LONGVIEW, Wash. — The Lower Columbia College men's basketball team showed resilience at the 38th Annual Red Devil Classic this weekend, shaking off a tough loss on opening night to rattle off two straight victories. The Red Devils concluded their home tournament with a 2-1 record, moving to 4-1 on the season.
Friday: Mt. Hood 75, Lower Columbia 70 (OT)
The tournament opener proved to be a defensive grind, with Mt. Hood escaping Myklebust Gymnasium with a 75-70 win.
It was a statistical anomaly for the Red Devils, who went 0-for-19 from three-point range. Despite the perimeter drought, LCC stayed in the game through relentless effort at the free-throw line, hitting 30-of-37 attempts (81.1 percent).
Chance White led LCC with 18 points, while James Grose added 15. Javares Reid contributed 13 points and five rebounds. Skyler Schmidt recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Saturday: Lower Columbia 78, Peninsula 61
After a frigid shooting performance on Friday, the Red Devils found their rhythm Saturday afternoon, routing Peninsula 78-61.
The story of the game was the dramatic turnaround in perimeter shooting. A night after going scoreless from deep, LCC drained 13 three-pointers at a 41.9 percent clip. James Grose led the way with 18 points, including four triples, while dishing out five assists.
Chance White added 9 points and six assists, orchestrating an offense that saw 22 assists on 28 made field goals. Skyler Schmidt was a force inside, tallying 15 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Shane Douma-Sanchez chipped in 13 points, hitting three shots from beyond the arc.
The LCC defense was stifling, racking up six steals and four blocks while holding Peninsula to 25 percent shooting from three-point range.
Sunday: Lower Columbia 73, Blue Mountain 70
In the tournament finale on Sunday, the Red Devils held off a persistent Blue Mountain squad to secure a 73-70 victory. In a contest that featured five lead changes and two ties, LCC relied on balanced scoring and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch.
James Grose and Chance White provided the offensive spark, scoring 18 points apiece. White shot 8-of-15 from the field, while Grose did damage from deep and the charity stripe, adding three rebounds and three assists.
Skyler Schmidt continued his strong play in the paint, nearing a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds while adding two blocks and three steals. Cole Chester provided a spark off the bench with 10 points.
Blue Mountain's Payton Fowler led all scorers with 22 points, but the Red Devils' defense held firm in the closing seconds. LCC shot 47.4 percent from the floor and connected on 8-of-22 from three-point range.
The Centralia Trailblazers made program history winning the 38th Red Devil Classic, for the first time in school history, going 3-0 on the weekend including a 89-79 win over the Mt Hood Saints in the championship game.
Trailblazers were led by Maximus Holliman who came off the bench to score 21 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Luke Brewer added 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Miles Williams led the Saints with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assist. RJ Alexander came off the bench for Mt Hood to add 18 points.
38th Red Devil Classic All-Tournament Team
James Grose - Lower Columbia
Grant Olson - Spokane
Connor Wilson - SW Oregon
Miles Williams - Mt Hood
Maximus Holliman - Centralia
Tournament MVP - Luke Brewer - Centralia
