REGULAR SEASON
| PRAIRIE | PACIFIC | |||||||
| Saskatchewan | 16-4 | 24-6 | Barry Rawlyk | Victoria | 14-4 | 17-9 | Craig Beaucamp | |
| Alberta | 14-6 | 22-13 | Greg Francis | U.B.C. | 13-5 | 21-10 | Kevin Hanson | |
| Lethbridge | 11-9 | 13-18 | Dave Adams | Fraser Valley | 13-5 | 21-9 | Barnaby Craddock | |
| Calgary | 10-10 | 15-12 | Dan Vanhooren | Trinity Western | 10-8 | 15-14 | Scott Allen | |
| Manitoba | 8-12 | 15-15 | Kirby Schepp | Thompson Rivers | 6-12 | 9-18 | Scott Clark | |
| Brandon | 7-13 | 10-18 | Gil Cheung | UBC-Okanagan | 3-15 | 3-19 | Darren Semeniuk | |
| Regina | 5-15 | 7-18 | James Hillis | |||||
| Winnipeg | 4-16 | 7-18 | Mike Raimbault | |||||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Brandon Bobcats: Emerick Ravier, Ali-Mounir Benabdelahak, Ilarion Bonhomme, Kyle Vince, Jordan Reaves, Donovan Gayle, Michael Smith, Eric Schippers, James Elias, Chris Oppong, Pacome Matulu, Alex Klocek, Zach Beasley, Jamar Farley, Turell Scott, coach Gil Cheung, assistant Jeremy Wielenga, assistant Ritchie Jacobson
Manitoba Bisons: Kevin Sansregret, Stephan Walton, Kevin Oliver, Jonar Huertas, Keith Omoerah, Braedon Speer, Tanner Draward, Yigit Ozsayiner, Xavier Smith, Richard Reamer, Marko Milosevic, Amir Ali, Keegan Slijker, Erin Evans, Amarjit Basi, coach Kirby Schepp, assistant Randy Kusano, assistant Ogo Okwumabua, assistant Jeff Laping, assistant Herve Vincent, assistant Darcy Coss, therapist Byron Bahniuk, student therapist Greg Pagdato, student therapist Ashley Desloges
Regina Cougars: Paul Gareau, Connor Burns, Vule Grujic, Sterling Nostedt, Gradyn Childerhose, Brendan Hebert, Jared Janotta, Matt Campbell, Antonio Tate, Addison Docherty, Marcus Ward, Ryan Schmidt, Daniel Osiowy, Jeremy Zver, Kenroy Jones, Emmanuel Jones, redshirt Darius Mole, coach James Hillis, assistant Steve Burrows, assistant Darcy McKeown, assistant Adam Huffman
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack: Justin King, Chas Kok, Kevin Pribilsky, Akeem Pierre, Will Ondrik, Brett Parker, Brett Roualt, Zach Usherwood, Blaz Bozinovic, Mike Zayas, Ivan Bozinovic, Derek Wolf, Connor Dolson, redshirt Richard Bos, coach Scott Clark, assistant Del Komarniski, assistant Curt Dale
U.B.C.-Okanagan Heat: Yassine Ghomari, Simon Pelland, Bret Macdonald, Mack Roth, Iain Con, Steve Morrison, Julian Asselstine, Brad Quevillon, Ed Dane Medi, Ben Hindson, Jon Christian, Matt Dalton Gibson, Matthew Warren, Nick Fournier, coach Darren Semeniuk
Winnipeg Wesmen: Mark McNee, Dominque Brown, Andrew Cunningham, Travis Krahn, Eric Zimmerman, Benny Iko, Brayden Duff, James Horaska, Craig Sharpe, Kelvin Smith, Pawel Gacon, Nolan Gooding, Joshua Stolar, coach Mike Raimbault, assistant Tyler Kohut, assistant Stephen Tackie, manager Darnell Duff, therapist Jeff Billick, student therapist Kelly Chambers
In the quarterfinals, the Fraser Valley Cascades defeated the Lethbridge Pronghorns 78-87; 74-66; 69-68 (2g-1).
…………………………………………………… In game one, the Pronghorns stunned the host Cascades 87-78. The Cascades came out strong and quickly built a double-digit lead and held onto an 18-9 advantage after the first quarter. The Cascades continued to play strong defense and while being outscored by three points in the second quarter went into the locker room with a 36-30 lead. The Pronghorns opened the second half with a 6-0 run to knot the score and continued to match UFV basket for basket as the lead change hands several times before Sheldon Bjorgaard hit a miracle three pointer to give UFV the 60-57 lead with six seconds left in the third quarter, but Lethbridge was not to be out done tonight as Dominyc Coward hit a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the score at 60 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was a nail bitter as both teams made key shots to keep the game tied until midway through the final quarter when Lethbridge opened up a six-point lead. The Cascades fought back and with less than one minute to go Sam Freeman missed a layup that would have tied the game. On the next possession Coward hit another key trey that clinched the road win for Lethbridge. “Not our best game of the season, credit Lethbridge for grabbing the momentum and earning the win. We had a lot of slippage and mistakes defensively and that got us in foul trouble and cost us the game,” said Cascades coach Barnaby Craddock. “We will regroup and come out with a more focused approach on the defensive side of things tomorrow.” Daryl Cooper paced the Pronghorns with 25 on 7-14 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 10-12 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Morgan Duce added 18 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Dominyc Coward added 14 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 6 boards. Derek Waldner added 13 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Alex Fletcher added 8, Niko Kovac 5, along with 6 boards, and Tyson McIntyre 4, while Julian Spear Chief-Morris, Logan Reiter, Spencer Wenzel, Dallon Martin and Terrence Blake were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 26-61 (.426) from the floor, 8-22 (.364) from the arc and 27-37 (.730) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 6 steals, 1 block, 13 turnovers and 20 fouls. Kyle Grewal paced the Cascades with 22 on 8-19 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 10 boards. Sheldon Bjorgaard added 15 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Joel Friesen scored 11 on 2-11 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 6-14 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Samuel Freeman notched 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Jordan Blackman added 6, Jasper Moedt 4, along with 14 boards, Michael James 4, James York 3, along with 4 assists, and Spencer Evans 2. The Cascades hit 27-67 (.403) from the floor, 11-26 (.423) from the arc and 13-26 from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 28 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 8 steals, 1 block, 13 turnovers and 30 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, the Cascades evened the series with a 74-66 win as they elevated their defence and boardwork, while pressuring the Pronghorns guards. The Cascades held a narrow 16-14 lead after the first quarter. The Pronghorns came alive in the second quarter out scoring UFV by four points to take a 343-32 lead at the half. The Cascades took command in the third quarter, after which they led 54-45. “We need to address the rebounding issue,” said Lethbridge coach Dave Adams. “We were out rebounded 54-38 and it had a huge impact on the outcome tonight.” Jasper Moedt paced the Cascades with 21 on 6-13 from the floor, 9-13 from the line and 9 boards. Samuel Freeman added 12 on 3-11 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Joel Freeman notched 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 10 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Kyle Grewal added 9 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 10 boards and 3 assists. Jordan Blackman added 6, Sheldon Bjorgaard 6, along with 3 boards and 3 assists, Michael James 4, James York 3, along with 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, and Spencer Evans 3, while Connor Oldham was scoreless. The Cascades hit 24-65 (.369) from the floor, 8-20 (.400) from the arc and 18-29 (.621) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 7 steals, 1 block, 11 turnovers and 24 fouls. Dominyc Coward paced the Pronghorns with 19 on 7-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 13 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Daryl Cooper added 12 on 1-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 10-10 from the line, 2 boards and 5 assists. Derek Waldner added 11 on 5-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Niko Kovac notched 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Morgan Duce added 3, along with 5 boards and 3 assists, Alex Fletcher 3, Logan Reiter 3, Terrence Blake 2, Spencer Wenzel 2 and Tyson McIntyre 2, along with 5 boards. Dallon Martin and Julian Spear Chief-Morris were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 22-59 (.373) from the floor, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 17-21 (.810) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 15 turnovers and 24 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game three, the Cascades edged the Pronghorns 69-68 to take the series and advance to the final four for the first time since joining Canada West six years earlier. Joel Friesen nailed a trey at the buzzer to give the Cascades the win. The Cascades led 18-17 after the first quarter but exploded to a 12-point lead before the Pronghorns rallied to within 31-29 at the half. The Cascades built a 54-46 lead after three quarters and then extended their margin to 12 before the Pronghorns roared back to take a five point lead with two minutes to play. But the Pronghorns missed a pair of free throws and Fraser Valley knotted the score at 66. Lethbridge moved ahead with a bucket with 13 seconds on the clock but after a time out, Sam Freeman found Joel Friesen for the miracle three pointer at the buzzer. “I really respect the Lethbridge team, and thought they played a fantastic weekend of basketball. We wanted the ball in Joel’s hands at the end of the game, but there is no way I can even pretend we drew that up, it was an unbelievable clutch moment, and we excited to be moving on to the final four,” said Cascades coach Barnaby Craddock. Lethbridge coach Dave Adams said that “I couldn’t be prouder of our team. We played the fourth ranked team in the nation to a one possession series.” Samuel Freeman paced the Cascades with 15 on 3-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 6-8 from the line and 4 assists. Jasper Moedt added 13 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Joel Friesen scored 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Michael James notched 10 on 5-11 from the floor and 7 boards. Kyle Grewal scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Sheldon Bjorgaard added 4, along with 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, James York 4, along with 4 boards and 6 assists, and Jordan Blackman 3, while Spencer Evans and Connor Oldham were scoreless. The Cascades hit 24-59 (.407) from the floor, 10-22 (.455) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 8 steals, 3 blocks and 16 fouls. Dominyc Coward paced the Pronghorns with 20 on 8-12 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 10 boards and 3 blocks. Morgan Duce added 15 on 5-9 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Derek Waldner notched 11 on 5-14 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 10 boards. Logan Reiter scored 10 on 5-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 0-2 from the line. Daryl Cooper added 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists. Terrence Blake added 3, along with 3 boards, and Dallon Martin 3, while Alex Fletcher, Spencer Wenzel and Tyson McIntyre were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 27-57 (.474) from the floor, 8-20 (.400) from the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 12 turnovers and 19 fouls. The Pronghorns (coached by Dave Adams, assisted by Brad Karren, Ryan Anderson, Paul Bagnall, Randy Davis and Sterling Hamilton, trainer Lorelle Kerik, strength & conditioning Steve Szilagyi, therapist Kim Luhowy, therapist Brian Boehme, consultant David Townsend) also included Julian Spear Chief-Morris, Niko Kovac, Tanner Murray and Wes Chapman.
The Alberta Golden Bears dispatched the British Columbia Thunderbirds 79-69; 91-68 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, host Alberta prevailed 79-69. After a layup by Kamar Burke on the first play of the game, the Golden Bears replied with a 7-0 run, only to have the T-birds counter with an 18-2 run in a three-minute span and taking a 20-12 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Yet another momentum swing yielded a 16-0 run by the home team to reclaim the lead, but UBC kept things close and the two squads were about to enter halftime deadlocked at 32, but Sahr Saffa sunk a trey with just three seconds left on the clock. The lead changed hands four times early in the second half before Saffa ignited a 19-5 run with a big mid-court steal from Doug Plumb, charging into the paint before outwaiting his coverage and putting a deuce off the glass for a 60-47 Alberta lead at the end of the third. The resilient UBC squad didn’t give up, however, and Nathan Yu quieting the home crowd by smoothly maneuvering through the Alberta defence as the Thunderbirds reduced the deficit to a single point. Daniel Ferguson replied with a couple of free throws before Plumb responded with a layup. But Ferguson drained a trey from the top of the key for a 71-67 lead with two minutes left to go. Fifth-year Matthew Cardoza tallied the next five points, punctuating his efforts with a tremendous two-handed dunk to cement the win. Daniel Ferguson paced the Bears with 25 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 13-14 from the line, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sahr Saffa added 23 on 9-15 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 steals. Jordan Baker scored 15 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 13 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Matthew Cardoza added 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Robert Dewar scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Lyndon Taylor added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 3 boards and 2 assists. Todd Bergen-Henengouwen added 2, while Andrew Bates and Nikola Manojlovic were scoreless. The Golden Bears hit 26-54 (.481) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from the arc and 20-27 (.741) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 12 steals, 9 blocks, 16 turnovers and 18 fouls. Kamar Burke paced the Thunderbirds with 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Doug Plumb added 15 on 6-16 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tommy Nixon notched 10 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Graham Bath scored 9 on 2-7 from the floor, 5-5 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Nathan Yu added 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Geoff Pippus added 3, along with 2 boards, Malcolm Williams 3, along with 4 boards, Nakai Luyken 2 and David Wagner 2, while Balraj Bains and Michael Lewandowski were scoreless. The T-Birds hit 24-63 (.381) from the floor, 7-13 (.538) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 9 steals, 20 turnovers and 22 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta completed the series sweep by stomped U.B.C. 91-68 after leading 23-14, 48-32 and 71-47 at the quarters. The Bears nailed 11 treys in the blowout. “I know we’re going to be a very good offensive team but we haven’t scored the way we need to, so to see these guys starting to move the ball and knock down shots, that’s going to be perfect for the playoffs, because we have a bunch of guys that can make plays,” said Alberta coach Greg Francis. “It’s an amazing feeling. UBC’s been the class … since I’ve been in the league and to be able to build with these guys and not only win this season, but get better as we went along. … Sahr Saffa’s been unbelievable because we put too much pressure on Jordan (Baker) and Daniel (Ferguson) to make all the plays. Now our other guys are starting to step up and right now you have to account for Sahr and if you have to account for that third guy, that just means Jordan and Daniel are going to be able to do their job that much easier.” Saffa said that “I always knew I had it, and coach put his trust in me to take open shots, create shots for myself and create shots for my teammates. It felt good. It was a good weekend.” Alberta’s three guard formation posed too great a challenge for the T-Birds. The Bears hit 8-15 from the arc in the first half while taking command. “I am very proud of what our four seniors have accomplished over their careers,” said UBC coach Kevin Hanson. “They have had a huge impact on our program and have been great ambassadors for UBC. It is a tough way for them to end their careers but they have a lot of great memories. Tonight they left it all on the court but we got beat by a real good team that played well over the weekend.” Jordan Baker paced the Bears with 25 on 7-11 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 8-11 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Daniel Ferguson added 20 on 4-10 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 9-10 from the line and 2 boards. Sahr Saffa notched 18 on 7-14 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Todd Bergen-Henengouwen added 10 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Robert Dewar scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 4 assists and 2 steals. Lyndon Taylor added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 assists. Andrew Bates added 4 and Matthew Cardoza 3, while Nikola Manojlovic, Adam Weir and Jason Baillie were scoreless. The Golden Bears hit 28-55 (.509) from the floor, 11-25 (.440) from the arc and 24-32 (.750) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 13 steals, 5 blocks, 15 turnovers and 16 fouls. Nathan Yu paced the T-Birds with 23 on 9-22 from the floor, 3-13 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 assists and 2 steals. Doug Plumb added 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Graham Bath notched 9 on 4-11 from the floor and 1-1 from the line. Kamar Burke scored 9 on 2-7 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards and 5 assists. Tommy Nixon notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Malcolm Williams added 5 and Balraj Bains 4, along with 4 boards, while Michael Lewandowski, Nakai Luyken, Geoff Pippus, David Wagner and Glenn Gravengard were scoreless. The T-Birds hit 26-62 (.419) from the floor, 4-18 (.222) from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 3 steals, 20 turnovers and 22 fouls. The Thunderbirds (coached by Kevin Hanson, assisted by Casey Archibald, Vern Knopp, Dahman Boudraa and Jamie Oei, trainer Sinead Beynon) also included Mamdou Sakho and Jermaine Cherry.
The Saskatchewan Huskies eliminated the Trinity Western Spartans 98-83; 111-97 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Saskatchewan prevailed 98-83. The Huskies led 26-18 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 44 at the half. Saskatchewan led 68-64 after three quarters. The Huskies couldn’t shake the Spartans until the fourth quarter despite a stellar effort from Canada West MVP Jamelle Barrett. But Barrett hit a trey with 6:54 to play to give Saskatchewan its first double-digit lead and the Huskies took command down the stretch. They were aided in the stretch drive by the return to the floor of Ben Baker, who was sidelined in the first with a nasty cut. Baker scored 8 down the stretch. The Spartans were able to capitalize off of Huskie turnovers in the first half scoring 16 points off giveaways but only managed two in the second half. “We played well for three quarter but then fatigue and mental breakdowns became part of the game in the fourth quarter,” said Spartans coach Scott Allen. “They got a couple of back-breaking runs on us and that was the difference. We need to shore up our decision-making in transition for tomorrow night and also do a better job of taking the ball out of their point guard’s hands. That was our plan but we just didn’t execute it for the entire game.” Jamelle Barrett paced the Huskies with 36 on 14-21 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 7 boards and 9 assists. Duncan Jones added 14 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Michael Lieffers scored 12 on 6-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Ben Baker added 10 on 4-5 from the floor, 2-5 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Matthew Forbes added 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Chris Unsworth scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Patrick Burns added 6 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Andrew Henry notched 4 and Peter Lomuro 3, while Evan Ostertag and Nick Foth were scoreless. The Huskies hit 37-63 (.587) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 18-28 (.643) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 9 steals, 2 blocks, 24 turnovers and 20 fouls. Kyle Coston paced the Spartans with 25 on 9-19 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 3 boards. Sean Peter added 16 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Calvin Westbrook notched 14 on 5-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Tristan Smith added 13 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5 assists and 4 steals. Niko Monachini added 5, along with 4 boards, Kurtis Osborne 4, Tyler Lintell 4, along with 2 steals, and Justin Bakuteka 2, along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Wes Mallory, Lucas Nugteren, Taylor Heinrichs and Lucian Sauciuc were scoreless. The Spartans hit 33-71 (.465) from the floor, 6-18 (.333) from the arc and 11-21 (.524) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 16 steals, 1 block, 18 turnovers and 20 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, Saskatchewan completed the series sweep with a 111-97 win. The first two quarters were a back-and-forth affair. Saskatchewan led 27-25 after the first quarter and 56-55 at halftime. But Calvin Westbrook and Sean Peter led the Spartans to a six point lead in the third quarter. Huskie perimeter shooter Duncan Jones sparked Saskatchewan with a three point shot from well above the arc to pull the Huskies within one point at 79-78. The Huskies regained the lead on a dunk by Michael Lieffers with 1:30 left in the frame and took over the period leading 86-81 by the end of the third quarter. Trinity Western pulled within five at the seven minute mark of the fourth but that was as close as they would get. “It was a valiant effort from the guys,” said Spartans coach Scott Allen. “They battled hard. We got into the kind of game we wanted with a high-scoring shootout but in the end they wore us out with all of their second chance points and offensive rebounds. I’m proud of the guys. They could have quit but they kept on fighting and believing in each other.” Jamelle Barrett paced the Huskies with 41 on 15-23 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 8-13 from the line, 8 boards and 10 assists. Matthew Forbes added 23 on 8-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5-8 from the line and 6 boards. Duncan Jones added 16 on 6-18 from the floor and 4-14 from the arc. Michael Lieffers notched 14 on 7-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the line, 19 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Peter Lomuro added 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 2 assists and 3 steals. Ben Baker added 4 on 4-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Andrew Henry scored 2, while Evan Ostertag, Nick Foth, Chris Unsworth and Patrick Burns were scoreless. The Huskies hit 40-75 (.533) from the floor, 11-28 (.393) from the arc and 20-33 (.606) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks, 10 turnovers and 18 fouls. Tristan Smith paced the Spartans with 25 on 7-11 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 8-8 from the line, 3 boards and 11 assists. Calvin Westbrook added 23 on 9-15 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Kyle Coston scored 22 on 9-19 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 4 boards. Kurtis Osborne added 10 on 5-9 from the floor and 5 boards. Sean Peter notched 8 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Niko Monachini added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Justin Bakuteka added 3, along with 3 boards, and Tyler Linttell 2, while Wes Mallory, Lucian Sauciuc, Taylor Heinrichs and Lucas Nugteren were scoreless. The Spartans hit 36-73 (.493) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and 17-20 (.850) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 5 steals, 8 turnovers and 25 fouls. The Spartans (coached by Scott Allen, assisted by Ron Walker, Cal Wirch and Matt Boulton, program coordinator Livia Munro) also included Zach Nicholls, Micah Cockrill, Eli Mara and Zach Nicholls.
In the last quarterfinal series, the Victoria Vikes defeated the Calgary Dinos 68-73; 68-61 and 90-88 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In game one, the Dinos prevailed 73-68. Despite trailing by as much as eight points in the second quarter, the Vikes led 35-34 at the half thanks to a great opening quarter from Mike Berg and an equally strong second quarter from Zac Andrus. In the third quarter, the Vikes gained momentum quickly after a sensational 30-foot trey from Ryan MacKinnon following a massive Tyler Fidler block on Berg. It gave the Vikes a 41-37 lead. But once again, a few possessions with turnovers and poor shot selection allowed the Dinos to claw back. The Vikes led 54-53 after three quarters. Andrus gave the Vikes two five-point leads twice in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, then a Terrell Evans backdoor cut and lay-up with 5:50 remaining gave the Vikes their largest lead of the game at six points and forced a Calgary timeout. UVic maintained a six-point cushion with just over three minutes remaining at 66-60. A trey by guard Keenan Milburn got the Dinos back within three and then McKinnon scored what would be the last points for Victoria on a driving banker with 2:30 remaining, before Boris Bakovic went to work. A jumper and a driving lay-up and 1 tied it up at 1:50. Fidler scored on a baseline drive after a Calgary time-out, and the Vikes missed every attempt in the final minute, with Bakovic and Fidler cleaning the glass. Dino free throws accounted for the last three points. The Dinos defensive boardwork down the stretch proved decisive. Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren said that “we are very proud of our guys for hanging in there, and playing tough when it counted. We believe in these guys, and we know that whoever wins this series is going to have to earn it. … Tyler and Boris both played really well, they did what we needed to do, and we got big games from our big guns. We held our own from a rebounding standpoint. And one of the guys who deserves a lot of credit that won’t show up on the stats sheet is Josh Owen-Thomas. He was guarding (Ryan) MacKinnon all night, and everything Mackinnon got was tough and he had to work hard for it.” Boris Bakovic paced the Dinos with 27 on 10-17 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 11 boards and 5 assists. Tyler Fidler added 19 on 9-14 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 6 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Keenan Milburn notched 9 on 4-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson added 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Andrew McGuinness added 4, along with 2 boards, Josh Owen-Thomas 3, along with 3 assists, and Dustin Reding 2, while Nebosja Kuljic and Patrick Walker were scoreless. The Dinos hit 31-57 (.544) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 7-9 (.778) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, 14 turnovers and 15 fouls. Ryan Mackinnon paced the Vikes with 18 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Zac Andrus added 15 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Terrell Evans added 12 on 6-9 from the floor and 4 boards. Mike Berg scored 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 8 boards. Pierce Anderson notched 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Andy Kalla added 2 and Michael Acheampong 1 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Reiner Theil, Reese Pribilsky, John Woldu and Chris McLaughlin were scoreless. The Vikes hit 26-62 (.419) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 12-18 from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 10 steals, 1 block, 13 turnovers and 15 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, Victoria evened the series with a 68-61 win. A number of players stepped up to provide a spark and end Calgary’s seven-game winning streak. In the first quarter, rookie Reiner Thiel hammered a three-pointer on the final possession of the period made it 18-11 for UVic. Forward Chris McLaughlin drained his first trey of the season on a great pass from Zac Andrus, rolling off a screen and delivered on an open look. Following the shot, Boris Bakovic picked up a technical and Terrell Evans sank both shots on the ensuing foul-shots from the line to extend the lead to 27-16. UVic made a stop at the defensive end and then Reese Pribilsky torpedoed a trey to give UVic a 30-16 midway through the second quarter. But Calgary countered with a 9-0 run over 4:43 to close out the half to rally within 32-27 heading into the lockers. In the third quarter, Evans exploded out of the gate, ending the five-minute Vikes scoring drought with the first bucket of the second quarter to restore a seven-point UVic lead and ignite a 10-0 run. The Dinos, though, countered with 13-3 run over four minutes to retake the lead. The Vikes luck started after an Andrus trey, then Berg converted on a low-post hook-shot to make it a 10-point lead at 39-29. But back-to-back treys from Keenan Milburn and Fidler cut the host’s lead to 41-37, then to 42-40. Ogungbemi-Jackson and Bakovic hit back-to-back shots to give Calgary the lead again, 50-46 after three quarters. Bakovic gave the Dinos their largest lead of the contest in the opening minute of the final quarter at 52-46. But a momentum-changing Terrell Evans steal turned into a Vikes two-on-one, give-and-go with Reese Pribilsky. Evans connected and gave the Vikes life, cutting the lead to 52-51. Then Evans pulled down a defensive rebound on the next series. It led to Ryan MacKinnon tying the game from the line at 52 with eight minutes remaining. The fifth-year guard then hit with the shot-clock expiring to make it 54-52, and the team then forced a Calgary turnover. The Vikes never trailed again. Tyler Fidler got into foul trouble and Calgary picked up its fourth team foul with over six minutes remaining in the game. The Vikes outscored the Dinos 16-0 in the paint in the final quarter. Up by 10 points with 90 seconds remaining, UVic played stellar defence to close out. The Dinos were forced to foul the Vikes, and UVic scored its final points from the charity stripe. “We just knew we had to put it all out there and that we had to come together tonight to win,” Terrell Evans said. “We really needed this and we knew we could do it. We know we are capable of being great and we get another chance to show what we have tomorrow.” Terrell Evans paced the Vikes with 21 on 9-12 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 7 boards. Zac Andrus added 10 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Ryan Mackinnon scored 9 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 4 assists. Pierce Anderson added 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 3 boards. Reiner Theil scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Chris McLaughlin added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Mike Berg notched 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Reese Pribilsky scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 5 assists. Michael Acheampong notched 2 on 1-8 from the floor, 6 boards and 3 assists. John Woldu was scoreless. The Vikes hit 27-64 (.422) from the floor, 4-10 from the arc and 10-20 from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 6 steals, 5 turnovers and 17 fouls. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson paced the Dinos with 17 on 7-15 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Tyler Fidler added 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 4 blocks. Boris Bakovic scored 13 on 6-14 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 14 boards and 2 assists. Keenan Milburn notched 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2 boards. Andrew MacGuinness added 3, Dustin Redin 2, along with 5 boards and 3 assists, and Josh Owen-Thomas 2, along with 3 assists. Josh Wolfram was scoreless. The Dinos hit 24-61 (.393) from the floor, 7-14 from the arc and 6-8 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 11 turnovers and 17 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game three, Victoria captured the series by nipping Calgary 90-88. Victoria guard Terrell Evans swooped under the basket to score a no-look, put-back hoop that fell through as the game clock hit zero. With the crowd at McKinnon counting down the game clock, Vikes senior guard Ryan McKinnon had unfurled a step-back jumper just inside the three-point arc with five seconds remaining. Teammate Pierce Anderson tipped the miss, but it too fell short, leaving just a fraction of a second for Evans to redirect it. The ball actually went up high off the backboard glass and bounced once off the iron before settling and finally rolling through the cylinder. “I just had to put it up,” Evans said. “It was just crazy. I feel like we deserved it and felt we were going to win it. I threw the ball and kind of got shoved from behind, but I didn’t even know it went in. I got jumped on by my teammates, so I knew we had won. I just put it up there and hoped for the best. … Our designed play was for Ryan [MacKinnon] to take the last shot. He had a hot hand all night and he made a good shot. I just put the ball back up towards the basketball and I didn’t see it go in. I was bumped from behind and the next thing I knew I was celebrating on the floor. Right now, I’m speechless. That was a great game.’’ Calgary led 24-21 after one quarter and 48-43 at the half. The Vikes kept pounding the ball inside to Mike Berg, Terrell Evans and Pierce Anderson in the second half and soon led 57-54. Mackinnon kept slicing into the lane as the Vikes extended their lead to 69-64 after three quarters but Calgary rallied with treys by Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and Boris Bakovic. Tyler Fidler went down with about five minutes left, as he got bumped going to the hole and banged up his elbow, sitting out for about a minute and a half. Bakovic put the Dinos on top with two minutes to play, then Pierce Anderson scored four crucial free throws to give Vic the lead back. The Vikes turned it over with an 88-86 lead, and, off a time-out, Fidler took it to the hoop and his shot was swatted away, but counted on a basket interference call to tie it with 17.6 seconds left, setting the stage for the final heroics. Victoria coach Craig Beaucamp said “that was a great display of basketball by two good teams. We knew that we weren’t getting an easy opponent to play and Calgary was really tough on us. I’m very proud of how our guys responded to the challenge. … We didn’t played that well defensively in the first half but Ryan [MacKinnon] and Michael [Acheampong] kept us in the game. Without them, we would have been out of it early.’’ Ryan Mackinnon said “this was a good way to say goodbye to McKinnon Gym. I was very motivated to play well and have my best game possible to help the team win. It was a great game to play in as it was a back-and-forth battle. Now we have to refocus for our next challenge in the Final Four.’’ Calgary’s Tyler Fidler noted that “it was a really hard-fought series. UVic is a hard team to beat at home. Our team fought very hard and we have no regrets.’’ Ryan Mackinnon paced the Vikes with 33 on 11-18 from the floor, 6-8 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Michael Acheampong added 18 on 7-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Mike Berg added 14 on 7-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Terrell Evans scored 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists. Pierce Anderson notched 8 on 2-4 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Zac Andrus scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 5 assists. John Woldu added 2, while Reiner Theil, Chris McLaughlin and Reese Pribilsky were scoreless. The Vikes hit 33-63 (.516) from the floor, 8-15 (.533) from the arc and 16-17 (.941) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks, 7 turnovers and 17 fouls. Tyler Fidler paced the Dinos with 30 on 10-19 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 10-12 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 5 blocks. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson added 21 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Boris Bakovic notched 14 on 6-16 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Josh Owen-Thomas added 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Keenan Milburn added 6 on 3-3 from the floor, 5 boards and 4 assists. Andrew McGuinness scored 6 on 2-4 from the arc, while Dustin Reding was scoreless. The Dinos hit 32-62 (.516) from the floor, 8-18 (.444) from the arc and 16-19 (.842) from the line, while garnering 22 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 6 turnovers and 17 fouls. The Dinos (coached by Dan Vanhooren, assistant Steve Hamaliuk, shooting coach Dave Love, manager Dean McCord, strength & conditioning Rich Hesketh) also included Matt Letkeman, Josh Wolfram, Patrick Walker, Nebojsa Kuljic, Trevor Debolt, Dan Wiersum and Youri Anissovets.
In the Final Four semis, the Alberta Golden Bears dusted the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies 89-73. Alberta had leads of 23-18 and 43-35 in the opening 2 quarters, and the Huskies were tight, trying too hard at times, and simply not finding the flow in their game, despite not having lost a home game in two years. The Huskies made a bid for a comeback in the second half bringing the Golden Bears lead to one after a block by sophomore Ben Baker and a three-point play with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. The Huskies tied the game at 50 shortly after. But Alberta answered the Huskies quickly and restored a 64-57 lead by the end of the third. In the fourth, Saskatchewan had the game within two points with six minutes left but once again the Huskies couldn’t stop Alberta’s shooters. Golden Bear Jordan Baker noted that “we put in a great team defensive effort. When you hold a team like that to around 70 points, you know it’s going to be a tight game. They’re a well-coached team, they play hard and they’ve been on a huge run. We got some of our shots to fall and we came out on top.” Saskatchewan coach Barry Rawlyk said that “we just couldn’t quite climb over the hump there. A couple of times, we kind of reeled them in and got where we wanted to be and then had a couple of break-downs and they went out in front of us again. We were never able to fully get past that. It gets to playoff time and the game gets a little more physical down in the paint – they responded a little better to it than we did tonight. They got some easy baskets on transition on us and we didn’t dominate the glass like we needed to. Overall, their team rebounding was better than ours and that was a huge factor in the game.” Jordan Baker led Alberta with 24 on 9-19 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 9 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Sahr Saffa added 20 on 7-15 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Daniel Ferguson added 18 on 6-19 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Todd Bergen-Henengouwen notched 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 5 boards. Lyndon Taylor added 6 on 3-3 from the floor, 2 boards and 2 assists. Robert Dewar scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7 boards and 3 assists. Andrew Bates added 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 2 boards, while Matthew Cardoza was scoreless. Jamelle Barrett paced Saskatchewan with 24 on 7-24 from the floor, 5-16 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 7 assists. Michael Lieffers added 14 on 6-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 13 boards. Peter Lomuro scored 12 on 5-13 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Ben Baker notched 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 5 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Matthew Forbes added 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 7 boards. Duncan Jones added 5 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Chris Unsworth scored 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Patrick Burns and Andrew Henry were scoreless. The Huskies hit 26-74 (.351) from the floor, 6-30 (.200) from the arc and 15-23 (.652) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, 13 turnovers and 19 fouls.
In the other semi, the Fraser Valley Cascades nipped the Victoria Vikes 63-62. Although the Cascades had a 29-point half-time lead, Victoria almost completed an improbable comeback by matching Fraser Valley’s 19 points in the third quarter and outscoring the Cascades 24-6 in the fourth. After Ryan MacKinnon opened the scoring with a three, Fraser Valley went on a 15-0 run and led 19-7 after the opening quarter. Led by timely scoring from Jordan Blackmon and Kyle Grewal, the Cascades built on that early lead and carried a 38-19 cushion into the halftime break. The Cascades led by 46-21 with 6:21 in the third quarter before a late 8-0 Victoria run cut the lead to 49-34., Joel Friesen scored and drew a foul to end the run and put the Cascades up 51-34. Fraser Valley led 57-38 after three quarters. Trailing by 19 points entering the fourth, the Vikes cut the lead to 59-47 on a MacKinnon trey. A three-pointer from freshman Reiner Theil made it 61-52, cutting the lead to nine points. Then Zac Andrus scored and added the and-one from the free-throw line to make it 63-55, cutting the lead to eight with 4:30 left. Forward Terrell Evans of Las Vegas then hit with four minutes left after an offensive rebound to cut the lead to six points. Then another trey by MacKinnon reduced the Cascades lead to three points at 63-60. The Vikes made a key defensive stop followed by a foul to send the Vikes into to the bonus, and MacKinnon sank both free-throws from the line, making the score 63-62 with just under two minutes left. On the next possession, Fraser Valley pulled down three offensive rebounds to reset the shot clock but could not score. Eventually, MacKinnon came up with the key steal on Cascades forward Jasper Moedt but time ran out on the Vikes. “We were tight to start and we didn’t make plays early,” said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp. “But I’m proud of how valiantly we fought back. … I’m very disappointed. In a big game like this, you hope that everyone is firing on all cylinders. We weren’t as the team was very tentative. We were on our heels and we couldn’t hit any shots. We obviously got tighter as we kept missing. We dug ourselves into such a deep hole that we needed to be almost perfect after that to win. I’m proud that the guys didn’t quit and the way they fought back. However, you can’t beat a good team like Fraser Valley by playing one quarter of basketball.” Cascades coach Barnaby Craddock said that he “couldn’t be happier with our defensive performance, maybe our best of the year. Take away the fourth quarter jitters of playing with a big lead, and it was a gritty performance. Victoria deserves credit for fighting back late in the game, and we were fortunate to make just enough plays to earn a trip to Halifax. It’s an honour for our program to get to represent our university at the national tournament in Halifax. It is a special event and I am elated that the young men in our program have a chance to compete at it.” Kyle Grewal paced the Cascades with 12 on 6-13 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 7 boards. Jordan Blackman added 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Samuel Freeman notched 10 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Joel Friesen scored 10 on 4-14 from the floor, 0-8 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Michael James scored 9 on 4-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 7 boards. Jasper Moedt scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 9 boards. James York added 3 on 1-3 from the arc and 3 assists. Sheldon Bjorgaard added 3, while Spencer Evans and Klaus Figueredo were scoreless. The Cascades hit 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 4-24 (.167) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 4 steals, 11 turnovers and 21 fouls. Ryan Mackinnon paced the Vikes with 15 on 5-16 from the floor, 3-11 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Zac Andrus added 12 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 7-7 from the line and 8 boards. Terrell Evans added 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Michael Acheampong added 9 on 3-16 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Mike Berg scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Reiner Theil notched 6 on 2-2 from the arc and 2 boards. John Woldu added 4, along with 2 assists, and Pierce Anderson 1, along with 3 boards. Reese Pribilsky was scoreless. The Vikes hit 18-62 (.290) from the floor, 7-27 (.259) from the arc and 19-27 (.704) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 4 steals, 7 turnovers and 13 fouls.
In the bronze medal match, the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies edged the Victoria Vikes 90-85. The Vikes dug themselves an early hole, trailing 8-0 less than two minutes into the game, but quickly responded with a pair of three-pointers and jump shot to tie it at 8-8. Evans gave the Vikes the 10-8 lead, all in the opening 2:30 of the game. The Vikes led by as much as six points in opening quarter before the Huskies went on a 12-0 run connecting on a series of UVic turnovers. Saskatchewan led 26-22 after the opening 10 minutes. Leading 30-24 early in the second, led by 10-point efforts from Lieffers and Jones, the host Huskies scored in bunches. Ryan MacKinnon hit back-to-back threes to give the Vikes third first lead of the game at 37-36 and then 40-37 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. But Saskatchewan came back to lead 46-42 at the half after some strong play in their defensive half. In the third quarter, the Huskies stretched the lead to 67-58 as Duncan Jones nailed a trio from beyond the arc. But the Vikes fought back in the fourth, pulling within 72-71 on a trey by freshman Reiner Theil with four minutes to play. A string of Huskies turnovers late allowed the Vikes to stay in the game, trailing 86-84 with 1:10 to play, but Jones capitalized on a MacKinnon turnover and rebuilt an 88-84 lead with 35 seconds left and the Huskies held on for the win. Vikings coach Craig Beaucamp noted that “it was a very difficult game for both teams to play, I’m proud of how we played as we competed very hard in a tough situation. We had the opportunity to get everyone in the game, as neither team had a chance to get the wild-card berth for nationals. It was a very entertaining game, and that is a testament to the players involved. Ryan [MacKinnon] was our guy all year. He was our emotional leader off the court and our scoring leader. After the game, I told our team that Zac [Andrus], Mike [Berg] and Ryan [MacKinnon] are everything you want a Vikes basketball player to be. They represented their school, community and families very well.” Duncan Jones paced the Huskies with 40 on 13-17 from the floor, 9-10 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 4 steals. Michael Lieffers added 18 on 8-14 from the floor, 2-6 from the line, 16 boards and 4 steals. Matthew Forbes added 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Jamelle Barrett notched 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 3 boards and 8 assists. Chris Unsworth added 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Ben Baker scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Peter Lomuro added 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Patrick Burns, Temidayo Jabagun, Nick Foth, Evan Ostertag and Andrew Henry were scoreless. The Huskies hit 34-67 (.507) from the floor, 9-19 (.474) from the arc and 13-24 (.542) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 11 steals, 15 turnovers and 14 fouls. Ryan Mackinnon paced the Vikes with 24 on 8-17 from the floor, 5-11 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Michael Acheampong added 15 on 6-12 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Terrell Evans notched 12 on 3-6 from the floor, 6-7 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Zac Andrus added 8 on 2-10 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Reiner Theil added 7 on 3-6 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Chris McLaughlin added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Mike Berg added 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 5 boards. Pierce Anderson added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 2 boards. Vijay Dhillon added 3, Reese Pribilsky 2 and John Woldu 1, while Andy Kaila was scoreless. The Vikes hit 30-72 (.417) from the floor, 12-31 (.387) from the arc and 13-15 (.867) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 8 steals, 4 blocks, 17 turnovers and 19 fouls. The Vikes (coached by Craig Beaucamp, assisted by Craig Behan, Phil Ohl and Cyril Indome) also included Chris McLaughlin, Ryan Erikson and Sean Patrick.
In the final, the Alberta Golden Bears nipped the Fraser Valley Cascades 72-71 as Daniel Ferguson scored eight of the Bears final 11 points, including a pair of late treys to give Alberta its first conference title since 04-05 and its 11th since 1965. In a back and forth game that saw 14 ties and 14 lead changes the Golden Bears put together a fourth quarter surge to come from behind and defeat the Cascades. With just under three minutes left, Ferguson hit a three pointer to bring the Bears to within one point. On their next trip down the floor, Matthew Cardoza converted a jump shot giving the Golden Bears the lead at 68-67 with 1:58 remaining. The game went back and forth until Ferguson hit another clutch three pointer with 41 seconds giving the Golden Bears a 72-71 lead. Ferguson’s shot was the eventual game winner. With nine seconds left the Cascades had the ball and a chance to win the game. Fraser Valley had an open look for three from Jordan Blackman but his shot went long into the hands of Jasper Moet who put the ball in just after time expired. “Daniel has been an amazing captain for us this year and I think it was very fitting for him to make some clutch shots to give us the win,” said Alberta coach Greg Francis. “(The win) shows that we’re going to be ready for Nationals, because you don’t want to have a letdown leading up to this tournament, and so it’s important for our guys to stick with it and grind out a win.” Cascades coach Barnaby Craddock said “we are not happy with the silver medal this evening, as we really wanted to compete and earn the conference championship, but tonight was Alberta’s night. They had a couple guys that elevated there games and nudged us at the end. Our defensive effort is keeping is in games right now, and I am happy with our effort at that end of the floor. Hopefully we can get rolling on the offensive end of the floor at nationals, and really finish of the season playing our best basketball. Both Mike James and Jasper Moedt had great games this evening, and were a big part of us having a chance to win at the end.” Daniel Ferguson paced Alberta with 25 points on 7-16 from the floor, 6-11 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jordan Baker added 21 on 9-21 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Sahr Saffa notched 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Lyndon Taylor added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Matthew Cardoza added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 4 boards. Todd Bergen-Henengouwen added 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Robert Dewar added 2, along with 3 boards, and Andrew Bates 2. The Golden Bears hit 26-65 (.400) from the floor, 10-25 from the arc and 10-12 (.833) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 8 turnovers and 18 fouls. Michael James paced the Cascades with 14 on 5-6 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 6 boards. Kyle Grewal added 13 on 6-18 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 0-3 from the line, 10 boards and 4 assists. Jasper Moedt notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 8 boards. Jordan Blackman scored 10 on 4-10 from the floor and 2-5 from the arc. Joel Friesen notched 8 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 2 boards. Sheldon Bjorgaard added 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. James York added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Samuel Freeman added 2, while Spencer Evans was scoreless. The Cascades hit 27-65 (.415) from the floor, 6-21 (.286) from the arc and 11-19 (.579) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 11 turnovers and 15 steals.
After the season, Alberta coach Greg Francis bails for Waterloo. “The basketball here has been incredible, and the student-athletes they have here at U of A are going to be successful whether I’m here or not,” said Francis. “But this opportunity at Waterloo allows me to get back to Ontario, to reconnect with some family and friends I have already established there, and Waterloo really wants to build something, and I believe they have the people in place to make it happen. So if I can take what I learned about how things are done at the U of A to there, then it will be an exciting place to be.” In his three seasons at the Bears helm, Francis had a 40-24 conference record, an 8-6 playoff mark and 54-45 overall portfolio. “I’d like to thank Greg for everything that he did for Golden Bears’ basketball and the University of Alberta, and wish him the best of luck in the future,” said Director of Athletics Ian Reade. Francis is replaced by Fraser Valley coach Barnaby Craddock. “I’m excited to be a part of the Golden Bears and Pandas culture, an environment that pursues excellence in sport,” said Craddock. “The Golden Bears’ basketball program has a storied tradition and it’s an honour to become part of it.” Originally from Vancouver, Craddock coached two years at Brandon, where he amassed a
30-12 record, winning national coach of the year honours and the CIS silver medal in 2007, and then five years at Fraser Valley, where he led the Cascades to four playoff seasons, their first CIS national ranking, the 2012 Canada West silver, and a fourth place finish at the 2012 nationals. His all-time CIS record stands at 83-65, and includes two Canada West silver medals (2007 and 2012), CIS silver medal (2007) and the 2007 CIS coach of the year award. He also has coached with various Canada Basketball teams, including the 2011 Summer University Games team that earned silver in Shenzhen, China, and featured current Golden Bear Jordan Baker, as well as the 2012 Canada Basketball Men’s Cadet (U-17) team that is playing in the U-17 World Championship this summer in Lithuania. Craddock noted that “so many elite players and coaches have been involved with this program. I’m enthusiastic to work with the talented group of current student-athletes, as well the challenge of continuing the tradition of excellence that the Golden Bears basketball program is synonymous with.” Following a playing career at the University of Lethbridge (1994-97), where he was a CIAU second team all-Canadian (1997), and would have played against Alberta’s back-to-back national championship teams (1994 and 1995), as well as a professional career in Europe (1997-2002), Craddock is excited to become a part of the Golden Bears’ legacy. “I have always had a large level of respect for the past Golden Bears teams, and I look forward to working alongside some of the fantastic alumni that I know from my years in the Canada West conference,” said Craddock.
In turn, Fraser Valley athletic director Chris Bertram names Adam Friesen their interim head coach. Friesen moves from his position as assistant coach, which he has held the past five years. In addition to assisting Coach Craddock, Friesen has coached at Yale Secondary in Abbotsford and worked with the very successful UFV Junior Cascade program, teaching the youth of Fraser Valley the basics of basketball. Friesen was a graduate of Trinity Western University, where he was an All-Canadian for the Spartans. The Bachelor of Arts graduate was TWU’s all-time leading scorer. Friesen played in 99 games for TWU from 2002-2005 scoring 1,869 points. Friesen also holds the Spartans record for most points in one season with 783 in 2002-03. The same year he establish the Spartans record for assists with 183, Friesen ranks number one in TWU history with 443 career assists. “I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to coach next year here at UFV. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to learn and work with Barnaby Craddock these past 5 seasons and I am looking forward to building upon the programs growing success,” said Friesen. Bertram said “I am very pleased Adam accepted our offer to take on the interim coaching role with the Cascades. This is a mature team with many senior players and we needed to ensure continuity going into next season. Adam is tremendously popular with the players and obviously familiar with the systems that are in place. Adam is a talented young coach and will bring a great deal of passion and enthusiasm to position.”
After two seasons as interim head coach, Barry Rawlyk is appointed the University of Saskatchewan men’s basketball head coach by athletic director Basil Hughton. Rawlyk, who will enter his sixth season with the team after spending time as an assistant coach before taking the interim tag for two seasons, is the sixth head coach in the program’s history. “We are very excited to have Barry remain on our coaching staff,” said Hughton. “He is a student of the game and brings a wealth of experience to our program and understands how Huskie Athletics works. Through his hard work and dedication, our men’s basketball program continues to be one of the top programs in Canada. We look forward to continued success under his leadership.” Rawlyk joined the Huskie men’s basketball coaching staff in 2007-08 as an assistant coach before taking over as interim coach in 2010-11. He continued in the interim position in 2011-12. In 2010-11, Rawlyk led the Huskies to a fourth place finish at the CIS Championship and a second place finish in the Canada West after sporting a conference 20-4 record. The next season, Rawlyk continued the success leading the Huskies to the program’s first-ever hosting duties at the Canada West Final Four after finishing first in the conference with a 16-4 record. The Huskies finished with a bronze medal at the Canada West Championship. Rawlyk spent more than two decades coaching at Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon. During his tenure, he established the Crusaders, as winning program in the city. He led the Crusaders to 11 City Championship titles. Holy Cross also won three Provincial Championships during this time. A number of Rawlyk’s high school players have moved on to the Huskie level including current Huskie Patrick Burns. “I feel very privileged to continue to work with the men’s basketball program,” said Rawlyk. “I look forward to working with all of the staff at Huskie Athletics in providing an outstanding student-athlete experience for our athletes. We will work very hard to maintain the level of excellence that has been established in the program, and continue to try to grow the program for the future.”
The UBC-Okanagan Heat coach Darren Semeniuk announces his retirement. Semeniuk, who was on a two-year leave from the teaching profession, felt it was time to devote more time to his family and three children, aged nine, seven and five. “The first five years (with the men’s team), I was still teaching and that was my job, so the coaching was more like a hobby for me,” said Semeniuk. “When you become full-time, it’s one of those jobs where you can pour as much energy as you want into it, the game tape, recruiting…there are so many things, there’s a big commitment there. It can be hard to disconnect from it. With my kids being as busy as they are, I was being pulled back and forth between the two. I’m ready for a break now, to coach them and be with them more.” When Semeniuk took over a struggling men’s basketball program in 2005-06—then the Okanagan University College Lakers—the rebuilding process began. The team made the playoffs in each of the following six seasons, winning three provincials medals, including gold in 2009, and made three consecutive trips to nationals at the community college level.
In turn, the Heat appoint Pete Guarasci as head coach. Guarasci had been rookie head coach of Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. “I’d like to thank UBC Okanagan for giving me this opportunity. To return to Kelowna and have a chance to build a basketball program is a dream come true,” said Guarasci. “I feel excited about the potential for the program and look forward to working with the basketball community as UBC Okanagan moves into its second year of CIS competition.” Athletic Director Rob Johnson said “his basketball resume is impressive. Pete has played at the international and professional levels and coached at the post-secondary and international levels.” Guarasci had previously been an assistant at Simon Fraser University, the University of Alberta and UBC Okanagan. He’d also been a coach with Team Canada at the Under-19 Championships and also several years with Canada’s National Junior team. As a player, Guarasci was twice named MVP and All-American at Simon Fraser. He also spent ten years with Canada’s Men’s National Team including appearances at the 1995 World University Games, the 1998 World Basketball Championships and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. The rest of his considerable basketball background includes 12 years playing top-level professional basketball in Italy, Spain and Germany.
The bronze medalist Saskatchewan Huskies: Duncan Jones; Michael Lieffers; Matthew Forbes; Jamelle Barrett; Chris Unsworth; Ben Baker; Peter Lomuro; Patrick Burns; Temidayo Jabagun; Nick Foth; Evan Ostertag; Andrew Henry; Nolan Brudehl, Sam Derksen; coach Barry Rawlyk; assistant Rob Lovelace; assistant Nathan Schellenberg; student trainer Kevin Bergen; student trainer Jennifer Jochim; administrative assistant Bryna Jaindl
The runner-up Fraser Valley Cascades: Michael James; Kyle Grewal; Jasper Moedt; Jordan Blackman; Joel Friesen; Sheldon Bjorgaard; James York; Samuel Freeman; Spencer Evans; Connor Oldham; Klaus Figueredo; Luke Braund; Nathan Kendall; coach Barnaby Craddock; assistant Adam Friesen; assistant Kyle Graves; assistant Brian Crowe; trainer Andrew Smee
The champion Alberta Golden Bears: Daniel Ferguson; Jordan Baker; Sahr Saffa; Lyndon Taylor; Matthew Cardoza; Todd Bergen-Henengouwen; Robert Dewar; Andrew Bates; Matthew Cardoza; Sebastian Cava; Taylor Riar; Nikola Manojlovic; Jason Baillie; Adam Weir; Tesh Aytenfisu; coach Greg Francis; assistant Ryan Dunkley; assistant Jon Verhesen; assistant Eric Magdanz; therapist Dr. Joan Matthews-White; team doctor Dr. Mike Wagner; SID Matt Gutsch