Heartbreak in Raider Classic finale

LAKEWOOD — Coming off of two 30-point losses, the Runnin' Vikes hoped to right the ship at the Raider Classic. 

BBCC opened up with the host as they took on Pierce Community College on Friday. Both teams came out sluggish in the first half both shooting in the low 30's percentage-wise from the floor making the first half a wash as they went into the break knotted up at 28. After an uneventful first half, both teams were given a clean slate and 20 minutes to decide the victor. BBCC continued to struggle from the floor shooting 36% and only knocking down 2 of their 14 attempts from behind the arc. The Raiders were able to pull away in the second half shooting 43% from the floor and outscoring the Vikings by a score of 33-27 in the second half resulting in a tough opening game loss for the Vikes by a score of 61-55. Head coach Jason Hopkins had this to say regarding the loss.

"We played our first game getting close to full strength against a very competitive NWAC team." 

Malik Beauford continued to carry the Viking offense scoring 15 points on 7-15 shooting while collecting five rebounds in the defeat. 

Game two was a different story for the Runnin' Vikes. It seemed like everything clicked versus Olympic College. Offensively the Vikes put together one of their best shooting performances shooting 44% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. Malik Beauford did his thing yet again dropping 28 points on 10-15 shooting while ripping down 7 boards. Hopkins had this to say regarding their play, "I think that our conditioning really showed in the game. We were ready and prepared for the game physically and mentally. We got some really good contributions from our bench including 9 points and 9 rebounds from Francois-Dony Baba and 25 points combined." BBCC simply outplayed the Rangers in all aspects of the game but the game-changer was the 20 offensive rebounds the Vikes were able to grab resulting in 23 second-chance points in an 80-71 victory for BBCC. 

Going into the final game of the weekend BBCC took on the Clackamas Community College Cougars. BBCC hoped to end the weekend on a high note and this one came down to the wire. After putting up nearly identical shooting percentages in the first half, the Runnin' Vikes trailed the Cougars by seven going into the break. BBCC came out firing in the second half and the Cougar offense started to slip only managing a 25% shooting percentage in the second half tilting the scales in BBCC's favor. Second chance points were the deciding factor in this one, Clackamas managed 18 second chance points to BBCC's 7 which ultimately sank the Vikes in a heartbreaking 58-56 loss. 

BBCC prepares to host Gonzaga Club this upcoming Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Devries Activity Center, followed by competing in the Whatcom NWAC Crossover Tournament this weekend.