Corban's Wade Douglas Shoots Lights Out in 65-59 Win Over Northwest Christian

1/23/2009 11:39:14 PM

SALEM, Ore. – Senior Wade Douglas (Ontario, Ore.) was 8-for-9 from the field on his way to a game-high 19 points, as Corban's men's basketball team extended its home winning streak to four games thanks to a 65-59 come-from-behind win over the Beacons of Northwest Christian Friday night inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

“(The win) feels great (as) we played a good second half,” commented seventh-year head coach Justin Sherwood. “I think our defensive intensity picked up a little bit, as we held them to 27 points (over the final twenty minutes). We shot the ball much better (in the second half), as we shot 61% rather than 33% so that helps on the offensive end. (Our four-game home winning streak) feels good right now and hope it continues to roll, but we know that some good teams are down the road (and) are coming here.”

In the opening half, Corban would use an opening 14-9 run over the first nine-plus minutes before the visiting Beacons secured a one-point lead (15-14) via a 6-0 run that was capped by Brent McKee’s jumper with 9:11 remaining. Following three straight points by NCU’s McKee, Corban used a 7-2 run to secure a four-point lead (21-17) thanks to a pair of free throws from sophomore Ian Logan (Aloha, Ore.) with 6:30 showing on the clock. Both teams would trade buckets over the next three-plus minutes before Northwest Christian used a closing 9-2 run that led to a seven-point half time lead (32-27) following a lay-in by NCU’s Andrew Miller with eight ticks left.

Coming out of the locker room, Northwest Christian quickly jumped on the Warriors as the visiting Beacons built a 10-point lead (42-32) with 12:45 left in the contest. Using a stifling defense, Corban mounted a comeback via a 13-0 run over a span of four minutes and 59 seconds en route to securing a 45-42 advantage following a pair of Douglas free throws with 7:46 showing on the game clock. Northwest Christian would attempt to comeback, but could not get any closer than three points (59-56) following a Jordan Whittenburg three-pointer with 1:44 remaining. A lay-in by sophomore Bryan Martin (Salem, Ore.) and timely free throw shooting down the stretch would seal the deal, as Corban went 4-for-6 at the line over the game’s final 38 seconds en route to picking up the much-needed six-point win (65-59).

Along with Douglas’ shooting performance and seventh 15-plus point effort of the season, junior Paul Martin (Beaverton, Ore.) added 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field to go along with sophomore Clay Martin’s (Beaverton, Ore.) 11 second half points. On the boards, Paul Martin grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go along with a six-rebound, five-assist effort from Logan.

“(My shot) felt pretty good,” said Douglas. “Actually in warm-ups, it was not too solid but the game started and everything clicked. I definitely (feel our momentum is going to continue), as I think that the team is really clicking right now. We have a lot of momentum on our side and hopefully we keep it that way.”

For Northwest Christian, Whittenburg tied for the game-high in points with 19 to go along with Miller’s 10 points. Rebounding-wise, Dylan Perry came off the Beacons’ bench to grab a team-best six boards to go along with four other NCU players that grabbed five rebounds each.

Shooting-wise, Corban was 23-for-51 (45.1%) from the field that included a torching 61.9% (13-for-21) over the game’s final twenty minutes. On the other hand, Northwest Christian was 22-for-61 (36.1%) from the field that included a 4-for-16 (25.0%) showing from beyond the arc and an 11-for-13 (84.6%) effort at the free throw line.

With the win, Corban improves to 8-13 overall and 4-8 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian falls to 11-9 overall and 5-6 in CCC play. The Warriors return to the court on Friday, January 30th, when they take on the Eagles of Northwest beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. in Kirkland, Washington.