McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Dempsey Roggenbuck moved within seven points of 1,000 career points and the Linfield Wildcats took care of business against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers by a final score of 70-57 at Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Friday night.
Linfield moved to 5-0 in the Northwest Conference for the first time since the 2009-10 season. The Wildcats moved to 10-3 overall.
"It was a very tough night shooting for us," said Wildcats coach
Shanan Rosenberg. "Credit the Pios for some of that. It affected our execution early on and also our defense. We found a rhythm I thought at the right time and made the plays we needed to win."
With the Wildcats looking to avenge last year's home defeat to the Pioneers, Roggenbuck scored 22 points to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Seniors
Austin Hilton and
Tanner Autencio contributed fantastic all-around games in the winning effort. For Hilton, he scored nine points, racked up 13 rebounds with five assists and three blocks. Autenicio contributed 11 points to go along five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.
"Hilton was a monster on the glass and played with the conviction and will that, as a coach, you love in a senior," said Rosenberg. "
Tanner Autencio made some extremely timely plays and played his heart out on defense.
"Dempsey made some great plays down the stretch as well. I thought with his shot not falling, he did a great job of attacking the hoop," praised Rosenberg. "
Max Lommen and
Carson Bonine really stepped up tonight, that was great to see, we needed them."
The Pios began with aggressive play, stealing the early lead in the first five minutes to jump to a 15-6 advantage. Linfield replied with an 8-0 run, followed by back-to-back Hilton layups that give Linfield its first lead halfway through the opening period.
The lead swung back and forth to close the first half, with the Pioneers hitting 7 for 15 from three-point range. L&C came in as the lowest three-point percentage team in the conference, but finished the evening 11 for 28. At the halftime break, Linfield led by just two points, courtesy of a Roggenbuck bucket on the Wildcats' final possession.
Linfield began the second half on a roll, extending out to a double-digit lead in the first five minutes. But multiple rebounds and layups by the Pios' leader in those categories, Zeke Crawford, and a three-pointer by freshman Jack Henderson, cut the Linfield lead to three with seven minutes left.
Autencio and Roggenbuck took over, combining for 12 straight points to stretch the Linfield lead out to 14 with three minutes left. Lewis & Clark never got back within single digits.
Max Lommen contributed 10 points off the bench and, although it may not show up on the box score,
Matt Berger and
Carson Bonine contributed very impactful minutes, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
Crawford and Brian Smith were joint leading scorers for the Pioneers (5-9, 1-4). The former added 14 rebound and four blocks, while the latter had seven assists and three rebounds.
"This team just finds a way to win when it's back is against the wall. In basketball and in a conference as tough as ours, that's a positive sign," said Rosenberg.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats hosts the young Willamette Bearcats (1-13, 0-5 NWC) at Ted Wilson Gym. Tip off is at 6 p.m., with the Farnham Electric Pregame show at 5:40 on the Linfield Sports Network.