By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

OREGON CITY, Ore.– Nothing is guaranteed in the Northwest Conference.

Despite behind on the opposite ends of the standings, Mount Hood Community College always seem to raise havoc this season on a Clackamas Community College Women’s team bidding for the number two spot in the standings.

It took no buzzer beater this time, but overtime was on the docket with the Ladies from Clackamas Community College taking the season sweep 77-71 Wednesday night.

“They have a way, I’m telling you, they do a good job,” said Lady Cougar Head Coach Jim Martineau. “They have a way to make you play slow, they want to grind it out, they’re only five of them.  They did the same thing at their place.

“We’ve been working on all week, playing fast.  They’ve just have a way of slowing you down and taking the tempo away.  “

Rivalry forming between these two schools?  Perhaps.

“It’s always head-to-head, you never know who’s going to come out with the win,” said Mary Hutchins.  “It’s always fun to play them.  Mt. Hood have some girls out there so it’s fun to play them.”

But how did it get to overtime in the first place?

Up 39-27 to start the second half, the Lady Cougars seem to be in full control of the game aftet a slow start.

“Yeah we came out slow, I don’t know why because we had a great week of practice,” said Emma Planter. “But yeah we start off slow and we picked it up.  We had to, to get into second-place.”

But then, the Saints began to hit on several three’s.

Three straight three-pointers cut Clackamas’ lead to two before the Cougars pushed it out to five entering the fourth quarter.

The lead was short lived as Clackamas had to hit back-to-back Free Throws to force overtime as Jo Paine’s last second lay-up attempt went off its mark.

“I didn’t think we played terrible, they hit some shots in the third quarter, cut half the lead, we were up for going into the fourth,” said Martineau.  “Then the same thing, they outscored us by four in the fourth to tie it up.  We didn’t execute really good down the stretch at all.

“The last possession I was really pleased with, we got a good look right before Jo miss the little shot she normally makes.  Overtime we played great.”

Then, remembering how they came out in the overtime period versus Umpqua Community College a few days back, the Lady Cougars came out firing against Mt. Hood.

“Last week we played Umpqua in overtime and got the win,” said Planter.  “So we’re determined to get to NWAC’s and get second-place so we really just came out with fire on that one.”

The Saints couldn’t find an answer as Paine played a crucial role in the extra peroid for the Cougars in the victory.

“We really realized what we’re capable of right now,” started Hutchins.  “I think we realize what we want and that’s second in league, we want that home playoff game and I think that’s all what’s going through our minds every game.  We have to play each game like it’s our last.”