Fifth place.
Two teams.
One college.
The Clark College men’s and women’s basketball teams both won Tuesday in the fifth-place games at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championships in Kennewick.
Playing at the same time, the men topped Edmonds 74-65, and the women got past local rival Lower Columbia College 80-69.
Both squads had higher expectations going into the tournament, but both head coaches said they were thrilled with how their players responded after losing in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
“To come back and beat two good teams when our singular goal was no longer in reach was really an impressive feat,” men’s coach Alex Kirk said.
“It was character time,” women’s coach Al Aldridge said. “It’s really important to battle back, play for yourself, your program, and your school.”
MEN: Clark College 74, Edmonds 65 — Max Livingston had 16 points and six rebounds, and Kyle Thurston added 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists, leading the Penguins to the victory.
The key, Kirk said, was the team’s defense against 7-foot post Payton Pervier.
“We really frustrated and bothered him,” Kirk said. “It was a really great team effort on him.”
Pervier, who came into the game averaging 19.3 points and 20.3 rebounds a game in the tournament, finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. He was 4 of 13 from the floor.
A close game throughout the first half, Edmonds went scoreless the first four minutes of the second half. The Penguins eventually built an 18-point lead and cruised to victory.
Collin Spickerman added 10 points for Clark. Sean Price had nine point and 13 rebounds.
Clark finished 27-2, with the two losses by a combined three points.
“We did about 99 percent of things right this year,” Kirk said. “Unfortunately, that one percent, you lose in the NWAACC quarterfinals. Not a lot you can say other than it was a great year.”
He said his Penguins “acted like a championship team” after that difficult loss on Sunday.
WOMEN: Clark 80, Lower Columbia 69 — Brooke Bowen had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists — all team highs — and Shantell Jackson was perfect from 3-point range, leading the Penguins to the victory.
“We were proud of them,” Aldridge said. “We were disappointed to fall a game short of what our ultimate goal was. We had a team that was good enough to maybe win it all this year.”
The Penguins finished 26-4.
One of the losses was to Lower Columbia. Not on this final day of the season, though.
Jackson made all five of her 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
“She responded and stepped it up,” Aldridge said.
Nicolette Bond had 10 points before suffering an injury late in the game played on her birthday. Haley Grossman had nine points and eight rebounds, and Andrea Smith had six points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
The Clark women, just like the Clark men, lost by two points in the quarterfinals before each team won their final two games to finish in fifth.
“Two points away from perhaps playing for a championship,” Aldridge said.
