Big Bend to battle in Cougar Holiday Classic
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — The Big Bend men’s basketball team returns to the court following their Christmas break Saturday when they head to the College of the Canyons to participate in the Cougar Holiday Classic basketball tournament.
The Vikings enter this weekend’s tournament with a 6-3 overall record and have won five of their last six games.
Big Bend will kick off tournament play in Santa Clarita, Calif. against the Pasadena City College Lancers.
Big Bend head coach Mark Poth said Pasadena City College has a talented basketball team.
“(The Lancers) will be a good challenge for us,” he said.
The Vikings offense is led on the basketball court by freshman forward Jeff Ranstrom. Ranstrom leads the Vikings offense averaging 19.8 points per game.
Freshman guard Michael Hattar leads Big Bend in assists with 5.3 per game and averages 15.8 points per game. Sophomore forward Kolby Secrist nearly averages a double-double with 9.9 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game.
The Cougar Holiday Classic games are the final preseason contests on Big Bend’s schedule with the Vikings beginning their Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Jan. 10 at the Community Colleges of Spokane.
With the tournament serving as their preseason finale, Poth hopes his Vikings improve heading into conference play.
“This tournament is the last lead up into league play,” he said. “We have been a little inconsistent. We haven’t been shooting the ball real well.”
Pasadena City College enters Saturday’s game with Big Bend with a 10-6 record, including one forfeit loss.
The Lancers are led by freshman forward Elliott Berry. Berry averages 13.9 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Poth said the Cougar Holiday Classic will help his team prepare for conference play.
“The teams (in the tournament) are as good as any we will see in league play,” he said.
Although the Vikings will enter conference play with a winning record, Poth said his team needs to make adjustments to compete.
“We need to consistently execute a little better on offense and defense,” he said. “We have a lot of areas we need to improve on.”
Big Bend tips off with Pasadena Saturday at 6 p.m. The Vikings will play three games during the tournament.