What a season for the Bears' Basketball program at Golden State Baptist College! This year's team consisted of three incredible senior basketball players: Ben Chambers, Shawn Jackson, and Jake Pignanello, sophomores and juniors who were key contributors, and four talented freshman who made a tremendous impact almost immediately. This was also the first season that Coach Tim Trieber took the helm as Head Coach. Coach Trieber was a four-year starter at Golden State, whose jersey was retired when his playing days ended. The intensity and passion for excellence that marked his game as a player were clearly evident in every aspect of this year's program. He quickly captured the heart of each young man and formed this group of individuals into a solid team of Christian basketball players. This team started the season well and, more importantly, finished well - on the court and off of it. The season began with an early season trek to the islands of Hawaii. The Bears faced the toughest non-conference schedule in the history of our program, which proved to be beneficial. These tough matchups prepared them for an extremely competitive PCAC conference schedule. After the Christmas break, the team came together at the right time, winning six of their final eleven games versus conference opponents. Their hot streak included a stellar home conference record of 4-1. These second-half victories included a convincing and emotional victory over in-state rival, West Coast Baptist College. In this game, the Bears led for all forty minutes and delighted the home crowd (THE BEST FANS IN THE WORLD!) with their high level of team play. The second half of the year also saw the first home victory against the Multnomah Lions in our program's history. This was our seniors' final home game, and it was a great way for them to say "goodbye" to their home fans. The Bears then headed to Portland, Oregon for the PCAC tournament, where they won two of three games, including another victory over Multnomah. In the last game of the season, the Bears' clawed to victory in an overtime thriller against the Portland Bible College Wildcats. A fitting finish to a hard-fought season. This win capped the Bears' season on a high note and completed a three-game season sweep of the Wildcats, who would go on to win the ACCA Division 2 National Championship in Oklahoma City the following week. |
