Limiting the Clippers’ offensive rebounds was a significantly higher priority.
“Box him out,” Mendelson barked from the bench every time a Clippers shot was attempted during the early stages of the game.
Mendelson’s staff would echo his sentiments almost in unison.
It was apparent “him” was Anye Turner, who terrorized the Raiders in the first meeting, grabbing 20 rebounds, including 15 offensive boards, in SPSCC’s one-point win.
The Raiders executed their coach’s demand and Turner didn’t duplicate his monster performance.
DeShawn Hayes and Jamey Smith made it so he didn’t have to.
Hayes scored a game-high 26 points, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers late, and Smith hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to help the Clippers improve their postseason chances significantly with a 69-66 victory over visiting Pierce in Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges play Monday.
Hayes and Marcus Braxton combined for 29 second-half points to help the Clippers (9-13) erase a 10-point deficit.
Pierce’s Patrick Cooks tied the game at 66 with a three-point play with 16 seconds remaining in the game, but Smith, an Olympia High School graduate, buried a 3 as time expired to give South Puget Sound the win.
Braxton finished with 17 points.
Dan DeVries, a graduate of Tumwater, hit four 3-pointers and paced the Raiders (15-9) with 22 points.
Pierce used a 16-0 run and got 15 first-half points from DeVries to grab a 36-26 lead at intermission.
Turner, a Black Hills graduate who had 26 points in South Puget Sound’s 73-72 win against Pierce on Jan. 14, had just one point at the half and finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
The top four finishers in all four NWAACC divisions advance to the championship tournament March 3-6 in Kennewick.
The win improves the Clippers to 5-7 in conference play – 21/2 games behind fourth-place Pierce (7-6).
South Puget Sound has four regular season games remaining and returns to the court Wednesday when it plays host to Tacoma Community College.
