Pierce College Blogs

The Raiders Men’s Basketball took one step closer to their ultimate goal for the 2011 season, on Monday night – an NWAACC Championship!  The Raiders – 2nd place finishers in the West, and ranked #6 in the final Coaches Poll – had another huge task in front of them with their semi-final match-up against the Vikings of Big Bend CC.  The Viks were the East Region champs in 2011, and finished #2 in the Coaches Poll.  BBCC jumped out to an early lead, and were up by as many as 12 points midway through the first half.  But the Raiders were not about to give the game, and their season, away, and slowly fought their way back to a 5 point deficit at the intermission (35-30).  Sophomores Alfred Davis and Brandon Thomas helped fuel the comeback, scoring 11 and 8 points respectively in the first 20 minutes of play.  The Raiders continued the comeback in the second half, and finally pulled ahead on Alix Hernandez’s breakaway layup with 9:48 remaining in the game.  The shift in momentum continued behind the stellar second half play of Sian Laine and Hernandez, extending Pierce’s lead to as many as 12, at 67–55, with 2:42 to play.  Everytime it looked as though the Viks were about to mount another attack, the Raiders airtight defense shut down the powerful Big Bend offensive machine.  Pierce’)s big 4 continued their solid performances through the first 3 days of the NWAACC Tournament.  Freshman point guard Sian Laine led the way with 19 points, followed by Brandon Thomas’s 3rd double-double of the Tournament (18 pts. and 10 rebounds), Alix Hernandez (17 pts and 8 boards), and Alfred Davis (16 pts).  The win extends Pierce’s current win streak to 9 games, and 16-1 in their last 17 games.  The team’s overall record is 23-6 on the season.

Tuesday’s Championship game match-up will pit the Raiders against Peninsula College, the second place team in the North.  On paper, the teams look evenly matched, which should provide for an exciting evening on both teams’ final quest for an NWAACC Title.  The Pirates won their only basketball championship in 1970.  The Raiders have yet to win “the Big One”, and have appeared in only one previous championship game, losing to Lower Columbia in 2005. 

Follow all of the action of this year’s championship game at, www.nwaacc.org.  Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 8.

The Raider Men had another heart-stopping game in the second round of the NWAACC Championships on Sunday night,.  taking 3 overtime periods to finally defeat Bellevue, 92-91, and advance to the Final Four of the Tournament.  The Raiders will take on Big Bend CC — the #1 team from the East Region — in the semi-finals Monday at 6:00 pm.

Sunday night’s win over Bellevue tied an NWAACC Tournament record for the most over time periods in a single tournament game.  The Raiders trailed by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, but fought their way back to within 4, with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation.  Brandon Thomas scored Pierce’s final 4 points, while the Raiders defense shut down the Bulldogs, forcing the game into the first overtime period.  Alix Hernandez was the hero of the first overtime, hitting a deep high arcing 3-pointer with 3 seconds to play, which sent the game into overtime #2.  Alfred Davis converted on 3 of 4 free throw attempts in the second OT, but is was Sian Laine’s floating jump shot in the lane with 19 seconds to play to send the game into the 3rd OT.  The Bulldogs made two 3-pointers to go up quickly by 6, but the Raiders resilient never-say-die attitude just wouldn’t be stopped.  Cramer Doughty answered with his own 3-point bomb, followed by a mid-range jumper from Laine to pull the Raiders within one, with a minute to play.  For the second night in a row, Alfred Davis was the deciding factor, as he sank the winning basket with an off-balance baseline shot (off the glass) with 15 seconds to play, putting the Raiders up for good, 92-91.  Davis led all scorers with 25 points, on 10 of 16 shooting from the field, and pulled down 6 rebounds and dishing 4 assists.  Brandon Thomas and Michael Stepovich led the assault on the boards, with 17 and 12 respectively.  They each scored 13 points in the balance offensive effort by the Raiders.  The Raiders outrebounded Bellevue, 59-42.

It was an amazing night for the Raiders and their fans at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.  Back-to-back one point victories have put the Raiders in the Tournament semi-finals for the second time in seven years.  All remaining NWAACC Tournament games can be viewed live at www.nwaacc.org

Sophomore forward Alfred Davis has built a reputation for being a clutch performer during his two years with the Raiders Men’s Basketball team.  Saturday night, in the Raiders opening round game of the 2011 NWAACC Championships, Davis proved once again that he is Coach Bill Mendelson’s go-to-guy when the stakes are at their highest.  Trailing much of the second half against Linn-Benton CC, Pierce took possession with 28 seconds remaining in the game, down 55-54, and intent to work the ball for the final shot.  Enter Mr. Davis.  With the game clock ticking down, the Raiders worked the ball to Davis in the low post, where he calmly hit a short jumper to take the lead (56-55) with three seconds to go.  The Roadrunners hoisted a long-range shot as time expired, which fell short, and sealed the win for the Raiders.

Davis lead the Raiders attack with 19 points, while pulling down 8 rebounds.  Raiders center Brandon Thomas completed another double-double, with 11 points and a game high 14 rebounds.  Pierce overcame a poor shooting night all around (37% from the field and 25% from the line) to advance to the second round of the tournament’s winner’s bracket.  Pierce takes on Bellevue Sunday at 8:00 p.m., the North Region’s top seed into the tournament.  Pierce beat the Bulldogs in a pre-season game, at the Raiders Thanksgiving Tournament, 78-69.  The Raiders hope to duplicate this earlier feat, which would put the team in the NWAACC’s semi-finals for first time since 2007, when the team finished the tournament in 3rd Place. 

Follow the action of the Raiders at the NWAACC Tournament, live via the web, by going to www.nwaacc.org

The weather has upended our normal routines today and tomorrow. Likewise, technical difficulties have hindered students trying to register for classes. If you are a current TRiO student who is not enrolled for spring, please come to the TRiO office in the Welcome Center on Monday. Classes will quickly disappear next week.

Neither snow, nor rain, nor dead of night can stop our dedicated Raider Fans from keeping up with the teams on the court!  Tonight, in the final home games of the season, the Raiders host the Green River Gators.  If you can’t make it to the gym, you can follow all of the action via the worldwide web on our new RaiderTV!  Click on this link and you’ll be right here at the HEC.  http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/athletics/raidertv

The Women tipoff the action at 6:00 p.m., and the Men start at 8:00 p.m.  Tonight is also Sophomore Appreciation Night.  We will say thank you and good-bye to six members of the Raiders Men’s team in their final home game at the HEC.  Watch the festivities live from the comfort of your couch with a cup of hot chocolate.

GO RAIDERS, AND GO RAIDERTV!!!

The Raiders overcame a lackluster performance at home to pull out a huge win Saturday night against South Puget Sound, 58-47.  The victory, along with Highline’s loss to Tacoma, assured the Raiders of the #2 seed from the Western Division at the NWAACC Tournament in the Tri-Cities.  Rebounding was the key for Pierce as they dominated the glass with a 54-33 advantage.  Alfred Davis led the Raiders with 13 points and 8 assists.  Marquise Doss had his third consecutive game in double figures with 10 points.  Mike Stepovich led the rebounding assault, collecting 13 boards to go along with 9 points.  Brandon Thomas grabbed up 11 rebounds.  The win improves Pierce’s record to 11-3 in league, 18-6 overall.

The Raiders close out their regular season schedule next week, with their final home game on Wednesday against Green River, and then travel to Vancouver to play Clark College on Saturday.  Wednesday is Sophomore Night, when the Raiders pay tribute to this year’s talented sophomore class.  Game time is at 8:00 pm.

The Raider Men’s Basketball team assured themselves a return trip to the NWAACC Tournament with a hard-fought win over Highline on Wednesday night in Des Moines.  Going into the game tied with the Thunderbirds for second place in the West, the Raiders squeaked out the much needed victory, 56-53. Pierce improved to 10-3, with 3 games remaining in the regular season.  Freshman point guard Sian Laine led the way for the Raiders with 16 points and 8 rebounds, followed by Marquise Doss with 12 points.

With a one game lead over Highline, the Raiders need one more win, combined with one more Highline loss, to guarantee the #2 seed from the West going into the NWAACC Tournament.  The Raiders hope to do their part on Saturday when they host South Puget Sound, game time at 7:00 pm.

The Raiders overcame a lack-luster performance Wednesday night, to eek out a win from the winless Chokers from Grays Harbor.  In what the Raiders expected to be an easy night, the Chokers gave Pierce all they could handle, with the Raiders finally pulling away in the final seconds for the win, 75-71.  The Raiders had four players in double figures, led by Alix Hernandez’s 14 points.  Cramer Doughty had 12 points on perfect shooting from the field (4/4, 3/3 from 3-point range), and Michael Stepovich also had 12.  Alfred Davis chipped in 11 points and had 4 steals.  The win keeps the Raiders (8-3 in league, 15-6 overall) in 2-tie for 2nd place in the West with Highline.

The Raiders, winners of 8 of their last 9, play at Centralia on Saturday.  Game time is at 7:00 p.m.

With the memory of a disappointing early season loss to Grays Harbor for motivation, the Lady Raiders took care of business Wednesday night, beating the Chokers 67-46.  The Raiders jumped out early with a stiffling defense that held  Grays Harbor to just 17 first half points.  Taylor Riley led the way for Pierce with 21 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Unique Taufa’asau with 18 points and 8 boards.  Jessica Bush 11 rebounds to go with her 7 points, and Jennifer Rea had 9 points and 8 boards.  The win moves the Raiders back into a 2-way tie with Tacoma for 4th place in the West, with a league record of 6-5, 8-11 overall.

The Raiders travel to Centralia on Saturday to take on the Trailblazers in another important West Region match-up.  The Raiders beat Centralia on January 15, 69-49, at the HEC.  Game time Saturday is at 5:00 p.m.

The Raiders traveled to Tacoma CC Monday night with the intent to put the first blemish on the Titans undefeated league record.  The Raiders poor shooting from 3-point range (4/22, 18%) and the charity stripe (11/21, 52%), ultimately cost them the game, losing 80-73.  Sian Laine led four Raiders in double figures with 18 points, supported by Alix Hernandez with 14, Alfred Davis with 13 (and 8 rebounds), and Brandon Thomas’s 11 (to go with 9 boards).  The loss drops the Raiders record in the West to 7-3, and puts them in a tie for second place with Highline CC.

The Raiders are back at it on Wednesday, when they host the Chokers from Grays Harbor.  Game time is at 8:00 p.m.