Willamette, Benson take lessons from POA Invite

No. 3 Willamette is already poised for a playoff run, while Benson gets a reality check

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No. 2 Benson and No. 3 Willamette headed for the Pacific Office Automation Invitational with high hopes of showing off to the state where they stand in relation to defending champion and No. 1 Clackamas. And, they got differing results.

Benson lost all three of its games, including a disastrous 22-point loss on the third day to Desoto, Tex.

Willamette won two of its three games, and finished a run of seven games in 13 days on a high note with a win over Mater Dei of California.

The Techsters seemed out of energy after narrow losses to Willamette on the first day, and Clackamas on the second.

The Wolverines went 3-4 in their two-week stretch, which included a 16-team tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. They played six out-of-state teams in that stretch, and finished winning three of their last four games.

In the most recent coaches poll, the teams switched ranking positions behind Clackamas, which went 1-2 in the tournament losing to Etiwanda, Calif., by 29, and then unbeaten Archbishop Mitty, 82-67, on the third day.

Willamette lost to Etiwanda 72-52.

Indoor

Cliff Pfenning

Cliff is a lifelong resident of Oregon and has four decades of experience as a writer, photographer, videographer, broadcaster and now producer. He's a grad of Benson High in Portland and the University of Oregon. His writing background includes stints at The Oregonian, The Register-Guard, The News-Review in Roseburg, The Portland Tribune, The Portland Observer as well as regular contributions to The Medford Mail-Tribune and Willamette Week. He was set to be a content provider for Action Sports Cable Network if it had began operations in 2000. He also has taught sports broadcasting through the high school program at KBPS in Portland.

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