EUGENE, Ore. – Sitting near the precipice of his collegiate career, Cory Johnson is showing no signs of slowing down for the Beacons as the senior scored a career-high 37 points on Friday night, lifting Bushnell to a 97-82 victory over Walla Walla University.
 
The Beacons improve to 13-13 overall and 10-9 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action with a win in the penultimate regular season game. The victory, coupled with a loss on Friday for Corban, clinched the No. 6 seed for the upcoming CCC tournament. The Beacons could still end up tied with the Warriors for sixth, but own the tie-breaker by virtue of sweeping the regular season series with their Willamette Valley rivals.
 
Two quick mid-range jumpers from Johnson, sandwiching a Kaleb Burnett layup put the visitors on top early and they would lead wire-to-wire as they shot 52% from the field including an impressive 11-for-21 from three-point range.
 
Bushnell led by as many as 22 points with 12 minutes remaining, but the Wolves were able to make things interesting late in the fourth quarter, using a 13-2 run to nearly make it a single-digit affair.
 
After making it a 78-68 game with 5:37 to play, the Wolves were assessed consecutive technical fouls, which sent Squeeky Johnson to the free throw line. He made all four of his bonus tries, and Walla Walla was never able to recover.
 
Cory Johnson, the reigning CCC Offensive Player of the Week, finished the game with another double-double, scoring 37 with 14 rebounds as he shot 14-for-28 from the field. He lands the most points for a Beacon in five years, and the third-highest scoring CCC game in school history while tying for the tenth-highest point total ever.
 
Squeeky Johnson added 20 points and five assists, hitting four three-pointers while Kaleb Burnett chipped in 17 points and nine boards.  
 
Head Coach Eddie Alexander said, "Cory was able to get it going tonight which always makes things easier for us offensively, when we play through him. I am really proud of how we played defensively, as Walla Walla usually shoots very well at home. Good job on the boards tonight by Cory and Kaleb and others."
 
The Wolves (1-24, 1-18 CCC) did have all five starters score in double-figures, led by a 22-point night from Jordan Jackson. Soren Dalan added 14 points as he crossed the 1000-point mark for his career.

UP NEXT: The Beacons may have already locked in their exact spot for the CCC tournament, but their Saturday opponent has not. Bushnell takes on No. 22 Lewis-Clark State (21-6, 15-4) at 6:00 pm on Saturday with the Warriors needing a win to secure a share of the CCC championship.