St. Mary’s 67            
  Concordia 53 St. Mary’s 65        
  Laurentian 86 Laurentian 57 St. Mary’s 69    
  Calgary 81            
  Waterloo 62         —–MANITOBA  
  Acadia 60 Waterloo 77 Manitoba 82    
  Manitoba 97 Manitoba 87        
  Windsor 69            

In the quarterfinals, St. Mary’s unbeaten in the AUAA and host, breezed past Concordia 67-53 as Lee Thomas and Ken Seaward dominated the boards. Thomas scored 21, Fred Perry 14, Ken Seaward 11 and Errol Bing 10. “We played sloppily and we can play much better,” St. Mary’s coach Ed Hall told Canadian Press. Ron Puskarich led Concordia with 19. Bob Brix added 12, John Erglis 8 and Doug Merlin 8. Merlin picked up his 3rd foul after 13 minutes of play. Lee Thomas notched a dunk to make it 20-18 and “that sort of mesmerized us,” John Erglis told the Montreal Gazette. The dunk ignited a 20-4 Huskies run. St. Mary’s led 37-22 at the half. The Stingers rallied no closer than five. Concordia coach Doug Daigneault told the Montreal Gazette that his troops “showed what they’re made of the way they came back in the second half after playing very poorly in the first. They hung in there tough and gave everything they had.” Ron Puskarich said “I took some bad shots and I think was sort of stiff out there. We knew they are a very tough team and I think we played as well as we can. But when we went more than four minutes without hitting a shot there in the first half, it really hurt us.” John Erglis said the first half was “atrocious. … No one seemed to have any real feeling of confidence. And there was a period of about seven minutes when I think we sort of lost belief in ourselves.”

       Laurentian defeated top-seeded Calgary 86-81 although the margin made it appear the game was deceptively close. It wasn’t. Voyageurs head coach Ken Shields, a native of Beaverlodge, Alberta, noted his team had arrived on three separate flights and had little sleep. “We prepared well and executed at both ends of the floor. If we can keep our momentum, we can play with any team here. We played 40 minutes with no letdowns. We didn’t make any mental errors on defence.” Jeff Bennett led the Voyageurs with 21, along with 11 boards. Guy Vetrie added 20, Mike Heale 14 and Reni Dolcetti 12. The Voyageurs capitalized on a 21-2 run to take a 39-31 lead at the half. Tom Bishop led the Dinosaurs with 25, although he was injured for the better part of the second half. Pat Lee added 20 and Ken Rucker 17, Lyle Leslie 12. Calgary coach Gary Howard noted that “we sold the farm out there today. We played with no intensity. Laurentian came to play for it all. We didn’t play our defence. We made mistakes that had been corrected over and over again.” Howard added that “you’d need a computer to keep track of our turnovers.” Calgary’s hopes all but dissipated when all-Canadian Bishop, fell to the floor in a scramble and was forced to the bench with a gash across the back of his head. He returned with a bandage wrapped around his head but by then there was only 1:28 to play and Laurentian led 82-71. He was later hospitalized at the Victoria General and required stitches. Shields said he didn’t know what to expect from the Voyageurs, who were making the school’s first appearance in the nationals. “We’re a young club with only one player graduating. I didn’t know if we’d be able to keep our poise but that’s what won it for us. That Calgary has a damn good team. We lost to them by 21 points earlier this season. But they were cold today and we took advantage of their weak side to get inside and score.” Dinosaurs post Lyle Leslie told The Gauntlet “some of our players were so tight that you could have strapped their feet to the floor and played them like a bass fiddle.” Dinos guard Pat Lee said “we tried too hard to be cool. And in the end, we weren’t even excited about playing.”

       Wild card selection Acadia lost to Waterloo 62-60 when in the final seconds, guard Robert Upshaw fouled Waterloo centre Jamie Russell, who hit both his free throws with two seconds on the clock. Trevor Briggs led Waterloo with 21. Jamie Russell added 11, Phil Schlote 10, Mike Visser 9, Seymour Hadwen 6 and Scott 2 Alvin Jessamy paced Acadia with 14. Robert Upshaw added 12, Ed Shannon 12, Johnson 8, Gene Saunders 7 and Ray Mapp 7. Waterloo struggled to score early against Acadia’s tight zone. The Warriors trailed 34-28 at the half but rallied with good perimeter shooting to take a 44-43 lead midway through the second half. The teams traded the lead until the final three minutes when Acadia missed three from the line and Waterloo built a six-point lead. The Axemen rallied and knotted the score at 60 on putback rebound by Steve Johnson with 24 seconds to play. Russell was fouled with two seconds on clock, setting the stage for his free throw heroics. Warriors coach Don McCrae told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “I can’t tell you how good I feel about that win today. The guys have just never played tougher. I couldn’t believe how tough they worked, especially on defence when we had to in the second half. We started in a man-to-man defnece but had to go to the zone to get some rebounding at our own end. And I think after we did, we found out they didn’t have much perimeter shooting other than Jessamy. … We could been out of the game in the first half and I told my guys I thought we were lucky to only be down six at the half.” Waterloo hit 27-51 from the floor, while Acadia was 25-66 and outrebounded the Warriors 43-32. The Axemen (coached by Dick Hunt, assisted by George Beattie and Tom Farrington) also included Eugene Saunders, Peter Leighton, Paul Babcock, Glenn Normore, Shawne Ricks, Ray Mapp, Steve Johnson, Allan Oliver, Bruce Toigo and Brian Williams.

       Manitoba opened with a 97-69 pasting of wild card Windsor as 6-4 forward Rick Watts scored 29, including 19 in the second half, and 5-11 guard Martin Riley added 25, including 11-13 free throws. Watts hit a personal 8-0 run to put Manitoba ahead by 14 in the second half after the Bisons had taken a 43-37 halftime lead. Manitoba shot 36-59 (.610) from the floor and 25-35 from the line, while Windsor shot 23-68 (.350) from the floor and 23-34 from the line in looking badly outclassed. Manitoba out-rebounded Windsor 42-36. Manitoba coach Don Hunter noted “that was one of the finest second halves we’ve played this season. Watts and Riley certainly proved why they’re all Canadian, didn’t they?” Watts hit four of the first five field goals in the second half and Riley hit a free throw to put the Bisons ahead 53-39. Grant Watson added 13 points and 12 rebounds, Greg Daniels 8, Doug Freeth 6 Darryl Rumsey 6, Ray McKall 5, along with 8 boards and Randy Kusano 2. Rumsey was held to 6 as Windsor triple-teamed him all night. Greg Lozynsky paced Windsor with 12, Ron Stewart added 10, Charlie Pearsall 9, Brady Spetz 9, Dan Devin 7, Bortolin 7, Vince Landry 6, Robson 5 and Hogan 4, while Jim Minello was scoreless. Watts contained Lozynsky to 5-9 from the floor with a sterling defensive effort, Hunter told the Winnipeg Free Press. As well, “Rick and Marty (Riley) really proved that they are all-Canadians … Both of them did everything you could ask of a ball player. … We wanted to neutralize their running attack and in the first half we just weren’t getting back fast enough. However, we discussed our problems during halftime and were able to iron things out. In the second half, we came out running and had control of the game from then on.” Lancers coach Paul Thomas told the Windsor Star that “I wish I knew the answer. We were ready. We followed our game plan and I was pleased that we were within six of them at halftime. I thought we had everything going for us to start the second half but all of a sudden, they were 24 points ahead. Their shooting just killed us. It wasn’t that we were playing so badly. They just played so well.”

       In the semis, Manitoba broke into an early lead and used their tough defence to defeat Waterloo 87-77 as Martin Riley scored 19 before fouling out. Greg Daniels added 20, Rick Watts 17 (also reported as 16), Doug Freeth 16, Darryl Rumsey 8, Grant Watson 4 and Ray McKall 4. Waterloo was led by Jamie Russell 25. Trevor Briggs added 20, freshman Seymour Hadwen 12, Mike Visser 12, Phil Schlote 5, Pat Brill-Edwards 3 and Don Larman2. The defending champ Warriors trailed 14-4 early but rallied to knot the score at 16. Neither team led by more than 6 for the remainder of the affair. The Bisons led 41-36 at the half. After Waterloo took a 47-45 lead, the Bisons notched a 10- run. The Warriors drew within 77-73 with 1:33 to play. But Manitoba’s Doug Freeth and Rick Watts each hit a critical bucket, and the Bisons hit four free throws in the final minute, to pull out the win. Manitoba hit 31-58 from the floor and 25-29 from the line, while the Warriors with 34-67 from the floor and 9-13 from the line. Waterloo coach Don McCrae noted that “you can’t play catch-up ball and let them hit like that. We knew they were a sharpshooting ball club but we just couldn’t stop them. I was disappointed we weren’t able to shut them down defensively but, make no mistake, we were beaten tonight.” McCrae told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “we knew they could score and we just couldn’t stop it. We just never got any tempo out there tonight and we just couldn’t seem to get going. We made a couple of good runs at them but it was catch-up ball all night and they were too good in their shooting to catch.” Bisons coach Don Hunter said “they kept coming at us. … I’m just pleased we didn’t lose our poise.”

       In the other semi, St. Mary’s defeated Laurentian 65-57, despite shooting only .390 from the floor. Laurentian shot an equally dismal .380. St. Mary’s out-rebounded Laurentian 45-29, including 18 by Newark, New Jersey native Lee Thomas. Errol Bing led St. Mary’s with 17. Lee Thomas added 16. Jeff Bennett paced the Voyageurs with 16. Guy Vetrie added 14 and Al Tekoniemi 10. The Huskies took a 34-24 lead at the half before a rabid hometown audience of 4,000 and held on for the win. The Voyageurs drew no closer than 5.

       In the bronze medal final, the Waterloo Warriors defeated the Laurentian Voyageurs 95-84 as Trevor Briggs scored 24, Jamie Russell 21, Mike Visser 16, Seymour Hadwen 12, Phil Schlote 11, Larman 5, Pat Brill-Edwards 4 and Doug Vance 2. The Warriors led 50-49 at the half on a Seymour Hadwen bucket at the buzzer and opened the second half with 19-3 run. Warriors coach Don McCrae told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “I wasn’t sure how the guys, especially some of the older fellows who were in there last year with me, might respond. I know some fo them were emotionally drained right out after the game Friday night and no matter what I said to them, you couldn’t be sure they’d get up for it.” Jeff Bennett paced the Voyageurs with 23. Remi Dolcetti added 15, Pat Signorotti 13 and Mike Heale 12.

       In the final, Manitoba prevailed 82-69 over St. Mary’s. The Bisons were led by guard Martin Riley, “with a flawless performance at both ends of the court.” Starting five Winnipeg-born players, the Bisons were playing in their second straight national final on the home court of their opponent. But experience won over the enthusiasm of 5,200 fans packed in the Halifax Forum as the Bisons handed the Huskies their first loss of the season. The lead seesawed in the first half as Manitoba pulled ahead by 37-33. Riley, the All-Canadian point guard who controlled the tempo of the game, and fellow backcourt sharpshooter Rick Watts blistered the Huskies with long-range bombs. St. Mary’s rookie coach Ed Hall abandoned the zone defence in the second half, switching to man-to-man in an attempt to shut down the Bisons’ outside shooting and the Huskies closed the gap to two, 48-46 with 12 minutes to go. But Hunter countered with a half-court and Bisons went on a 9-0 run and the outcome was never in doubt. Riley, a 21-year-old three-year veteran of the national team finished with 21 points, including 7-8 from the foul line. Rick Watts led the Bisons with 25 on 12-17 from the floor. Darryl Rumsey added 14, Doug Freeth 12 and Greg Daniels 10. “We were shooting from much further out than is normally our game in the first half but what can you say when you sink so many of them?” Hunter later told the Globe & Mail. “We tried to establish some inside game in the first half but it was very hard with Lee Thomas and St. Petersburg-Florida native Errol Bing controlling the boards, but we managed to get an inside game in the second half.” Thomas, the 6-5 centre from Newark, N.J. finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds, while the St. Petersburg-Fla. Born Bing was the game’s high scorer with 32. Thomas added 17, along with 15 boards. Fred Perry, from East Orange, N.J. scored 12, while Toronto-born forward Ken Seaward was scoreless. “Rick played a tremendously outstanding game. He scored well”, boarded well –leading the Herd with 15 of 40 rebounds – and “what is really important, he held Ken Seward to 0 points,” said Hunter. Rumsey held Thomas to three rebounds in the second half. Thomas had 11 boards at the break. Hunter added that “Martin ran our ball club. If he goes well, we go well. … We established the inside game and if it is there, we use it. But if it’s not we can go outside. … Doug Freeth did a great job on Bing. Bing picked up 32 points but he took 30 shots to do it. We came to win it this time, and we gave it our best shot. I’m thrilled for Rumsey and Watts. This was their last chance.” The Bisons prepped for the game by practicing being out—of-town villains in their hotel rooms. “We took turns introducing each of the players and then the rest of us would boo very loudly. It was all done with great spirit and I think it got us ready for this one-sided crowd.” Manitoba finished (31-5) on the season. Hunter told Canadian Press that the 37-33 half-time lead should have larger. “I was happy to be ahead, but I thought we could have been ahead by more if we’d used better shot selection. They (St. Mary’s) clogged the inside, so we took the open fifteen to sixteen footer. But the guards were taking off balance shots and long shots, and we don’t like to shoot from that far or that often. … We were able to use our balance better. The way St. Mary’s went to (Erroyl) Bing, I think their people went to sleep. We had to shoot a lot, but we’ve got great shooters. We shot that way right through the tourney.”

       The all-tourney team featured: MVP Martin Riley (Manitoba); Trevor Briggs (Waterloo); Rick Watts (Manitoba); Lee Thomas (St. Mary’s); Errol Bing (St. Mary’s) and Ron Puskarich (Concordia).

       In February, 1976, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court upheld the three-foreigner rule. It had been challenged by Axemen George Beattie of South Portland, Maine; Shawne Ricks of Roxbury, Massachusetts and Peter Leighton of Augusta, Maine, who charged that the rule violated their rights under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act protecting against discrimination based on accommodations, services and facilities for the public.

       The bronze medalist Waterloo Warriors: Jamie Russell; Trevor Briggs; Mike Visser; Don Larman; Pat Brill-Edwards; Jeff Scott; Steve Garrett; Seymour Hadwen; Phil Schlote; Ron Graham; Kevin Lohr; Doug Vance; Doug Vance; coach Don McCrae

The silver medalist St. Mary’s Huskies: Lee Thomas; Errol Bing; Ken Seaward; Fred Perry; Jim Collins; Alastair MacDonald; Ivan Ross; Willie Follette; Bob Taboski; Ivor Lewis; coach Ed Hall

The champion University of Manitoba Bisons: Rick Watts; Martin Riley; Angus Burr; Darryl Rumsey; Randy Kusano; Greg Daniels; Doug Freeth; Brian Rumsey; Kevin Kelleher; Grant Watson; Ray McKall; coach Don Hunter; assistant Dave Guss; manager Russ Horbal; manager Ross Zilkey; manager Doug Slobodian