By Ben Zimmerman
SPOKANE -- With all due respect to Ernie Banks, let's play three, shall we?
The Whitman-Whitworth men's basketball rivalry has been too tense, too dramatic and too darn close to deserve anything short of a trilogy this season.
If there is a third chapter, it will unfold in Spokane. Whitworth saw to that by holding off the Missionaries 79-76 and clinching the Northwest Conference championship here Tuesday. The 13th-ranked Pirates (20-4, 14-1 in NWC) won their 10th consecutive game and woke echoes of the first meeting between these foes, an 84-80 Whitworth win in Walla Walla on Jan. 21st that was up for grabs until the final seconds -- just like Tuesday's rematch.
Whitworth clinched home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament, and would host Whitman (16-8, 11-4) for the tourney title if both teams win their semifinal matchups. The Missionaries will also open the tournament at home, as Lewis and Clark's loss at George Fox Tuesday clinched the 2-seed for Whitman.
It will host the conference 3-seed in a tournament semifinal at Sherwood Center on Feb. 27.
After 80 minutes this season, seven measly points separate Whitman and Whitworth. The Missionaries needed three or four on Tuesday, and left at least quadruple that at the charity stripe.
"I think we played well, but we shot 57 percent from the foul line," said Whitman head coach Eric Bridgeland. "If you count misses on the front end of one-and-ones, we were 16 for 33. We need to make those count. We have to knock those down to be a champion in their gym."
Three of those misses came inside the final 14.3 seconds, as Whitworth was leaving the comeback door slightly ajar with its own struggles at the line. Whitman's free throw woes helped spoil a spirited overall effort that saw the Missionaries erase a nine-point second-half deficit.
It also overshadowed a beastly performance by senior center Ben Eisenhardt. He had 30 points on 13-for-18 shooting, with six rebounds and just one turnover in 28 minutes.
"We need to take advantage of Ben having a great night. He was the only one who shot the ball well," Bridgeland lamented. "We got a lot of good looks, they just didn't go. Down the stretch, we've got to make shots."
The Missionaries trailed 51-42 with 16:12 left in the game before storming back to make it a brawl. A 3-pointer by Philip Chircu and a three-point play by LuQuam Thompson shaved the Pirates advantage to 57-55, and Eisenhardt scored consecutive baskets in the paint moments later to tie it 59-59 at the 8:34 mark.
Whitworth reclaimed the lead, but Clay Callahan buried a deep 3 to give Whitman their first -- but only -- lead of the second half.
"I thought we competed very well. We got down nine and came back and took the lead," Bridgeland said. "Despite not being able to make shots at the line, I was very proud of our effort."
In the waning moments, Whitman could not get a bounce. Twice, 3-point shots by Matt Mounier circled in and out. One spit out that would have cut the Whitworth lead to one point inside five minutes to go. Another, with just over four minutes left, rattled out instead of giving Whitman a one-point lead.
Eisenhardt scored and was fouled with 50 seconds remaining. His ensuing free throw ade it 73-70, Whitworth. It was a five-point deficit whenTochi Oti swished a floater in the lane but was whistled for a charge.
Dominic Lippi drilled a 3-pointer to pull Whitman within 78-76 with 5.5 seconds left, and the Missionaries gave a foul with 3.6 ticks showing. Kenny Love split his free throws for the Pirates, who immediately fouled Clay Callahan to prevent Whitman (8 of 19 on 3-pointers) from attempting a tying 3.
With just 1.6 seconds left, Callahan missed his second free throw intentionally, but Whitman could not secure the rebound.
Whitman wraps up its regular season at Lewis and Clark on Saturday.