The following is an article written by Clipper  – EvCC’s student paper – reporter TJ Cotterill that was published in the 2/27/09 issue.

NWAACC tourney eludes Trojan men’s team, despite strong lineup

The Everett men’s basketball team will not make it to the NWAACC tournament this season after Whatcom Community College beat the Trojans in Everett 77-85.

The Trojans were down by nine points in the second half but pulled their way back to within three with 1:15 remaining in the game and the score at 71-74.

With :45 seconds to go and the Trojans down 72-76, freshman guard Jason Wright drove to the hoop and hit a running floater over the Whatcom defender and the referee blew the whistle for a foul as the building erupted.

A free-throw made after the basket would have brought the Trojans to within one point, but the referee called an offensive foul, waving off the basket and angering the crowd.

“We gave up a lot of inside points and Ryan Sweet had a good game,” Chris Grounds said. “So down low it was tough.”

Whatcom’s big man Sweet led the game with 25 points including going eight for eight from the free-throw line and seven rebounds.

The more surprising feat may be how Sweet was able to hold Everett’s Stephen Waltman to four points and two rebounds on two of seven shooting, who is in the top ten in the NWAACC North Division in both categories.

The Trojans were able to force 29 turnovers while only committing 11 and made the most of their offensive rebounds getting 13 second chance points, but their top two rebounders in Waltman and Nate Holthenrichs combined for five of the 26 total rebounds Everett had compared to a startling 55 for Whatcom.

“We got out-rebounded, but we played real hard,” sophomore Daniel Thompson said. “I feel like that is one of the hardest games we have played all year…It sucks that we are not going to be in the tournament, but we played hard and have nothing to be ashamed of.”

The Trojans have kept every game close this season with four of their nine losses by five points or less and only three of those coming by more than 10.

“We have lost a lot of close games,” Coach Larry Walker said, “We only got blown out and played bad one time and that was at Peninsula, the rest of the games went right down to the wire.”

The Trojans had high expectations this season after returning six players from last year’s team including the entire starting lineup that included Grounds, Waltman, Holthenrichs, Thompson and Kegan Bone.

“I am glad I had the opportunity to go to the tournament last year,” Grounds said. “But it is disappointing when you have an entire sophomore lineup and you can’t get it done, but we had a good time.”

The Trojans have two more games remaining on their schedule including their final game of the year at home against Peninsula Community College.

“Our ultimate goal is out of reach at this point,” Holthenrichs said. “We just got to go out there and enjoy the last few games of our lives.”

“I have got some tremendous kids with tremendous character,” Walker said. “As a group [this is] probably one of the best groups I have had here at Everett Community College as far as characters and real class acts.” Walker added, “I know they are going to go out there and sell out to get these last two games.”