News by Katie Childs

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News | Send mail to The Voice Final buzzer rings on MBC 2002-2003 basketball season Forward Sam Duke shoots while guard Ryan Franklin looks on. Several players also refereed for intramurals. -Katie Childs, photo The Multnomah Ambassadors traveled from coast to coast this season, playing from Portland to Phoenix to Philadelphia. Their season ended Feb. 27 with a home game against Walla Walla. At the end of the first half, the Ambassadors were down by 8; the score was 42-50. The team started the second half on fire. Within the first minute, the men scored four points, nine points within the first two minutes. The Ambassadors pulled ahead. The teams battled back and forth the remainder of the game. Neither Walla Walla nor Multnomah could pull ahead by over 10 points. With 20 seconds left in the game, the Ambassadors were down 86-92. Walla Walla fouled freshman Jelani Memory as he took a three-point shot. All three foul shots went in, bringing the score to 89-92. The final 20 seconds of the game seemed to last an eternity as the Ambassadors deliberately fouled to slow the clock. Their efforts were to no avail. As the clock made its final buzz, the score board read 91-98 in favor of Walla Walla. So ended the Ambassador's season. Overall the team won 11 games and lost 18. Many of the games were lost in the last few minutes of play. Sophomore forward Garth Thorpe said, "Once you play together longer as a team you win the close games." This year's team included seven freshman, three sophomores and two juniors. A team that had played together previously would not have to deal with the issues of who would do the shooting and who would get the rebounds. But the team was fresh. During the first week, "every player had to recognize his role on the team," freshman Zac Foster said. Head coach Reese said that defeating Northwest Christian College was the highlight of this season. Northwest is a scholarship college, whereas Multnomah players get no tuition compensation for playing. "I felt like the team played together that night," team manager Daniel Johnson said. Coach Reese said the team peaked in its last three weeks of the season, although he believes the guys haven't yet reached their full potential. He added that if the players continue to play in the coming years, great things will happen with the basketball team. The team was willing to build skill and good attitude, he said. "They want be successful." The improvement in the team throughout the season was largely due to a great coach, the players agreed. Thorpe said Coach Reese "understands the different personalities on the team and relates in specific ways. He's a leader who people look up to." Freshman guard Matt Conboy said, "Coach Reese has a tremendous heart for the school and the team." Conboy was this season's high scorer, making 195 two-pointers and 89 three-point shots. Forward Nathan Borg, a sophomore, scored on 55.8 percent of his two-point shots. Freshman David Norton followed close behind, making 52 percent of his two-point shots while freshman guard Seth Duke led in percentage of three-point shots, with 43.8 percent. "We're gonna win regionals next year, guaranteed," Thorpe said. "We can only get better." The team will continue its travels in May when seven team members will head to Southern France and Italy on a short-term missions trip. The team will play six to eight games, and members will share testimonies during halftime. The team will also work with missionaries and Christian contacts in the region and run sports clinics for kids. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2003 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.