Freshman Duo Shines as Clippers Knock Off Whatcom

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Men's basketball took the floor Tuesday night looking to wrap up a whirlwind seven days that saw them face four different opponents. After opening the season with four losses, the Clippers dug their heels in and decided to "double down" on their slogan of "Just Work." The renewed buy-in from the players and coaches paid dividends, starting with their win over Olympic College last Wednesday at home. Over the weekend, the program hit the road for a pair of games at the Pirate Classic hosted by Peninsula College. During their trip, the Clippers emerged victorious over Mt. Hood and Lane and looked to carry that momentum into their preseason matchup with Whatcom on Tuesday night.

Whatcom entered the game without their leading scorer, who was injured in their loss to Portland Community College on Monday night. Despite being short-handed, Whatcom came out swinging to open the contest, and their frantic approach on defense caused a few issues for South Puget Sound early in the game. However, both teams would go on runs in the first half, and the Clippers took a seven-point lead into halftime. Coach Smith challenged his teams to again "double-down" on what had brought them success and to play through freshman Jazen Guillory who had success against Whatcom's defense in the first half.

The first-year duo of Cybak and Guillory combined for 37 points, 22 rebounds, and ten assists. Coach Smith shared after the game that he was happy with his team's poise during the recent road trip and praised the team for a season-high 25 assists tonight.

Next up:
The Clippers will head to Edmonds College for the Triton Classic this weekend. They will face Peninsula College on Saturday and Edmonds College on Sunday. Both games will be available on the NWAC Sports Network.