LA GRANDE, Ore. – Senior Stevie Schlabach completed a milestone that no Bushnell player has accomplished in 33 years on Saturday as he scored his 2000th career point in a 93-86 loss to Eastern Oregon University in the final game of the regular season.
Schlabach, who currently has 2,008 points, is the third player to break through the elusive barrier, and the first since Mat Sand scored the Bushnell all-time record of 2,296 in 1991. Jon Willis, who is second on the list has a recognized scoring total of 2,064.
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, “I am very proud of Stevie and his personal accomplishment. He is a very humble young man that has grown so much in our program these past five years. I wish everyone knew him the way I do. He deserves these accolades for his hard work on and off the court. What he has accomplished is not by accident. Commitment, loyalty, perseverance, and accountability are all words that come to mind when I think of where he started as a student-athlete and where he is today as a young man. I’m very proud of him!”
As for the game, coming into the night the Beacons had already secured the No. 6 seed for the CCC tournament and were not in danger with the loss, but it still wasn’t the way they wanted to end the regular season.
“Our goal was to build momentum heading into the quarterfinals,” said Alexander. “Our conversation post game was all about details that we can collectively control. It’s a life lesson I’m praying our guys take seriously as we move our program forward. EOU was hungry for a win and played extremely well. I give them credit as they executed offensively very well.”
Eastern (12-16, 11-11 CCC) established an early lead in this one, and never let the Beacons establish a foothold, matching nearly shot-for-shot for most of the game. EOU shot 54% with the Beacons shooting 48%. Bushnell was an impressive 25-for-29 at the free-throw line in a physical game that saw 41 total fouls.
The Beacons (15-13, 12-10 CCC) were led by senior Spencer Hoffman who scored 26 points, including 22 in the second half, along with a game-high 15 rebounds. He was 9-for-13 from the field and 8-for-9 on free throws. Coach Alexander said, “Spencer had a great game, especially in the second half. He was taking a physical beating and played through it. His growth as a leader has been enormous and it showed tonight.”
Schlabach followed with 18 points, shooting 7-for-10, and Kaden Sand scored 17 points with a team-high six assists. Alexis Angeles was also in double-figures with 11.
The Mounties had four players in double-figures as well, led by 26 from Garrett Hawkes. Jonny Hillman scored 21 points and seven assists before fouling out late, Preston Chandler scored 14 and Brennen Newsom came off the bench to add eleven.
Both teams are off to the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament and will both be on the road in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm. No. 7-seed EOU visits No. 2-seed Lewis-Clark State while the Beacons head to Klamath Falls to take on the No. 3-seed Oregon Tech. In the other quarterfinal matches, No. 1-seed College of Idaho hosts No. 8-seed Northwest and No. 4-seed Southern Oregon plays host to No. 5-seed Corban.