Vikings won't be only ones trying to run at NWAACC crossover

MOSES LAKE - The Big Bend Runnin' Vikes have lived up to their names so far this season, averaging over 100 points per game in their 5-1 start.

But the competition figures to get much heavier this weekend when the Vikings host the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges' crossover tournament at DeVries Activity Center. Seven other squads - including the defending conference champion Clackamas Cougars - will be vying for the crown, and all of them can put points on the scoreboard.

Big Bend is coming off victories against Another Level and the Viking alumni last weekend at the Basic American Foods Classic. They'll need the strong outside shooting of Daley Landon and Cameron Mero to continue at the NWAACC crossover. Against the Big Bend alumni, Landon hit eight 3-pointers and scored 34 points, while Mero buried three more treys en route to 27 points.

Big Bend plays the final game of Friday's first round, taking on the Olympic College Rangers of Bremerton at 7 p.m.

Olympic has lost four of its first five games, likely due to its youth. The Rangers' 12 man roster is comprised entirely of freshman, though there is plenty of talent. The Vikings figure to concentrate their defensive efforts on guards Patrick Lewis, Marquis Miles and Julian Holliday, and post Jerry Laws.

The Vikings were just outside rankings in the Dec. 6 NWAACC coaches' poll, receiving nine points. They're just two points back of the Grays Harbor Gulls, who will also be in Moses Lake this weekend. Clackamas (5-4) is ranked sixth in the poll, while another opponent, Southwestern Oregon, has started 7-2 and received four poll points.

Clackamas is coming off an 83-82 win at Walla Walla on Saturday in which the Cougars shot 52 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range. The Cougars have talent and depth as evidenced by their five double-digit scorers in that game.

Through six games, guard J.C. Cook was leading Clackamas at 21.3 points per game. Wing Austin Dunn (17.7 ppg) and post Adam Brickley (15.2 ppg) are also serious threats, and opponents won't be able to ignore guards Jeff Sego and David Fife (team-high 17 points at Walla Walla).

Grays Harbor is a quick and athletic team led by 6-foot-8 sophomore center Brad Hodge, who has the ability to play inside or outside. Hodge's former high school teammate at Hillsboro, Ore., All-State guard Nick Schultens, is a key contributor for the Gulls at both ends.

The Aberdeen-based Gulls (4-1) recruit nationally, as evidenced by Baltimore forward Will Thomas and New York guards Terry Coleman and Quillar Marion. Grays Harbor has broken the 100-point mark in two of its first five games.

Southwestern Oregon, from Coos Bay, is coming off a 99-98 win over third-ranked Umpqua on Sunday. The Lakers also bring in talent from outside the area, with six players hailing from the Las Vegas area.

Two of those Vegas products, 5-6 sophomore guard Bobby Watkins and 6-2 sophomore forward Emmanuel Olekaibe, figure to be at the forefront of the Lakers' attack. Watkins led the team against Umpqua with 20 points and Olekaibe added 16 points and eight rebounds.

The three other teams participating in the crossover are the Edmonds Triton, Lower Columbia Red Devils (Longview) and East Division rival Wenatchee Valley Knights.

Edmonds has started 1-4, but will come to Moses Lake fresh off its lone win, a 90-69 win over Tacoma. Five players scored in double figures in that win, with guard Adrian Blake finishing with 19 points and five rebounds. Guards Walter Washington, Seth Johnson and Jordan McGinnis, as well as forward Eric Schippers, figure to be the key threats for the Tritons.

Lower Columbia (2-3) is an experienced team, with seven sophomores, but has been slowed by a lack of depth early this season. However, the Red Devils can blister the nets - seven of their nine players finished in double figures during last Saturday's 123-118 win over Chemeketa.

The Devils' toughest player to defend might be 6-7 sophomore forward James Gehring. They also feature high-scoring guards in Josh Troyer and Ryan Hoff, and a wealth of hard-working, if undersized forwards in Robert Edwards, Isaac Jimcoily, Alex King and Marice Tolliver.

Wenatchee (2-4) is scoring just under 72 points per game so far, a good figure for some leagues, but not in one where it takes 80 or 90 points to win. The Knights do have a star freshman recruit in Ryan Votaw, who is averaging 19 points per game. Votaw helped his Toledo team to the Washington 1A championship game last season, scoring 22.3 ppg over the course of the season.

The tournament begins on Friday at 1 p.m. with Edmonds taking on Clackamas. Lower Columbia and Wenatchee follow at 3 p.m., with Southwestern Oregon and Grays Harbor playing at 5 p.m.

The first-day losers meet in early games on Saturday, with the winners playing in semifinal games beginning at 5 p.m. The championship game is Sunday at 3 p.m.