Shoreline Basketball: Everything you need to know
As February begins, both Shoreline Community College basketball teams are in the midst of their seasons, but in markedly different spots.
February 3, 2023
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams play in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), the athletic governing body of two-year colleges in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. The NWAC is split into four regions – North, South, East and West – with the Dolphins playing in the North region.
Through 14 regional matches, each team is working to qualify for the NWAC Basketball Championships, to be played March 8-19 in Pasco, Washington. Each conference championship tournament, separated by gender, features 16 teams in a single-elimination format, with the top four teams from each region earning a spot in the competition.
The women’s team, led by head coach Rodney Walker, is currently top of the North standings with six wins and one loss, only losing their first match of regional play so far. Having played half of their total matches, the Dolphins have seven games left to cement their spot in the top four, with the ultimate goal of being the North Regional Champions.
On the court, they are led by 5’9” Hawaiian guard Aloha Akaka, who is averaging over 19 points per game. Akaka’s nearly eight rebounds a game helps control the boards when combined with Taylor Eldredge’s nine a game.
The men’s team is further down the standings, sitting in sixth place among eight teams. With only two wins in regional play, five losses and seven games left, they likely need to win a majority of their remaining matches in order to earn entrance into the NWAC Championship.
Floridian guard A.J. Boyd is their leading scorer. The 6’2” sophomore is contributing nearly 19 points per game in regional play, connecting on nearly 40% of his shot attempts. In the post, 6’6” Deshawn McFerrin is the leading rebounder with 9.4 a game, also contributing 10 points per game as well. Despite the lower point total, McFerrin makes over half of his shots. The men have lost several close games, but that means if they win their future close games, they could still make a run at the top four.
Make sure to keep an eye on future Ebbtide editions for more in-depth pieces and interviews with each team.
