PLNU Basketball Season Ends in NCAA Western Regional Finals Despite Anderson’s Heroism

We expect athletes to go through some pain. But what did Point Loma Nazarene University senior forward Cayden Anderson do on Monday night? It defies description.

Anderson suffered a likely high ankle sprain in the opening minutes of the NCAA Division II Western Regional Final against California State in San Bernardino. This injury, the same one suffered by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs, is extremely painful.

Kaden’s desire to compete was stronger than the pain.

“All the fans, everyone there, everyone who came to support… I just wanted to give it my all,” says Anderson. “If this was my last game, I would go to fight.”

Anderson returned, throwing hayfields. He bandaged his ankle and only missed a few minutes before returning to play. Limping up and down the floor frequently, he scored a season-high 27 points, making all five of his three-point attempts against a team ranked 6th in the nation. The fact that PLNU lost 89-83, snapping their 25-game winning streak and ending their marvelous season, is almost a footnote to Anderson’s impressive performance.

“What he did tonight is just not happening,” senior guard Tobin Carlberg says. “People don’t play with their ankles fully bent. I mean, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever seen.”

It should be noted that the rest of the Sea Lions cast was phenomenal. Carlberg put in an incredible performance with 20 points, while another senior guard, Shamrock Campbell, added 12 points and rookie defenseman Jake Lifgren provided 10 assists.

Head coach Matt Logie has arguably his best coaching performance of the year. As Anderson hobbled along, Logie asked his boys to play zone defense, which they hadn’t used in a game all season.

“We have a really smart team. This is one of the reasons why we have had such great success this year. We made a few changes to our rotation in our regular match zone and then tried to take some zone concepts and implement them into our man-to-man defense just to give them a different look and keep them on track.” Logs.

It almost worked.

The Sea Lions closed a 12-point gap in the 2nd half to level it at 81 after a corner three-pointer by Lifgreen with 2:17 left in the game. Alas, the Coyotes had a significant size advantage and used it to finish 8-2, win the West and advance to the Elite Eight.

Given the efforts of the entire roster, Coach Logi only had one message.

“I have never been so proud of the team I coached. What they did tonight was incredible. I know that every Point Loma fan, student, family member, coach, alumnus can hold their heads high and keep calm. Keep in mind they gave it all.”

Content Source

California Press News – Latest News:
Los Angeles Local News || Bay Area Local News || California News || Lifestyle News || National news || Travel News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button