KENNEWICK — The Clark College women’s basketball team moved on at the Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday morning after a thrilling victory over No. 2-ranked Walla Walla.
The Penguins (16-9) defeated the Warriors (21-6) 61-60 in the first round matchup.
To start the game Clark played with a possession minded offense, bringing the shot clock down within five seconds multiple times. Clark shot 46.7 percent in the first half and only allowed Walla Walla’s defense to take away the ball twice.
The Penguins headed to the locker room with a 37-24 lead.
“We came out red-hot in the first half,” Clark coach Al Aldridge said. “Our shooting was outstanding, but that can sometimes come back to bite you later on in the game.”
In the second half, the Penguins gave the Warriors some room to fight back. With five minutes left in the game, Walla Walla took its first lead at 55-54 on Courtney Davis’ 3-pointer.
The lead exchanged several times until with a minute left, Clark guard Byrn Tennyson hit a 3-pointer to seal the win for the Penguins.
“It’s really not just about one player, if it wasn’t for my teammate (Alexa Orcutt) who got the assist I would have never got the chance to score,” Tennyson said. “We run drills like that in practice all the time. I felt completely relaxed taking it.”
Orcutt lead the team with 16 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals. Teammate Michaela Bitanga also contributed 16 points. (Click here for complete boxscore)
“Winning this game really meant a lot to our team,” Orcutt said. “It also really meant a lot to me personally. My team (Ellensburg High) lost in the state championship game last year, so this was a game of redemption for me.”
The Penguins will next play Southwestern Oregon at noon today in the quarterfinals. SWOCC (17-11) defeated Bellevue 70-69.
“(The Lakers) are a tough team. From this morning I saw a good rebounding team,” Aldridge said. “At this point in time, in this tournament, there are no easy matchups, but this is a team that we will be able to compete with tomorrow.”
