It's a busy home weekend for the Beacons with men's and women's basketball closing out the regular season, baseball starting the Cascade Conference circuit, and softball playing in their 2025 home opener. The Golf team also returns to action for the first time this spring while the Esports team continues their season as well.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
 
Friday 2/21 vs. Walla Walla, 12:00 pm
Saturday 2/22 vs. Lewis-Clark State, 3:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: The Beacons close out the regular season at home, fighting for seeding for the upcoming CCC Tournament.
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons qualified for the Cascade Conference Championship tournament as they split on the road, falling to Evergreen on Friday, 70-49 before coming back strong for a 70-59 win over Northwest.   
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: Bushnell (10-16, 9-11 CCC) has sealed a spot in the CCC tournament, but still have to play for seeding as they could still end up sixth, seventh, or eighth in the conference. Currently the Beacons are alone in sixth-place and hold a one-game lead over Corban and Evergreen.
 
Undefeated Southern Oregon, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, had clinched first-place and home court advantage throughout the tournament. No. 22 Oregon Tech follows in second place while LC State (receiving votes) is third.
 
Statistically, the Beacons are ninth in the CCC in scoring (58.5 ppg) and seventh on defense (65.9 ppg allowed). Bushnell is third in the CCC in rebounding, averaging 38.7 boards per game, including 12.5 offensive rebounds per contest which ranks second.
 
With 13.7 points per game, Libby Mathis is currently seventh in the CCC in scoring. She is second in rebounding (9.3/g) and third for blocks (1.4/g). She leads the conference with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game.  
 
WALLA WALLA: The Wolves (7-19, 4-16) come in riding a four-game losing streak and they have been eliminated from playoff contention, currently tied for last place.   
 
WWU ranks last in the conference in scoring, averaging 56 points per game and they are eighth defensively, allowing 68.9 ppg. They are third in the CCC in steals, averaging 9 per game.
 
Jaylo Bello leads the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game while Chariah Daniels is close behind in 13th at 12.3 ppg. Daniels also leads the conference with 10.3 rebounds per game and is third in steals with 2.5 per contest.
 
Bushnell won the road game earlier this year, 63-52 behind a 16-point/ten-rebound double-double from Ellis Mastel. The Beacons are 25-1 all-time against the Wolves.
 
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Warriors (21-5, 15-5) have won seven of their last eight games coming in and are on the doorstep of the NAIA Top-25. They have clinched a home playoff game for the CCC tournament and look to seal up a second or third-place finish this weekend, making them a likely destination for the Beacons in the quarterfinals.
 
LCSC is third in the CCC in scoring, averaging 74.3 points per game and they are second defensively, allowing just 54.3 points per game against them. They do a lot of things well, leading the conference in blocks (5.0/g), assists (17.6/g) and steals (12.8/g).
 
The Warriors won in Lewiston against the Beacons back in January, 71-50 and they now hold a 9-1 lead in the all-time series after the teams split the home-and-home series last year.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL
 
Friday 2/21 vs. Walla Walla, 2:00 pm
Saturday 2/22 vs. Lewis-Clark State, 5:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: The math is simple for the Beacons and the magic number is ONE to qualify for the CCC tournament. Bushnell currently sits alone in eighth-place with a two-game lead over Warner Pacific. One win or one loss for the Knights will send the Beacons to the conference championships where they will travel to Caldwell to take on No. 3 College of Idaho.   
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell won both road games last weekend, toppling Evergreen 90-65 and Northwest 96-77. The highlight of the weekend came from junior Cory Johnson who scored 36 points against NU, the most points in a game in the CCC this season.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: The College of Idaho has clinched the CCC regular-season title and home court advantage throughout the conference tournament. No. 24 Oregon Tech currently sits in second with Lewis-Clark State hovering closely in third.
 
Bushnell (12-14, 8-12) is sixth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 80.4 points per game. The Beacons are eighth defensively, allowing 79 points per game. Bushnell is also fourth in the CCC in rebounding, averaging 38.9 rebounds per game.
 
Cory Johnson leads the Beacons and is fourth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game and he is sixth in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game. Luke Smith is third in the conference for free-throw shooting (86.5%) and Squeeky Johnson ranks second with 59 made three-pointers.
 
WALLA WALLA: The Wolves (4-20, 3-17) come into the weekend having dropped four straight games, allowing 115 points per game during that stretch.
 
WWU is ninth in the CCC in scoring with 73.8 points per game and they are last on defense, allowing 93.3 points per game. Andrew Vaughan  (16.2 ppg) and Soren Dalan (15.0 ppg) rank sixth and seventh in the CCC respectively for scoring Dalan is fourth in rebounding, averaging 8.5 boards per game.  
 
Bushnell the Wolves on the road back in January, 88-80 behind 25 points from Squeeky Johnson. The Beacons are 19-3 in the all-time series and have won five straight.
 
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Warriors (20-6, 15-5) come into the weekend in third-place, one game behind Oregon Tech for second. They can't finish any lower than third.       
 
LC State ranks seventh in the CCC in scoring, averaging 80.1 points per game and they are third defensively, allowing 71.9. As a unit, the Warriors shoot 49.7% from the field, which ranks second in the conference.
 
Alton Hamilton is a front runner for CCC Player of the Year honors as he is averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.
 
Bushnell knocked off the Warriors in Lewiston earlier this season, 89-78 and have now won two straight in the series after LCSC started out 8-0, dating back to 2009.
 
BASEBALL
 
Friday 2/21 vs. Oregon Tech, 2:00 pm
Saturday 2/22 vs. Oregon Tech, 11:00 am
 
THIS WEEK: Off to the best start in program history at 7-1, the Beacons jump right into Cascade Collegiate Conference action this weekend against another CCC-tournament team from last season in Oregon Tech.
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons showed off some resiliency last weekend against NCAA Division II St. Martin's University, sweeping the series with four one-run games. Bushnell came from behind in three of the four games and earned a pair of walk-off wins on Saturday.
 
OREGON TECH: The Owls are 7-2 on the year and had a sweep of their own last weekend, taking four games from Simpson University. OIT is coming off a 34-18 season in which they finished second in the CCC.  
 
The Owls are currently leading the CCC in offense, hitting .344 on the season with three of the top-ten hitters in the conference, including reigning CCC Player of the Week Julien Jones. Jones is batting .500 with 18 hits and six home runs. Patrick Barry hits .455 and is riding a 25-game hitting streak.
 
They are fourth in pitching with a combined 5.96 ERA. Tim Williams (2-0) is second in the conference with a 2.92 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.
 
Oregon Tech holds a 13-7 record all-time against the Beacons. The teams split the four-game series in Eugene last season.
 
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GOLF
 
Saturday-Sunday, February 22-23 at Lewis & Clark Invitational
 
THIS WEEK: The Beacons will kick off the spring portion of their schedule this weekend when they compete at Langdon Farms Golf Course for the first time in program history, in a three-team tournament against Lewis & Clark College and Corban University.  
 
SOFTBALL
 
Sunday 2/23 vs. Pacific, 1:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: The Beacons round out the non-conference portion of the schedule and play their 2025 home opener on Sunday with a double-header against Pacific University.    
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell (5-3) is off to their best start to a season in 16 years after going 4-2 in Arizona. The road trip featured a sweep of Nelson University and splits with Benedictine-Mesa and Arizona Christian.
 
CCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Violet Richardson had a huge week in Arizona, hitting .563 with two doubles, two home runs, and a school-record 7 RBI against Nelson, earning Bushnell's first CCC Player of the Week honors since 2022.  
 
PACIFIC: The Boxers will be playing their season opener against Bushnell, after having their previous two series cancelled due to weather.  The Boxers are coming off a 9-31 season.
 
Junior Chloe Knepp, a Second-Team All-Northwest Conference third baseman, returns after hitting .368 with 15 runs, 10 doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs last season.
 
The Beacons are just 5-20 all-time against the Boxers dating back to 2003, but have won three in a row including a double-header sweep last season.  
 
ESPORTS
 
Monday, 2/24: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Teamfight Tactics, FC 25, 5:00 pm
Tuesday, 2/25: NBA 2K, Fortnite
Wednesday 2/126: Rocket League, College Football 25
Thursday 2/27: Madden
 
Bushnell Esports opens its fifth week of the spring season next week, beginning with an SSBU match on Monday. Nathan Farris (Division B) and Zack Claunch (Division A) play their fifth week of matches in TFT, looking to stay on the top half of the leaderboard.
 
Andrew Bennett continues the FC 25 regular season, while Caden Hoerauf and Mason Monrroy continue play in their respective sport titles. Hoerauf plays CFB 25 and Madden, while Monrroy plays NBA 2K and CFB 25.
 
Bushnell picked up its third consecutive win in the Rocket League, defeating Waynesburg University. The Beacons also had three teams in action last week in Fortnite. The top-50 teams advance to the playoffs.