The Clark College basketball teams swept a home doubleheader Saturday against Green River. Clark’s women beat the Gators 83-46 to open Northwest Athletic Conference West Division play, while the Penguins men won 78-58.
Men — Darrius Mathis scored a game-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Evan Garrison had 15 and Jason Smarr chipped in 11 for the Penguins.
Paulo Giacomelli had a game-high 11 rebounds to go with five points.
“Defensively, we were aggressive, and the kids came out with intensity,” Clark coach Alex Kirk said. “We didn’t shoot that great (28 of 65, including 7 of 22 from 3-point range), but we held (Green River) down and wore them out.”
Kirk said he wanted the Penguins to get out and play with intensity in their division opener.
Clark (8-4, 1-0 NWAC West) won its third game in a row, while Green River (9-5, 0-1) had a three-game win streak end.
Women — Megan Pyles had game highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Penguins (6-3, 1-0) controlled the game from the start, leading 36-17 at halftime.
Caylee Newsom and Alexa Orcutt each added 14 points for Clark, and Taylor Howlett scored 11.
Bryn Tennyosn had a game-high eight assists to go with eight points.
“We played great defense,” Clark coach Al Aldridge said. “We pressed them and got a bunch of turnovers. We played solid for the first league game.
“I’m very happy with their performance. We had a pretty solid performance, all the way around. We got scoring inside and out, we played great defense and played with a lot of confidence, so it was a great start to league.”
