EOU Trims Northwest in Quarterfinals
KIRKLAND – The curtain came down on the Northwest men’s basketball season Wednesday with a hard-fought 60-56 loss to Eastern Oregon in the Cascade Collegiate Conference quarterfinals.
The Eagles held EOU 30 points under their scoring average but could not get enough shots to drop. NU played with six players, having lost three starters and several other players to injuries over the course of the season.
“We wanted to change things up, playing them for the third time this season. We showed them a different look on defense, and it worked,” said NU Head Coach Jeff Drinkwine of the 2-1-2 zone. “They figured it out in the second half, and the shots they made were huge.”
Northwest managed a five-point lead, 26-21, with a pair of free throws by Colton Langstraat with 4:16 remaining in the first half, and the Eagles led 28-27 at the half.
Neither team led by more than seven points throughout the game, but the Mountaineers took the lead for good on a Landon Jones basket with 12:34 to play.
Seniors Hussayn Ford and Christian Hakilimali made their Pavilion exits with strong showings. Ford scored 24 points and hauled down nine rebounds in his 40 minutes on the floor. Hakilimali added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
“We had a lot of injuries this season, and we were picked eighth in the preseason and finished fourth,” said Drinkwine. “Without those two seniors, we wouldn’t have come close to being as good as we were.”
Langstraat finished with an 11-point night in his first start of the season.
“Some guys this season played bigger roles than we anticipated,” said Drinkwine. “This was a coming-out party for Cole. He played really well tonight.”
Jarek Schetzle had 18 points to lead EOU, followed by Max McCullough with 15 and Jones with 12.
Northwest ends the season at 18-12.