Miller Guides NCC to Win Over Cascade
EUGENE, Ore. -- Sophomore Andrew Miller had four steals and a pair of blocked shots and hit the game winner with just six seconds to play as Northwest Christian earned a defensive battle with Cascade College, 67-65. It was the inaugural Cascade Conference game for the Beacons.
The Battle was close the entire way as neither team took more than a ten point lead throughout the night. Both schools shot less than 38% from the field but the biggest difference game on the glass where NCC held a 45-29 rebound advantage.
The Thunderbirds led early on, but with 14:06 to play in the first half, Jordan Whittenburg hit a three-pointer that was followed by a Josh Jarrett layup to give NCC a 10-8 lead. They wouldn’t trail again until the 8:00 mark of the second half.
Cascade had shot 1-for-11 from three-point range over the first 32 minutes of the game, but with eight minutes to play, Eric Taylor hit a trey to break a 49-49 tie and give the T-Birds the lead. Cascade held the advantage for the next five minutes and after Miller hit a pair of free-throws, Kao Saelee created a three-point play to put the Thunderbirds ahead 63-61 with 2:15 to play. Jarrett then hit 2-of-2 free throws on the Beacons next two possessions to tie the game, and after Miller and Saelee traded a pair of layups, the teams were tied at 65-65 with 36 seconds remaining.
Running a final play setup, the Beacons pushed the ball into Jarrett and off his missed attempt, Andrew Miller put in a spectacular tip and with just six ticks remaining, NCC grabbed their final lead of the night.
Northwest Christian (4-4, 1-0 CCC) was led by Jarrett who finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Erik Quick-Warner hit a trio of three-pointers to score 13 points, along with five assists and three steals. Whittenburg also finished with three treys and 12 points. Miller finished the night just one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring ten points along with nine boards.
Taylor led the way for Cascade (4-4, 0-1 CCC), scoring 16 points and six rebounds. Tayo Cotton also scored 16 and was followed in double digits by Saelee with 13 and Erving Adams with ten.
The Beacons will be back in action tomorrow night as they play host to #3 Warner Pacific at 7:30 pm.