Yote Notes – Dec. 27, 2007

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLETIC NEWS:

 

C-TOWN FIGHT NIGHT RETURNS: On January 17, The College of Idaho baseball team will join forces with the Caldwell High School football team in the Third-Annual C-Town Fight Night at O’Connor Field House.  The amateur boxing event pits C of I students against each other, along with CHS students against each other – all before a capacity crowd.  Tickets will go fast ($30 for ringside seats, $12 for floor seats, $8 general admission) – as last year’s event was a complete sellout.  To reserve your spot for C-Town Fight Night, contact Josh Hegstad, C of I associate head baseball coach, at 459-5862.

 

COYOTE SOFTBALL TO RUN HITTING CLINICS IN JANUARY:   The College of Idaho softball program will be hosting Hitting Clinics on a pair of weekends in January, announced today by head coach Al Mendiola.  Mendiola, the 2007 Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year, along with his coaching staff and players will host the sessions on January 5 and 6, along with January 19 and 20 - with the cost just $30.00.  The Saturday sessions (January 5 and 19) are for elementary and junior high school students.  The 9 a.m. to noon session is for kids 8-11 years old, with the 1-4 p.m. session for kids 12-15 years old.  The Sunday sessions (January 6 and 20) are for high school players - with the 9 a.m. to noon session for freshmen and sophomores, and the 1-4 p.m. session for juniors and seniors.  Please fill out the registration forms on the Coyote softball website (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/fastpitch.htm) and mail to Coach Mendiola in The C of I softball office.  The camp will focus on instruction based upon level of experience and ability.  Mechanics and fundamentals will be the main focus of instruction for the elementary and junior high level.  The high school level will learn about the mental approach and preparation to hitting.  Parents and coaches are welcome to attend.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Back-to-back 30 point nights net Owen weekly honors, Yotes head to Northwest Christian

 

COMING UP: at Northwest Christian, January 5, 7:30 p.m. (PST)

 

LAST WEEK: at No. 13 Warner Pacific (L 102-88), at Cascade (W 81-54)

 

RADIO/INTERNET: All 30 regular-season games will be broadcast live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM, the Home of the Coyotes.  Sports information director Mike Safford returns for his seventh-year as Voice of the Coyotes, with the pregame show begining 20-minutes prior to tip-off each night.  Currently, internet broadcasts of road games are not available.

 

LIVE STATS: Live statistics will be available for The C of I-Northwest Christian game, via the NCC athletic website at www.gobeacons.com and click on the Live Stats icon.

 

OWEN NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After a monster pair of games in Portland, Josh Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) picked up his first career Cascade Conference Player of the Week honor.  The senior averaged 32.5 points, three rebounds and two steals a game as the Yotes went 1-1.  Owen connected on 11-of-18 shots from behind the arc, including a career-high seven triples in the loss at Warner Pacific.  For his efforts, Owen upped his season scoring average to 16 points per game and is hitting 52-percent of his three-point attempts in CCC play.

 

CONSECUTIVE 30 POINT GAMES RARE: Owen scored 31 points against WP, which was a career-high, then followed it up with a 34 point night at Cascade – marking the first time in a decade that a Coyote player had recorded back-to-back 30-point nights.  The last time a C of I player accomplished the feat was in 1998, when Everett Ratleff scored 33 at home against Northwest, followed the next night by a 30-point game vs. Eastern Oregon.  Since 1968, only three others followed suit – Johnnie Hilliard in 1991 (46 points vs. St. Rose, 44 points vs. St. Mary), Andrew Jackson in 1989 (31 vs. Western Oregon, 31 vs. Oregon Tech), and current head coach Mark Owen, who in 1985 had 47 points vs. Northwest Nazarene and 30 points vs. Corban.  Only three Coyote players have recorded more than two 30-point games in a row – Taft Jackson, R.C. Owens, and Elgin Baylor.

 

MOVING UP ON THE SCORING LIST: With an early lay-up against Cascade, Josh Owen moved into seventh-place on the career scoring list, surpassing his father, Mark Owen.  The younger Owen now has scored 1,273 points in his career, with a legitimate shot at moving into the No. 4 slot on the list by the end of the season.  Ahead of him sit No. 6 Tom Perkes with 1,297 points, No. 5 Jared Klassen with 1,388, and No. 4 Chuck Blackhurst with 1,391.  The top-three spots look safe – Taft Jackson with 2,336 points, R.C. Owens with 2,155 points, and Kade Wilson with1,637 points.

 

OTHER RECORDS: Owen ranks among the Yotes all-time best in ten other categories – including No. 2 in career three-pointers made (219) and attempted (567).  He is fourth in field goal attempts (975), seventh in steals (138), eighth in assists (252), ninth in field goals made (413), 11th in free throws made (228), 12th in games played (102), and 14th in free throw attempts (266).  After starting the season as the best foul shooter in program history, Owen has fallen off the pace with his 79-percent average this season – dropping to No. 5 on the free throw percentage list (.857). 

 

MAGGARD GETS HIS DUNK: Midway through the second half of last week’s Cascade game, J.R. Maggard (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) got his Christmas wish – a slam dunk.  The senior post grabbed a loose ball at midcourt and raced to the bucket, unloading a thunderous two hand jam that got The C of I crowd and bench to their feet.  Maggard has thrived over the past month after entering the starting line-up, averaging 11 points and six rebounds per game, making 31-of-43 shots from the field (72-percent).

 

CHAMP STILL IN A STEALING MOOD: Guard Bryan Champ (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) continues to show why he was named 2007 Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year.  With three steals against Cascade last week, it was the ninth time in 12 games that Champ has recorded three-or-more steals in a game, while recording at least two steals in 20 of his last 24 outings.  He continues to lead the CCC and ranks third in the NAIA Division II in steals per game (3.1), while moving into the No. 10 spot on the career steals list with 126.

 

FINALLY A BLOWOUT: Josh Owen scored 24 of his career-high 34 points in the first half, as the Yotes recorded their most lopsided victory of the 2007-08 season, stopping Cascade College, 81-54, last Wednesday in the Thunderdome.  Owen hit 10-of-12 shots in the first half, scoring ten points in a 16-0 run that gave the Coyotes a 24-8 lead with 11:23 remaining in the game.   Cascade would not get closer than 11 points the rest of the game.  The Thunderbirds were forced into 23 turnovers by the Yotes - as The C of I recorded 15 steals.  Bryan Champ scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, with Kurt Nielson (Rexburg, Idaho / Eastern Utah CC) scoring ten in the victory. 

 

YOTES RUN INTO BUZZSAW: Josh Owen scored 31 points, but it wasn't enough, as No. 13 ranked Warner Pacific outlasted the Yotes, 102-88, in C.C. Perry Gymnasium.  After one of seven triples from Owen got the Coyotes within 53-52, the Knights used a 17-3 run to put the game away - as The C of I got within just seven the rest of the way.  Warner used an early 12-2 push to take a 21-12 first half lead, only to see the Yotes respond, using a 13-2 run of their own to build their biggest lead of the night at 31-27.  The Coyotes would lead in the final two minutes at 43-40, but the Knights scored eight of the final ten points of the half, including a fade-away trey at the horn by Josh Jackson, part of his 27 point night.  Scott O'Gallagher had a near triple-double for WP, scoring 27 points, grabbing ten rebounds, to go along with eight assists, with Jalonta Martin scoring 19 points, along with ten boards.  Tucker Long (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) came off the bench to score a career-high 15, with J.R. Maggard adding 14 points and eight rebounds.

 

CASCADE CONFERENCE TOP-SIX:  The final Cascade Conference Top-6 Coaches Poll of 2007 was released on Dec. 10 – with a shake-up at the top.  Eastern Oregon took over the No. 1 spot, while Warner Pacific fell to No. 2.  Oregon Tech remained at No. 3, followed by Evergreen State, Northwest, and Concordia.  In the latest NAIA Top-25 poll, Eastern Oregon is ranked No. 6, Warner Pacific is ranked No. 13, and Oregon Tech is No. 17 – with Evergreen State receiving votes.  The C of I has a streak of 15 consecutive years of Top-25 rankings on the line in 2007-08.  The next weekly poll is to be released on Monday, Jan. 7, with the next NAIA poll released on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

 

CASCADE CONFERENCE STATS: The Coyotes as a team continue to lead the CCC in steals per game (9.9), while ranking second in the league and ninth in the NAIA in turnover margin (+4.9).  The squad has improved in nearly every other league statistic – now No. 5 in three-pointers made per game (7.5), No. 6 in field goal percentage (.451), No. 7 in free throw percentage (.689), No. 8 in three-point percentage (.313) and assists per game (12.3), ninth in scoring margin   (-2.5) and blocks per game (1.9), and No. 11 in rebound margin (-8.9).  Individually, Bryan Champ leads the league in steals per game (3.1), with Josh Owen leading the league in minutes played per game (34.5) and No. 2 in three-pointers made per game (2.4).

 

CASCADE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average –Scott O’Gallagher (WP) 21.7, Nate Menafee (ESC) 20.1, Wade Douglas (CRB) 20.0, Ryan Fiegi (OIT) 19.4, Christian Cavanaugh (OIT) 19.1; Rebound Average – Cavanaugh 8.5, Josh Jarrett (NCC) 8.0, Joshua Wetzler (OIT) 7.9, Ryan Barker (CAS) 7.6, Paul Carollo (EOU) 7.3; Field Goal Percentage – Wetzler .714, Kyle Janke (EOU) .642, David Howard (ESC) .634, Douglas .626, Cavanaugh .611; Assist Average – Fiegi 6.6, Jesse Alvarez (CU) 5.1, Jeremy Templeton (EOU) 5.1, Kao Saelee (CAS) 4.3, Luke Hammond (NU) 4.1.

 

YOTES SET TO TAKE ON NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN: After a 16-day lay-off between games, the Coyotes will return to action next Saturday night, meeting CCC newcomer Northwest Christian in Eugene, Ore.  The Beacons (5-9, 2-2 CCC) were a longstanding member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, playing a mix of games against two and four-year schools, before joining the NAIA last year and starting their first full season in the CCC.  This year’s squad has been up and down – losing five of their last six games, with the lone win coming last week at Concordia (81-73).  Josh Jarrett (18.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg) has been a consistent force in the paint for the Beacons, with Jordan Whittenberg (10.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg) providing the punch from outside the arc.  It will be the fifth meeting between the two schools – but the first since 1993, with the Coyotes holding a 4-0 all-time series edge.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyotes, head to the official homepage of The C of I men’s basketball – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Lady Yotes sweep CCC road games, set for games at NNU and Northwest Christian

 

COMING UP: at Northwest Nazarene, Monday, 7 p.m.; at Northwest Christian, January 5, 5:30 p.m. (PST)

 

LAST WEEK: at Warner Pacific (W 85-72), at Cascade (W 81-63)

 

INTERNET/RADIO: All ten College of Idaho women’s basketball Cascade Conference road games will be carried live on radio in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.  In addition, the remaining eight home games will be carried live on the World Wide Web at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/caa/radio.htm.   Currently road games are not available via The C of I internet.  Monday’s game at NNU will be carried live on the internet via the NNU website at www.nnusports.com and click on the Live Broadcast link.

 

LIVE STATS: Live stats will be available will be available for both the NNU and Northwest Christian games next week.  To access the NNU live stats, head to http://usak.nnu.edu/stats/xlive.htm, and to get the NCC live stats, head to www.gobeacons.com and click on the Live Stats link.

 

LADY YOTES SET TO MEET NORTHWEST NAZARENE: The Lady Yotes return to the court after a 12-day layoff on Monday night, meeting their Canyon County rival, Northwest Nazarene in Nampa.  The Crusaders (6-2) are off to an outstanding start to the season, having a five-game win streak snapped last weekend in overtime by Cal State-San Bernardino.  NNU has four players averaging in double figures – Jennifer Williams (13.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Janee Olds (12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg), Nichole Schutte (12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg), and Kristin Hein (10.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg).  It should be an uptempo game, as the Crusaders average 77 points per game and hold a five-rebound per game edge on their opponents.

 

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S RIVALRY: The two teams have met every season (minus the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons) since the Lady Yotes restarted their program in 1995.  NNU has dominated the series, winning all 11 previous games in Nampa – but are 5-5 in Caldwell, including a 70-54 C of I victory last season.  Under Reagan Rossi, the Lady Yotes are 2-4 against the Crusaders.

 

CLARK NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For her efforts in the Lady Yotes victories last week at Warner Pacific and Cascade, Whitney Clark (Jerome, Idaho / Northwest Nazarene U.) was named Cascade Conference Player of the Week.  The senior averaged 18 points and four rebounds per game in the victories, while converting 14-of-14 free throw attempts.  It is the third time in Clark’s career that she has won the award – each time during the semester break.  She took home the honor the first week of January during the 2005-06 season, then picked up the award the final week of December last year.

 

HORNER COMES UP BIG AT CASCADE: Breaking out of a 7-for-26 shooting slump, guard ShaNae Horner (West Jordan, Utah / Snow CC) had a big night in the win over Cascade, scoring a career-high 20 points.  The junior transfer made 8-of-11 field goals, including four three-point baskets, leading the Yotes to the victory.

 

FRESHMEN PLAY WELL AT CASCADE: For the first time this season, the Lady Yotes jumped out to a big lead, allowing their true freshman a chance for extended playing time.  Leading the way was Tyra Rickman (Burns, Ore. / Burns HS), who was a stalwart defensively in her nine minutes of action, grabbing four rebounds and recording two steals.  Brianna Hansen (Kuna, Idaho / Kuna HS) had a career-high five points, with post Nicole Bruce (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) pulling down three rebounds.

 

BREWER TWINS FREE THROW STREAK ENDS: Making free throws has been easy for the Coyote twin sisters – Kayla Brewer (Arco, Idaho / Butte County HS) and Katee Brewer (Arco, Idaho / Butte County HS), as the duo combined to connect on their first 20 combined freebies this season (24 in a row, dating back to early February of last season).  However, the streak ended last Wednesday, as Kayla Brewer hit the front iron on a second half attempt at Cascade.

 

HILL SETS FREE THROW MARK, INJURES KNEE: A big game on Tuesday night helped write Denise Hill (Eugene, Ore. / Boise State U.) in The C of I single-game record book.  The senior equaled her career high with 24 points and had ten rebounds against Warner Pacific – but it was her foul shooting that was amazing, going 14-for-22 from the stripe.  Both the 14 makes and 22 attempts broke the Yotes record (13-for-21, set back in 2004 by Valissa Sneck), with the 22 attempts breaking the Cascade Conference record.  Hill added eight quick points in five minutes of action against Cascade on Wednesday, but injured her knee in a pile-up midway through the opening period.  Her playing status for the NNU game and the rest of the season is uncertain, pending the results of an MRI.

 

CAREER RECORD BOOK RECEIVES A SHAKE UP: Three players have found their way in The C of I career record book ten games into the season.  Whitney Clark is amongst the leader in nine different categories – No. 3 in three-point attempts (363), No. 5 in free throws made (242), free throw attempts (312), and three-pointers made (112), No. 7 in points scored (919) and field goal attempts (737), No. 9 in field goals made (281), No. 10 in steals (113), and No. 11 in assists (151).  Denise Hill is now No. 8 in free throws made (158), No. 10 in free throw attempts (231), while ranking No. 5 in field goal percentage (.484).  Rounding out the group is Christon Vander Esch (Riggins, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC), who is No. 7 in blocked shots (45) and No. 13 in steals (93).

 

FREE THROWS LIFT YOTES PAST WARNER: Denise Hill had 24 points and ten rebounds as the Lady Yotes ended a three-game losing streak with a 85-72 victory over Warner Pacific last Tuesday.  As a team, the Lady Yotes also set a school record with 37 made free throws on 52 attempts.  A see-saw game saw The C of I use a 10-2 run at the 13:11 mark of the second half to build a 59-48 lead, but watched the Knights rally, scoring nine straight points in a 90-second stretch to close within 59-56.  However, the Yotes would hit their free throws down the stretch, building a 16-point margin late and earning the road win.

Whitney Clark added 22 points and four rebounds in the win, while Whitney Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) scored 12. 

 

EARLY SPURT LIFTS C OF I OVER CASCADE: The Lady Yotes jumped out to a 30-7 first half lead, as the Lady Yotes completed a sweep in Portland with an 81-63 victory over Cascade College last Wednesday.  Leading 47-25 at halftime, Cascade used a 7-0 run to close the gap to 14 - but the Lady Yotes got back-to-back steals and buckets from Josie Pugsley (Park Valley, Utah / Snow CC) and a Kayla Brewer triple in a 30-second span to close out the T-Bird hope.

Transfer ShaNae Horner had a career-high 20 points in the win, with Whitney Clark adding 16 points - as The C of I remains one-game back of first-place Eastern Oregon.

 

CCC TOP-6: The final CCC Top-6 Coaches Poll was released on Dec. 10, with unbeaten Eastern Oregon continuing to record all 11 first-place votes.  They were followed by Southern Oregon, the Lady Yotes, Oregon Tech, Northwest Christian, and Corban.  EOU remains the lone team in the NAIA Division II Top-25, sitting at No. 22, while Southern received 11 votes in the poll.  The next CCC ballot will be released on Jan. 7, with the next national poll set for release on Jan. 9.

 

LEAGUE STATISTICS: Ten games into the season, the Lady Yotes continue to lead the CCC as a team in steals per game (15.7) and turnover margin (+6.6) – ranking No. 5 in steals and No. 9 in turnover margin in the NAIA Division II.  The C of I is second in the loop in scoring offense (77.5), No. 3 in free throw percentage (.692), three-point percentage (.349), and three-pointers made per game (6.8), No. 4 in field goal percentage (.422), No. 6 in scoring margin (+4.1) and assists per game (14.6), No. 8 in rebound margin (-4.3), No. 9 in blocked shots per game (2.0), and No. 10 in scoring defense (73.4).  Individually, Christon Vander Esch leads the league in steals per game (3.1) and is third in blocked shots (1.3), while Denise Hill is third in scoring average (16.7) and field goal percentage (.582), along with fifth in steals per game (2.1).  Also in the top-ten is ShaNae Horner, who is second in three-point percentage (.500), Kayla Brewer, who is No. 4 in three-point percentage (.438), Whitney Owen, who is No. 5 in steals (2.1), and Whitney Clark, who is No. 7 in free throw percentage (.784).

 

CASCADE CONFERENCE INDIVIDUAL TOP-FIVE: Scoring Average – Emily Gray (NCC) 19.2, Jessica Steigleman (CRB) 17.9, Denise Hill (CI) 16.7, Raquel Morin (CAS) 16.6, Crystal Idrogo (OIT) 16.3; Rebound Average – Te Awhina Aranui (CAS) 10.8, Jennifer Solberg (ESC) 9.8, Jackie Speer (SOU) 9.5, Sheena Henderson (EOU) 9.2, Cora McVey (OIT) 9.2; Field Goal Percentage – Emily Goette (CRB) .602, Ann Snodderly (CU) .593, Hill .582, Tiffanie Ulmer (EOU) .548, Elise Hawes (EOU) .530; Assist Average – Meagan Miyasaka (OIT) 5.3, Jenny Fiso (EOU) 4.7, Phebian Mulatu (CAS) 4.6, Karissa Boyd (WP) 4.4, Brittany Bostwick (CRB) 4.3.

 

NEXT WEEKEND – BATTLE AT NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN: Just after 2008 rings in, the Lady Yotes will head to Eugene, Ore., for their first-ever counting contest against CCC newcomer, Northwest Christian.  The Beacons (8-6, 2-2 CCC) are in their first year as a full-fledged NAIA member, after spending years as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association – competing against both two and four-year schools.  NCC has played well at home, winning 5-of-6 games, but are coming off back-to-back road losses at Concordia and Corban.  Emily Gray (19.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is their go-to player, but she is currently hampered by a knee injury.  Picking up the slack is Elise Gray (9.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Amy Croll (9.1 ppg, 4.1 apg), and Jacque Lipp (9.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg).  The two teams have met once before, a 72-46 non-counting victory for The C of I in 2003 – as NCC was considered a club team at the time.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Lady Yotes, head to the official homepage of The C of I women’s basketball – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.

 

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