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Yotes men's basketball advances to CCC tournament semi-finals after beating Bushnell 87-70 in opening round

Jake O'Neil - Yotes Basketball
Posted at 11:59 AM, Feb 22, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-22 13:59:22-05

CALDWELL, Idaho — The Yotes basketball team continued their undefeated record against the Cascade Conference when they beat Bushnell 87-70 in the first game of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament on Tuesday.

The Yotes had multiple players contribute offensively, with Tyler Robinett (17 points), Charles Elzie (14 points), Johnny Radford (14 points), and Jake O'Neil (13 Points) all scoring in double digits.

The Yotes kept to their identity of rotating lineups early and often. Nine players played 15 or more minutes, but no player was on the court for more than 27 minutes. The constant rotation makes the Yotes so much harder to stop.

"We are unbelievably hard to guard because we're going to bring it every possession," said head coach Colby Blaine. "If you noticed, we just kept subbing in. Wave, after wave, after wave. They'd play two or three minutes, and you can really see it in the second half. We really start to separate ourselves by making the extra play."

One of the Yotes' biggest challenges in the game was 6-foot-11-inch Spencer Hoffman, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds while playing all forty minutes.

Even with Hoffman's large frame, the Yotes were able to outrebound Bushnell 44-37. Their presence on the board really showed off in second-chance points. The Yotes were able to get 28 points in second-chance opportunities.

Off the bench, Freshman Samaje Morgan was huge for the Yotes. He leads the team in assists with just over five a game and racked up six against Bushnell.

His constant driving threat brings double teams in which he's able to pass out and get guys easy opportunities, both in the paint and on the perimeter. His flashy play is something his team says makes him special.

"He is incredibly confident and it really makes everyone around him super confident. So that's his biggest superpower, his confidence," said O'Neil. "The way he distributes the basketball to our team is crazy, he's so useful to us and he's a great talent to have on our team."

College of Idaho will host Corban for the conference tournament semi-final in Caldwell on Friday. The Yotes beat Corban in both of their matchups this season by an average of 18.5 a game.

If the Yotes win Friday, they will then host the last remaining tournament team on Monday in Caldwell.

To read more about the Yotes' season: