Halfway through the season, the basketball teams of Spokane Community Colleges’ are trying to finish strong as the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Championship Tournaments get closer.

The men’s basketball team is standing on high ground with a manageable record of 13-6, though they have a 3-2 record, tied for 3rd place in the Eastern Region.

“We’ve made a lot of progress from day one to now” Coach Jeremy Groth said. “It’s a long journey, you just gotta make sure you keep winning along the way.”

Coach Groth, in his second year as the head coach, is confident that his squad will have a good season. The current roster has a lot of experience in the NWAACC competition, because six of the squad’s sophomores were in last year’s competition. Including key players like Sam Druffel, Chase Haack, Jared Miller, and Jack Nygaard.

“We don’t have one true leader. All of our six sophomores collectively lead this group. A lot of guys do it different ways. Some do it by example, and some do it verbally.” Groth said. “So far we’ve done a good job of getting better every day. So I’m excited for where we’re at right now and I’m pumped up on where we’re going to be in the future.”

Kwinn Hanson is leading the team in points with 23 points per game and leads the NWAACC in field goal percentage with 71.6%. Many of those field goals are made possible by TJ Bracey, who leads the team in assists with 92 assists so far this season.

The women’s team however, is trying to stay afloat. Dropping to a 2-3 record for their league and holding on to a 10-8 record overall. For the past 5 games, they have played without their starting point guard, Bianca Gonzales due to injury. Riley Holsinger, a former North Central Indian who leads the NWAACC in Points and Steals, has had to take over the starting point guard position.

“It’s tough, but we’re confident that we can make the transition.” Morgan Freeman said. Freeman, a high scoring forward who came to the Community Colleges of Spokane from Hanford High School, is hoping that the team can stay alive without Gonzales.

The men and women’s basketball teams play at SCC on February 7th against Blue Mountain Community College.