TCC WOMEN TOP THUNDERBIRDS
After a tough loss to first-place Centralia, the Tacoma Community College women’s basketball team responded with a 61-52 win at Highline on Jan. 12.
The Titans limited the Thunderbirds to just 31 percent shooting for the game, and just over 20 percent in the second half. Patrice Polk led the way for the TCC offense, scoring 17 points in going 7-for-12 from the field, while Angie Sanchez had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Titans. They were also 7-for-15 from the three-point line, as Kaitlyn Sauders was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and tallied 16 points for TCC.
Sanchez helped TCC pressure first-place Centralia on Jan. 9, putting up a team-high 22 points and 11 rebounds on 9-for-17 shooting, but the Titans fell 62-53 at home to the Blazers. The Titans shot 48 percent in the first half and trailed just 30-29 at the break, but Centralia forced TCC into 26 turnovers, which they converted into 24 points. Kristiana Strickland had 10 points for the Titans, while Alexus Grant added nine points and seven rebounds.
At 3-1 in division play and 7-5 overall on the season, TCC now faces two key home matchups as they host Clark on Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. and second-place Lower Columbia on Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.
TITAN MEN FALL AT HIGHLINE
After winning their first three division games, the TCC men’s basketball team hit a speed bump with a 70-64 setback at Highline on Jan. 12.
Darnell Williams and Josh Lord led the way for the Titans with 19 points apiece, as Williams was 8-for-14 from the field and hit two three-pointers. But TCC was undone by shooting just 36 percent from the field as a team, and converted just 13 of 26 free throws.
The Titans were coming off a 72-61 win over Centralia on Jan. 9, with Jibreel Stevens coming off the bench to score a team-high 23 points, including going 5-for-9 from the three-point line. Adrian Harper added 18 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, while Lord tallied six points, two steals and a team-high six assists.
The Titans sit at 10-5 overall and 3-1 in division play, as they host Clark on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. and Lower Columbia on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m.
LADY LOGGERS FALL SHORT OF UPSET
The Puget Sound women’s basketball team came so close to an upset win at first-place and ninth-ranked Lewis & Clark on Jan. 12, but a last-second layup by Katie Anderson let the Pioneers escape with a 58-56 win.
The Loggers held the lead or were tied for the final 13 minutes before the last-second heroics, as Kelsey McKinnis led the way with a game-high 18 points while adding nine rebounds and four assists. Katy Ainslie added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Loggers, who held Lewis & Clark to just over 31 percent shooting in the game, including just 1-for-27 from the three-point line.
Ainslie had led the Loggers to a 71-58 win at Linfield on Jan. 11, as she scored a team-high 14 points and added eight rebounds in the win. Sarah Stewart had 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, and Emily Sheldon had eight points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Lady Loggers.
Puget Sound sits in a third-place tie with four other teams in the Northwest Conference, with a 3-1 record in league play and a 10-5 record overall. They continue their road trip with a game at George Fox on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. and at Pacific (Ore.) on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.
LOGGER SWIMMERS RETURN TO ACTION
The Puget Sound swimming teams started the second half of their season with a double dual at Simon Fraser on Jan. 12. The Logger women fell 87-32 to 15th-ranked Simon Fraser and 80-37 to 21st-ranked University of Alaska-Fairbanks, while the men suffered a 146-111 loss to Simon Fraser. Derek Frenzel was the only individual event winner for the Loggers in their first meet back from the holiday break in competition. His time of two minutes and 6.58 seconds was tops in the 200-meter fly between the Loggers and the Clan. He also took second in the 800-meter freestyle with and second in the 400-meter freestyle. Keven Henley also turned in a couple solid performances for the men’s team, taking second in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of one minute and 1.17 seconds and also placed second in the 50-meter freestyle. Jared Fisk also recorded a second-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly. Melissa Norrish led the women’s team against the Clan and Nanooks with a third-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly and second in the 200-meter individual medley. Sam Anders also had a second-place overall finish in the 200-meter backstroke, and Tracy Wormwood finished third overall in the 100-meter freestyle and fourth in 200-meter freestyle. The Loggers return to action when they host Whitworth on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. and Whitman on Jan. 19 at 1 p.m.
GOLDEN GLOVES THIS WEEKEND
The 65th Annual Tacoma Golden Gloves Boxing Championships are returning to the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse for the first time since 2002. The event is set for Jan. 18-19, and again is a stepping-stone toward the National Golden Gloves in Salt Lake City and the West Regionals in Las Vegas in March.
Preliminary bouts will be held on Jan. 18 at Al Davies Boys and Girls Club starting at
7 p.m., with tickets available at the door. The finals will be held on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the UPS Fieldhouse, with tickets available at the door or by contacting the UPS Box
Office at (253) 879-3236 or http://tickets.ups.edu. For group ticket information, contact Chairman Greg Plancich at (253) 404-0686.
Tacoma’s Golden Gloves is the second longest consecutive Golden Gloves in the United States, second only to New York City.
Tom McDonough, a veteran boxing judge from Tacoma, will be honored at Saturday night’s
finals along with four-time Golden Gloves champion Emmett Linton Jr.
Linton, a 1989 Stadium High grad, won four straight Golden Gloves titles from 1987-1990, and is the only known fighter to accomplish such a feat. He would go on to win 35 professional bouts in all before retiring after a three-year layoff in 2009.
Event funds will be used to support the Tacoma Boxing Club as well as numerous charitable requests throughout the year.
INDOOR YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE TRYOUTS
The Indoor Youth Football League (IYFL) is holding tryouts for its upcoming spring season on Jan. 26-27 in Tacoma. The IYFL is a select football league that focuses on improving an individual player’s skills in preparation for fall football season.
Teams are being offered at the 12U and 10U age divisions. For information on teams, tryout times and locations, contact the IYFL Executive Director Nick Vujnich at (888)-597-0303 or go to http://www.indoorfootballleague.org.