Landon guides Big Bend men to third-place finish

MOSES LAKE - Sophomore guard Daley Landon finished with a game-high 27 points and six 3-pointers as the Big Bend Runnin' Vikings capped the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges' crossover tournament with a third-place finish.

Big Bend rolled to a 46-31 lead at halftime and blew out the sixth-ranked Clackamas Cougars 95-77 on Sunday in the crossover's consolation finals at DeVries Activity Center. The Vikings led by as many as 29 points and had four players score in double figures.

Landon was the hottest hand, drilling 10 of his 21 field goal attempts and 6 of 16 from 3-point range. He also had five assists.

Freshman forward Hugh Brown scored 16 points on 7 of 10 from the field. James York had 13 points and seven assists, while Brett Vriesman had 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting and a team-best nine rebounds.

JC Cook led Clackamas with 22 points, Austin Dunn scored 20 and Quincy Alexander added 15.

In Saturday's semifinals, Big Bend nearly overcame a late 12-point lead before falling to the Grays Harbor Gulls 83-80. The eighth-ranked Gulls went on to defeat Lower Columbia College in Sunday's championship game.

Grays Harbor shot 52 percent and was paced by Quillar Marion's game-high 21 points. Teammates Terry Coleman (13 points, four rebounds) and Brad Hodge (10 points, eight rebounds) were also key contributors.

Landon shot only 6 of 18 from the field, but scored a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds. Freshman point guard Will Winn had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, with Brown and Cameron Mero scoring 10 points apiece.

Grays Harbor overcame a 6 for 16 performance at the free-throw line by winning the rebounding battle 46-39.

The Runnin' Vikes opened the tournament on Friday night with a 106-87 triumph over the Olympic Rangers. Big Bend had seven players score at least eight points, with five in double figures, and shot 39 percent from 3-point range.

Landon had a double-double to lead Big Bend, going for 20 points and 10 rebounds. He hit six treys. Brown scored 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting and added five rebounds.

Vriesman scored 15 points in just 18 minutes of action. Mero pumped in 17 points, six assists and three steals, and Winn added 11 points and two steals.

As part of the Ryan Floch Memorial Tournament, the Runnin' Vikes will be at home again on Wednesday at 6 p.m., hosting the fourth-ranked Peninsula Pirates.