket to start the offense for Corban finish his season at 187 total points scored.
Potts completed his night of perfection with 15 total points on 7-for-7 shooting, adding four rebounds and a block in the process. Guard Kaison Faust followed right behind Potts with 14 points, scoring on all six of his shot attempts and hauling in six more rebounds.
The Corban Men's Basketball team drew exactly who they wanted to see in the first round of the CCC Tournament, as they'll match up with No. 4 seed Warner Pacific University in the opening quarterfinals in a revenge game attempt to make up for their 0-2 record against the Knights in the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for next Tuesday, February 21st at 7:30pm PST in the C.C. Perry Gym.
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