On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Whatcom Orcas battled against the Edmonds Tritons in a conference battle. A slow-paced, close game through the first half, eventually the current was too strong, and the Orcas couldn’t find their much-desired win.
Before the game, Head Coach Damek Mitchell explained how this men’s basketball team hoped to keep the energy they have been playing with and bring it into this new game.
“We’re building a culture,” said Mitchell. “It’s my first year here and every game we’re going to approach it like a championship game. No matter what.”
The Orcas kept it close, but were down 38-45 at the end of the first half. With key player Gabe Martin (15) missing another game, the Orcas needed a voice out there on the court. Not just one, but multiple players stepped up to the occasion.
Daniel Jackson Jr. (12) has been a high flyer all season, making momentum-shifting plays at the rim. Rattling the backboard with high-power dunks, Jackson slammed two huge ones in the first half. He also helped give energy to this Orca team, and ended up finishing with a double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Darius Williams (4), who has been extremely reliable to score big when needed, was also a constant presence out there on the court. Averaging 16.9 points per game in the season and coming into this game averaging 28 over his last three games, Williams finished today’s game with 17 points, three assists, and three rebounds.
Most noticeable was Eliajh Andrews (2), who has grown into a leading voice of this team and stepped up in the big moments when it mattered most.
“A big thing for me is to not get too high, not getting too low,” said Andrews. “You know, just staying even keel.”
Although it didn’t finish the way they’d wanted, the Orcas played with drive and demonstrated their strong coaching. And with two more games in the schedule, the Orcas can finish strong, which is how Andrews hopes for himself and the team to finish.
“I hope we can all give it our best as a team,” said Andrews. “Just going out with our pride and that we left it all out there. Try to leave these last two games without regret, just play hard.”
Fans can catch the Orcas in action today, Saturday, Feb. 21, in the WCC Pavilion at 2 p.m. as they take on the Shoreline Dolphins for the final home game of the season and celebrate Sophomore night.
