McMINNVILLE, Ore. — Spurred by Dempsey Roggenbuck's 20 points, the Linfield Wildcats handily defeated the Lewis & Clark Pioneers 84-54 in a Northwest Conference game Saturday at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
 
Senior sendoff
The game marked the final home game for graduating seniors Jordan Clark, Austin Murray and Tyler Watts.
 
"What a way to send our seniors off their last home game," said Linfield coach Shanan Rosenberg. "After a very late night and tough road loss, our guys rallied and played very well. 
 
Where they stand
The Wildcats, who currently sit in third in the Northwest Conference standings, boosted their record to 16-5 overall and 10-4 in the NWC. The victory clinched a berth in the Northwest Conference playoff tournament for the second straight season.
 
With the loss, Lewis & Clark slips to 7-15 and 3-10 versus conference opponents.
 
How it played out
Lewis & Clark struck first, jumping to an early lead, though Linfield did not trail for long. Less than five minutes into the game, Roggenbuck drilled a jumper to give the 'Cats the lead. By the end of the first half, the Wildcats had worked their way to a 14-point advantage. In the second half, Linfield continued to pull away on the way to posting the second-largest point differential of the season.
 
Linfield by the numbers
Clark had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Liam O'Reilly scored 11 points, snagged six rebounds and forced a steal. Riley Bruil had nine points, three rebounds and four steals, while Troy Are had seven points, six assists and two rebounds. Watts recorded six points and three rebounds, and Murray added six points and two rebounds.
 
"Jordan came one rebound shy of a double double and was terrific," said Rosenberg. "So were Austin and Tyler. I can't say enough about what those men mean to me and our program."
 
As a team, Linfield topped Lewis & Clark in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, rebounds and assists.
 
"Our defense held up once again and we really got it going in the second half," noted Rosenberg. "Lewis & Clark has been playing well of late so we knew we had to be ready. Dempsey had a determined look in his eye. He was fabulous. He left his game shoes in our van last night, so he may have found a new pair."
 
How Lewis & Clark stacked up
Nick Lombardi led the Pios with 14 points and a rebound. Zeke Crawford added 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists, and Kyle Owens scored six points. Andrew Vickers had four points and two rebounds, while Daelon Floyd recored four rebounds and two points.
 
Next up
Heading into the final weekend of Northwest Conference regular season play, Linfield treks to Spokane, Washington, to take on Whitworth Friday at 8 p.m. at the Whitworth Fieldhouse