Ok, it's been two years since the last posting and I apology for the delay.  However, it's time to get some new stuff on this blog.  With that in mind, here are the keys to the game for the 2008 Division II Softball National Championship Game which will feature Humboldt State and Emporia State.  Please note, this installment was written before the outcome of the morning game between St. Edward's and Emporia State which Emporia State won 2-1 in 13 innings.

When you look back at this year's Division II Softball National Championships, the thing many fans will be talking about for years to come will be the epic battles between Humboldt State and Lock Haven.  Lock Haven got to this game by defeating Ferris State earlier in the day, 3-0 behind a one hitter from Kristen Erb.  The big question coming into the game was how much did Erb have left for the Lady Jacks?  If Humboldt State wins this game, they will advance to their third National Championship Game in the program's history.  Let's look back at the highlights from the latest chapter between these two heavyweights in the Division II softball world.

This game was an epic battle.  It made the 10 inning game from Wednesday look small in comparison. Kristin Erb and Lizzy Prescott gave everything they had and that made this game probably the greatest pitching duel in the history of the Division II Softball National Championships.  This game was the ultimate pitching duel as Erb and Prescott each gave up one hit thru the first seven innings of this game.   Both pitchers also got a lot of help from their defenses.  In the bottom of the seventh, Nikki Ketteringham took away an extra base hit from Ilia Lopez.  Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Chrissy Motzny made the catch of the tournament as she robbed Sarah Norris of a game winning home run to straight away center field.  In the bottom of the thirteenth inning, Marissa Slattery showed why she was an All American at catcher last year when she caught Nancy O'Connor stealing second base as Geneva Perrine applied the tag on that play.  Those were a few big plays from the Lady Jacks that kept this game scoreless thru 16 innings.

In the seventeenth inning, Caitlin Klug got it started when she reached first base on a Lopez error.  Then, Klug was able to steal second base.  After Marissa Slattery reached on another Lock Haven error, Natalie Galletly showed us why she was the West Region Player of the Year as she got a base hit up the middle that allowed Klug to score as Humboldt State got a 1-0 lead.  That would be all that they would score in the top half of the inning as it was in Prescott's hands to get Humboldt State to the National Championship game.

In the bottom half of the inning, Prescott would get Devin Glezen to strike out after a long battle at the plate.  With that strike out, Prescott became the seventeenth pitcher to throw 20 strikeouts in a game and it tie a Division II Softball Championship Finals record, too.  Then, Amanda Gutmaker grounded out to Klug for the second out.  The Lady Eagles sent up a pinch hitter in Brittany Pataky as Prescott was able to strike her out to set the Division II Softball Championships Finals record at 21 strikeouts as Humboldt State picked up a 1-0 victory over Lock Haven in 17 innings.

With the win, Humboldt State improved to 56-18 on the season and they advance to the National Championship Game for the first game since 1999 (the third time in the program's history).  Lizzy Prescott was on her game tonight as she pitched all 17 innings allowing only one hit while striking out 21 batters.  Prescott improves her record to 47-11 on the season.  For Lock Haven, their season comes to an end at 49-8 as Kristin Erb took the loss as she gave up seven hits, one unearned run while striking out 12.  Erb finishes this season at 43-8 for the Lady Eagles.

As mentioned, Humboldt State now advances to the Division II National Championship Game where they will take on the winner of the St. Edward's/Emporia State game that will be played Saturday morning at 10:00 AM Central time (8:00 AM Pacific Time).  The championship game is set for a 4:30 PM Eastern time start (1:30 PM Pacific Time) as the pre game show will start at 1:15 PM Pacific Time on ESPN Radio 1340 AM in Humboldt County.  The game will also be broadcasted on the web at www.hsujacks.com and the game will be on the CBS College Sports Network which is available on Suddenlink Digital Cable, and most satellite providers.

Now that we gave you the highlights from an epic battle, let's look ahead to Saturday National Championship game.

It may have taken nine years to get back to this game, but the Humboldt State softball will be playing for the National Championship against the winner of the St. Edward's/Emporia State game that will be played earlier in the day.  For the Lady Jacks this is their third appearance in the championship game.  In 1994, the Lady Jacks got to the title game and lost to Merrimack 6-2.  Five years later, Humboldt State would get back to the title game and they would finally win their first national championship with a 7-2 win over Nebraska-Kearney.  We will see what happens in this title game.

Let's look at the possible teams that could face Humboldt State in the championship game.

St. Edward's is the South Central Region champion from the Heartland Conference.  The Hilltoppers come into the Emporia State game at 53-16.  St. Edward's is not a power hitting team, they are a quick team throughout the lineup.  As a team, the Hilltoppers has hit 101 doubles on the season, 29 home runs, and they have stolen 138 bases in 170 attempts.  So, this team is not afraid to go for the stolen base.  St. Edward's have four players with 20 or more stolen bases on the season.  That is one thing Humboldt will need to address if they play St. Edward's.  Here are a couple of players to watch at the plate.  Lexi Stephens is the leading hitter on the team with a .412 batting average, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 0 home runs, 21 runs batted in, and 36 stolen bases on the season.  Kristen Lozano is the big bat in the lineup with a .379 batting average, 10 home runs, 62 runs batted in, and 23 stolen bases.  St. Edward's can hit the long ball, but they can use their speed to beat you.

In the circle, St. Edward's has two possibilities at pitcher.  One option is Diana Cezeaux, who is 25-8 on the season with a 1.28 ERA and 230 strikeouts.  Opponents are hitting at a .184 batting average against Cezeaux this year.  The other option is Robin Becker, who is 28-8 on the season with a 1.70 ERA and 109 strikeouts on the year.  Opponents are hitting at a .233 batting average against Becker this year.

We talked about Emporia State a couple of days ago, so I would look at a couple of adjustments that the Hornets would make in a title game against the Lady Jacks.

I think one adjustment that Emporia State could make is to find a way to get Jessie Wiard on base.  I mentioned that Wiard has a lot of speed on the bases and in the first game, Humboldt State did a great job in keeping Wiard off the bases, except for one bloop hit that snuck by Caitlin Klug in the fourth.  If Emporia State is win this game, they need Wiard to get on base and create havoc for the Lady Jack defense.

The other adjustment would be to try to get the outside corner when the Lady Jacks are at the plate.  The one thing Kristen Erb was able to do was to frustrate Humboldt with the outside pitch.  If Samantha Sheeley can establish the outside corner, then the Hornets could find a way to frustrate the Lady Jacks in the championship game.

With that in mind, here are the keys to the National Championship Game.

1.  Be yourself.  Every player on the Lady Jacks needs to remember what they did to get to this game.  Now, it not the time for each member of the Lady Jacks team to be someone that they want to be.  Continue to do the things that got you to this point and hopefully in a couple of hours, we will be talking about the second national championship in the program's history.

2.  Be aware of the speed.  Both opponents have some speed potential on the bases.  That means that Lizzy Prescott needs to give Marissa Slattery a shot to nail the runner if they try to steal a base.  If the Lady Jacks can keep the speed off the bases, that will help Humboldt in a big way.

3.  Get off to a fast start.  In the 2007 National Championship Game, Southern Illinois Edwardsville defeated Lock Haven 3-2 in 12 innings.  That game was the first one run game in the title game since 1998.  In the games between 1999 and 2006 all of the games were decided by 2 or more runs.  I think it is very important that the Lady Jacks get off to a fast start in the championship game.  If they can get a few runs early in the game.  I think that could be more than enough for Lizzy Prescott to get Humboldt State to their second national championship.

4.  Focus and determination.  The Lady Jacks can't look ahead to the seventh inning of the game when it's in the first inning.  They need to approach this game the same way they do with every game.  Don't over think the simple things and get through each batter and each pitch.  If they do that, the Lady Jacks will win the title.

Prediction:

I will do two predictions as we don't know who Humboldt will play in the title game.

The Lady Jacks needs to be alert about the speed on the bases.  Humboldt needs to play hard on defense and get the runs that they need to allow Lizzy Prescott to cruise in this game.  She pitched two tough games to knock out Lock Haven from the tournament.  It's time for the bats to finish the job and give Prescott the championship she wanted since she came to this program.

In the end, I think Humboldt State proved that they are the best team in the country this year.  Based on that, here are my predictions based on the match up.

If Humboldt plays St. Edward's:  I think Humboldt wins the game 6-1.

If Humboldt plays Emporia State: I think Humboldt wins the game 4-0.

I'll add one more thing, if Humboldt wins the championship, then Lizzy Prescott will be an oblivious choice for the Most Outstanding Player in these championships.

Welcome to a special edition of the Week in Review.  This edition is for the 2007 NCAA Division II West Region Championship.  We will look back at the action that took place on Day 2 of the tournament.  Included in this analysis will be some commentary on the games.  We will also look ahead to Monday night's Regional Final from the East Gym.  On that note, let's look back at the action from Saturday semifinal games in the West Regional Championships.

Semifinal # 1: # 6 Seattle vs. # 2 Cal State San Bernardino:  The first semifinal of the day pitted # 6 Seattle University, the co-champions and the automatic entry from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, against # 2 Cal State San Bernardino, an at large team from the California Collegiate Athletic Association.  For the highlights from this game, we will go to the Seattle Times, the San Bernardino Sun, and the Times Standard.

Story from the Seattle Times:

CSUSB 72, Seattle U. 66

The sixth-seeded Redhawks trailed by 12 at halftime of their NCAA Division II West Regional semifinal in Arcata, Calif., and never caught up to second-seeded Cal State San Bernardino.

Seattle U. scored the first 10 points of the second half, five of them by senior David White, to cut the deficit to 40-38 in favor of the Coyotes. White finished with 21 points.

CSUSB's lead shrank to 65-63 after Sam Kirby hit two three-pointers, but the Redhawks scored just three more points the rest of the way.

Seattle U. finished 20-9, its first 20-win season since 1984-85.

Story from the San Bernardino Sun:

Coyotes advance to regional finals

Staff and Wire Reports

ARCATA - Prentice Harris came up with a big steal after Seattle University had cut the lead to two points, helping the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional finals with a 72-66 victory on Saturday.

Seattle charged back from an early 16-point deficit, as Sam Kirby's three-pointer with 1:57 remaining to trim Cal State's lead to 67-65. But Harris grabbed a Redhawk pass with 52 seconds remaining and took the ball the length of the court for a lay-in and free throw to seal the victory.

"(After being up) we were playing tentative, but from that point on we picked up the intensity," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "It was definitely going to be a battle to the end. At this level, it's always exciting."

Harris paced the Coyotes with 22 points, hitting his first four 3-pointers on the way to a 5-of-10 performance from beyond the arc.

Ivan Johnson added 18 points for Cal State, which improved to 24-5 overall.

Kirby had 21 points to lead four Redhawks in double figures. Leigh Swanson added 11 while David White and Chris Gweth both contributed 10, their season ending with a 20-9 record.

"The game was a microcosm of our entire season,"  Seattle coach Joe Callero said. "There's no quit in this team. They have the character and the willingness to be coachable."

Story from the Times Standard:

Coyotes fend off Redhawks

Brad Botkin / Times-Standard

ARCATA — What early on had every indication of a landslide affair, turned into a one-possession game with under a minute remaining.

But in the end, it was a Prentice Harris steal, and subsequent 3-point play at the end that sealed Cal State San Bernardino's 72-66 victory over Seattle University in Saturday's first NCAA Division II West Regional semifinals.

With the win, the Coyotes will face Humboldt State — which beat Grand Canyon University 95-81 in the second game — in the final on Monday at 7 p.m.

After an uphill battle, Seattle had possession with 57 seconds remaining, trailing 65-63, and the ball was in the hands of one of its most trusted players, senior point guard Sam Kirby. Kirby, who later said he thought he has spotted a mismatch, tried an entry pass to the elbow, but Harris stepped in front and made the play.

When you get to this level, it so often comes down to one play. And really, that was the difference in this tale-of-two-halves game.

In the opening half San Bernardino was absolutely swarming to the ball, taking its defensive pressure to a level that even Seattle — which has an incredibly steady backcourt — seemed unable to deal with.

Turnovers were piling up, and Harris was firing up. Harris, who led all scorers with 22, was dialing in from all over the place, often with a hand in his face. You got the impression that San Bernardino was out to prove something after having unexpected trouble with BYU-Hawaii in the first round. < O:P>

Ivan Johnson, who is an absolute truck underneath, was benefitting from the single coverage that Harris' hot hand was creating, getting the ball on the block, where he is virtually impossible to stop.

It just seemed the Redhawks were overmatched.

But.

"We know it's going to be exciting at this level," said San Bernardino head coach Jeff Oliver. "Seattle wasn't going anywhere."

You can say that again, because whatever Seattle head coach Joe Callero said in the locker room obviously hit a nerve.

Seattle came out in the second half on a 13-2 run led mostly by Kirby — who led Seattle with 21 points — and David White.

But the major difference was Seattle's ability to cope with Seattle's ball pressure.

Senior guard Ryan Webb was flawlessly dictating pace, early and often getting the ball to his teammates in a position where they could be successful. It was one change of mindset, according to Webb, that fueled the Redhawks' second-half surge.

"In the first half we weren't looking to do anything once we got past the press," said Webb. "In the second half, we were breaking the press with a purpose."

Simple as that, apparently.

And that one alteration put the Coyotes — a quick and athletic team that depends on its ability to create turnovers — on their heals.

But, as champion teams do, they made the big play down the stretch, and

now, as many expected, will play for the right to go to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass.

Commentary:  When I look back at the first semifinal game, Seattle was playing hard against a very aggressive Cal State San Bernardino.  If you want to know where the difference of the game was it was midway thru the first half when Seattle got sloppy with the ball.  During that sequence, the Coyotes made the Redhawks pay for each of those mistakes.  That put Seattle behind the eight ball for the rest of the game.  The one thing I respect about Seattle is that they fought back and nearly won that game.  Sam Kirby, Ryan Webb, and David White kept Seattle in the game.  I remember saying to some Seattle fans that they needed to survive the sprut.  Seattle did, but it was a mistake late in the game that cost them in the end.

I must say that the fans and the cheerleaders Seattle earned a special place in my heart about this tournament.  The one thing is that they encouraged their team.  In the best of times and in the worst of times (famous words from Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities), they encouraged their team to fight on.  I feel sorry that they lost.  I would have felt fine if they won the West if it was not Humboldt State.

Looking at Cal State San Bernardino, Prentice Harris got off to a hot start in this game and it was enough for the Coyotes to win this game.  Ivan Johnson also dominated on the block.  Finally, the defensive pressure was too much for the Redhawks as Seattle committed 23 turnovers in the contest.  That is the blueprint for a Cal State San Bernardino win.  Get production from the stars like Prentice Harris and Ivan Johnson.  Mix up their defenses.  Force some turnovers and make your opponent pay. 

If that goes on Monday night, then they could be cutting the nets down at the end of the regional final.

Semifinal Game # 2: # 5 Grand Canyon vs. # 1 Humboldt State:  The second semifinal game of the day pitted # 5 Grand Canyon, an at large team and champions from the Pacific West Conference against the # 1 seed and host institution, Humboldt State, the champions from the California Collegiate Athletic Association.  For the highlights from this game, we go to the Times Standard, and the Eureka Reporter.

Story from the Times Standard:

Where there's a Will

Sheufelt ignites Jacks after halftime

Brad Botkin / Times-Standard

ARCATA — One more to Springfield baby!

And that one is the one we've all been waiting for: Humboldt State, San Bernardino, in the East Gym, for the West Region championship.

Should you be wondering if college basketball matchups get any better than the one we're going to see on Monday, let me be the first to tell you, they don't. These are unequivocally the two finest Division II teams on the west coast, and two of the best teams in the nation. It would be a thriller on a playground in the middle of nowhere.

But when you add what's at stake, the history of these two teams, and the raucous venue in which it will be played, well, you get the Duke-Carolina of Division II.

This is what college hoops is all about.

So how did Humboldt get here?

They've been a second-half team all year long, and it was no different on Saturday, turning a 3-point halftime deficit into a 95-81 victory over Grand Canyon University in the second semifinal on Saturday.

And speaking of big second halfs, how about Will Sheufelt?

Sheufelt scored 20 of his career-high 23 points in the final 20 minutes, dropping two 3-pointers en route to scoring the first 10 points of the second half.

"I didn't feel any different than I ever do, I just said that I was going to be a little more agressive," said Sheufelt.

But the run didn't stop with Sheufelt.

Kevin Johnson followed with a triple of his own, at which point the East Gym, once again, seemed to surpass the all-time decibal level, as the Jacks put a charge into the building with a 15-0 run to start the second half, completely demoralizing Grand Canyon.

"From our perspective, the game was lost in the first five minutes of the second half," said Grand Canyon head coach Scott Mossman. "The momentum shifted and the crowd got behind them."

However, despite Coach Mossman's sentiments, Grand Canyon eventually pulled to within two points at 71-69 with 7:13 to play, obviously right in the game.

But it was simply Humboldt's night. It was a team that was determined to move on. Jeremiah Ward was all over the place, scoring 19 points to go with six assists and two steals. KJ had another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

But the difference in this game, Sheufelt's barrage of triples not withstanding, was the play of Devin Peal and Cy Vandermeer.

Peal was brilliant with 21 points as he has quickly become a legitimate No. 1 option in the post, while Vandermeer scored 10 points and was all over the glass with a career-high 14 rebounds.

Those two guys too often fly under the radar, but I guarantee they're on San Berny and Ivan Johnson's radar.

When asked about the impending matchup with the Coyotes, head coach Tom Wood had this to say.

"I don't know if you can ask for anything more than that."

He's absolutely right.

The politically correct thing to say is that you don't care who you play, so long as you're playing. Which is true, to a degree.

But you can't tell me that these two teams don't want to go at it.

Everyone, including those in uniform, has been waiting for this.

Story from the Eureka Reporter:

Jacks march on

by Ray Hamill

After watching his team bow out of the NCAA Division II West Region Basketball Championships Friday night against Humboldt State, Alaska Anchorage head coach Rusty Osbourne suggested that Jacks point guard Will Sheufelt could be the real MVP of his team.

On Saturday in a semifinal matchup with Grand Canyon, Sheufelt certainly played like an MVP.

The junior guard helped HSU break open a tight game with a huge run to begin the second half on the way to an impressive 95-81 win.

The victory sets up a championship showdown Monday against conference rivals Cal State San Bernardino (24-5), which defeated Seattle University 72-66 in an earlier semifinal. The matchup will be the third of the season between these two new rivals, with the series split at 1-1.

"They're a tough, worthy opponent," HSU head coach Tom Wood said of San Bernardino. "They're the No. 2 seed, we're the No. 1 seed."

After a shaky opening-day performance against Anchorage, the Jacks (26-3) looked far better Saturday.

"It was a typical game (for us)," Wood said. "We were down at halftime and we just seem to find ways to grind it out in the second half."

Trailing 40-37 at the interval, the Jacks started the second half on fire, with a Sheufelt steal and basket setting the tone for the period just 15 seconds in.

Sheufelt, who scored just three points in the first half, scored the Jacks' first 10 points of the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers that brought a packed and extremely noisy home crowd to its feet.

"I think our team basically just buckled down on defense and got some stops," Sheufelt said.

The Jacks opened the half on a 15-0 run, holding the visitors scoreless for the first four minutes of the period and opening up a double-digit lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the way.

The Antelopes, who close out the season 21-8, narrowed the gap to as few as two with seven minutes to go, but the Jacks quickly re-established their superiority and gradually pulled away with some good free throw shooting down the stretch.

"I really felt the game was lost in the first few minutes of the second half," Grand Canyon head coach Scott Mossman said. "After that, we got close a couple of times but just couldn't get over the hump."

Sheufelt finished with a team-high 21 points, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, while Devin Peal had another outstanding night in the paint and finished with 21 points and five rebounds.

Kevin Johnson also had a big night for the Jacks, finishing with 14 points and 10 boards, his 21st double-double of the season, while senior guard Jeremiah Ward added 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a game-high six assists.

For the second consecutive night, junior center Cy Vandermeer gave the Jacks a big second-half spark off the bench, pulling down a game-high 14 boards as the Jacks out-rebounded their opponents 42-28.

Grayson Moyer added eight points, six boards, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot in the win.

Devon Greene scored a game-high 24 points for Grand Canyon, which had won 10 straight coming into Saturday, while Richard Davis added 16 points.

The Jacks shot 55 percent from the field to their opponents' 46 percent.

HSU nailed 25-of-34 free throws to GCU's 17-of-24.

Commentary:  The second semifinal was an interesting game.  Grand Canyon held their own early in the game.  Give a lot of credit to Devon Greene and Richard Davis.  They made life hard for Humboldt State early in this game. 

However, in the second half, Humboldt State made the necessary adjustment by attacking the 'Lopes with speed and the fast break.  That led to a big run that gave Humboldt control of the game.  That is also when the crowd got into the game in a big way.  I'll say this, Will Sheufelt was on fire in the second half and that was the spark that was needed to keep Grand Canyon in check.  Another player I was impressed with was Cy Vandermeer.  I felt Vandermeer played his best game as a Lumberjack with 14 rebounds in the win.  It will take that type of a game Monday night to help out Kevin Johnson and Devin Peal against Cal State San Bernardino.

Give credit to Grand Canyon.  They did not roll over after the big Humboldt run.  While the 'Lopes were able to cut the lead to 2 with over seven minutes left, Humboldt State was able to hit the big shots to win this game.  I think the fans of Grand Canyon have nothing to be ashamed of from this game.  The 'Lopes fought back and gave everything they had at Humboldt State.  They are a solid team and I think that program is heading into the right direction.  This team will be back in the West Regional.  Whether it will be next year or a couple of years down the road, Grand Canyon will be back in the West Regional again.  Mark my words on that.

Overall View of Day 2 and a Look Ahead to the West Regional Final:  You look back at Day 2, the two teams that were expected to be in the regional final made it there.  All I can say is this.  Humboldt-San Bernardino III will be Monday night.  This will be the second time that these two schools will meet in the regional final.  The first time was in 2002 when Cal State San Bernardino beat Humboldt State in San Bernardino 80-65.  This game will be a battle from start to finish.

These two teams know what the other team wants to do.  It will come down to execution.  I believe in these types of games, the team that executes the best will win the game.  It will be a great game.  For those that don't know.  This could most likely be the final game in the East Gym.  It is tentative scheduled that Humboldt State will play their games next season in the new facility that is being built behind the East Gym.  It is my hope that Humboldt State can find a way to send off the East Gym in flying colors by winning the regional championship for the second time in four years.  We will see what happens on Monday night. 

We are down to two teams left in the West.  This is the most anticipated match up in the regional in a long time.  Come back Tuesday for the highlights from the 2007 NCAA Division II West Regional Championship.

Welcome to a special edition of the Week in Review.  This edition is for the 2007 NCAA Division II West Region Championship.  We will look back at the action that took place on Day 1 of the tournament.  Included in this analysis will be some commentary on the games.  We will also look ahead to tonight's semifinal action from the East Gym.  On that note, let's look back at the action from Friday's games in the West Regional Championships.

Game # 1: # 6 Seattle vs. # 3 Cal Poly Ponoma:  The first game of the day pitted # 6 Seattle University, the co-champions and the automatic entry from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, against # 3 Cal Poly Ponoma, an at large team from the California Collegiate Athletic Association.  For the highlights from this game, we will go to the Seattle Times, the Times Standard, and the Eureka Reporter.

Story from the Seattle Times:

Redhawks rally for NCAA victory

ARCATA, Calif. — A combination of senior leadership and freshman athleticism helped Seattle University defeat Cal Poly Pomona 69-55 Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.

Freshman Ricky Berry shot 6 of 7 from the field, including two three-pointers, to lead the Redhawks with 16 points. Classmate Chris Gweth scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half to help the Redhawks come back from a seven-point deficit.

Seniors Ryan Webb and Sam Kirby each had eight points and four rebounds, with Webb also dishing out a game-high eight assists. David White contributed seven points, eight rebounds and a key block in the second half.

"In the second half, I was just trying to make sure that they [Berry and Gweth] were getting their shots because they had the hot hands," Webb said. "Even when we were down seven, I did not see any signs of timid play in any of my teammates."

Down 45-38 in the second half, the Redhawks scored the next seven points to tie the score, and White scored on a dunk to give Seattle the lead for good, as the Redhawks outscored the Broncos 18-4 over the last 6:28 of the game.

Larry Gordon led Cal Poly Pomona (20-8) with 23 points, 14 in the second half. The Broncos shot just 21.9 percent in the second half, including 2 of 16 from behind the three-point line.

Story from the Times Standard:

Berry Good: Pair of freshmen lead Seattle to victory

Brad Botkin/The Times-Standard

ARCATA -- Heading into Friday's Division II West Regional first-round matchup against Cal Poly Pomona, Seattle University head coach Joe Callero secretly liked his team's chances for a few reasons, but one in particular: senior leadership.

And while he certainly received plenty of that veteran resolve from point guards Ryan Webb and Sam Kirby, it was a pair of freshman who, down the stretch, played beyond their years as Seattle defied their No. 6 seed by defeating the No. 3 seeded Pomona Broncos 69-55.

With the victory, the Redhawks advance to the second round where they will face San Bernardino, which narrowly escaped BYU-Hawaii's upset bid, 71-68 in the second game of the day. Pomona, on the other hand, finishes its season at 20-8.

Freshmen Ricky Berry, who led Seattle with 16 points including a pair of 3-pointers, and Chris Gweth, who finished with 14, were fantastic, when it mattered most.

Leading 45-38 after a Kevin Neveu layup with 12:59 remaining in somebody's season, Pomona looked to be within one or two possessions of pulling away. However, Seattle drew upon a previous experience to muster the necessary resiliency to get off the ropes.

Coach Callero referenced a particularly pivotal moment that in Seattle season, a loss to Western Washington in which the Redhawks squandered a huge lead. He feels at that moment, his team found its identity.

He wasn't kidding.

Seattle had won seven consecutive games on the heels of that loss heading into Friday, and sticking with the same disciplined game plan that has become its crutch, Seattle promptly erased that seven-point lead (courtesy of a Gweth triple and a 3-point play the old-fashioned way from Berry, and never looked back -- exploding on a 31-10 run to end the game in impressive fashion.

"It wasn't until we were down seven that we threw some different (defensive) looks at (Pomona)," said Callero. "We went to the 1-3-1 (zone), and it was just a shot in the arm."

Consequently, the perimeter shots that were falling for Pomona in the first half, were not in the second half -- to the tune of 22 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes.

"It was a well-played game," said Pomona head coach Greg Kamansky, in reference to the fact that each team held its turnover total to eight, and for the most part got the shots they wanted. "We just didn't hit our shots. We only made seven baskets in the second half, and you don't win too many games that way. But they were good shots, that's the thing. It just wasn't our night."

Pomona's lethal combination of Larry Gordon and Dion Cook combined for 38 points (Gordon 23 and Cook 15), but no other Bronco managed to score more than six.

On the other hand, Seattle had nine players tally points, and was balanced throughout.

The point guard extraordinaires each had 8 points, but it was their ability to distribute and be an extension of their coach on the floor that highlighted the leadership Callero thought would be so vital.

"What Sam and Ryan did tonight is that they didn't care who scored the baskets," said Callero. "You have to be humble enough to let someone else shine."

And shine those two youngsters did.

"I was a little nervous at first," said Berry. "But we have strong seniors, we look up to Ryan (Webb), and when I'm shooting well he gets me the ball."

Webb never lost confidence in his troops, even in the face of that seven-point deficit. And what further proves his faith in his team, Webb was on the bench when that 31-10 run began.

But when he came back, you knew who was in charge.

"I never once looked in my teammates' eyes and sensed any (panic)," said Webb. "That's key when you're going through adversity."

Story from the Eureka Reporter:

Seattle comes back to top Pomona

by Sean Quincey

A pair of freshmen led Seattle in scoring and the sixth-seeded Falcons' used a second half switch in their defensive game plan to defeat No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona 69-55 in the first round of the Division II West Regional Tournament in Arcata on Friday.

The victory is Seattle's first in the postseason since 1994 when it was an NAIA school and is the program's first-ever NCAA playoff win.

The Falcons (20-8) advanced to the semifinals and will play No. 2 seed San Bernardino, which beat No. 7 BYU-Hawaii 71-68, today at 5 p.m.

Seattle went to a three-quarter court press midway through the second period when it trailed by seven points. Pomona was already struggling — the Broncos shot 22 percent in the second half — and buried itself when Seattle's Ryan Colderon picked off a pass and found Sam Kirby for a 3-pointer with 4:48 left. The trey gave the Falcons a five-point and broke open an otherwise tight game.

"All week we talked about having two defenses to throw at them," Seattle head coach Joe Callero said. "It wasn't until we were down seven that we moved into our 1-3-1 and our press. That just gave us a shot in the arm."

Pomona's leading scorer on the season, Dion Cook, scored all 15 of his points in the first half and went cold in the second. Power forward Kaelen Daniels couldn't convert down low and when the Broncos (20-8) kicked the ball outside, like Cook, they couldn't find the bucket.

"We just played into their hands," Cook said. "We weren't aggressive enough getting to the line. We didn't go inside. We stayed outside and settled for jumpers."

Seattle came back twice from deficits of five points or more but led 31-29 at the half

Ricky Berry led Seattle with 16 points and Chris Gweth provided a spark in the second half and finished with 14 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes of work.

The Falcons 6-foot-1 senior Ryan Webb directed a crisp offense with laser-quick touch passes and matched up with the 6-4 Cook on defense for much of the game. Webb finished with 8 points and 8 assists while Kirby, who was the team's regular season scoring leader, produced his only field goal on the late three-pointer.

"When guys are hot and they're trying to carry the team on their back, you've got to get them the ball," Webb said, referring to Berry and Gweth.

Commentary:  When I look at this game, I thought Cal Poly Ponoma would be the better team in this match up.  The Broncos had some talented players in Dion Cook and Larry Gordon; however, they needed some help to give Cal Poly Ponoma a shot to win this game.  Plus, shooting 22% in the second half will not help any team, including the Broncos, win a game.

I think Seattle was the more of a team in this game.  Ricky Barry kept Seattle in the game in the first half with his shooting.  Chris Gweth picked up the slack in the second half.  A lot of credit needs to go to Ryan Webb.  While Webb only got 8 point, he got 8 assists in the win.  The last point on Seattle, they won that game in the second half with their defensive intensity and their ability to hit the big shot, like the one Sam Kirby hit with under five minutes left to give the Redhawks a five point lead.  It was still a close game after that shot, but Seattle hit their free throws and won the game by a margin wide than what the game was played on the court.

A final note on this game, there were 14 ties and 7 lead changes in the contest.  That was a very good game to start the tournament.

Game # 2: # 7 BYU-Hawaii vs. # 2 Cal State San Bernardino:  The second game pitted # 7 BYU-Hawaii, an at large from the Pacific West Conference and the # 2 Cal State San Bernardino, an at large from the California Collegiate Athletic Association.  For the highlights, let's go the San Bernardino Sun (a sister newspaper to the Times Standard) and the Eureka Reporter.

Story from the San Bernardino Sun/Times Standard:

Coyotes move on to semis

Brad Botkin, Correspondent

ARCATA - The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team survived a scare.

The Coyotes, who many feel are the odds-on favorites to advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional championship game ran into a BYU-Hawaii team that had a different agenda.

But Cal State made just enough plays down the stretch to narrowly avoid the upset, escaping with a 71-68 victory in the first round on Friday.

"They did a tremendous job the whole game," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "I thought we played well defensively pretty much the entire game. ... We're very fortunate to have come out on top."

The Coyotes play Seattle University in the semifinals today.

All-West Region guard Prentice Harris, who led the Coyotes with 18 points, hit a pull-up 3-pointer in transition with 1:46 remaining to give the Coyotes a 69-67 lead they would never relinquish.

"That was a big shot, but I was just lucky to be in that position," Harris said. "CJ (Chet Johnson) got me the ball at the right moment."

It looked as if Harris may have shuffled his feet before the shot, but when Harris was questioned about the non-call, he charismatically said: "I plead the fifth."

Good enough.

Following  Harris' clutch shot, Hawaii - which shot 62 percent from the field - had its 58.3 percent free-throw shooting and turnover-prone offense catch up with them.

Wu Tai-hao missed two consecutive free throws with an opportunity to tie or take back the lead. Still, Hawaii had possession with 18 seconds remaining, the shot clock turned off, and trailing by one.

BYU-Hawaii got only a desperation 3-point attempt as time ran out.

"I tried to call a timeout before that turnover," BYU-Hawaii head coach Ken Wagner said. "Unfortunately they couldn't hear me. But you can always look back after a game and find five or six things (you'd like to change)."

In the end, it was simply Cal State's superior athleticism, namely Harris and Ivan Johnson, who scored 16 points and had five rebounds.

"Our ball pressure created some turnovers and our execution was better down the stretch," Oliver said.

For BYU-Hawaii, Eric Boyce finished with four 3-pointers among his 18 points; Tai-hao and Lucas Alves each had 13.

"If anybody thought they were going to come in here and have an easy game, they were sorely mistaken," Oliver said. "Everyone is here for a reason."

Story from the Eureka Reporter:

Coyotes live another day

by Jackie Christensen

The Coyotes lived up to their name Friday afternoon and survived dire circumstances — together.

No. 2 San Bernardino overcame 34 minutes of punishment in the post and escaped a six-point deficit with less than six minutes to go to beat No. 7 BYU Hawaii 71-68 in the second quarterfinal of the NCAA Division II Men's West Regional Tournament at Humboldt State.

With the victory, the Coyotes advance to today's semifinal against No. 6 Seattle at 5 p.m.

"(Hawaii) did a tremendous job and had us on our heels pretty much the whole game," said San Bernardino head coach Jeff Oliver. "We were definitely fortunate to come out on top."

The Seasiders' 6-foot-9 forwards Wu Tai-hao and Lucas Alves combined for 22 points, five blocked shots and 12 rebounds, while 3-point assassin Eric Boyce (a 46 percent shooter from beyond the arc, 68-146) hit four of 10 3s and scored a team-high 18 points. But Hawaii was its own worst enemy.

The Seasiders coughed up 31 turnovers, two of them in the final two minutes, and didn't score a basket during that stretch.

Trailing by three points with 2:20 remaining, San Bernardino went on a 7-2 run to end the game with Prentice Harris scoring five of their final points.

According to Oliver, the difference was all in defensive pressure.

"Our hats go off to BYU, their boys did a tremendous job, but we did a good job of turning our pressure back up," he said. "When we were pressuring the ball, we played well, and what we did behind the basketball led to some key turnovers and easy baskets."

Harris finished with a team-high 18 points, including three 3s, while center Ivan Johnson finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals.

The Coyotes had 14 steals in the game.

"They did a great job pressuring us," said BYU head coach Greg Wagner. "We made some crucial mistakes down the stretch because we're inexperienced inside, but we lost because San Bernardino just took care of business."

Alves, who committed seven turnovers, is just a freshman, and the Seasiders' other post players, Tai-hao, who had five turnovers, and 6-7 Jermaine Odjegba, are only sophomores.

"I'm very proud of the guys," Wagner said. "After everything they've been through this year, they really worked hard. We have some great shooters and I felt we had a chance to win, but unfortunately we came up a little short."

With the win, the Coyotes improved their overall record to 23-5, while the Seasiders end the year at 20-8.

Commentary:  This game was a sloppy game from beginning to end.  The teams combined for 53 turnovers in the contest.  Could it be nerves?  Could it be the level of competition?  I don't know.  All I have to say is that BYU-Hawaii played a whale of a game against a team who I thought was going to blow them out of the East Gym from the opening tip.

I said earlier in the day that BYU-Hawaii would have to hit about 10 three point shots to win this game.  They hit nine and they needed that tenth one to send the game into overtime.  Other than that, I was impressed with the defense that the Seasiders threw against the Coyotes.  BYU-Hawaii had Cal State San Bernardino confused for most of the game.  I think the downfall was that BYU-Hawaii made too many mistakes down the stretch plus on top of that too many missed shots/opportunities.  When you have a team on the ropes, you need to finish the job.

For Cal State San Bernardino, they did their job.  Survive and advance.  That is the premise of this tournament.  To win the regional championship and ultimately the national championship, you are going to face games where you just need to survive and advance.  Prentice Harris hit a big shot late in the game to give the Coyotes the lead and that is what clutch players do late in game, hit the big shot.  Marlon Pierce did it at Chico State.  Yesterday, it was Prentice Harris.

In closing, Cal State San Bernardino did what they needed to do yesterday.  Win.  We will see tonight what they got in store against Seattle University.

Game # 3 # 5 Grand Canyon vs. # 4 Seattle Pacific:  The third game of the day pitted # 5 Grand Canyon, the champion from the Pacific West Conference (they are an at large team since the Pacific West does not have an automatic berth this year) against the # 4 Seattle Pacific, the co-champions and at large team from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  For the highlights from this game, we go to the Seattle Times, the Times Standard, and the Eureka Reporter.

Story from the Seattle Times:

Grand Canyon 87,  Seattle Pacific 65

For a squad that relies on having the hot hand, Seattle Pacific picked a rotten time to go cold.

Instead, it was Grand Canyon that put on an efficient shooting performance to bounce the Falcons from the NCAA Division II tournament in Arcata, Calif.

Bryan Lee pumped in 23 points and Randy Bogan had 18 for the Antelopes (21-7).

Dustin Bremerman capped his stellar career with 22 points for the Falcons (18-10), who were eliminated in the first round a year after reaching the national semifinals.

Nearly five minutes into the second half, the Falcons were within 48-44 when the Antelopes lowered the boom. Grand Canyon converted on six of its next seven possessions, while SPU missed four shots and committed three turnovers.

"We had hung in there, but then it just snowballed there for about five minutes," said Falcons coach Jeff Hironaka. "They were scoring at will."

A late surge closed the gap to 77-63 with 3:13 left, but Seattle Pacific never scored another field goal.

The Falcons mustered just 39 percent (22-56) shooting, their second-poorest display of the season.

Rob Will scored just two points on 1 of 6 shots for SPU. He averaged 13.4 in the regular season.

Story from the Times Standard:

Antelopes Faster Than Falcons

Neil Tarpey/The Times-Standard

ARCATA-- What's the difference between Division I and Division II men's basketball?

"There are more high-quality big men in Division I," said Grand Canyon University head coach Scott Mossman after his Antelopes beat Seattle Pacific 87-65 in Friday's NCAA regional game.

Mossman's team took advantage of their agility and quickness to neutralize the Falcons big man, 6-foot-10 Robbie Will, holding the center to just two points and five rebounds in his 15 minutes of playing time.

"They were much quicker in the post," said Seattle Pacific head coach Jeff Hironaka, "and Robbie got frustrated which led to him getting into foul trouble."

The Falcons trailed by only two points, 34-32, at intermission, but with Will on the bench much of the second half, Grand Canyon's transition game flourished, and its defenders prevented Seattle Pacific from many good shot opportunities.

The game was still tight, with Grand Canyon leading 48-44, when the Antelopes' Rudy Bogan sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a Bryan Lee layup to expand their advantage to 56-44.

Seattle Pacific's season then took a deep dive, as the Falcons went ice cold, misfiring on layups, 3-point attempts,  jumpers and turning the ball over several times.

"We weren't even getting a good shot," said Hironaka.

Their offense went a stretch of 5:10 without scoring a point.

Meanwhile, the Antelopes' offense passed crisply to find the open shooter, in one instance using six passes to find Richard Davis who hit a long 3-pointer before the shot clock wound down.

"We understand where we wanted to get the ball," said Davis, crediting his teammates for their unselfish passes.

When Seattle Pacific's Rob Diederichs tossed in a layup to break the cold spell, the Antelopes had built up a 64-46 lead.

But then, to squash any Falcons hope of a comeback, Grand Canyon's Lee accelerated the Antelope's offense into another gear.

Lee hit a spinner in the lane, saved a ball from going out by flicking it back to Bogan for a layup, and then grabbed an offensive board for a putback basket.

And don't forget his two dunks in the closing minutes, including an exclamation point when he was too casually guarded and drove in from the top of the key.

Lee was the game's top scorer (23), rebounder (8), and shot blocker (3).

The Grand Canyon offense shot an incredible 71 percent of its second half shots, hitting 22 of 31 attempts.

Their attack was well balanced, as Bogan finished with 18 points, Davis contributed 16 points and seven rebounds, and Ladi Makinde scored 15, including seven in a two minute span in the first half.

Speaking of the first half, the Falcons Dustin Bremerman kept his team close by scoring 15 points, including two 3-pointers.

"We had a lot of respect for him (Bremerman) coming in to the game," said Mossman. "We were a little late getting to him off their screens."

Bremerman finished with 22 points, despite frequently being guarded by two Antelopes.

"He's one of the greats in Seattle Pacific history," said Hironaka about Bremerman. "He's a future Hall of Famer."

Falcon teammate JoJay Jackson, who scored 15 points, was the only other Falcon in double digits.

Seattle Pacific ends its season at 18-10, while Grand Canyon improves to 21-7 as it heads into its 7:30 p.m. game tonight against No. 1 seed Humboldt State.

Story from the Eureka Reporter:

A Grand Canyon-size win

by Bryan DeMain

No. 4 Seattle Pacific had no answer for Grand Canyon's quickness and athleticism in the opening round of the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships in the East Gym on Friday.

No. 5 GCU (21-7) used its dribble-drive penetration to set up high-percentage shots from the field, and as a result, the Antelopes shot 71 percent as a team in the second half and 63 percent for the game, to knock out the GNAC champs 87-65.

"We felt we could run out on them and that set us up with some easy buckets," said Grand Canyon head coach Scott Mossman. "We've been really blessed this year, because we can shoot the ball well from anywhere on the court."

GCU will face No. 1 Humboldt State today at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals.

Both teams started out slow, but it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before the 'Lopes athleticism took over.

Seattle Pacific's first two buckets of the game marked the Falcons' only lead of the contest.

Within minutes, GCU's Richard Davis forced the Falcons to come out and guard him, and then he capitalized.

Davis drained a 3-pointer to put the 'Lopes up by four, then one minute later he drove to the rim and scored, giving his team an 11-5 lead.

"He's a phenomenal player for us," Mossman said. "He does so much for this team."

Davis certainly did his share against the Falcons. The senior scored 16 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

The unstoppable force for GCU, however, was senior post player Bryan Lee.

Lee led the team, shooting 10-for-15 for 23 points, while grabbing eight rebounds and adding three blocks, one of which set the tone for the second half, sending SPU's Dustin Bremerman to the ground in transition.

Bremerman kept Seattle Pacific (18-10) alive in the first half, scoring 15 points, but was virtually shut down in the second period.

He finished with 23 points, while teammate JoJay Jackson contributed 15 for SPU.

Seattle Pacific shot a dismal 39 percent for the game, which in large part assisted Grand Canyon in its 22-7 run midway through the final period.

"Unfortunately, I thought we played their style of basketball," said Seattle Pacific head coach Jeff Hironaka. "It's a difficult pill to swallow, but give credit to them, they played very hard."

Rudy Bogan was another pain in the side of Seattle Pacific. The junior finished with 18 points, while teammate Ladi Makinde added 15.

Commentary:  Looking at this game, I said I would not be surprised if Grand Canyon won this game.  When I said that, I thought the game would be close to the end.  Instead the 'Lopes took it to the Falcons in this game.

The game was close throughout the first half but the turning point of the game was when Robbie Will picked up his fourth foul.  That is when Grand Canyon made their run.  I think it was a good strategy to try to get Will into foul trouble.  What it did was that it made Seattle Pacific a smaller team overall.  You take a big man out of the game and make your opponent smaller that is an advantage that you created.  Richard Davis had a solid game and the player of the game in my book was Bryan Lee.  Those two players took over the game in the second half and gave no shot for a comeback by Seattle Pacific.

For Seattle Pacific, you look at their team, it is a different team than the one that made it to the Final Four last year before losing to eventual champion, Winona State.  I'll say this, Seattle Pacific will still be a force in the West even with this loss.  The name in itself shows how much of a powerhouse they are in this region.  They will be back in the regional.  They are just too good to leave them at home each year.

To close, Grand Canyon had the answers last night, especially in the second half when they shot 71% from the field, can they have the answers again tonight?  We will find out.

Game # 4: # 8 Alaska Anchorage vs. # 1 Humboldt State:  The final game of the day pitted # 8 Alaska Anchorage, an at large team from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference against the # 1 seed and host institution, Humboldt State, the champions from the California Collegiate Athletic Association.  For the highlights from this game, we go to the Anchorage Daily News, the Times Standard, and the Eureka Reporter.

Story from the Anchorage Daily News:

So close: Seawolves let Lumberjacks score the final nine points

By VAN WILLIAMS
Anchorage Daily News

The Seawolves did everything it took to win -- playing without their best player for the entire second half, hitting clutch shots and getting contributions from the bench.

But in the end, nationally ranked Humboldt State wore down the UAA men's basketball team to post a 68-61 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The fourth-ranked Lumberjacks extended their home winning streak to 15 games, advancing to the semifinals of the West Regional in Arcata, Calif.

Humboldt State (24-4) scored the game's final nine points, with six coming from Will Sheufelt, to rally before a delighted sold-out crowd at the East Gym. The California Collegiate Athletic Association champions and the regional No. 1 seed also made two huge defensive plays late, stealing the ball twice to thwart potential baskets.

UAA controlled the game for most of the second half, despite playing without leading scorer and rebounder Carl Arts, who injured his hip sometime in the first half.

His absence was missed. The 6-foot-6 forward from Valdez drained 9 of 11 shots and scored 21 points in the opening 20 minutes before being forced to sit.

Stepping up in his place was senior Eric Draper (10 points), Buddy Bailey (nine points), Cameron Burney (nine points) and McCade Olsen (seven points, eight rebounds). Ivan Platenik also provided five points and took two charges in the final five minutes.

Bailey, of Wasilla by way of Anchorage, scored on back-to-back drives, with the second one giving the Seawolves (19-9) their last lead at 61-59 with three minutes left. From there, the game quickly got away from UAA.

Sheufelt (nine points) scored in the post to tie it at 61 before UAA missed a shot and was whistled for the foul on the rebound. That led to a pair of free throws from Sheufelt.

Then Kevin Johnson -- the reigning CCAA Most Valuable Player -- stole the ball, leading to Jeremiah Ward's layup to make it 65-61. Ward stole the ball on the following possession, saving it before falling out of bounds.

UAA has struggled to win close games all year, but losing Arts was a major blow. He was nearly unstoppable in the first half, bagging 21 points before halftime to propel UAA to a 38-33 advantage.

Arts was already playing hurt, wearing a protective facemask after breaking his cheekbone in two places two weeks ago. He stood near the bench and watched the second half with a pack of ice on his injured hip.

Even with its junior star out, UAA kept pressure on the favored home team.

The East Gym crowd was incredibly loud on Friday's radio broadcast on the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network (AM-550), so much so that play-by-play man Kelly Thompson turned off the crowd microphone. And you could still barely hear him.

Nonetheless, the Seawolves were not intimidated. They were the last team to knock off the Lumberjacks in Arcata -- a 98-78 decision last season -- and carried their lead well into the second half. Humboldt State went up 53-52 for only a moment before Bailey answered with a three-pointer.

The teams exchanged the lead until Humboldt State took control down the stretch, preventing the Seawolves from winning the program's first NCAA playoff game since 1993.

Story from the Times Standard:

Survival!: Jacks avoid first-round exit

Brad Botkin/The Times-Standard

Well folks -- exhale.

That's the sound that just reverberated clear to the land of the midnight sun -- the collective exhale of the entire North Coast, as the Humboldt State men's basketball team, with a season, and careers on the line, dug deep in their gut and pulled out an absolutely thrilling 68-61 over the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage in the first round of the Division II Western Regional tournament.

With the win, HSU gets Grand Canyon in tonight's second semifinal game at 7:30 p.m., meaning this celebration lasted until about the end of the buzzer. Now it's time to do all over again.

I say this game was thrilling only because it's the only word I can think of that even comes close to doing justice to the deafening noise and pulsating buzz that permeated the East Gym for this one.

But truth be told, there are really no words to describe it. It was completely insane. Insane, even for the clinically insane East Gym.

"I think that was as loud as I've ever heard it," said head coach Tom Wood, who earned the 400th victory of his coaching career.

Also, Kevin Johnson was named the Western Region's player of the year on Friday, and in an effort worthy of that title, KJ came up with what was undoubtedly the play of the game.

The game was going back-and-forth, with nobody seeming able to establish any kind of separation. For the final 15 minutes, every possession had the feel of the final possession of the game. You could literally feel the entire gym sitting on pins and needles.

And so, having just taken a 63-61 lead on a pair of clutch Will Sheufelt free throws, KJ jumped the passing lane for the steal of his life, and subsequently pushed the ball into the frontcourt before dropping it off to a trailing Jeremiah Ward for the layup., and more importantly, a four-point lead with 1:41 remaining.

No sooner had that ball gone through the net than the already crazed crowd sent the roof heavenward. In unison, 1400 plus came to their feet, and in one rush of energy unlike anything I've ever felt, simply lost their minds.

"I did not want my career to end tonight," said KJ.

And he played like it. He did what superstars do, he made the play when it mattered most.

Similarly, fellow senior Ward, connected on a 3-pointer with just over six minutes left to give Humboldt another 4-point lead. At the time, because of the aforementioned importance of every possession, the shot was enormous.

At this time of year, your seniors have to step to the forefront. Humboldt's did, and they're going to get to play again because of it.

And Devin Peal. What can you say about Devin Peal? Throughout the game, Peal was not only defending Alaska's Carl Arts, which was a full-time job in itself, but was getting hounded by Anchorage's entire interior defense.

But he never quit. Humboldt Kept going down low, kept giving he and KJ opportunities to win this game. And they answered, as Peal, who played like a man who flat refused to lose, muscled up for a team-high 19 of the toughest points imaginable.

"I just wanted to be consistent," said Peal. I felt like if I got touches I was going to put the ball in the hole. And now we have a chance to play (today), and that was the goal."

Coming in as the No. 8 seed, Alaska Anchorage, most notably Carl Arts, stormed out of the gates to take a 38-33 lead into halftime. Arts torched the Jacks in the first half for 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, but a hip pointer that he suffered when he and KJ collided late in the opening half forced him out of the game just five minutes into the second half.

"I threw a bunch of different (defensive) looks at him," said Peal, who guarded Arts. "But he had an answer for every one of them."

Had Arts been able to play, who knows what would have happened. But Anchorage was quick to accept responsibility, and as championship-caliber teams do, made no excuses.

"I think it really hurt us late in the game," said Alaska head coach Rusty Osborne.

"It's no secret that we go to Carl in those types of situations. But that's not an excuse. We put five guys out there and they put five guys out there, and (HSU) deserved to win."

As has become the trademark of this Jacks team, it was again a team effort, as Peal's effort notwithstanding, no one person stood out. It just seemed that when a play needed to be made, someone made it. Period.

Point guard Will Sheufelt was again, subtly fantastic, scoring nine points while consistently orchestrating the offense. Ward had 12, KJ 11 and 12 boards, Moyer 6, and big Cy Vandermeer, who finished with 6, was as usual bigger than his numbers indicate. Vandermeer was in the thick of a mid-second half run that got HSU back in a game that was threatening to get away from them.

This Alaska team was no joke, confirmed by Jacks assistant coach Bobby Robertson's comment to me following the game. "That was not a No. 8 seed."

Actually Bobby, yes it was. That's just how good this West Region tournament is.

The first day was a resounding success, with four fantastic games for the fans, who so richly deserve this reward for all their support.

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"I believe the crowd played a big part in this win," said Wood. "We don't lose much (at home), and a lot of that has to do with these outstanding players, but the crowd never let us quit tonight. We were not going to roll over and die, we owe (the fans) too much for that."

Story from the Eureka Reporter:

Jacks squeak by

by Ray Hamill

It wasn't necessarily pretty, but when all was said and done, a packed and very loud East Gym didn't appear to mind that much.

Hosting the NCAA Division II West Region Championships for the first time ever, Humboldt State opened the single elimination tourney with a hard-fought 68-61 win over Alaska Anchorage Friday night.

In a battle of former conference rivals, the Jacks led for less than five minutes the entire game, but they somehow made sure they led for the important ones.

Senior Kevin Johnson was a rock all night for the Jacks, finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds, his 20th double-double of the year and 40th for his career.

Devin Peal also stepped up huge for the Jacks, who eventually wore down a stubborn Anchorage team that came into the tournament as the eighth seed out of eight teams.

That fact certainly didn't seem to faze the Seawolves, who could very well have pulled out the win but for the fact they lost their best player, Carl Arts, early in the second half to a hip injury.

Arts was unstoppable in the first half, nailing 9-of-11 shots for 20 first-half points.

Despite missing almost the entire second half, Arts still finished with a game-high 21 points.

"We knew he was a tough assignment coming in," Peal said. "I gave him a couple of different looks and he had an answer for every thing I gave him."

Peal paced the Jacks in scoring with 19 points, while teammate Jeremiah Ward added 12 points, including a couple of key 3s.

The Jacks, however, will only go as far as their inside game takes them, and that was obvious Friday night.

With the win, the Jacks (25-3) advance to play Grand Canyon (21-7) in the second of today's semifinals at 7:30 p.m.

No. 5 Grand Canyon had the most comfortable win of the opening day, defeating Seattle Pacific 87-65 on the strength of 71 percent shooting in the second half.

In earlier action, No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino (23-5) edged by BYU Hawaii 71-68 to advance to play No. 6 Seattle (20-8), which upset No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona 69-55.

The nightcap was probably the most exciting contest of the day, and certainly the most tense for the sold out attendance.

After starting out the stronger of the two teams, the Jacks were held scoreless for a four-minute spell and saw a three-point lead drop to a seven-point deficit.

The Jacks trailed by five at the interval and were unable to put any sort of a run together with Anchorage continually frustrating the No. 1 seeds and making a big shot every time they needed one.

To their credit, though, the Jacks stepped up on defense late in the game, holding the Seawolves scoreless for the final three minutes.

Will Sheufelt drained four key free throws late in the game, while Johnson pulled down three huge rebounds in the final 40 seconds to preserve the lead.

Johnson added a steal with 90 seconds remaining to set up a Ward basket that put the Jacks up by four.

Anchorage closes out the season at 19-9.

There are 70 tickets available for this evening's semifinals and they will go on sale at 4 p.m. in the Forbes Complex lobby with a limit of two per person.

Commentary:  This game was a dog fight from start to finish.  I give Alaska Anchorage a lof of credit in this game.  They took a solid Humboldt State to the wire.  Carl Arts is the real deal in my book.  I saw a couple of moments of the game in the Great Alaska Shootout on ESPN and he carried the Seawolves as far as he could in that game against Loyola Marymount.  Arts did the same thing in the first half against Humboldt in the West Regional.  I'll say this. Alaska Anchorage did everything they could to win this game.  It just came down to Humboldt's will and determined not to lose this game.

For Humboldt State, the East Gym is a tough place to play year in, year out since the 2000-2001 season.  In the last hundred games played in the East Gym, Humboldt State is 91-9.  Now, that is an impressive home court advantage at any level of sport. 

Early on, Humboldt was trying to go down low on the block, but the Seawolves brought a physical game to the East Gym and it was working for a while.  Then, in the second half, I think a combination of things happens.  One, Carl Arts was hurt due to a hip injury.  Two, the post players for Anchorage were in foul trouble.  Three, the crowd got into the game.  Shoot, if you can make the opponent's radio broadcaster turn off the crowd microphone, then that is loud.  I must say to the guy that challenged me on Big Red Country on Friday morning, was that loud enough?  Hopefully, it can be that way tonight and on Monday night, if Humboldt gets to the Championship Game.

My final thoughts on this game are this.  Humboldt State refused to lose last night.  I think Kevin Johnson and Devin Peal took it on their shoulders to win this game.  Hopefully, Humboldt got two more wins in their tank at the East Gym.  Then, we could see if they got three more wins in the tank after that.

Overall View of Day 1 and a Look Ahead to the Regional Semifinals:  The first day of the West Regional was a success for Humboldt State.  I think the excitement was in the air from the first game to the final game.  While the attendance would look typical for the first session, I think the energy was present throughout the four games on Friday.  I think Humboldt State did a good job overall on the first day.  It will be interesting to see how the second day goes tonight.

Looking at the games tonight, you got two great semifinal games.  Seattle and Cal State San Bernardino will be a good game.  Seattle brings that style that could make them dangerous against San Bernardino.  The big question will be can the Redhawks stop Ivan Johnson?  I think that will be David White's assignment tonight and White can't get into foul trouble to give Seattle a shot in this game.  For San Bernardino, we will see if they got the first game jitters out of them or if that was a sign of things to come.  I think Prentice Harris and Ivan Johnson are capable of big games, but keep an eye on Marlon Pierce.  If the game is close, Pierce is the type of guy who can hit the big shot.

The second semifinal pits a Grand Canyon who looked impressive in their win over Seattle Pacific against the host team, Humboldt State.  This game will be loud again.  I say in my prediction on http://www.hostboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/ubb/forum/f/7629, which is the unofficial message board for Humboldt State athletics, that rebounding, Grand Canyon's three point shooting and Humboldt's ability to score down low will be the keys in this game.  Players to watch in this game are: Richard Davis and Bryan Lee from Grand Canyon and Jeremiah Ward, Kevin Johnson, and Devin Peal for Humboldt State.  This will be a great semifinal match up.

Well, day one is in the book.  Day two promises to be exciting.  Come back tomorrow for the highlights from the 2007 NCAA Division II West Regional Championship.

Welcome to the Week in Review for Wednesday March 7th, 2007.   The playoffs are ready to start in basketball.  The spring sports are into full swing right now.  On that note, let's look back at the week it was in HSU Athletics.  I apologize for the lack of my commentary this week.  That will pick back up next week.  Also, with the West Regional coming to the East Gym, we will have a day by day blog updating all of the games that took place that day with analysis on each game.

Men's Basketball:

Last Week:  The Humboldt State Men's Basketball team came into last week with a shot that not even the teams that had Austin Nichols, Fred Hooks, and Mark White had.  That is a shot to win out and host the Division II West Regional Championships at the East Gym.  All that the # 4 team in the nation needed to do was to win two games and they will be the first Humboldt State Men's Basketball team to host a regional playoff game since the 1979-1980 season when Humboldt State was a Division III school.  Could Humboldt State finish the job at hand and bring the West Regional to Arcata?  Let's go to the highlights from last week's action.

On Thursday, Humboldt State took on Chico State at Acker Gym.  For the highlights, let's go to the Times Standard.

Inside game lifts HSU over Chico

The Times-Standard

CHICO -- Pulling away behind its strong inside presence, Humboldt State earned at least a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship with a 90-75 win over Chico State on Thursday.

Forsaking the three-pointer and working purely inside during the second half, the Jacks rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to earn the win and league crown in their first season as a member of the CCAA. They also earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II West Region Championships.

"We were two for 12 from the three-point line in the first half," Humboldt State head coach Tom Wood pointed out. "We said we needed to go back inside, because they didn't have a credible answer to our big men."

That's what his team did best down the stretch, pulling away by virtue of the consistent play of Devin Peal, who finished with 21 points, and Kevin Johnson, who had 18 with a game-high 14 rebounds. Balance was also key, with Jeremiah Ward (15), Grayson Moyer (14) and Will Sheufelt (12) all scoring in double digits.

With the win, Humboldt State improved to 23-3 overall and 18-3 in league heading into the final regular season game at Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday. Cal State San Bernardino could earn a tie for the league title with wins on Friday and Saturday and a Lumberjack loss.

Chico State was led by Jon Baird's 16 points and 12 each from Justin Argenal and Olajuwon Jones. The Wildcats fell to 7-19 overall and 5-16 in the CCAA.

Humboldt's efforts on the inside were rewarded early Saturday, Peal and Johnson finding room to work in the paint. Baird's four-point play on a three-pointer and foul shot kept the Wildcats close, however, as they trailed by only two at 12-10 six minutes into the game.

HSU threatened to expand its lead on a couple of occasions, one when Carlos Corral's three-pointer from the corner provided a five-point cushion. But Michael Stockhammer provided points off the bench for the Wildcats, knocking down two three-pointers to keep the game tight.

Humboldt State's defense stuttered, leaving Baird open for a baseline jumper and then allowing Argenal to bank home a 10-footer that cut the Jacks ' lead to one point. Baird;s three-pointer from the top of the key bounced in to give the Wildcats their first lead at 39-37.

The Lumberjacks found Johnson inside, but Argenal drove for another layin and hit a pair of free throws to send Chico State into halftime with a 43-39 lead.

The Jacks started the second half quickly, a fast break from Sheufelt to Ward to Moyer putting them up again at 47-46. Physical play marked the second half, first favoring the Wildcats and later the Lumberjacks.

After getting the win on Thursday at Acker Gym in Chico, all Humboldt State needed was a win against Cal State Stanislaus at Warrior Gym and in all likelihood the regional will be at the East Gym for the first time ever since Humboldt State has been a Division II school.  For the highlights, let's go to back to the Times Standard.

Jacks seal the deal: HSU wins CCAA title

The Times-Standard

TURLOCK -- Sealing up the California Collegiate Athletic Association title with a convincing 91-77 win over Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday, Humboldt State moved a solid step closer to hosting the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball West Region Championships.

Gaining a sizeable advantage in the second half, and then keeping the Warriors at a comfortable distance, the Jacks rode another balanced effort to the victory. Among the heroes were Devin Peal, who dumped in 19 points and nine rebounds, and Kevin Johnson, who added 17 with 10 boards and seven blocked shots.

It didn't stop there, as Jeremiah Ward kicked in 16 points and point guard Will Sheufelt added 15 points with eight assists. Grayson Moyer contributed 13 for the Jacks to go along with five assists.

Cal State Stanislaus was led by Marcus Martinez' 17 points, and 13 from Dominique Pennix. Cameron Quick contributed 12 points and Rick Cardoso had 10 for the Warriors.

"We set goals of going undefeated at home and winning the conference championship," Sheufelt said. "Now that we have those finished, our next goal is to host the West Region Championships."

That quest will be decided Sunday evening by the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee, with the field of 64 and host sites announced online at www.ncaasports.com. The selection show starts at 7:30 p.m. local time in Humboldt County.

Humboldt State headed into the week as the top-seeded team in the west, and with two wins looks like a solid choice to host for the first time on the Division II level.

On Saturday, fast action dominated on both ends, often resulting in a pinball style that had players bouncing off the court. Early on the Warriors couldn't find the rim, missing 12 of their first 13 three-pointers.

But after dying by the three early, they began to live with it later, nailing six in a row to forge a 31-27 lead.

From there, the Jacks regrouped, going on a 12-1 run with Sheufelt hitting a pair of jumpers and Moyer a three-pointer to keep the pressure on. But after reestablishing the lead at nine, the Jacks couldn't keep the Warriors from cutting it to a 44-38 on Westbrook's drive and layin to end the half.

HSU surged ahead in the early minutes of the second half, gaining a 15-point advantage on a pair of three-pointers from Ward and one from Johnson. But just when the game appeared to be on its way to blowout status, the Warriors came back again, cutting the lead to nine points before HSU's final outburst salted the game away.

Humboldt State ends the regular season with a 24-3 overall mark, finishing its first season in the CCAA with a 19-3 record. Cal State Stanislaus completes its year at 13-15, 9-12 in league.

Now it came down to the announcement of the tournament field for the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship on Sunday.  If Humboldt State is the # 1 seed when the West Region is announced they will host the West Regional for the first time since the school became a Division II school back in the 1981-82 season.  For the announcement, let's go to www.hsujacks.com which is the Official Website for Humboldt State Athletics.

HSU selected to host NCAA DII West Regional

ARCATA — As the No. 1 seed, Humboldt State University has been selected as the host of the 2007 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball West Region Championships, scheduled to begin Friday in the East Gym.

I'm extremely pleased for our players, and our entire program," head coach Tom Wood said. "They've worked hard for this and earned it. It's a wonderful event for our community to host."

The announcement of HSU's seed and choice as host was announced Sunday evening by the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee, along with the other seven sites across the nation and the entire field of 64 participating schools. Seven other of the region's top programs will join the Jacks for the tournament, which decides which school will advance to the Elite Eight, scheduled for March 21, 22 and 24 in Springfield, Mass.

Those teams coming to Arcata for the tournament are Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona, also of the CCAA, Alaska Anchorage, Seattle Pacific and Seattle University of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and BYU Hawaii and Grand Canyon of the Pacific West Conference.

Humboldt State finished its regular season with a 24-3 record, matching 2001-02 as the best in program history. The Lumberjacks also earned the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in their first season of league affiliation, recording a 19-3 conference record.

Teams, along with support staff members and their fans, begin arriving Wednesday to begin preparation for the single-elimination tournament. Their presence will provide a boost to the local economy, filling hotel rooms and restaurants, renting vehicles and touring the Redwood Coast.

"I want to congratulate our men's basketball program for giving us this opportunity," HSU Director of Athletics Dan Collen said. "It means so much to our student-athletes, our campus and community. And it's a great way to give back to the community for all of the support its provided."

Thursday brings a full schedule of practices prior to a banquet exclusively for players and team personnel. On Friday, games begin when No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona taking on No. 6 Seattle University at noon, followed by No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino matching up with No. 7 BYU Hawaii at 2:30 p.m.

The late session on Friday begins with No. 4 Seattle Pacific playing No. 5 Grand Canyon at 5:30 p.m., ending with the feature game matching up the host Lumberjacks against No. 8 Alaska Anchorage at 8 p.m.. 

Saturday's first semifinal at 5 p.m. matches the opening session's winners, followed by the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. After a day off, the event concludes Monday with a 7 p.m. championship game.

Humboldt State, which has previously hosted NCAA regional events for soccer, softball and cross country, has never hosted a basketball regional on the Division II level. The Lumberjacks did host the NCAA Division III men's basketball regional twice — in 1978 and 1980 — and have also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships.

This Week:  As stated above, Humboldt State will host the 2007 NCAA Division II West Regional Championship starting on Friday and continuing thru to Monday.  You can see the article above for the schedule of all of the games.  In regards to the Humboldt State games, the Lumberjacks will play in the final game of day one in the West Regional as they will take on # 8 seed Alaska Anchorage at 8:00 PM or 30 minutes after the completion of the Seattle Pacific-Grand Canyon game.  If Humboldt State wins, they will play next on Saturday night at 7:30 PM or 30 minutes after the completion of the first semifinal game against the winner of the Seattle Pacific-Grand Canyon game.  If Humboldt State wins in the semifinals, they will play in the Regional Championship Game on Monday night at 7:00 PM. 

Women's Basketball: 

Last Week:  The Humboldt State Women's Basketball team held on to the # 8 ranking in the final regular season poll.  That means if they could get two wins this week, they will have a good shot to make the West Regional for the second year in a row.  Otherwise, they would need a little help to get into the field.  Can the Lady Jacks make a return trip to the West Regional?  Let's go to the highlights from last week.

On Thursday, the Lady Jacks took on Chico State at Acker Gym.  For the highlights, let's go to the Times Standard.

Lady Jacks can't duplicate previous upset of Wildcats

The Times-Standard

CHICO -- Humboldt State hung close with No. 13 nationally ranked Chico State for much of the game, but could not overcome offensive dry spells and turnovers in a 72-50 loss Thursday in California Collegiate Athletic Association women's basketball action.

The Lumberjacks fall to 16-10 overall and 11-10 in the CCAA while the Wildcats improve to 20-4 overall and 17-4 in league play.

In a first half plagued by 24 total turnovers, it was Katie Wilder for Humboldt State and Amber Simmons for Chico State providing the bulk of the scoring for their respective teams.

After Mia Spasowska nailed a three pointer from the corner in the opening minutes, the Jacks went cold from the field until the 11:29 mark when Wilder made it a 12-7 game with a three pointer of her own. Buckets by Haley Andrews and Wilder made it a 24-22 game with 3:18 remaining.

Simmons did the majority of the damage inside for the Wildcats, netting 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Niki Simons chipped in seven points as Chico State took a 29-22 lead into the half.

In the second half, the Jacks quickly cut the lead back down to two points, but Chico State rattled off 11 straight points to take a 13-point advantage.

Humboldt cut the deficit to single-digits on numerous occasions, but the Wildcats answered every Lumberjack run with a bucket of their own. Chico netted 30 points off of HSU's 24 turnovers, many in the final minutes of the game as the Wildcats ran away with the 22-point win.

Andrews provided a huge spark off the bench for the Jacks, contributing a season-high 12 points. Wilder scored all 13 of her points in the first half while Spasowska also added 13.

Simmons finished the night with a game-high 22 points while Simons and Renee Goldoff added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Then, on Saturday, the Lady Jacks faced a must win game to have any hopes alive for the post season.  They would also need a little bit of help to get the eighth spot in the West Regional.  For the highlights, let's go to the Eureka Reporter.

Five tally double figures in Lady Jacks win

Playing for a chance to remain in the West Region's top eight, Humboldt State's women's basketball team did what it could to control its own destiny with a 94-77 win over Cal State Stanislaus on the final night of California Collegiate Athletic Association play Saturday.

The Lady Jacks close out the regular season 17-10 overall and 12-10 in the CCAA. The Warriors finish the season with a 6-20 overall record and a 3-19 mark in league play.

An early 8-0 run game Humboldt a 19-8 lead by the 13:48 mark of the first half. The Warriors went on a run late in the half, cutting the deficit to five points, but the Jacks would close out the half leading 52-36.

Working the ball inside and running the floor helped the Lumberjacks to shoot 75 percent from the field in the first half.

After the Jacks led by as many as 20 points early in the second half, Cal State Stanislaus cut the lead to single digits at the 10:42 mark. That's as close as the Warriors would get, however, as Humboldt quickly opened the game back up and was able to clear the bench in the final minutes of play.

All three Lumberjack seniors scored in double figures, led by Katie Wilder and Mia Spasowska who each had 18. Haley Andrews added 11 points while sophomore Kristina O'Keefe and freshman Paige Peterson recorded career-highs with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Cal State Stanislaus was led by Lysandra Williams' 25 points while Amanda Everett netted in 22.

Prior to this week's games the Lumberjacks held the No. 8 spot in the West Region. The entire 64-team field will be announced today.

The Jacks' playoff hopes were not helped by other results Saturday, including No. 9 Western Washington's 75-63 win over Central Washington in the Lady Vikings' only game this week.

In other related results, No. 6 Sonoma State lost at Chico State, but recorded the same split this week as the HSU women.

No. 7 Cal State San Bernardino also won Saturday, defeating Cal State Los Angeles 59-43 after dropping a game Friday night at Cal State Bakersfield.

Now it's Sunday and it's time for the announcement of the tournament field for the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.  For the announcement, let's go back to www.hsujacks.com the official site of HSU Athletics.

Lumberjacks fall just shy of second straight playoff berth

ARCATA — Humboldt State's women's basketball team came up just short of a second straight NCAA Division II West Region tournament bid as the Western Washington Vikings edged the Jacks for the eighth and final spot in the regional field.

The entire 64-team tournament field was announced Sunday night, following a selection process by an NCAA committee. In the West, UC San Diego earned the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Chico State, No. 3 Seattle Pacific, No. 4 Alaska Anchorage, No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills, No. 6 Sonoma State, No. 7 Cal State San Bernardino and No. 8 Western Washington.

Humboldt State, ranked No. 8 in the final regular-season poll released last week, earned a split on the road this past weekend, falling to 72-50 to Chico State before closing out the year with a 94-77 win over Cal State Stanislaus.

The Lumberjacks, under the direction of third-year head coach Joddie Gleason, finished the season with a 17-10 overall record and an 12-10 California Collegiate Athletic Association mark. Last year, HSU returned to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade, earning the No. 7 seed with a 17-10 overall record.

Softball:

Last Week:  The Humboldt State softball team went back on the road for games at San Bernardino and in Carson.  For the highlights in each game, let's go to www.hsujacks.com .

Friday's Action:

Lumberjacks take two from Coyotes, 6-5 and 11-2

SAN BERNARDINO — After struggling to claim a 6-5, 11-inning win over Cal State San Bernardino in the first game of the day, Humboldt State returned to form in the nightcap, resulting in an 11-2, five-inning victory in California Collegiate Athletic Association softball action Friday.

The Lumberjacks improve to 13-1 overall and remain perfect in league play at 4-0. The Coyotes fall to 10-10 overall and 4-6 in the CCAA.

In the opener, an RBI-single by Nancy Harbeson and a RBI-fielder's choice by Francesca West gave the Jacks a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Leslie Carrasco knocked in a pair of runs for the Coyotes to knot the game at 2-2.

West led off the top of the sixth with her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field, and the Jacks plated two more runs to go up 5-3.

CSUSB tied the game again, this time in the bottom of the seventh, forcing extra innings.

Finally, in the top of the 11th inning, a single up the middle by Marissa Slattery sent Natalie Galletly across the plate, and HSU forced three straight outs to end the game.

Lizzy Prescott struck out six batters for Humboldt State, improving to 7-0 on the season. Prescott, who entered the game with a 0.34 ERA, gave up nine hits and three earned runs.

In the nightcap, Carolyn Cameron went 4-for-4 with three RBI, as the Jacks scored 11 runs on 15 hits. West added three hits and a pair of RBI while Vanessa Shernock was 2-for-2 with 3RBI.

Humboldt's defense held the Coyotes to just five hits and two runs, one in the first and one in the fifth, claiming the eight-run, five-inning mercy rule win.

Tracy Motzny (6-1) recorded three strikeouts and scattered five hits in the pitching circle for the Jacks.

Saturday's Action:

HSU victorious in shortened game, game two postponed

SAN BERNARDINO — Fighting through severe winds which eventually halted play, Humboldt State earned a 5-1, five-inning win over Cal State San Bernardino Saturday in California Collegiate Athletic Association softball action. The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was postponed and will be played Sunday at 9 a.m.

The Lumberjacks improve to 14-1 overall and 5-0 on the CCAA while the Coyotes drop to 10-11 overall and 4-7 in league play.

Caitlin Klug and Francesca West each drove in runs as the Lumberjacks also took advantage of three CS San Bernardino fielding errors.

Humboldt scored one run in the first, three in the second, and one in the third. Just before the game was called in the bottom of the fifth, Leslie Carrasco knocked out a solo home run to give the Coyotes their lone run of the game.

In the pitching circle, Lizzy Prescott (8-0) scattered five hits while walking two and striking out four.

Klug, West and Marissa Slattery had two hits apiece to lead Humboldt.

"The layoff (of not playing) has hurt us," said HSU head coach Frank Cheek. "We've got to get outside and get field perspective. We're making mental mistakes and we were not sharp this weekend."

Sunday's Action:

Lumberjacks close out road trip with pair of loses

SAN BERNARDINO/CARSON — Humboldt State's softball team dropped the final match-up of a four-game series with Cal State San Bernardino, 2-1, then fell to Cal State Dominguez Hills 3-2 in a non-conference duel, ending its five-game roadtrip on a sour note Sunday.

The Lumberjacks fall to 14-3 overall and 5-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The Coyotes moved to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in the CCAA while the Toros improved to 11-8 on the season.

Leslie Carrasco accounted for both of Cal State San Bernardino's runs, knocking out RBI singles in the first and the eighth innings to give the Coyotes the 2-1 victory.

Humboldt had tied the game 1-1 in the top of the seventh inning on a solo home run by Vanessa Shernock. A single and sacrifice bunt to open the bottom of the eighth moved a Coyote runner to second base. Then, an error by Lumberjack pitcher Tracy Motzny allowed the runner to advance to third, and later score on the Carrasco single up the middle.

"It was a good ball game," said HSU head coach Frank Cheek. "It was well pitched and well played. You lose a game now and then, but we didn't go down easy."

Motzny (6-2) recorded three strikeouts and one earned run while scattering six hits.

Following a drive from San Bernardino to Carson, the Jacks took the field against Cal State Dominguez Hills where uncharacteristic fielding errors allowed a come-from -behind win for the Toros.

Carolyn Cameron crossed the plate in the top of the first, giving Humboldt an early 1-0 advantage. The Jacks scored again in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Megan Sutherland.

The Toros got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, then took advantage of a pair of Lumberjack errors in the bottom of the seventh to score two unearned runs.

Lizzy Prescott (8-1) retired nine of the first 12 Toro batters and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. She also walked four and gave up six hits.

"Lizzy pitched a great game," said Cheek. "Having not played outside is really hurting us on knowing where we are on the field. We have a good, experienced outfield, but practicing in the fieldhouse hasn't allowed us to learn how deep a ball is and how to play it.

"We played some good teams this week and the good thing is that we are still in first place," said Cheek."

This Week:  The Humboldt State softball team is scheduled to play two doubleheaders this weekend at the HSU Softball Field against Cal State Monterey Bay.  The first doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 PM.  Then, on Sunday, the second doubleheader is scheduled for 11:00 AM.

Football:  The Humboldt State Football team announced the signing of 12 players to the football team for the upcoming season.  For the news on this story, let's go to the Official Website for HSU Athletics, www.hsujacks.com .

Fresh group of spring signings set to join Lumberjacks

ARCATA — Looking to repopulate his squad following an extremely successful 2006 season, Humboldt State head football coach Doug Adkins announced on Thursday his first list of football signings for 2007.

Humboldt State finished the 2006 campaign with a 9-1 record, but needs to replace 23 graduated seniors, including 12 starters. To do so, Adkins looks to several transfers who came in for the current spring semester, while also mixing in several key freshman, set to join the Jacks in the fall.

HSU begins spring workouts in April, finishing with the annual Alumni Bowl on April 28.

Following are brief profiles of HSU's recent signings.

Craig Valentine, 6-1, 190-pound, freshman wide receiver
Valentine helped Del Oro High School win a section title as a junior, earning all-league honors in the Sierra Foothill Conference his senior season.
 
Chris Vicory, 6-1, 270-pound, junior offensive lineman
At Rio Linda High School, Vicory earned first team all-Capital Valley League, first team all-San Jose Section, and an induction into the High School Coach Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame.  Vicory was captain at American River Junior College, where he was a two-year starter.
 
Keon Gaither, 6-0, 190-pound, senior safety
Gaither attended Edison High School and Delta Junior College in Stockton before transferring to West Texas A&M, where he was named to the All-Southwest Region team.
 
Rob Sherman, 5-10, 253-pound, senior fullback
After earning first team defensive end/running back at Leadership High in San Francisco, Sherman attended Contra Costa College where he was named Bay Valley Conference first team running back.
 
Trace Benefield, 6-0, 187-pound, junior wide receiver/special teams
At West Valley High School in Cottonwood, Benefield earned all-league honors, special teams MVP and was named second-team all-Northern Section.  After graduating, he attended William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
 
Marishawn Campbell, 6-0, 195-pound, senior strong safety
Campbell prepped at David Starr Jordan High School where he was named first team all-Moore League.  After attending Los Angeles Southwest College, he transferred to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark. for a semester.
 
Chauncey Fagan, 5-10, 180-pound, junior defensive back
Fagan played ball at Notre Dame Academy in Sherman Oaks, Calif. before transplanting to the East Coast where he attended Assumption College in Worchester, Mass.
 
Ahmad Mahaley, 5-9, 235-pound fullback
At Palmdale High School Mahaley was named second team all-Golden League offensive guard/ defensive tackle.  After graduating, he attended Los Angeles Southwest Junior College for two years.
 
Christopher Arevalo, 6-0, 240-pound freshman defensive lineman
Born and raised in Oxnard, Calif., Arevalo was named all-league while he played for St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura.
 
Andrew Shaw, 6-3, 245-pound, freshman offensive lineman
At La Costa Canyon High in Carlsbad, Shaw was named to first team all-Palomar League and second team all-North County.
 
Aaron Hernandez, 6-3, 240-pound, junior defensive end
After earning all-county and all-league honors at Rio Mesa High School, Hernandez continued his football career at Ventura Junior College.  At Ventura JC he earned all-league Western State Conference honors.
 
Blyth Colbert, 5-10, 190-pound, junior defensive back
Colbert, who played for Westchester High in Los Angeles attended West L.A. College.
 
Greg Rutledge, 6-0, 225-pound, junior linebacker
Rutledge starred at Buena High School in Ventura where he was named all-Ventura County, all-Channel League, all-Southern Section, and the Channel League linebacker of the year.  As a member of the Moorpark College team, he was named second team all-Western State Conference.
 
Adam Diaz, 5-8, 180-pound defensive back
In Oak Harbor, Wash., Diaz was named first team all-area as well as all-state at Oak Harbor High School. Diaz earned more honors at College of the Siskiyous as a Scholar Athlete in 2005, and was also named all-conference.
 
Brian Iriye, 6-1, 215-pound, linebacker
Iriye comes from Fresno, Calif. where he was named all-conference in high school before earning all-state honors by leading his team in tackles. He returns to Humboldt State, where he played in 2005, finishing third on the team in tackles with 81. 

Track and Field:

Last Week:  The Humboldt State track and field team started their season in Chico and in Turlock last week.  For the highlights, let's go to www.hsujacks.com .

Results from Chico:

Belue produces strong result at Chico Multi-Events

CHICO — Brian Belue produced a strong debut in his first competition representing Humboldt State, placing third overall in the decathlon at the Chico State Multi-Events, which finished up Friday.

Belue, a junior transfer who attended College of the Canyons, totaled 5,955 points to finish third in a very competitive field. Collin Cram of Lane Community College won the event with a score of 6,617 and Robert Nooney of Chico State placed second with 6,203 points.

Following Thursday's first five events, Belue led the competition with 3,446 points. He finished strong, taking first place in the high jump with a 6-foot, 2-inch clearance and first in the 400 meters with a time of 51.06 seconds.

After losing ground in the first four events Friday, Belue completed the competition with a solid second place in the final event, timing 4:38.80.

Also competing for the Jacks were Brian Valle, who finished in 10th place with 4,845 points, and Dean Freitas, who was 11th overall with 4,647. That pair achieved their highest point total in the high jump, tying each other for second with a 6-0 clearance.

Results from Stanislaus:

Throwers lead the way at track and field opener

TURLOCK — (March 3) Sunshine and warm temperatures enhanced an optimistic beginning to the 2007 track and field season, as did the performances of several Lumberjacks at the Stanislaus Opener on Saturday.

Led by Audrey Oswald and Nicholas Bawden, the Humboldt State throwers made the strongest impression in the Jacks' season debut. Oswald easily captured the women's hammer with a throw of 173-1, and Bawden established a new HSU school record in the javelin at 205-9 in his very first appearance for the Jacks.

"It was a nice way to start the season," Humboldt State head coach Sandy Moran said. "Surprisingly for an early meet, we had a lot of personal bests."

Bawden's performance in the javelin was just short of his own best, achieved last year for Moorpark JC, where he earned the state championship. But his mark was 16 feet, 4 inches further than the previous HSU record of 189-4 achieved by Alex Macleitch during the 1993 season.

Oswald, a returning All-American in the hammer, also earned a provisional qualifer for this year's national championships in her first competition of the year. The distance was only five feet short of her all-time best.

 It didn't end there, with Jodi Symonds and Kelsey Lemke placing second and third in the women's javelin. The pair of newcomers threw the rod 117-8 and 117-6, respectively.

Back on the men's side, Kyle Sherry opened with a hammer throw of 152-7, placing second among 25 athletes in that event. His performance ranks ninth all-time in Humboldt State history, with steady movement up the list expected as the season progresses.

Sophomore Tim Santos started with a solid mark in the shot put, finishing eighth in the field with a heave of 43-10. 

On the track, Jesus Solis turned in a quick time of 4 minutes, 4.17 seconds in the men's 1,500 meters to take fifth place in the field of 32 runners. Sylvia Manzo earned 10th overall in the women's 1,500, turning the track in 5:10.96.

This Week:  The Humboldt State track and field will be back in Chico again this upcoming weekend as they will compete at the Wildcat Relays.

Women's Crew:  The Women's Crew will make their season debut as they will compete at the Sacramento Invitational in Sacramento.  We will inform everyone on the results in next week's Week in Review.

That is the Week in Review.  Let's make a lot of noise in the East Gym for the Men's Basketball team as they try to become the Best in the West.  I mean the West Region.  Go Humboldt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for the delay on this week's Week in Review in HSU Athletics.  There has been a lot of excitement in regards to the announcement that the Men's Basketball team is the # 1 seed in the West Region and has earned the right to host the 2007 NCAA Division II West Regional Championships.

I expect to get the Week in Review posted on here by Wednesday night.

Welcome to the Week in Review for Monday February 26th, 2007.   We are in the final week of the regular season for both the Men's and the Women's Basketball teams.  Also, we will look in depth at the race in the West Region.  Finally, the spring sport season is about to start this year.  So, there is a lot of things going on at Humboldt State.  On that note, let's look back at the week it was in HSU Athletics.. 

Men's Basketball:

Last Week:  The Humboldt State Men's Basketball came into the week as the # 6 team in the nation in the NABC poll and they were still the # 1 team in the West Region.  Now, the big challenge was to get two wins at home so they can set themselves where if they get two wins on the road next week, they will be the # 1 seed on Selection Sunday and therefore host the West Regional for the first time in the program's history as a Division II school.  Can Humboldt State get them in that position next week?  Let's go to the highlights from the East Gym.

On Thursday, Humboldt State took on Cal State Bakersfield.  For the highlights from that game, let's go to the Eureka Reporter.  For those who want the highlights from the Times Standard, you can access that story at Hostboard.com by this link http://www.hostboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/ubb/forum/f/7629 and then going to the Jacks vs. Bakersfield (2/22) thread on the message board.

Taking care of business

by Ray Hamill, 2/23/2007

The Jacks will have revenge on their minds tonight.

In their final home game of the regular season, the Humboldt State men will be looking to win their 11th consecutive game against the one team that has beaten them in the past two months.

And that means the Jacks know well just how dangerous Cal State Los Angeles can be.

"When you get beat by somebody, they get your respect," HSU head coach Tom Wood said.

This time, however, the game will be played in the East Gym, where HSU is a perfect 13-0 this season, most recently defeating a quality Cal State Bakersfield team, 86-77 Thursday night.

And just in case they needed any added motivation, not only are they playing to remain atop the conference and region rankings, but the Jacks will also honor their three seniors before the game.

Still, Wood isn't taking anything for granted, even against a Los Angeles team that has struggled in conference play and one that was routed at Sonoma State Thursday.

"They're very good in the open court and good in transition," the coach said. "Our challenge will be to limit their opportunities."

Considering what's at stake and the fact that it is senior night, the East Gym crowd is expected to be as loud as ever, and, according to Wood, the home crowd has played a huge part in the team's success this season.

The home fans also realize the importance of the occasion, with the top ranking in the West Region and a probable No. 1 seed for the playoffs on the line.

If the Jacks win out, there is every reason to expect they will get to host the West Region Tournament in two weeks.

There is also the not-so-little matter of a conference championship up for grabs, with the Jacks top of the heap going into the final week of the regular season and holding their fate in their own hands.

But for the past few weeks that doesn't appear to have fazed the Jacks, who are the hottest team on the West Coast with 10 straight wins and 18 victories in their past 19 games.

And on Thursday, the players took care of business once again against the Roadrunners with a balanced performance.

"I'm very proud of our guys," Wood said. "I thought we were able to keep up our resolve, our intensity level, even when they made runs at us. I thought we played good defense and disciplined offense."

Devin Peal led the way with a game-high 19 points, while players like Cy Vandermeer and Evan Way gave the Jacks a notable lift off the bench.

Then, on Saturday, Humboldt State was looking for a measure of payback as they took on Cal State Los Angeles.  For the highlights on that game, let's go to www.hsujacks.com which is the official Humboldt State Athletic web site.

Lumberjacks escape CSLA's upset attempt

ARCATA — Avenging an early season defeat, Humboldt State held off Cal State Los Angeles in the closing minutes Saturday to claim a 77-75 California Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball victory.

Finishing the home portion of their regular season with a perfect 14-0 record in the East Gym, the Lumberjacks improved to 22-3 overall and 17-3 in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. fell to 10-15 overall and 7-13 in league games.

In his final regular season home appearance, senior Kevin Johnson led the way for the Jacks with 23 points and 17 rebounds. Another senior, Jeremiah Ward, scored 17 points for the Jacks, and Devin Peal added 15 with eight rebounds.

Jontae Vincent paced CSLA with 17 points despite a 6-of-20 shooting performance from the field. Vincent Camper scored 16, Robert Reynaga had 15 and Junior Rodriguez chipped in 12 points for the Golden Eagles.

Bucking the trend of the evening, Humboldt State made four of its final five free throws to preserve the victory. For the game, the Jacks made only 19 of their 31 chances from the line, an unhealthy 61 percent. 

The Lumberjacks led 77-72 with only 13 seconds remaining, but the Golden Eagles quickly converted a dunk by Vinson on the other end to cut the margin to three. The Lumberjacks threw the ball out of play on the inbounds for a turnover, and after a timeout, quickly fouled CSLA's Donte Bell.

With four seconds remaining, Bell made the first free throw to cut the lead to two points, but intentionally missed the second to set up a potential rebound. But Vinson knocked the ball out of bounds, and HSU inbounded far downcourt to run out the clock on the win.

After taking a 33-32 lead into halftime, the Lumberjacks eventually built an eight-point lead in the second half. Johnson put down a layup off an assist by the Jacks' third senior, Evan Way, to give the home team a 49-41 advantage with 14 minutes, 39 seconds remaining.

Cal State L.A. closed within four on a Vinson jumper, but Humboldt State expanded the advantage to eight again on a jumper by Ward. Over the final eight minutes of the game, the Jacks' largest lead was the five-point advantage they held heading into the final 13 seconds.

This Week:  The Humboldt State Men's Basketball team will wrap up the regular season with two games on the road.  On Thursday, the Lumberjacks will travel to Chico to take on long time rival, Chico State at Acker Gym.  The tip is tentatively set for 7:30 PM or 30 minutes after the completion of the Women's Basketball game.  Then, on Saturday, Humboldt State will travel to Turlock for their final regular season game against Cal State Stanislaus.  Again, the tip is tentatively set for 7:30 PM or 30 minutes after the completion of the Women's Basketball game.  Finally, on Sunday March 4th, the NCAA Selection Show will be broadcasted on the Internet at 7:30 PM.  You can access the selection show at www.NCAAsports.com/dii . That will announced the field for the NCAA Tournament and it will determine who the host institution will be for each regional that starts that following weekend.

Commentary: When we look back at this past week, Humboldt State played their style of basketball.  That was one of the big keys that led to two wins this past week.  Let's examine the week in more detail.

On Thursday, Humboldt State was the more aggressive team in that game.  I saw Jeremiah Ward going to the hole.  Kevin Johnson was doing his work down low along with Devin Peal.  Overall, this was a game that was to feature two teams that like to get the ball inside.  Instead, Cal State Bakersfield was settling for a lot of perimeter shots.  The Roadrunners, who entered the game shooting 31% from the three point line, went 8 for 19 in the game, so that was a great showing from the outside.  However, that is not the strength of the Roadrunners.  They need to get inside against teams like Humboldt State if they were to be successful in games like this.

The one thing that bothers me was the spin that Cal State Bakersfield tried to use on why they lost the game.  They complained that the difference in the number of free throws attempts was the reason why they lost.  In this game, Humboldt State got to the free throw line 36 times and Cal State Bakersfield got to the line 8 times.  I look at that number and here is my assessment.  Humboldt State was aggressive and Cal State Bakersfield was passive and complaining about every little thing that went against them.  At this time, I want to say this.  Newsflash, Humboldt State was the better team in this game.  Don't let your move to Division I cloud your judgment on the game.  Just because you are trying to be a Division I school does not give you special treatment.  Hopefully, you got a lesson tonight, but I doubt it.  I figure you guys will be complaining at the Division I level.  I think Cal State Bakersfield will get worked at Division I and I hope so because that will teach them a lesson to stop complaining and focus on what their weaknesses are in their teams.

Then, on Saturday, Humboldt State took on a team that has a lot of athleticism; however, Cal State Los Angeles did not have the luck to win a lot games this year.  Early on, I really like the strategy that the Lumberjacks had on Jontae Vinson, who came into the game as the leading scorer in the CCAA.  They made Vinson work for his buckets in this game.  In the end, Humboldt State showed a key characteristic in championship teams, the refusal to lose despite the bad circumstances that may hit the team.  That is what makes Humboldt State maybe the best team in the West.

The Lumberjacks got two games left.  It is time to finish the job and get ready to host the regional starting on March 9th.

Race in the West:  This segment is to inform where things stand in the West.  It will also include some of my analysis on the West Region race.

First here was the regional ranking as we entered the games that were played this week.  After their Division II record, it will show the results that the team had in the past week's action.  A "W" is a win and a "L" is a loss.

NCAA West Region Poll 2/21/07
1. Humboldt State (18-3)  WW

2. Cal State San Bernardino (17-4)  WW

3. Cal Poly Pomona (16-5)  WW

4. Seattle Pacific (14-8)  LW

5. Grand Canyon (16-6)  W

6. Seattle (14-8)  WW

7. Alaska Anchorage (14-5)  WL

8. BYU-Hawaii (17-7)  W

9. Central Washington (13-10)  LW

10. Alaska Fairbanks (12-7)  WL

Note: Records listed are versus Division II opponents.

Based on that, here is my latest HSFRMI.  That stands for the Humboldt Super Fan Round Mound Index.  It is pattern after the DVBDI which is the Dick Vitale Bald Dome Index.  The only difference is that my index focuses solely on the West Regional and not the National stage. This will also include opponents for the final week of the Regular Season.

HSFRMI West Region Ranking 2/25/07

1.   Humboldt State  3/1 at Chico State, 3/3 at Cal State Stanislaus

2.   Cal State San Bernardino  3/2 at Cal State Bakersfield, 3/3 at Cal State Los Angeles

3.   Cal Poly Ponoma  3/2 at Cal State Los Angeles, 3/3 at Cal State Bakersfield

4.   Grand Canyon  3/2 vs. Norte Dame de Namur, 3/3 vs. Norte Dame de Namur

5.   Seattle Pacific  3/1 at Western Washington

6.   Seattle  3/1 vs. Central Washington, 3/3 at Western Oregon

7.   BYU-Hawaii  3/2 vs. Hawaii Pacific

8.   Alaska Anchorage  3/3 at Alaska Fairbanks

9.   Alaska Fairbanks  3/3 vs. Alaska Anchorage

10. Central Washington  3/1 at Seattle, 3/3 at Northwest Nazarene

On the outside looking in:  Chaminade  3/1 at Hawaii Hilo

Right now, I think these are the teams that are in the hunt for those eight spots in the West Regional.  If I am to say who's in, who's on the bubble, and who's out, here is where I see the race in the West. 

I think Humboldt State, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Ponoma, and Grand Canyon are in. 

Seattle Pacific is very close to being in the field.  A win at Western Washington will lock the Falcons in the West Regional. 

Right now, the bubble teams are: Seattle, BYU-Hawaii, Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, and Central Washington.  Those teams are fighting for three spots.  I think BYU-Hawaii is in good shape.  If they win Friday versus Hawaii Pacific, then they are in.  The Alaska Anchorage-Alaska Fairbanks game on Saturday will be an elimination game.  The winner is in and the loser is out.  That will also be the case on Thursday when Central Washington and Seattle hook up in Seattle.  If Seattle wins, they are in.  If the Redhawks lose, then there is a high probability they will be out if Central Washington gets the win at Northwest Nazarene because the Wildcats will win the GNAC if that happens due to their season sweep they have over Seattle Pacific.

I think Chaminade is out.  The reason is that they have too many teams to jump and I can't see them jump them all to make the West Regional.    

There is a lot of basketball to be played and it will be an exciting week in the West Region this week.

Women's Basketball: 

Last Week:  The Humboldt State Women's Basketball came home after going 1-3 on a critical four game road trip.  Now, the Lady Jacks needs to buckle in their chin scrap and try to finish the season strong.  Right now, the Lady Jacks hold the # 8 spot in the West Region.  If they go 3-1 in their final four games, then they have a great shot to make the West Regional for the second year in a row.  Can they do it?  Let's go to the highlights from the East Gym.

On Thursday, Humboldt State took on Cal State Bakersfield.  For the highlights, let's go to the Times Standard.

Lady Jacks lose for fifth time in last six games

Brad Botkin/The Times-Standard

ARCATA -- It would have been nice to get this one, but unusually, there was more at stake that simply winning on Thursday when the Humboldt State Lady Jacks hosted Cal State Bakersfield.

With four game remaining on the CCAA schedule, the Jacks have a tenuous grip on the eighth and final seed in the West Region playoffs, if they were to start today. Prevailing wisdom suggests Humboldt needs to win three of its final four to secure a spot in the tournament, with this Bakersfield game being the least crucial.

Due to the fact that Bakersfield is in its transition year to Division I status, and the record that counts when it comes to playoff berth is your record versus Division II opponents, Humboldt found itself in the odd situation of having, virtually, nothing to gain or lose.

Having said that, the final result is open to interpretation. Humboldt lost the game by a score of 70-59 to a Bakersfield team that if it were eligible to compete for a conference championship, would be leading the CCAA with a now 17-2 mark.

Humboldt fell to 10-9 in the CCAA.

However, despite the loss, the Jacks displayed encouraging signs as they embark on these final three game, with their season on the line. First up is Cal State L.A. on Saturday before the Jacks travel to Chico State and Stanislaus to close out the year next Thursday/Saturday.

"The girls came out and played very hard tonight," said head coach Joddie Gleason. "We played tough tonight."

Certainly something to build on.

Katie Wilder again did all she could, scoring 23 points, while Mia Spasowska added 12 and Biava Arganda 9. But from there it was as substantial dropoff.

"I thought we actually executed well," said Gleason. "We just need to get some more scoring from some other people."

Gleason says that has been the primary difference in this second time through the conference schedule.

"Everyone is focusing on Katie more this second time around," said Gleason. "Katie and Mia (are drawing a lot more attention)."

Translation -- if the Jacks are going to hang on down the stretch, the role players will be the ones to make it happen.

But all things considered, Gleason likes where her team is at, despite the fact that the Jacks have lost five of their last six games.

"We have a chance to create our own destiny," said Gleason, "which is a good place to be, rather than having to wait for someone to lose."

Then, on Saturday, the Lady Jacks took on a struggling Cal State Los Angeles team.  For the highlights on this game, we again go back to the Times Standard.

Lady Jacks clip Eagles

Rebecca Elston/The Times-Standard

ARCATA -- The Lady Jacks earned a much-needed 68-46 win on Saturday over Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday, and in doing so kept their post-season hopes alive.

The Lady Jacks (15-9, 11-9) have been clinging to a No. 8 West Region ranking, and with just two games to go in the regular season, the pressure is on for the team to execute as the regular season winds down.

And the first step toward a playoff berth was handling business at home against CSULA.

"They are a team that we were supposed to beat," said Humboldt head coach Jodie Gleason. "And in order to get into the playoffs we have to beat those teams. It's crunch time now."

With the added pressure that for the three seniors, Mia Spasowska, Haley Andrews and Katie Wilder, it would be the last game in the East Gym, emotions ran high as the Jacks took to the court.

Wilder channeled that emotion into intensity, and helped her team get over some early jitters and mistakes. With 12 of her game-high 22 points coming in the first half, Wilder's intensity set the tone for the game and sent the message to her teammates that this was not a time to lose focus. Wilder finished the night 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

"How we do typically depends on how Katie does," said Gleason. "That does put more pressure on her, but she treats it like an opportunity more than pressure. She loves to play and gives 110 percent every night.

There's always a lot of emotions on senior night, but she's one of those players that practice and games are exactly the same."

Spasowska provided solid post play for the Jacks, with 18 points and four rebounds.

"Mia, I don't think many post players in this conference can stop her," said Gleason. "We definitely need her to be healthy and play big minutes for us. She's really come into her own this year."

The Lady Jacks built a 37-28 lead by halftime, and continued to build on their advantage without losing intensity.

Sophomore Jennifer Enos came up big in the second half, and scored 12 points and hit 4-of-4 from the 3-point line.

As a team the Jacks shot just over 51 percent from the floor, compared with CSULA's 32.8 percent.

CSULA have been struggling this season, and with the loss fell to 3-22 and 1-18 in the CCAA. Brenae Perkins led the Golden Eagles in scoring with nine, and Fatimah Stokley added six.

For the Lady Jacks, the win meant more than getting that final win at home. A blowout victory was critical in helping the team keep its momentum up heading into the final road games of the season, the games that will decide the team's post season fate.

"We've been waiting for this one," Gleason said. "I told them to work hard and do what you do and we will get the wins we need. This win is definitely going to help us and we need the two on the road to secure our position. We need to get wins at both Chico and Stanislaus, and those will both be tough. Particularly Chico, they don't lose a lot of games at home. But if we play well and if we play smart, we can play with anyone. That's the mentality we're going with."

This Week:  The Humboldt State Women's Basketball team will wrap up the regular season with two games on the road as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive.  On Thursday, the Lumberjacks will travel to Chico to take on rival, Chico State at Acker Gym.  The tip is set for 5:30 PM.  Then, on Saturday, Humboldt State will travel to Turlock for their final regular season game against Cal State Stanislaus.  Again, the tip is set for 5:30 PM.  Finally, on Sunday March 4th, the NCAA Selection Show will be broadcasted on the Internet at 7:30 PM.  You can access the selection show at www.NCAAsports.com/dii .  That will announced the field for the NCAA Tournament and it will determine who the host institution will be for each regional that starts that following weekend.

Commentary:  If you look at the results, the Lady Jacks got what they needed.  They needed a win over Cal State Los Angeles.  The game against Cal State Bakersfield only hurts them in the conference standings.  Let's look back at the games.

On Thursday, Humboldt State played hard with the Roadrunners for a half.  Then, early in the second half, Cal State Bakersfield got off to a good start and pulled away.  I think part of it is that the Roadrunners were hitting their shots and they were very physical with the Lady Jacks.  I'll say it now, the referees let Bakersfield get away with murder.  If there were consistent, the Lady Jacks would have gotten to the line more in that game.  All I'm asking for is that the game be called consistently.  Is that too much to ask for?  Overall, Bakersfield got away with too much.  I don't think they are a special team in my book.  I guess it's a pattern with every program that they have.  They have to complain and have everything their way.  Please gag me on that one.  Maybe the referees were supposed to be in Seaside instead of Arcata on Thursday night because they were bad.  End of discussion on this game.

On Saturday, I saw a team that was determine to win on Senior Night.  Katie Wilder had a nice game overall with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Mia Spasowska had a solid night with 18 points and Haley Andrews played hard when she was in the game.  They put their stamp on the program.  I know Haley was here at end of the stagnate period of the Women's Basketball program and I'm glad she tough it out and played well under Coach Gleason.  Katie and Mia both started to show their potential late last season and it carry over to this season.  Hopefully there is a lot more basketball that these players will play this season.

Right now, the Lady Jacks are in a must win situation.  They are in the fight for the final spots into the West Regional.  I think they will win at Cal State Stanislaus.  The big game is at Chico State.  If the Lady Jacks win at Chico, then they will be in.  Otherwise, they will need a little bit of help to get in.  It will be an interesting week for the Lady Jacks and I think they can get the job done this week.

Race in the West:  Just like in the Men's Basketball section, this segment is to inform where things stand in the West.  It will also include some of my analysis on the West Region race.

First here was the regional ranking as we entered the games that were played this week.  After their Division II record, it will show the results that the team had in the past week's action.  A "W" is a win and a "L" is a loss.

NCAA West Region Poll 2/21/07

1.    UC San Diego    18-3    16-3  WW
2.    Cal State Chico    17-3    16-3  WW
3.    Seattle Pacific    12-6    12-5  WW
4.    Alaska Anchorage    16-4    14-4 W
5.    Western Washington    14-6    12-5  LL
6.    Sonoma State    12-9    12-7  WL
7.    Cal State San Bernardino    15-6    14-5  LL
8.    Humboldt State    14-7    14-7  LW
9.    Cal State Dominguez Hills    12-7    11-7  WW
10.    Seattle    14-7    12-6  WL

Note: Records listed are versus Division II opponents.

Now, here is the latest HSFRMI with the opponents for each team in the final week of the regular season.

HSFRMI West Region Rankings 2/25/07

1.   UC San Diego  3/2 vs. Cal State Monterey Bay, 3/3 vs. San Francisco State

2.   Chico State  3/1 vs. Humboldt State, 3/3 vs. Sonoma State

3.   Seattle Pacific  3/1 at Northwest Nazarene, 3/3 at Seattle

4.   Alaska Anchorage  3/1 at Saint Martin's, 3/3 at Western Oregon

5.   Sonoma State  3/1 at Cal State Stanislaus, 3/3 at Chico State

6.   Humboldt State  3/1 at Chico State, 3/3 at Cal State Stanislaus

7.   Western Washington  3/3 vs. Central Washington

8.   Cal State Dominguez Hills  3/2 vs. San Francisco State, 3/3 vs. Cal State Monterey Bay

9.   Cal State San Bernardino  3/2 at Cal State Bakersfield, 3/3 at Cal State Los Angeles

10. Northwest Nazarene  3/1 vs. Seattle Pacific

On the outside looking in: 

Seattle  3/1 at Central Washington, 3/3 vs. Seattle Pacific

Central Washington  3/1 vs. Seattle, 3/3 at Western Washington

Grand Canyon  3/2 vs. Norte Dame de Namur, 3/3 vs. Norte Dame de Namur

Right now, I think these are the teams that are in the hunt for those eight spots in the West Regional.  If I am to say who's in, who's on the bubble, and who's out, here is where I see the race in the West. 

I think UC San Diego, Chico State, Seattle Pacific, and Alaska Anchorage are in the West Regional.  I think UC San Diego will win their games this week and host the regional this year.

As of this moment, there are eight teams in the hunt for four spots in the West Regional.  I think Sonoma State, Humboldt State, Western Washington, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino, Northwest Nazarene, Seattle, and Central Washington are on the bubble.

A lot of things could take place this week.  I think things could clear up starting on Thursday.  It will be interesting to see what takes place this week.  I think Northwest Nazarene, Seattle, and Central Washington have the toughest road ahead.  They need wins and a lot help to get in.  I could see those teams lose at least one game this week. 

I think Cal State Dominguez Hills is in the best position.  I think they have the best shot to win two games and get into the West Regional.  Western Washington just needs to beat their rival, Central Washington and they are in.  You can throw the records out in that game.  I think Central Washington would love to knock Western Washington out of the playoffs in any year, including this year.

That leaves three teams, Sonoma State, Humboldt State, and Cal State San Bernardino.  Depending on some outcomes, all three could make it, but I think two will be in the field.  If Humboldt can beat Chico State, they will have something no other CCAA team has this year, a season sweep over the Wildcats.  That could be enough to make the field.  Cal State San Bernardino could get their win and it might not be enough.  Sonoma State is in the same boat with Humboldt State.  They barely lost to Chico State in Rohnert Park this year so they can play with the Wildcats.  Anything can happen and it will be interesting to see what happens.

I think Grand Canyon despite their great season is out.  Part of the reason is that the Pacific West Conference is not that strong of a conference.  Yes, they went undefeated in the conference.and Grand Canyon is 7-4 against everyone else in the West.  However, the rest of the conference only won 2 games outside of their conference.  It is my opinion that the Pacific West Conference is the weakest conference in Women's Basketball.  Without the automatic berth, it is very easy to exclude their conference champion based on this resume.

This is a wild race in the West.  A lot of teams have a shot to make the field.  We probably will not know who is in and who is out until Saturday night.

Softball:

Last Week:  On Monday, the Lady Jacks finished their six game road trip in Belmont against Norte Dame de Namur.  For the highlights, let's go to www.hsujacks.com.

Lumberjacks conclude roadtrip with two more wins

BELMONT — No. 4 nationally ranked Humboldt State concluded it's six-game road trip with 6-1 and 11-2 wins over Notre Dame de Namur in non-conference softball action Monday.

The Lumberjacks improve to 11-1 overall after claiming victory in a trio of doubleheaders over the past three days.

Leadoff hitter Carolyn Cameron got the Jacks on the scoreboard early, opening the top of the first with a single to left-center advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and fly out, then scoring on a wild pitch.

After the Argonauts tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Humboldt's offense came alive, scoring three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh for a 6-1 advantage.

Nancy Harbeson had three hits and three RBI in the game while Caitlin Klug and Francesca West added two hits each.

Lizzy Prescott (6-0) picked up the win in the opener, recording 13 strikeouts while allowing just three hits and one walk.

The hitting barrage continued in the second game of the doubleheader as the Jacks pounded out 14 hits, scoring four runs in the first, five in the second and two in the third on their way to the five-inning, eight run mercy rule win.

Cameron and Marissa Slattery had three hits each while Megan Sutherland and Natalie Galletly each tallied a pair of hits.

Tracy Motzny (5-1) pitched three innings for Humboldt, striking out a pair, but also giving up a two-run home run to the Argonauts. Hannah Mullen-Jones threw two innings of relief and struck out two batters.

"In the second game (Notre Dame de Namur) threw their No. 2 pitcher and we were on her right off the bat," said HSU head coach Frank Cheek. "We scored early and pulled our starters. Motzny gave up the home run in the third inning and we had one fielding error. It's hard to stay focused when you're up 11-0, but you have to do it."

There was supposed to be two more doubleheaders this past week with Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday and Saturday.  However, those games have been cancelled as of this moment.  No makeup dates have been announced.  We will keep you updated on this series if something was to change.

This Week:  The Humboldt State softball team will go on the road for a four game series at Cal State San Bernardino.  On Friday, there will be a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM.  Then on Saturday, there will be another doubleheader that will start at 11:00 AM.  

Commentary:  The Humboldt State softball team played well as they got their two wins against the Argos from Norte Dame de Namur.  You look at this team Tracy Motzny and Lizzy Prescott are pitching well.  It was nice to see Hannah Mullen-Jones get into the circle because I think she will be the key this season.  Motzny and Prescott are the Lady Jacks 1-2 punch in the circle.  It is important that they don't get tired this season.  Don't be surprised to see Mullen-Jones get a start or two here and there during the season.

On the offensive end, Nancy Harbeson and Carolyn Cameron are hitting the ball well in the early season.  Also, Natalie Galletly is really becoming a special player.  Galletly is getting clutch hits and has a swing that could send ball over the fence.  I think Natalie could be a First team All American this year.  She is that talented.

I want to close on this note.  I wanted to see some softball on Friday and Saturday as I was looking for to some payback for what Cal State Dominguez Hills did to Humboldt State last season.  All I have to say is that the Toros are chicken to play the Lady Jacks.  They know one thing.  If they come to Humboldt State to play that weekend, then they will be beaten soundly in a big way.  Also, it will be loud at the HSU Softball Field because the fans at the softball game have shown a lot of excitement during the game.  I thought they are the best fans to get fire up during critical moments in a game.  All I have to say to Cal State Dominguez Hills, you are lucky that you don't have to play Humboldt State on a weekend because you are afraid that you will be beaten in a bad way.

In closing, the softball team is playing well, but in Coach Cheek's standard, they is room for improvement.  Expect the Lady Jacks to improve throughout the season and become a serious contender to win it all this year.

Football:  Spring football is about a month away, but that does not stop the fact that the annual Alumni game will be held on April 28th.  For more on this story, let's visit www.hsujacks.com which is the official HSU Athletic website.

Former Jacks invited to participate in Alumni Bowl

ARCATA — An annual highlight of spring, the Humboldt State Alumni Bowl, is scheduled for 3 p.m. on April 28, concluding the Jacks' non-traditional season football workout schedule.

All former Humboldt State players are invited to participate in the game. Cost to secure a spot on the roster is $100, or those wishing to sit out the game can sponsor a player for the same amount.

Registration can be completed online by downloading the form and waiver at www.hsujacks.com/football/alumniform.pdf. For more information, call assistant coach Jason White at 707-826-5950.

Hopefully we can get a lot of alumnus that can play in this game or sponsor a player.  This helps the football program so let's see if we can get 100 alumni to contribute to this game which closes the Spring Practices for the football team.

Track and Field:  For those fans of track and field, their season will start this week.  On Thursday and Friday March 1st and 2nd, the track and field will be competing at the Chico State Multi Events in Chico.  Then, on Saturday, the team travels to Turlock for the Stanislaus Opener.  Maybe in between the competition, they can support the basketball teams on Thursday and Saturday nights.  Don't ask me how this schedule came up where the track and field teams and the basketball teams are in the same area at around the same time.  Shoot, maybe they can give some Humboldt love to their fellow teams this week.

That is the Week in Review.  I feel next week we will be talking about the Women's Basketball team qualifying for the West Regional and the Men's Basketball team hosting the West Regional.  For more on West Regional on Sunday, please visit the Hostboard.com link that was mentioned in the Men's Basketball section of this article.  Go Humboldt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the Week in Review for Monday February 19th, 2007.   This week there was a special announcement on who the guest speaker will be at the Celebrity Dinner/Sports Auction on March 31st.    Also, we will look back at the week it was in HSU Athletics.  My final thought this week will focus on the budget issue at Humboldt State and the possible impacts on the athletic department.  On that note, let's look back at the week in HSU Athletics.

Special Announcement:  As mentioned above, the Humboldt State Athletic Department will be holding their annual Celebrity Dinner/Sports Auction on March 31st in the Kate Buchanan Room.  This year's guest speaker will be former Heisman Trophy Winner and former Green Bay Packer, Paul Hornung.  For more on the story, let's go to www.hsujacks.com.

Auction features former NFL star, honors local legend

ARCATA — One of the most versatile players in NFL history, Paul Hornung, will be the guest speaker at this year's Humboldt State Celebrity Dinner and Sports Auction, scheduled for March 31 in the Kate Buchanan Room on the HSU campus.

Tickets for the annual event, which grossed more than $215,000 for scholarships last year, are currently available through the HSU Athletics Department. Along with Hornung's presentation, this year's auction will also feature a tribute to former Humboldt State Athletic Director and coach Dick Niclai, who will be honored posthumously for his contributions to sports programs throughout the local area.

Hornung's presence continues the tradition of esteemed guest speakers the auction has attracted. Known as the "Golden Boy", Hornung earned the Heisman Trophy for his performance at Notre Dame, and went on to a career with the Green Bay Packers that included  being selected NFL MVP  in 1962.

Hornung was also a prominent contributor to three NFL championship teams (1961, '62 and '65). More than 35 years after his retirement, he remains the NFL single-season record holder for points scored (176).

Primarily a quarterback in college, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Hornung made his reputation in the NFL as halfback under head coach Vince Lombardi. But as talented as he was carrying the football, Hornung remained dangerous with his arm and was an outstanding lead blocker, receiver and kicker.

One of only four players in Packers history to score more than 600 points, Hornung finished his career with 760 points on 62 touchdowns, 66 field goals and 190 extra points.

For three straight seasons (1959-61), Hornung led the NFL in scoring. His best effort was in 1960, when he scored 176 points (15 touchdowns, 15 field goals, 41 extra points).

Niclai served as head men's basketball coach at HSU from 1965 to 1975, and was the Lumberjacks' athletic director in the early 80's. His association with local prep athletics, including longtime service as commissioner of the Humboldt-Del Norte Conference is remembered annually during the postseason high school basketball tournament that bears his name, the Dick Niclai Championship.

All proceeds from the auction go towards scholarships for student-athletes. Last year's auction raised more than $211,000.

Tickets for the event are available for advance purchase at a cost of $95. Contact HSU Associate AD Tom Trepiak at 826-5959 for more information.

Commentary:  I think the HSU Athletic Department is finding a way to bring the best speakers to the area.  When you look back at the history of NFL, Paul Hornung needs to be in that discussion.  Before LaDainian Tomlinson this past season, Hornung was the record holder for most points scored in a single season.  If you need another reason, go visit Paul Hornung website at www.paulhornung.com and read a quote from the late Packer coach Vince Lombardi.  Lombardi said this about Hornung.  "The best clutch player I've ever seen."  Enough said.  Overall, the Humboldt State Athletic Department did a great job in getting Mr. Hornung to come up and speak at the event.

When we look at who is being honored that night for their contribution to HSU Athletics, Dick Niclai deserves to honor on this night.  As mentioned above, Niclai was the Men's Basketball coach from 1965 to 1975.  He was 70-177 as a coach at Humboldt State.  However, he was the coach during the transition from NAIA status to NCAA Division III.  A move back then that ultimately led to Humboldt State move to Division II where they today in 1981.  Nicial was involved in local high school athletics as he was the commissioner of the Humboldt-Del Norte League.  The basketball tournament at the end of the regular season is named after him.  He has done a lot for this area at both the high school and the collegiate level and he is worthy to be recognized on this night.

Please note, tickets are available for the event at $95.00 a ticket.  It is a great event that contributes 100% of the net proceeds to athletic scholarships.  There is no dime that goes towards administrative costs in the department from this event.  The last few years, the event has grossed over $200,000 and it is my hope that the event will net over $200,000 for the first time ever.  There will be more about this event in a future blog.

Men's Basketball: