A little over a month ago, the Geoducks had only won three out of 15 conference games and were almost out of contention for the playoff. But one good month changed everything.
Despite losing their final two games of the season on the road, The Evergreen State College women’s basketball team did just enough to qualify for the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Women’s Basketball Championship tournament.
The team claimed the final spot in the tourney with an 8-14 record.
A five-game winning streak in February lifted the Geoducks to the No. 8 seed in the tourney, starting with a 74-51 win at Northwest University on Feb. 4, where five players hit double digits in scoring.
That win was followed with a slim 64-63 victory at Multnomah on Feb. 7, where Allison DeBerry hit the winning 3-pointer.
The win streak continued with a hard-fought 85-80 overtime victory at Warner Pacific University on Feb. 8. The streak ended with two wins at home over Bushnell and Corban University.
"I have great pride in how the team came together and pushed five wins in a row to keep our goal of returning to the playoffs again," head coach Derrick Pringle said. “All of the hard work is now paying off."
Evergreen’s top scorer of the season was senior Sydney VanNess (guard and forward) with 13.7 points per game. She connected on 37 3-pointers this season and averaged 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Jalyn Sackrider leads the team in rebounds with nine boards per game and added 70 blocked shots this year, while Allison DeBerry led the team in assists with 96. All three players are seniors.
As the No. 8 seed team in the tournament, the Geoducks will take on No. 1 seeded Southern Oregon in the tournament quarterfinal. The Raiders finished the season undefeated in 22 conference games.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Lithia Motors Pavilion in Ashland, Oregon.
Data and quotes courtesy of The Evergreen State College Athletics.
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