Colby Mitchell puts up 19 points in the second half, as Mt. Hood pulls away
The Mt. Hood Community College mens basketball team notched its first South Region win of the season by holding off Portland CC 78-65 on Wednesday.
After Portland scored the opening basket of the contest, Mt. Hoods Colby Mitchell made a layup and a baby-hook to put the Saints in front, and they led for the rest of the night.
In fact, it was never really close as they held at least a five-point lead for most of the first half, and they had at least a seven-point advantage for the entire second half.
We had been struggling a little bit, so it was good to get a win like this under our belt, Mt. Hood coach Geoff Gibor said. We were able to keep a good cushion because we got a lot of layups and easy baskets. Anytime you do that, youll be in good shape.
Mt. Hoods offense ran smoothly, but the Saints won the game with defense.
Portlands only chance to break the Mt. Hood zone was to hit deep shots, and even those attempts were heavily contested. The Panthers shot just 2-for-20 (.100) from 3-point range with both makes coming within inches of being tipped at the point of release. The Saints held Portland to less than 30 percent from the field.
With the Mt. Hood defense keeping Portland in check, Colby Mitchell went to work. The sophomore forward from Alaska was efficient in everything he did offensively as he went 9-for-13 (.692) from the field finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Look for extended game coverage, along with a recap of the women's game, in the Friday, Jan. 11, print edition.