REGULAR SEASON
| EAST | WEST | ||||||||
| Carleton | 22-0 | 34-0 | Dave Smart | Lakehead | 20-2 | 32-3 | Scott Morrison | ||
| Ryerson | 13-9 | 19-15 | Roy Rana | McMaster | 17-5 | 20-8 | Amos Connolly | ||
| Ottawa | 13-9 | 20-13 | James Derouin | Laurier | 16-6 | 22-11 | Peter Campbell | ||
| Laurentian | 11-11 | 19-17 | Shawn Swords | Windsor | 15-7 | 17-11 | Chris Oliver | ||
| Toronto | 10-12 | 14-16 | Rick Dilena | Brock | 10-12 | 18-22 | Brad Rootes | ||
| York | 5-17 | 5-18 | Tom Oliveri | Guelph | 8-14 | 10-22 | Chris O’Rourke | ||
| Queen’s | 2-22 | 3-27 | Stephan Barre | Western | 8-14 | 8-18 | Brad Campbell | ||
| RMC | 0-22 | Scott James | Waterloo | 6-16 | 10-24 | Tom Kieswetter | |||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Queen’s Golden Gaels: Ricky Parisien, Ryan Golden, Mackenzie Simpson, Bernard Burgesson, Alex Weatherill, Nikola Mislijencevic, Jerome Josz, Desmond Adams, James MacVicar, Brett Whitfield, Jordan Kirchberger, Matt Baker, Scott Morrison, Seth Evershed, John Lenz, Christian Weisbrod, Ricky Parisien, James Asefa, coach Stephan Barrie, assistant Chris Aim, assistant Madhav Trivedi
RMC Paladins: Liam Wright, Michael Buss, Nicholas Fowler, Timothy Boettcher, Idris Said-Madjid, Kevin Chung, James Byun, Connor Duke, Terry Nam, Spencer Hui (McLeod?), Desmond Singleton, Alexandre Lavoie, Nicholas Nobert, Kirstopher Hicks, Andre Cyr, Joshua Kim, coach Scott James, assistant Scott Clancy, assistant Paul Coulter, assistant Trevor Steynor, manager Dean Saroop
Waterloo Warriors: Adeel Sahibzada, Wayne Bridge, Luke Ehman, Andrew Melbourne, Troy Stevenson, Srdjan Pejicic, Cam McIntyre, Adam Craig, Justin Johnson, Greg Filgiano, Zachary Angelini, Mike Wright, Max Klien, Brendan Smith, Teddy Tochev, coach Tom Kieswetter, assistant Curtis Dauber, assistant Jesse Tipping, therapist Jason Chung, therapist Gordon Lee
Western Mustangs: Andrew Vincent, Jermaine Bernard, Ryan Barbeau, Ryan Higgins, Quinn Henderson, Nathan Di Loreto, Peter Scholtes, Adam Jespersen, Greg Morrow, Charlie Drouin, Larry Blyth, Dave Inkumsah, Dillon Hamilton, Nick Berardi, Anthony Spiridis, coach Brad Campbell, assistant John Curcio, assistant Matt Tweedie
In the West quarterfinals and OUA first round, the 4th-seeded host Windsor Lancers edged the 5th-seeded Brock Badgers 88-80. Both teams came out hitting their shots as Brock nailed five three-point shots, including two by Andrew Ferguson, in the first quarter, but Lancers guard Enrico Di Loreto scored 15 points as the teams went into the second quarter tied 27-27. The Badgers trailed 34-32 early in the second quarter when the Lancers went on a 19-7 run, keyed by five-straight three-point shot completions, and led 53-44 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Lancers extended their lead to 63-51, but the Badgers fought back with a 16-3 run to close out the quarter and lead 67-66 heading into the final frame. The Lancers regained the lead with a 7-2 run early in the fourth to lead 73-69 and stretched their lead to 79-74 with two minutes left. Badgers junior guard Didi Mukendi made a three-point shot to cut the lead to four points in the final minute, but the Lancers made their free throws to close out the win. “Everyone was making shots,” Lancers forward Lien Phillip said. “And we were rebounding well.” The Lancers were deadly from the arc. “I caught myself hitting one, and it felt good,” said Phillip, who boasted that, “I get at least two (three-pointers) a game.” Lancers coach Chris Oliver said Enrico Di Loreto’s marksmanship was stellar. “You could see that his confidence was up and down throughout the second half of the season. We got a chance to shoot together the other day, and he honestly didn’t miss. He missed once, and then he got mad at himself. I said, ‘Rico, you’re the only guy who hits 20 in a row and gets mad at himself.’ You could tell that he had the rhythm and the confidence back. We fed off of his confidence.” When Brock cut Windsor’s lead to three points midway through the second period, sophomore guard Jared Malcolm came off the bench and poured in three successive treys to up Windsor’s advantage to 47-39. “My teammates, they trusted me,” Malcolm said. “They kept feeding me the ball, and they told me to shoot. I was feeling it, so I just kept letting it fly.” Even Oliver shook his head at the thought of so many threes falling through the hoop. “A guy like Jared comes off the bench,” Oliver said. “I don’t think he’s consistently made back-to-back threes all year. He was confident, he was shooting them, and they were open. That was an important run for us.” Phillip noted that it’s difficult to beat a team three times over the course of season. “They kept coming back, and we just kept fighting.” Brock coach Brad Rootes said ““I am extremely proud of the way the guys played today. They came out today and did exactly what we asked of them, and I am so proud of the way the guys battled. You can’t ask for any more.” Andrew Ferguson said “I definitely feel like we gave it everything we had. We battled hard and came into the game expecting to win, and we played well enough to win, but it is just disappointing right now. It was a great group of guys and I love everyone in that change room. I am just sorry that it is over. We had a couple of mental mistakes, but they just competed hard and are a good team. It wasn’t just one key mistake or anything, the game just slipped away from us.” Enrico Diloreto paced the Lancers with 32 on 13-18 from the floor, 5-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Josh Collins added 20 on 7-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Lien Phillip notched 17 on 7-17 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 14 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Jared Malcolm scored 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 5 boards. Evan Matthew added 4 on 2-6 from the floor. Jahmal McQueen scored 3, along with 5 boards and 3 assists, and Rotimi Osuntola 1, along with 6 boards. Henock Araia was scoreless. The Lancers hit 33-67 (.493) from the floor, 11-20 (.550) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 7 steals, 4 blocks, 9 turnovers and 17 fouls. Didi Mukendi paced the Badgers with 18 on 7-15 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Andrew Kraus added 16 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Andrew Ferguson notched 15 on 5-16 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 assists. Mark Gibson added 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 17 boards and 2 assists. Michael Williams added 8 on 3-5 from the floor and 2-4 from the arc. Tshing Kasamba scored 5 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 2 boards. Jay Fleming added 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 boards, while Brian Nahimana was scoreless. Brock (coached by Brad Rootes, assistant Brian Mulligan, assistant Craig Steel, assistant Greg Newton, assistant Chris Ward, assistant Joel Whitty, assistant Mike Cruickshank, assistant Luc Stevenson, trainer Joe Kenny) also included Nathaniel Gardner, Jay Fast, Jameson Tipping, C.J. Smith, Anto Raic, Theo Davis, Sanele Miotshwa and Peter Dupuis. The Badgers hit 30-69 (.435) from the floor, 11-32 (.344) from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 11 turnovers and 20 fouls.
In the other West quarterfinal, the 6th-seeded Guelph Gryphons stunned the 3rd-seeded host Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 61-58. The Gryphons ended an 8-game losing streak while containing the Hawks to 23 points in the second half. “We said to ourselves that it was going to be tough for them to beat us four times this year,” Guelph coach Chris O’Rourke said. “We just wanted a chance. We spent the last two days being loose, but focused and never quit. That’s all I ask from them.” Gryphon guard Drew Morris earned extra attention from the Golden Hawks as he was red hot with his shot. “It felt good to put it in the net tonight to help the team out,” Morris said. “We did it defensively as a team. Dan (McCarthy) played great defence on Kale (Harrison). … “My teammates were finding me and I was just taking shots. The coaching staff has given me confidence in my shot and my teammates found me when I was open and I just stuck the open shots.” O’Rourke said “Drew carried us offensively. He was awesome. Drew had a good weekend in Lakehead and he had two great days of practice and I just thought ‘start him.’ He just got rolling. He’s a third-year guy and he hit some shots and it just kept going.” Laurier led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter and 35-25 at the half before the Gryphons started their comeback in the third quarter. They narrowed the gap to 47-44 after three quarters, then went ahead in the fourth quarter. Morris hit a jump shot with 1:45 to go to put the Gryphons ahead for good and give Morris a game-high 20 points. Daniel McCarthy sank four free throws in the final minute to secure the win. Laurier coach Peter Campbell said “it’s a tremendously disappointing finish to a season that we thought had all sorts of potential. We had a number of people that didn’t step up. We all have to carry that one because there isn’t a guy who played tonight. . . that if they’d done it one step better, we’d have maybe survived that scare.” Laurier went without a pair of starters, concussed post Pat Donnelly and shooting guard Max Allin who did not play due to a stomach virus which had him racing to the bathroom during the pre-game shoot-around. The Hawks, who made 17 turnovers on the night, committed the most fatal of those when the ball rolled off Travis Berry’s fingertips under the Gryphons’ hoop with nine seconds left and trailing by one. Laurier’s freshman point guard Will Coulthard had the opportunity to tie at the buzzer but his three-point bomb rimmed out. Drew Morris paced the Gryphons with 20 on 8-10 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc and 4 boards. Kareem Malcolm added 15 on 5-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-8 from the line and 7 boards. Zachary Angus notched 10 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 assists. Daniel McCarthy added 9 on 2-16 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Adam Bering added 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 8 boards. Sheriff Wiredu added 2, along with 3 boards, while Andrew Beney, Aron Campbell, Michel Clark and George Mason were scoreless. The Gryphons hit 20-67 (.299) from the floor, 6-18 from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 13 turnovers and 18 fouls. Conor Meschino paced the Golden Hawks with 16 on 8-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 11 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Kale Harrison added 15 on 7-24 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Sharif Wanas notched 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 14 boards. Matthew Buckley scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 11 boards, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Travis Berry added 2, along with 2 assists, while Will Coulthard, Jamar Forde, Aiddian Walters, Matt Donnelly, Marcel Hyde and Kyle Enright were scoreless. Coulthard dished 5 assists, while Enright nabbed 6 boards and Donnelly 2. Laurier (coached by Peter Campbell, assisted by Eddie Lopez, Borko Popic, Alex Urosevic and Andre Claxton, manager Melissa Bowden, student trainer Lindsey Parent) also included Nathan Thompson, Maxwell Allin, Matt Donnelly, Stefan Arezina and Philip Blumel. The Golden Hawks hit 24-67 (.358) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 6 steals, 6 blocks, 17 turnovers and 19 fouls.
In the East
quarterfinals and OUA first round, the 4th-seeded host Laurentian Voyageurs
edged the 5th-seeded Toronto Varsity Blues 80-74. Down 63-42 heading into the
final frame, Alex Hill opened the fourth quarter with eight consecutive points
as U of T went on a 24-10 run to bring the game within four with 1:47
remaining. That would be as close as the Blues would get as the Voyageurs held
on for the six-point win. Laurentian opened the game with an 18-6 run and held
a 30-12 lead after the first quarter. The Blues battled back to narrow the gap
to 42-31 at halftime; however, the home team extended their lead further with a
21-14 third quarter to take a 63-42 advantage into the fourth. Manny Pasquale
paced the Voyageurs with 18 on 6-19 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 4-4 from
the line, 5 boards and 9 assists. Mike Hull added 16 on 6-11 from the floor,
4-6 from the line, 14 boards and 4 assists. Isiah Pasquale notched 16 on 6-11
from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2
steals. Georges Serresse notched 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4
from the line and 7 boards. Alex Ratte scored 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-2 from
the arc and 3 boards. Nelson Yengue notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from
the line and 4 boards. Jamie Weldon added 3, along with 3 boards, while Shavaan
Sheldon, Mark Ramalho and Eric Ducharme were scoreless. Sheldon nabbed 2 boards.
The Voyageurs hit 29-67 (.433) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and
14-18 (.778) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 8 on the
offensive glass, 17 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 10 turnovers and 16 fouls. Alex
Hill paced Toronto with 23 on 7-19 from the floor, 3-12 from the arc and 6-7 from
the line. Arun Kumar notched 20 on 7-15 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 2-3
from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Andrew Wasik scored 13 on 6-13 from the
floor, 1-2 from the line, 12 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Sean Nickel added
6 on 3-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Drazen Glisic notched 4 on 2-4 from the floor,
6 boards and 2 assists. Ben Garvin added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the
arc, 2-3 from the line and 2 boards. Dakota Laurin added 2, along with 6 boards
and 2 steals, and Matt Savel 2, while Justin Holmes and Adam Plummer were
scoreless. Toronto (coached by Rick Dilena, assisted by Mike De Giorgio and Rob
Paris, strength & conditioning Andrian Lightowler) also included Dylan Churchill,
Laszlo Schuetz, Denis Ankrah, Andrew Mwangi and Ryan Robinet. The Blues hit
27-75 (.360) from the floor, 7-29 (.241) from the arc and 13-17 (.765) from the
line, while garnering 39 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 12
assists, 7 steals, 8 turnovers and 15 fouls.
The University of Ottawa men’s
basketball Gee-Gees have occasionally looked so lost and disoriented down the
Ontario University Athletics stretch drive that coach James Derouin was probably
hoping to install some manner of hard court GPS navigation system. A season-ending
injury to all-star Warren Ward and two inexplicable home losses to close out the
Ontario University Athletics regular season resulted in a plummet to third
place in the final standings and the loss of a bye in the post-season playoffs.
But the third-seeded Gee-Gees may have got back on track while dispatching the
sixth-seeded York Lions 78-63. Post Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue steered the Gee-Gees
in the right direction with a double-double, aggressive takes to the basket and
sheer hustle on both ends of the floor. “My girlfriend was in the stands,” he
later quipped as an explanation for his level of intensity. “We came focused
for the game and worked hard.” Richard Iheadindu lit up the Gee-Gees from the
perimeter as York built an early 11-6 lead before the Gee-Gees began aggressively
attacking the offensive glass and effectively pounding the ball inside to Gonthier-Dubue
and Jordan Vig to knot the score at 16. Vikas Gill capped a 14-0 Gee-Gee run
with a pair of treys as Ottawa built a double-digit lead and then extended it
to 43-27 at the half on exceptional defensive boardwork by Gonthier-Dubue that
repeatedly led to runout layups and slams for his teammates. The Gee-Gees put the
game well out of York’s reach as Johnny Berhanemeskel hit a pair of treys and
Gonthier-Dubue pilfered the ball and was rewarded for his effort with an
uncontested dunk that gave Ottawa a 55-32 lead. The Gee-Gees led 66-46 after
three quarters. Gabriel Gonthier-Dube paced the Gee-Gees with 20 on 8-10 from
the floor, 4-4 from the line and 14 boards. Johnny Berhanemeskel added 18 on
6-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2
blocks. Chris Anderson added 11 on 4-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2
from the line and 3 boards. Jordan Vig scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-4 from
the line, 4 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Vikas Gill notched 6 on 2-7 from the
arc and 3 assists. Mike L’Africain scored 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the
arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Akeem Gardner scored 4 on 1-3 from
the floor and 2-2 from the line. Yacob Issayas added 3, Dimitrios Seymour 3, along
with 3 assists, and Ryan Malcolm-Campbell 2, along with 4 boards and 4 assists.
Jacob Gibson-Bascombe was scoreless while nabbing 2 boards. The Gee-Gees hit 2758
(.466) from the floor, 8-24 from the arc and 16-20 (.800) from the line, while
garnering 40 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 4 steals,
5 blocks, 16 turnovers and 22 fouls. David Tyndale paced the Lions with 13 on
4-11 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards and 3
assists. Nick Tufegdzich added 9 on 3-13 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4
from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Vlad Velici added 9 on 4-7 from the
floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-4 from the line and 5 boards. Richard Iheadindu
scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals.
Matthew Ziobrowski added 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 3 boards. Mussa Noble-Mohamed
added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Christian Coldea scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Raheem
Isaac added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4
boards and 2 steals. Kenneth Buchanan added 2, Justin Bell 1 and Nathan
Robinson 1, along with 2 boards. York (coached by Tom Oliveri, assisted by
Gerard Carlse, Chris Cheng and Warren Williams) also included Jordon Campbell,
Aaron Rados, Ostap Choliy, Shaquille Goldson, Akheem Isaac-Phillip, Abdul Osman
and Darcy Watt. The Lions hit 23-65 (.354) from the floor, 6-18 (.333) from the
arc and 11-23 (.478) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 13 on
the offensive glass, 9 assists, 11 steals, 2 blocks, 16 turnovers and 14 fouls.
In the West semis and OUA quarterfinals, the 2nd-seeded McMaster Marauders defeated the 4th-seeded Windsor Lancers 77-67. The Marauders would come out on fire, scoring the first six points of the game. Windsor would quickly make the effort to get back in it with a couple jump shots and a free throw to come back at 6-5, but it would be a number of Marauders getting it down to regain their lead at 15-12 after one quarter. McMaster maintained their slight lead until they pulled away around the five-minute mark of the second quarter, earning a 26-20 lead. After a McMaster timeout, the Marauders would continue to sink baskets in the second half of the quarter. Aaron Redpath would sink his fifth basket of the game for 10 points, helping extend McMaster’s lead to nine at 32-23. Following another timeout, Windsor would make a comeback, scoring two three’s and a jumper for an 8-0 run to get within one of the Marauders’ lead. But a lay-up from Nathan McCarthy and a three-pointer made by Adam Presutti in the dying seconds of the quarter would give McMaster the 37-33 lead at half. The second half started off shaky for the Marauders, with Windsor going on a 7-0 run, allowing them to take the lead. The home team would tie it up, and take the lead again with two free throws made by Aaron Redpath at 41-40. After that, both teams would fight for the lead, with Windsor up by three, before a three-pointer from Joe Rocca would tie up once again. Both teams would head into the last quarter with 51 points. The Marauders came out in the fourth with a quick five points, with a three-pointer from Rocca followed by a lay-up from Taylor Black, forcing Windsor to call an early timeout. McMaster would go up by seven points at 60-53, but the Lancers would come back, keeping the score close throughout the fourth. At the 3:30 mark, Lancer and high-scorer for Windsor, Enrico Diloreto, would get a technical foul talking back to the refs. It would be his fifth foul, and would sit him on the bench for the remainder of the game. With both teams flirting with the lead, a timeout would be called with 1:19 left in the game with the Marauders up by one with a score of 68-67, thanks to Rocca. The Marauders would then go on a run of 5 points to regain the lead. Rookie guard Aaron Redpath made a key steal with 64 seconds remaining that he turned into a three-point play to give Mac a six-point lead. “We knew exactly what we had to do to win,” Aaron Redpath said. “We had to rebound and box out because they are an athletic team. That’s what we tried to do and it worked. We gave up a couple of crucial ones, but we bounced back. At the end of the day we never folded.” Windsor coach Chris Oliver said “Mac has a bunch of weapons. They’re a talented team that defends hard. They played well and deserved to win.” Aaron Redpath paced the Marauders with 21 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 13-15 from line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Cam Michaud added 15 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Joe Rocca scored 15 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 3-6 from the line. Adam Presutti scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Taylor Black notched 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7 boards and 3 blocks. Nathan McCarthy scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Satar Wahidi added 2, along with 7 boards, while Nathan Pelech and Jordan Tew were scoreless. Pelech nabbed 3 boards. The Marauders hit 26-55 (.473) from the floor, 4-15 (.267) from the arc and 21-29 (.724) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 6 steals, 5 blocks, 15 turnovers and 19 fouls. Josh Collins paced the Lancers with 13 on 4-13 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Enrico Diloreto added 13 on 5-15 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Evan Matthews notched 11 on 3-14 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 4 boards. Lien Phillip scored 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 19 boards and 2 blocks. Rotimi Osuntola Jr scored 11 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Jahmal McQueen added 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc and 2 boards. Henock Araia and Jared Malcolm were scoreless. Malcolm nabbed 2 boards. Windsor (coached by Chris Oliver, assisted by Barry Amlin, Geoff Stead and Larry Loebach, director of operations Spencer Lindwood) also included Michael Godfrey, Anthony Ottley, Ryan Christie, Adem Said, King Gabriel, Terrell Campbell, Joey Ellenberger and Jeremy Butler and Devaughn Hall. The Lancers hit 22-71 (.310) from the floor, 6-30 (.200) from the arc and 17-20 (.850) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 12 steals, 2 blocks, 14 turnovers and 23 fouls.
In the other West semi, the top-seeded Lakehead Timberwolves dusted the 6th-seeded Guelph Gryphons 93-70. “It feels good. We wanted another crack at Carleton, so we had to win to get there,” said Detroit-native Venzal Russell. “Hopefully we get another crack at Carleton.” Russell and Ben Johnson keyed a 13-0 run midway through the fourth quarter at the Thunderdome. Russell had eight and Johnson five during the decisive streak, after the Gryphons had pulled to within 10. “It was just a matter of us using our defence to create some offence,” said Johnson. “We got out of transition and Ben found me for that shot and I got an easy lay-up. When you get some easy buckets, the buckets just seem to come easy. It’s great. It’s what we work all season for. Right now, all we’re worried about is whoever we’re playing next.” The Wolves were never really in trouble in this one, save for a 4-0 deficit in the early seconds of the opening quarter, though it never really felt like they were completely in charge until the fourth-quarter run. “They’re a tough team. They never give up. They’re a resilient team, so coach told us to stay at it and keep attacking, get it to the post. We stopped going to the post in the third, but we got it back to the post and got back into the rhythm of the offence,” Russell said. Guelph’s early lead didn’t last long. Russell stole the ball and raced down the court to get the Thunderwolves on the board, then Johnson gave LU the lead for good, Russell capping a 16-0 run with his first three-pointer of the night. The Wolves took a 26-10 lead into the second quarter, but stumbled and were outscored 24-18 and were only up 44-34 at the half. Lakehead scored six straight to start the second, but the Gryphons held tight and held their composure, even as the Wolves took the lead to 18 on a Ryan Thomson three. Dan McCarthy pulled the Gryphons to within 10 at the start of the third quarter, scoring while being fouled. But the Gryphons could only manage to trade baskets until Russell and Johnson took the game into their own hands. Lakehead led 67-54 after three quarters. “I thought tonight our best offence was our defence. The fourth quarter and the first quarter were our most consistent for D,” said Lakehead coach Scott Morrison. “We found a little hole in their D. They went small, it was kind of hurting us, so we decided to go to Venzal in the post, something we haven’t done much this year, but it was kind of a bread-and-butter thing for us last year. It was a good thing to see successful and maybe we can add it to our mix for next week.” Lakehead led 26-10 at the end of the first quarter, 44-34 at halftime and 67-54 after the third quarter. “You’ve got to be able to put teams away, especially in the playoffs,” Morrison said. “You can’t let a team hang around because that is when a team comes back to bite you. Probably my biggest disappointment (Saturday) was the rebounding. Guelph had 14 offensive boards and we had only three. … I did not think it was our best played game by any stretch – our decision making with the ball was shaky at times as was our rebounding. Guelph has had back to back road trips to Thunder Bay plus a Wednesday game and still came in here and beat us 14-3 on the offensive glass. In play-offs it’s about winning, getting the job done and moving on. However, for us to get the job done next Friday we will have to improve those two areas of the game immediately.” Venzal Russel paced the Thunderwolves with 25 on 10-18 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ben Johnson added 19 on 7-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Ryan Thomson added 13 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Greg Carter notched 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6 assists and 4 steals. Adam Johnson notched 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 9 boards. Joseph Jones scored 7 on 1-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 7 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Yoosrie Salhia scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Matt Schmidt added 4, while Anthony McIntosh, Alexander Sylvester and Brandon Myketa were scoreless. The Thunderwolves hit 36-70 (.514) from the floor, 9-20 (.450) from the arc and 12-23 (.522) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 27 assists, 14 steals, 5 blocks, 17 turnovers and 19 fouls. Kareem Malcolm paced Guelph with 19 on 9-20 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Dan McCarthy added 15 on 3-17 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Adam Bering notched 13 on 4-12 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Jack Beatty scored 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Michel Clark scored 6 on 2-4 from the arc. Zachary Angus added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Drew Morris added 2, along with 3 boards and 3 assists, and Sheriff Wiredu 1, along with 5 boards. Andrew Beney, Aron Campbell and Daniel Thompson were scoreless. Guelph (coached by Chris O’Rourke, assisted by Chris Dooley, Toffer Treiguts, Nick Pankerichan and James Gillingham, trainer Jesse Dalton) also included George Mason, Eric McDonald, Michael Edwards, Osman Mohamed, Thomas Armstrong and Ante Costic. The Gryphons hit 23-79 (.291) from the floor, 6-23 (.261) from the arc and 18-24 (.750) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 8 steals, 1 block, 22 turnovers and 21 fouls.
In the East semis, it proved tougher than expected for the Carleton men’s basketball Ravens. All season, it has been open book exams for top-ranked Carleton with questions featuring a challenge on the order of asking, “What is the capital of Canada?” The playoffs, though, are often more challenging as they discovered while surviving against the Laurentian Voyageurs by a deceptive score of 87-66. “We could’ve played better as a team,” said Phillip Scrubb. “We’ve got a lot of areas to improve, but we know everyone’s going to give us their best shot. We’ve just got to play tough.” The Voyageurs took on early 18-15 lead on the perimeter gunning of Manny Pasquale, but Carleton rallied back by pounding the ball inside to Tyson Hinz and then notched a late 9-2 run to take a 37-29 lead at the half. Although the Ravens continued to struggle from beyond the arc, they got excellent ball distribution from Scrubb and solid contributions from Thomas Scrubb and Kevin Churchill off the bench as they built their lead to 66-53 and pulled away down the stretch. “It was a stern test,” Thomas Scrubb said. “We knew they’d be tough. They can score really well. But in the second half, we calmed down a little bit.” Phillip Scrubb paced Carleton with 23 on 6-15 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 3 boards, 10 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Churchill added 15 on 5-6 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Thomas Scrubb scored 15 on 6-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 5 boards. Tyson Hinz scored 12 on 6-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 4 boards. Cole Hobin added 11 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 steals. Willy Manigat notched 9 on 4-12 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Kyle Smendziuk added 2, along with 5 boards and 2 steals, while Elliot Thompson, Justin Shaver, Dan Penner and Gavin Resch were scoreless. The Ravens hit 33-67 (.493) from the floor, 6-24 (.250) from the arc and 15-17 (.882) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 21 assists, 10 steals, 2 blocks, 8 turnovers and 20 fouls. Emanuel ‘Manny’ Pasquale paced the Voyageurs with 34 on 11-23 from the floor, 5-7 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Isiah Pasquale notched 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Mike Hull scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Alex Ratte scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the line and 2 assists. Nelson Yengue scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Georges Serresse added 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Eric Ducharme, Jamie Weldon, Shavaan Sheldon and Mark Ramalho were scoreless. Sheldon nabbed 3 boards. Laurentian (coached by Shawn Swords, assisted by Jason Hurley, Aaron Sidenberg and Ken Wallenius) also included Andrew Lalonde, Sam Levac, Stephen Williams, Hamidou Ongoiba and Nick Simon. The Voyageurs hit 24-61 (.393) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 12-15 (.800) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 6 steals, 1 block, 13 turnovers and 22 fouls.
In the other East semi and OUA quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Ryerson Rams edged the 3rd-seeded Ottawa Gee-Gees 74-71 after leading 23-12, 39-33 and 52-45 at the quarters. “I thought our effort was excellent, our defense stepped up and gave them all kinds of problems. I thought we competed well, but we just couldn’t get enough shots to fall in tonight,” said Gee-Gees coach James Derouin. “We were getting the stops, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump. But we didn’t give up and I’m proud of the guys and the effort they gave.” The Gee-Gees started the game on a cold shooting streak. Rookie point guard Michael L’Africain drove to the hoop and a lay-up midway through the first quarter, but for the most part, Ryerson’s athletic backcourt prevented the Gee-Gees from scoring easy baskets. Late threes by fourth-year Yacob Issayas and second-year Johnny Berhanemeskel kept Ottawa within striking distance. The Gee-Gees started the second quarter on a 13-2 run. Better ball movement by Ottawa led to three pointers by fourth-year guard Jacob Gibson-Bascombe and L’Africain, as the Gee-Gees tied the game up at 25-25. Ryerson was able to restore a small lead and then built it to six at the half. Both teams came out of the locker room with plenty of energy, as the two teams pushed the pace on offence. Berhanemeskel had the first three-pointer of the second half, as the Gee-Gees cut the lead down to 41-39. But once again, the Rams regrouped to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Rams’ frenetic pace on offence proved difficult for the Gee-Gees to handle, and Ryerson stretched the lead to 60-48, early in the fourth quarter. But Ottawa went on a 12-2 run, led by Gonthier-Dubue and Berhanemeskel to close within 62-60. Ryerson answered with a 7-0 run. Late treys by Gibson-Bascombe and Berhanemeskel cut the lead to 72-71 with 4.8 seconds left. But a final turnover by the Gee-Gees sealed the Ryerson win. “The big thing is the young guys got the experience and now we can learn from it. That’s what it’s all about, the learning experience. It’s not the ending we wanted, but to get this close to the Final Four without Warren Ward, that’s pretty special,” said Derouin. Gibson-Bascombe said “we started off a bit slow, but we fought to the end. We ended up losing by three, so one shot here and one shot there and it could have gone either way, and that’s basketball.” Jahmal Jones paced the Rams with 22 on 8-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Aaron Best added 17 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Bjorn Michaelsen notched 14 on 3-8 from the floor, 8-9 from the line, 5 boards and 3 blocks. Ola Adegboruwa added 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jordon Gauthier notched 8 on 2-9 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Luke Staniscia scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Gavin Berry and Nem Stankovic were scoreless. The Rams hit 21-53 (.396) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 27-30 (.900) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 12 steals, 3 blocks, 14 turnovers and 18 fouls. Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue paced the Gee-Gees with 16 on 6-13 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Michael L’Africain added 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Johnny Berhanemeskel added 10 on 3-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 13 boards and 2 steals. Jacob Gibson-Bascombe added 10 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Chris Anderson scored 10 on 5-11 from the floor. Vikas Gill notched 9 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6-7 from the line and 3 boards. Yacob Issayas added 3, along with 2 boards, and Ryan Malcolm-Campbell 2, along with 2 boards. Jordan Vig and Akeem Gardner were scoreless. Vig nabbed 2 boards. Ottawa (coached by James Derouin, assisted by Emil O’Neill, Justin Serresse, Clarence Porter and Kris Dale, strength & conditioning Alex Ethier, manager Alex Markovic, special assistant Jonathan Daniels) also included Dimitrios Seymour, Serge Grenon, Warren Ward, Shamus Ferguson and Matthew Marshall. The Gee-Gees hit 24-74 (.324) from the floor, 8-17 (.471) from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 7 steals, 3 blocks, 16 turnovers and 22 fouls.
In the OUA semis, the Carleton Ravens thrashed the McMaster Marauders 80-56. The Ravens shooters were accurate early and often, as power forward Tyson Hinz drained the contest’s first four points to lead his team on a 9-0 run. But the Marauders battled back within two before Hinz managed to sink a jump shot and quickly drain two free throws after being fouled while collecting an offensive rebound. OUA East player of the year Philip Scrubb took control of the game in the second frame, knocking down all six of his free throws and a three-pointer. Elliot Thompson contributed with back-to-back treys as the Ravens took a 34-24 lead heading into the third. After about a minute and a half of scoreless action, Thompson hit another three to start the Ravens’ scoring frenzy. Scrubb sunk another 10 points, while his brother Thomas Scrubb made consecutive baskets from beyond-the-arc to close out a 30-point quarter and build a 64-46 lead. The Marauders only mustered a 10-point final stanza, while the Scrubb brothers combined for the Ravens’ first 11 of 16 points. “They didn’t bring any surprises,” McMaster coach Amos Connolly said. “They play at an intensity level with a physicality that takes you out of things. We need to be able to find a way to either get that competition or mimic it day in and day out. We last saw them in November. That’s a long time ago. For us, this stings. You feel like you got your butt kicked. But it has to be the next step in a learning situation. There are lessons to be learned.” Phillip Scrubb was chosen player of the game for the Ravens after scoring 26 on 8-15 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Thomas Scrubb added 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Elliot Thompson notched 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Cole Hobin added 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 8 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tyson Hinz notched 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Willy Manigat added 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 steals. Kevin Churchill added 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists, while Kyle Smendziuk, Gavin Resch, Dan Penner, Justin Shaver and Guillaume Boucard were scoreless. The Ravens hit 27-61 (.443) from the floor, 13-27 (.481) from the arc and 13-16 (.812) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 10 steals, 2 blocks, 14 turnovers and 17 fouls. Victor Raso paced the Marauders with 10 on 4-12 from the floor and 2-9 from the arc. Joe Rocca added 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Adam Presutti notched 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Nathan Pelech notched 7 on 2-5 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 3 boards. Satar Wahidi added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Taylor Black scored 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 10 boards and 2 blocks. Aaron Redpath notched 6 on 2-13 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Cam Michaud scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 0-3 from the arc, while Jordan Tew, Brett Sanders and Nathan McCarthy were scoreless. McCarthy nabbed 4 boards and blocked 2 shots. The Marauders hit 20-67 (.299) from the floor, 8-37 (.216) from the arc and 8-14 (.571) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 8 steals, 7 blocks, 16 turnovers and 16 fouls.
In the other semi, the Ryerson Rams stunned the defending Wilson Cup champ Lakehead Thunderwolves 80-76. The Rams steamed to a 13-0 lead to open the affair. The Thunderwolves never got closer than 8. “We definitely didn’t (recover),” said OUA West coach of the year Scott Morrison whose T-wolves suffered but two conference losses all season and squashed the Rams 95-54 in November. “Our guys looked tight and even a little intimidated by the crowd — basically all the things we thought we’d have an advantage in because of our experience.” Ryerson’s speed and athleticism rattled Lakehead. “We knew coming in that they were beatable,” said Ryerson’s Aaron Best. “Every team is. At this time of year, anybody can lose or win. It’s just 40 minutes of war.” Rams coach Roy Rana said “it’s amazing what some confidence can do when you start winning some games and coming together. This is the beginning, the next phase. Now we get to play for a championship. … It’s been a fun ride. It takes a lot of work to build something people can be excited about and with a positive energy that people want to be part of. This is a good time for our university and our program. We’ve moved a little bit quicker than I expected. “There’s lots and lots of talent. The natural tendency is to look south of the border and the NCAA but I think kids are starting to realize this is an option they should consider. For a lot of them, the opportunity to stay at home is better than they think.” The Rams took advantage of a lacklustre start by the Thunderwolves, opening the game with 13 unanswered points in the opening five-and-a-half minutes of play. Lakehead connected on a mere five of 24 field goal attempts in the opening frame, on which Ryerson readily capitalized with 10 defensive rebounds. Ryerson led 27-11 after the first quarter. Lakehead’s offence sputtered to life in the second quarter, lifted by a 14-point performance by Venzal Russell to outscore the Rams 23-18. Ryerson carried a 45-34 lead into halftime. The Rams dominated the third frame, spurred on by 13 points by Best, who accounted for a trio of three-pointers in the period. Entering the final frame trailing 66-46, Lakehead desperately tried to chip away at the Ryerson lead, but were matched virtually point-for-point by an untiring Ryerson offence. Rana said that Best, who was chosen player of the game, has “become a basketball player (after) being an amazing athlete. He’s a great kid and had a great performance tonight. … In the third quarter I thought we made a big run and that (helped) open up the game,” said Rana. Jones dropped two treys in a row coming out of the locker rooms, and Best hit another two from beyond the arc to put Ryerson up by 18. Lakehead coach Scott Morrison said “before this weekend we said the successful team would be the one who executed and played the most as a team over 40 minutes. Ryerson did just that as they beat us down the floor and moved the ball much better than we did. Credit to Ryerson players for knocking down big shots and to their coaches, for preparing well this week. They deserved the win and we have to take our beating like men. We picked a bad time to play poorly and now we have to live with it and find ways to learn from this experience.” Aaron Best paced Ryerson with 26 on 11-14 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jahmal Jones added 18 on 7-16 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards and 7 assists. Bjorn Michaelsen notched 17 on 7-14 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jordon Gauthier added 15 on 6-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 8 boards. Ola Adegboruwa added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Luke Stanciscia scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 10 boards, while Nem Stankovic was scoreless. The Rams hit 36-66 (.545) from the floor, 9-16 (.562) from the arc and 5-7 (.714) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks, 19 turnovers and 14 fouls. Venzal Russell paced the Thunderwolves with 23 on 9-23 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 12 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Joseph Jones added 14 on 4-13 from the floor, 4-11 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Ben Johnson added 11 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Yoosrie Salhia notched 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Greg Carter scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 steals. Matthew Schmidt scored 4 on 2-11 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc and 2 boards. Adam Johnson scored 4 on 2-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 7 boards. Nathan Wainwright and Brendan King were scoreless. The Thunderwolves hit 28-81 (.346) from the floor, 7-32 (.219) from the arc and 7-13 (.538) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 8 steals, 5 blocks, 14 turnovers and 10 fouls.
In the Wilson Cup, held in Waterloo, the Carleton Ravens bombed the Ryerson Rams 82-39, the largest defeat in championship history since 1966. “It definitely feels good,” said Ravens coach Dave Smart. “Everybody knows how hard this is (to do), all the four teams who competed here.” Carleton’s fifth-year guard Cole Hobin, who recorded the game’s only double-double, won the Kitch MacPherson Trophy as the outstanding player in the final. The teams picked up five fouls between them in a chippy start to the contest that had the Ravens up 4-0 after four minutes of play. Jones hit Ryerson’s first bucket to cut that lead to one, but Carleton answered right back and held a six-point lead midway through the first. Bjorn Michaelsen followed a lay- up with a three-point play to keep the Rams within striking distance. However, sharp- shooter Phillip Scrubb dropped three consecutive shots from beyond the arc and tallied 11 points in the opening period as Carleton flexed their muscles late in the quarter to take a 23-11 lead after one. Ola Adegboruwa grabbed a steal and dropped a lay-in to open the second. Michaelsen came up with two blocks on the same possession, and Aaron Best notched four-straight points soon after to bring the lead down to single-digits. Adegboruwa and Jones cut the lead to six with three to go in the half, but another timely three from the game favourites maintained the Ravens spread. The defending national champions went into halftime holding a 34-25 lead. Ryerson then stayed in the game for the rest of the first half, getting a strong defensive performance inside from 6’7″ Michaelsen and strong perimeter rotations, negating Carleton open looks. Carleton, which had uncharacteristic turnovers in the half, led 34-25 after two but opened the third quarter on a 25-4 run to push the margin to 30 at 59-29 and keeping the Rams scoreless for over 5 minutes in one stretch. Hobin and OUA East POY Phil Scrubb started the streak with a pair of big shots and the Ravens continued their patented runs that are highlighted their defense which forced shots under duress late in the clock and almost always one-and-done. “I can honestly say that our team gives 100 per cent. I’m proud to be a part of it,” said rookie Rams guard Gavin Berry. Ryerson coach Roy Rama said “I thought we had a good start. But this is Carleton and they never stop. (Carleton) picked it up defensively in the second half. And our lack of depth really hurt us. … I thought we played very well in the first half. We executed and had good energy. In the second half, we made three of four defensive lapses and next thing you know a nine-point game is a 20-point game. Mentally we tried to force things and make things happen, and unfortunately it unraveled from there.” Cole Hobin paced Carleton with 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Phillip Scrubb added 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Tyson Hinz notched 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Dan Penner added 8 on 4-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Kevin Churchill scored 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Elliot Thompson added 7 on 3-8 from the floor and 1-5 from the arc. Willy Manigat scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Thomas Scrubb notched 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Justin Shaver scored 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Guillaume Boucard notched 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 2 boards. Kyle Smendziuk added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 5 boards. Gavin Resch was scoreless. The Ravens hit 33-64 (.516) from the floor, 9-22 (.409) from the arc and 7-9 (.778) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 13 turnovers and 19 fouls. Jahmal Jones paced the Rams with 1 on 5-13 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Ola Adegboruwa added 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 3 steals. Luke Staniscia added 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Bjorn Michaelsen added 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 2 boards. Aaron Best notched 6 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 6 boards. Afeworki Gebrekerestos, Jordon Gauthier, Shajan Navaratnarajah, Nem Stankovic, Logan Marrast and Gavin Berry were scoreless. Gauthier nabbed 2 boards. The Rams hit 14-52 (.269) from the floor, 1-14 (.071) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 19 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 2 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 12 turnovers and 15 fouls.
After the season, Waterloo coach Tom Kieswetter announces that he is retiring after 20 years at the helm. He exited with a 325-352 won-lost record and two appearances at the national championship tournament. He was an assistant coach at UW for three years before taking over the top job and also coached at the high school level for 17 years, including 15 at Kitchener St. Jerome’s. In 1968, he enrolled for five seasons with the Warriors. He was a captain and two-time OUA all-star and became a member of Canada’s national team which competed in the pre-Olympic tournament in Germany in 1972. “It’s been 20 years at Waterloo and it just feels right, it’s the right time to move on. This program needs a new voice, new leadership, a spark, whatever euphemism you want to use. It needs to be done and I have always advocated doing what’s best for the team,” he said. Kieswetter is replaced by Greg Francis, coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears for the past four seasons. As bench boss of Alberta, Francis led his team to a Canada West final four appearance in 2011 and a CIS silver medal in 2012. Francis was also head coach of the Canadian Junior Men’s National Team (2005-11) and National Elite Development Academy (NEDA) from 2007-09. He is also currently the assistant coach of the Senior Men’s National Team. He played at Fairfield and then moved to the British Basketball League and played for the Worthing Bears in 1997-98, and the Chester Jets in 1999-2000, twice being named a UK All-Star. He spent the 1998-99 season playing professionally in Lebanon. He was head coach for a high school in Lebanon and Mid-Cheshire College in England. He then returned to North America as a full-time assistant coach with the Monmouth University Hawks in New Jersey. Waterloo’s associate athletic director, Christine Stapleton, said “today is a great day for the Warrior men’s basketball program, the Department of Athletics and the University of Waterloo. This is a transformative hire for our program and we look forward to welcoming Greg’s pursuit of excellence to our men’s basketball team.” Francis said “I can’t put into words how excited I am to be a part of the Waterloo Warriors and the Waterloo community. There is a solid plan in place to support this team into becoming a CIS powerhouse and I am keen to take on the lead role.”
The Royal Military College announced that it was revising its competitive sports program and would discontinue playing men’s and women’s basketball at the varsity level. “The Royal Military College of Canada is a founding member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport and will continue to be an active member in the league,” said Darren Cates, RMCC Athletic Director. “We are confident the changes being made will strike the right balance for the College and will allow us to better allocate our resources to the benefit of all officer and naval cadets.”
In May 2012, the OUA announces that Algoma University has been accepted as a member. The Thunderbirds would begin participating in league play in the 2013-14 season. Algoma University, formerly Algoma College, has competed in the OCAA since 2001. Basketball, curling and indoor soccer have been part of Algoma varsity sport programming for the majority of the last decade. As the requirement for OUA membership is to compete in six sports, the Sault Ste. Marie based institution selected to offer cross country, Nordic and wrestling based on facilities, support and success of local sports organizations, budget, and anticipated level of competitiveness in the OUA circuit. The membership application was led by Algoma University President Dr. Richard Myers. Dr. Myers, along with Algoma University Athletic Director Mark Kontulainen, recognized that being part of OUA would provide student-athletes with a wider range of athletic opportunities and an increased level of competition. “Varsity athletics is a key element of student life and a critical link between any university and its home community,” said Dr. Myers. “Our student-athletes will be thrilled to bring the highest level of provincial sport to the people of Sault Ste. Marie and to the members of the Algoma community.” Mark Kontulainen is equally excited to see the Thunderbirds enter OUA competition. “Competing in the OUA will be a terrific experience for our student-athletes and coaches. Playing at the premier level of University sport in Ontario will be a tremendous opportunity for them to grow and excel. Both our new and existing programs have been busy preparing for their inaugural seasons in the OUA, and I have been impressed with their motivation to assemble competitive teams. Our students, staff, faculty and the greater community look forward to seeing our teams compete in the OUA.”
The co-bronze medalist McMaster Marauders: Victor Raso; Joe Rocca; Adam Presutti; Nathan Pelech; Satar Wahidi; Taylor Black; Aaron Redpath; Cam Michaud; Jordan Tew; Brett Sanders; Nathan McCarthy; Kyle Giedraitis; Calvin Turnbull; Ryan Maynard; Ben Haizel; Kwasi Oti-Awere; coach Amos Connolly; assistant Rod Bynum; assistant Christin Dickenson; assistant Jamie Girolametto; assistant Justin Gunter; assistant Ray Kybartas; assistant Dan Meyer
The co-bronze medalist Lakehead Thunderwolves: Venzal Russell; Joseph Jones; Ben Johnson; Yoosrie Salhia; Greg Carter; Matthew Schmidt; Adam Johnson; Nathan Wainwright; Brendan King; Anthony McIntosh; Ryan Thompson; Joseph Nitychoruk; Brandon Myketa; Alex Robichaud; Sylvester Alexander; Michael Thorne-Finch; coach Scott Morrison; assistant Matt Erdman; assistant Pat Charlebois; assistant Andrew Quirion; assistant Mark English; graduate assistant Jamie Searle; graduate assistant Nathan Johnson
The runner-up Ryerson Rams: Aaron Best; Jahmal Jones; Bjorn Michaelsen; Jordon Gauthier; Ola Adegboruwa; Luke Staniscia; Nem Stankovic; Gavin Berry; Jelane Pryce; Afeworki Gebrekerestos; Shajan Navaratnarajah; Greg Kieran; Logan Marrast; Greg Osawe; Ben Bonsu; Eric Hobson; Kent Bray; coach Roy Rana; assistant recruiting Jermaine Small; assistant Fatih Akser; assistant and director of basketball operations Patrick Tatham; support staff Alisha Tatham; support staff Mikaela Berza; support staff Dipesh Mistry; therapist Danielle Dobney; student therapist Paul Dwyer; SID Jim McLarty; athletic director Ivan Joseph
The champion Carleton Ravens: Phillip Scrubb; Tyson Hinz; Cole Hobin; Elliot Thompson; Thomas Scrubb; Willy Manigat; Kevin Churchill; Kyle Smendziuk; Gavin Resch; Dan Penner; Justin Shaver; Guillaume Payen-Boucard; Ryan Augustine; Gael Kanza; Benjamin Felix; coach Dave Smart; assistant Rob Smart Jr.; assistant Dean Petridis; assistant Shawn McCleery; therapist Bruce Marshall; manager Aaron Blakely; strength & conditioning Andy Stewart; nutritionist Harinder Ghuman; SID Christina Atallah; athletic director Jennifer Brenning