Vikings' title run continues with back-to-back OT wins

KENNEWICK- A proud run toward a Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) basketball title continued last night when the Big Bend Vikings held on for an 84-81 overtime win over the Highline Thunderbirds.

The win was the second such of its kind as 24 hours earlier, Big Bend qualified for the quarterfinal contest with a 70-65 overtime win over the Whatcom Orcas on Saturday at the Town Toyota Center.

In yesterday's win, Big Bend (23-4) held on after each team exchanged 37-34 half advantages over the other with the Vikings bettering Highline (19-8) in the first half.

Blake Skidmore led Big Bend with 27 points, Hayes Garrity added 22 points and eight assists, and Ben Olayinka contributed 17 points and nine rebounds.

The Vikings entered the tournament on a 13-game winning streak despite dealing with plenty of injuries that left the team shorthanded most of the season.

They started the NWAACC tournament on Saturday by seeing Whatcom CC (20-7) rally to send that contest into the extra session before Big Bend took control over the last five minutes of play.

The big three of Skidmore, Garrity, and Olayinka continued their big play with Skidmore finished with 20 points and seven rebounds while playing all 45 minutes.

Garrity added 16 points and seven assists, while Olayinka scored 10 points and added seven rebounds.

Tonight Big Bend plays either Bellevue CC (20-6) or Piece CC (21-6) at 6 p.m. in the first of two semifinals. The Vikings did not play either team this season.

The NWAACC title game is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m.