The men’s basketball team fell to Shoreline in an overtime thriller and stumbled against Umpqua at the Green River Swamp Classic. The women’s team had no scheduled games last week.

Last weekend, the Highline men’s team was scheduled for three matches in the Swamp Classic tournament, but only played two. Friday’s match against Olympic was canceled by the Green River administration due to snowy weather conditions. 

On Saturday, Highline tipped off against Shoreline and fell in an up-and-up battle, 82-78.

At the start, scoring was seesawing until the Dolphins gained their largest lead of seven, with 16-9 on the scoreboard at 14:23. Highline responded with a 19-3 run from 6-6 three-point shooting, taking the lead 32-23 with 7:12 left in the first. 

Highline’s Taveon Long came alive in the first half, scoring 14 points on 5-10 field goal shooting and 3-7 beyond the arc.

The Thunderbirds led at the halftime break, putting up 42 points to Shoreline’s 33. 

In the second half, Shoreline was more efficient inside with 50 percent field goal shooting to Highline’s 37.9 percent. Down low, Shoreline scored 21 of their 39 points in the paint compared to 18 of 30 for Highline, allowing the Dolphins to level the game 72-72 and force it into overtime.

With five minutes counting down, the Dolphins scored first with a dunk and a three pointer, leading 77-74. Four straight points from Nic Hogan helped Highline slim the scoring deficit to 77-76 with 2:28 left.

Shoreline free throw makes and a layup kept Highline trailing just enough for the Dolphins to close the game, 82-78.

“This came down to free throws. We were 12-27. It’s impossible to win close games like that,” said Head Coach Che Dawson.

Both teams recorded nearly identical scores in all statistical categories except for free throw percentages where the Dolphins shot 68 percent to the T-Birds’ 44 percent. 

“We were doing very well in the first half at controlling the game. What hurt us was our free throws – we missed way more than we should’ve which brought them back in the game,” said Highline Guard Ricky Bell.

Highline’s Taveon Long scored a career-high 23 points on 56 percent shooting. Rayven Turner had a double-double performance with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the night.

On Sunday, cold shooting against an experienced Umpqua team handed Highline their second loss of the weekend, 88-60.

Prior to the tournament, Umpqua had an overall record of 5-1. The River Hawks have gained league recognition early in the season with a No. 7 ranking on the NWAC Preseason Coaches Poll on Nov. 1. 

In Sunday’s match, Umpqua shot 56.7 percent and held Highline down to 34.5 percent.

In the first, Highline trailed from the start with 41 percent shooting to Umpqua’s 58.2 and 20 rebounds to the River Hawks’ 25. Sophomore Jake Sampson helped Umpqua widen the scoring gap progressively with 20 points in the first half. 

The River Hawks led 45-32 at the halftime break.

In the second, Highline struggled to find their rhythm offensively with 12-46 shooting inside and 1-16 beyond the arc. With 8:02 left, Umpqua amassed their largest lead of 32 with 74-42 on the scoreboard. A three-pointer from Highline’s Rayven Turner sparked a 12-3 run for the Thunderbirds to slim the gap 77-50 with 3:31 left. But a strong and steady Umpqua performance kept Highline away and the River Hawks closed the match 88-60.

“We were not very good in most aspects of the game. We didn’t play well offensively which correlated to our lack of intensity and focus defensively. Umpqua is too good for that,” said Coach Dawson.

The River Hawks were 12-of-31 in three pointers, including a 5-of-11 effort from Jake Sampson, who led all players with 24 points.

Freshman Rayven Turner led the T-Birds with 12 points. Freshmen Nic Hogan and Taveon Long added 11 points each.

“From the jump we were in our own heads. Everyone was on their own page. In a team sport like basketball you will lose, especially playing a team like Umpqua who are very tight knit and together,” said Ricky Bell.

Moving forward, Highline players are working to find their individual roles that will lead to overall team success, said Graham.

Highline men’s record is 1-3 overall as they prepare for a busy month ahead. 

“Coach Dawson has made a huge emphasis on us picking up our efforts on the defensive end to make sure we are ready for Bellevue,” said Guard Bradley Graham.

From now until the start of winter quarter 2023, the T-Birds have seven games lined up. 

The men’s basketball team has an away game against 1-4 Bellevue at 2 p.m., Sunday Dec. 11.

On Dec. 17 and 18, Highline will travel to Shoreline for the NWAC Crossover. They are scheduled to play Big Bend on Saturday and Shoreline on Sunday.

The following week the T-Birds will travel to Bremerton to challenge Olympic on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

After the brief Christmas break, the men’s team will continue preseason play and host Spokane on Friday Dec. 30. Then, in the new year, Highline will play an away game against Peninsula on Saturday Jan. 7, 2023.

The women’s team, currently 0-3, had a week off from games. The Lady T-Birds also have a busy month coming up with seven games scheduled before the start of the winter quarter.

The women’s team will host 2-4 Yakima Valley at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 9 in their next game. 

On Dec. 15, 16, and 17, Highline will travel to Portland for the NWAC Crossover. They are scheduled to play Walla Walla on Thursday, Everett on Friday, and Portland on Saturday.

After the Christmas break, the Lady T-Birds pick back up and travel north for the Skagit Valley Holiday Tournament. On Dec. 28, Highline will challenge Douglas College in Vancouver, BC. Then, on Dec. 29  and 30, Highline will travel to Skagit Valley to play the home team on Thursday and Wenatchee Valley on Friday.

League play begins the second week of 2023. Both Highline men’s and women’s teams will host regional opponent Pierce on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at the ThunderDome. Tip off for the women is at 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. for the men.