Men fight hard, come up short
Friday night’s games featured SLCC Men’s Basketball team facing off against the Eagles of Southern Idaho.
Fouls were called against the Bruins quickly as they picked up four in the first 2:00, allowing CSI to jump out to a 4-0 lead. It wasn’t long before Salt Lake regained composure, but a real effort was given in order to score. For the Eagles, Charles Odum connected on 5-11 in the first half, going on to score 10 points. John Hayward-Mayhew of the Bruins also scored 10 points on 5-6 shooting. To keep things in perspective, SLCC fought hard to hold onto its lead, and by the end of the period, led the Eagles 35-30 on 44-percent shooting.
Collin Chiverton, a starter for Salt Lake, came on slowly in the first half, only to score four points in just seven minutes of play. It wouldn’t get much easier as he struggled on both ends of the floor, grabbing a total of four rebounds for the game. Odum continued his rampage through the period, making nine shots, finishing with 34 for the game, and made a key play by stealing the ball with 2:01 to go for a break-away slam-dunk. Josten Thomas finished with 27 for the Eagles, while teammate Pierre Jackson added 22. Hayward-Mayhew did what he could to keep the game close, chipping in 16 points off the bench for the Bruins. At one point, Salt Lake led CSI, 50-37, but was unable to hold on, allowing the Eagles to go on a much-needed 4-0 spurt, converting a few missed shots into 3-point plays, and eventually took the lead with 21 seconds to play. The Bruins did all they could to keep them from scoring again, but picked up two quick fouls, one of which came with no time left on the clock, sending Odum to the line, connecting on 4-4 FT for a 68-65 come-from-behind win vs. the Bruins.
The men of Salt Lake were able to turn things around in the second game of a double-header vs. the Cardinals of Northern Idaho, a game in which their largest deficit was two points for the entire game.
Collin Chiverton came out to score 20 points in the first half for the Bruins on 7-12 shooting, while teammate Darian Norris dropped in nine, to go along with five assists. By the end of half one, the Bruins led their opponent by ten, 43-33, connecting on 56 percent of their 3-point field goals. For the Cardinals, starting guard Mickeal Hale dropped in 16 points on 5-8 shooting in 18 minutes of play.
The excitement continued as a Bruin team effort allowed them to run away from the Cardinals, tapping off Chiverton’s big game. He continued to score points, connecting on 9 of 18 shots, while grabbing a total of 11 rebounds. The period ended with Chiverton pouring in 27 points for the game. A spectacular play came when he connected on a circus-type shot, plus the foul. Chiverton made the free throw to put his team up 57-43. Teammate Sol Jensen, who had just two points earlier, came alive in the second half to score nine points, making some key plays when his team needed it most. The game was far from over, however, as North Idaho slowly sneaked back into it. Riding on 3-point shots, Taylor Stevens, who scored five in the opening period, came off the bench for the Cardinals, connecting on 4-7. By the time Stevens was done, the Cardinals were down only five, 76-71. He ended the game with 19.
The Cardinals finally came within one point, 81-80, before being forced to foul, sending SLCC to the line. Despite making only one of two FT, the both teams battled for position in an effort to keep the ball out of each others reach. Time expired with the Bruins pulling out the 82-80 victory.
The Bruins travel to Rangley Colorado on Friday the 19 to take on Colorado Northwestern. The next day the will face the College of Eastern Utah for the final time in the regular season. The Bruins final home game will be Saturday, Feb. 27 against Snow. All home games are played in the Lifetime Activities center on the Taylorsville Redwood campus.