This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press Friday, January 25, 2008. By GREG WAGNER Valley Press Staff Writer:

As perilous as a 10-0 deficit can appear, there was no reason to worry. Not with the “Birdcage” backing West Coast Baptist College and certainly not with Jonathan Sisson running the show.

Once the Eagles finally found their shot on Thursday, running away from La Sierra University was only a matter of time in a 75-63 victory at the Student Life Center.

“We just had to start making some shots,” said Sisson, who scored a team-high 22 points. “Once we did that I knew we’d keep going.” Propelled, of course, by a raucous student section.

Dubbed the “Birdcage” and chanting to the beat of a homemade drum (a metal trash can), a group of about 50 students made themselves sound like hundreds.

“We want a basket” they shouted—and Sisson obliged with one of his five 3-pointers.

“Take it away,” they screamed, and West Coast Baptist (3-9) followed through with one of its many steals.

And the support was even louder than normal, with the school hosting its annual Winter Classic for high school teams from across the country. The stands were packed and the crowd was so large that plenty of Eagles supporters had to watch the game behind glass windows in the cafeteria.

“This is a great place to play,” West Coast Baptist coach Curt Beeson said. “If you can’t play here, you can’t play.” West Coast Baptist used the energy drummed up by its students to distance itself from the Division-III Golden Eagles (5-13) for its first victory over a non-Association of Christian College Athletics school. “Once we shifted the momentum back to us, with this crowd, once they start going, they don’t stop,” guard Danny Galdamez said. Galdamez and Curtis Gordon both joined Sisson in double figures, providing the kind of backup the Eagles have been looking for.

“He makes us go and tonight he got help,” Beeson said. “That was the best game of the year for (Galdamez and Gordon), and if we can play this well we can beat some teams.” Not typically a 3-point shooting squad, Sisson and the Eagles routinely were looking for the long ball. Three straight 3-pointers, two on assists from Sisson, got West Coast Baptist immediately back in the game at 10-9 and the Eagles kept launching—and converting—the rest of the contest, making 12 3’s in all.

“I’ve been saying we were due for a good shooting night,” said Sisson, who had six assists. “We had one in us.” West Coast Baptist pulled out to a 13-point lead as the second half began thanks, in part, to a nifty leaner off the backboard by Abram Thomas and a four-point play by the southpaw Sisson. Sisson and Galdamez teamed up to give West Coast Baptist a 35-31 lead at the half. After Sisson launched a quick 3-pointer, Galdamez turned a steal into a layup and Sisson followed with another quick 3—this one at the buzzer. When La Sierra closed to within six points at 56-50, two 3-pointers from Galdamez and a under-thebasket layup from Tommy Thorogood pushed West Coast Baptist comfortably ahead once more.

After the Eagles fell down 10-0, Beeson called a timeout and simply told his squad to relax.

“No matter how it starts, there’s 40 minutes in a game,” he said. “I just told them to play hard, relax and defend.” With the kind of support coming from the bleachers, that wasn’t a problem.