OLYMPIA, Wash. – A solid team effort led the Concordia Cavaliers past the Evergreen Geoducks, 84-65, in a Cascade Conference men’s basketball game on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.
The Cavaliers (7-8, 2-4 CCC) took the initial lead on a bucket by Robbie Jackson in the opening minute but the Geoducks (2-12, 1-5 CCC) put up a fight, trading leads with Concordia for much of the half. After CU built a seven-point lead with 1:54 to go in the opening period, the Geoducks responded with six straight, including a three-pointer by freshman Frankie Johnson (Renton, Wash./Hazen HS) to trail but just one at the break, 40-39.
In the second half, the Cavaliers began to pull away as the lead hit double-digits with 14:38 left on the clock following a layup by Willy Ligon the gave the Cavs at 56-45 lead. The Geoducks continued to fight but the Cavs continued a strong shooting night as Concordia left Olympia with the 84-65 win.
Evergreen was led by 16 points from Travis Wagner (Federal Way, Wash./Green River CC). Johnson finished with 13 points on the night while Marc Taylor (Boise, Idaho/Edmonds CC) chipped in 12 points. Senior Elzie Dickens III (Seattle, Wash./Highline CC) added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench, nearly earning the double-double.
Concordia was led by 21 points from Adam Herman. Ligon finished with 18 points in the win while Anthony Holton chalked up 14 points for the Cavs. Kory Kirwan came off the bench to add 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds in 23 minutes played. The Cavaliers shot 50.8% on the night, making 30-of-59 attempts from the field.
The Geoducks will look to secure an upset on Saturday night when they play host to 14th-ranked Warner Pacific. Concordia travels to 21st-ranked Northwest with both games set for 7:30 p.m.