By Matt Minthorn for lccreddevils.com
Mother nature said wait another day. It was worth it.
On Thursday January 12th, the showdown was on at Myklebust Gymnasium as the current number sixth team in the latest NWAC poll, the Lower Columbia Red Devils, hosted the current number two team the Pierce Raiders in what would be a classic showdown.
Keun Palu-Thompson was a rebound shy of a double-double as he finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Red Devils to an 89-80 victory over the Raiders.
Spencer Sweet had 16 points and Devin Johnson added 17 points. Johnson also had his own personal block party as he rejected six Raider shots.
Pierce tried to come back on several occasions but the Devils held them at bay. The 21 points by Makaleb McInnis wasn't enough to spark the comeback they needed.
LCC head coach Jim Roffler told TDN reporter Rick McCorkle "If we can learn to handle pressure, keep the ball off the floor and do more cutting and passing, we can go to more of the power stuff because we'll be in the right position to finish it."
The Red Devils shot 49 percent from the floor and made 25 of 29 foul shots.
The LCC Campus Services personel did a great job clearing the walkways and parking lot around Myklebust Gym in order for the game to be played despite the five inches of snow that forced postponement of the game on Wednesday night.
The Devils also were impressed with the number of fans who braved the conditions to come out ans watch two of the top teams in the NWAC do battle.
Lower Columbia is off on the road for the next two games including a trip to Tacoma on Saturday January 14th. The Devils and Titans tip off at 4:00 pm at the brand new TCC Gymnasium facility. The game can bear heard live on AM 1490 KLOG in the Longview-Kelso area and worldwide on klog.com.
The Devils will play at Green River next Wednesday night January 18th.Â
The next home game is on Saturday, January 21st, which there will be a special banner unveiling ceremony, to celebrate the Lower Columbia Red Devils' volleyball NWAC championship.
