REGULAR SEASON
| BALDWIN | NELSON | |||||||
| Saint Mary’s | 15-5 | 24-12 | Ross Quackenbush | St. FX | 20-0 | 33-3 | Steve Konchalski | |
| Acadia | 12-8 | 17-14 | Dave Nutbrown | New Brunswick | 10-10 | 17-15 | Thom Gillespie | |
| Memorial | 7-13 | 10-17 | Todd Aughey | Cape Breton | 7-13 | 10-18 | Bill Burns | |
| Dalhousie | 3-17 | 7-24 | Tim McGarrigle | U.P.E.I. | 6-14 | 11-19 | Mike Connolly | |
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Dalhousie Tigers: Oreine Davis, William Fagan, Nick Donald, Craig Slaunwhite, Dave Mullaly, Greg MacDonald, Rubens Aubourg, Stefan Hoddinott, Hugh Mullally, Mike Lawton, Scott Devnick, Ralph Eddison, Mike Harvey, coach Tim McGarrigle
Prince Edward Island Panthers: Jimmy Morris, Dave Love, Chris Smith, Kenny Duncan, Chris Reid, Sharshad Rajabzadeh, Jonathan McKercher, Adam Hood, Ed Postma, Trevor Postma, Mike Sirois, Michael Thomas, Jeff Walker, coach Mike Connolly, assistant Gordon McNeilly
In the quarterfinals, 4th-seed New Brunswick defeated 6th-seed Memorial 84-83 as Mike Kierstead scores 31, grabs 12 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Mike King scored 19, Bram Russell 17, Jeff Cotter 8, Doug Jamer 0, David Myers 3, Andrew Cotter 3 and Joseph Thompson 3. New Brunswick shoots 29-65 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc and 22-33 from the line while out-rebounding Memorial 42-39. Kierstead grabs 12 boards and Russell 11. UNB had 22 assists, led by King’s 7 and 6 steals, led by Kierstead’s 3. Jeff Saxby paced Memorial with 24. Matthew Chapman added 17, along with 19 boards, Gregory Winter 17, Dion Langdon 16, Mark Tobin 6 and Nigel Pennie 3, while starter Shane Butland was scoreless. Memorial hit 29-63 from the floor, 5-13 from the arc and 20-28 from the line. Memorial had 17 assists and 3 steals. The Hawks started strong but ran into foul trouble, allowing UNB to take a 37-35 lead into the lockers. Guard Jeff Cotter had his nose broken by an errant elbow in the first half and was sidelined for the remained of the game. Memorial took a 9-point lead with 9 minutes to play, but Mike King and reserve Joe Thompson began to play some tough defence that closed the gap. With the game tied at 79, Chapman gave Memorial a two-point lead with a minute to play. Kierstead put UNB back ahead with 26 seconds to play but missed the bonus. Greg Winter responded with a bucket with 22 seconds to play and then Joseph Thompson hit a layup with 5 seconds to play that proved to be the winner. Greg Winter launched a trey at the buzzer that bounced off the rim. “We stepped up and got the win,” said Kierstead. “The Metro Centre’s a good play to win.” The Sea-Hawks (coached by Todd Aughey, assisted by John Deereux, Peter Benoite, Howie Green and Bill Redden) also included Greg Winter, Eddie Igumira, Andrew Barnhill, Paul Smith, Jeremy Butt, Tevin Oliver-Job and Anton Berry.
In the other quarterfinal, 3rd-seed Acadia defeats 5th-seed Cape Breton 68-67 as Phil Davis took a pass in traffic and drained an 18-foot jumper with two seconds on the clock. “I’m not going to lie to you. I knew it was going in,” said Davis. “It felt good as soon as it left my hands.” Acadia erased a five-point deficit with 2:17 to play to pull out the win. “We knew it was going to be close,” Davis said. “Guys like Damien Alexander, Stephen Nelson and Orville Edwards can light it up. We didn’t take them for granted.” Cape Breton took an early 7-4 lead but Acadia countered with a 12-2 run to lead 16-9. The Capers switched to a 2-3 zone and rallied back with their own 12-2 run. Richard Benton hit three buckets late in the half as Acadia moved ahead 34-29 at the half. They extended their lead to 11 early in the second half by opening with a 6-0 run. But both Davis and fellow backcourt starter Victor Hebert picked up their fourth foul and the Capers rallied back to tie the game at 50. Orville Edwards gave them a lead with a bucket. Acadia countered with a 7-0 run but then Cape Breton notched to a 10-0 run as they moved ahead by five. Cape Breton had possession of the ball with 30 seconds remaining but Nelson lost possession and a pair of free throws by Joseph gave the Axemen a 66-64 with 17 seconds remaining. Andrew Carter countered with a trey to give the Capers the lead with 9 seconds to play, setting the stage for Davis’ heroics. Carter noted that “I really thought we had the game one. We had them beat but this is playoff basketball and it’s one loss and you’re out.” Savior Joseph led Acadia with 16. Phillip Davis added 16, Richard Brenton 15, Daniel White 9, Walter Moyse 4, Erick Wynter 4, Michael Messenger 2 and Victor Herbert 2. Acadia shot 23-63 from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 18-21 from the line but were out-rebounded 49-38. Acadia had 16 assists, led by Herbert’s 6 and 11 steals, led by Joseph’s 4. Andrew Carter led Cape Breton with 17. Craig Cline adds 13, Orville Edwards 13, Stephen Nelson 11, Matthew Skinn 6, Damien Alexander 5 and Todd Lewis 2. Cape Breton shot 21-61 from the floor, 6-17 from the arc and 19-28 from the line. Cape Breton had 11 assists and 11 steals, with Nelson notching 3 steals and 3 assists. Acadia edged Cape Breton when Phillip Davis nailed a long jumper at the buzzer. Cape Breton (coached by Bill Burns) also included Dave Burns, Ryan Chaffe, Justin Dickens, Jason MacNeil, Lee Reckman and Hulute Yoga.
In the semi-finals, St. FX defeated New Brunswick 99-85 as Randy Nohr scored 27 and handed out 10 assists. Dennie Oliver added 20 points, Fred Perry 15, Jordan Croucher 12, James Maksymiw 11, Jason Kerswill 6, Everett Adams 6 and Krzysztof Stach 2. ST. FX shot 36-71 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc and 24-30 from the line. Each team grabbed 39 boards. St. FX had 28 assists, led by Nohr’s 10 and 11 steals led by Oliver’s 5. Jeff Cotter and Mike King each scored 20 for New Brunswick. Mike Kierstead added 18, starter Doug Jamer 0, Bram Russell 13, Tom Spink 6, David Myers 4 and Andrew Cotter 4. New Brunswick shot 31-68 from the floor, 11-18 from the arc and 12-16 from the line. UNB had 23 assists, led by Cotter’s 8 and 5 steals, led by King and Kierstead’s 2 apiece. Nohr kicked it off with an alley-oop to Perry to open the affair. It was quickly 5-0. UNB rallied to within 7-5 on a Jeff Cotter three and Bram Russell bucket. But St FX responded with a 10-1 run that put the game out of reach. The X-men held AUAA scoring leader Mike Kierstead to a pair of free throws and a late bucket in the first half. St. FX led 47-34 at the half. UNB closed to within 47-43 at the start of the second half as Kierstead, King, Russell and a King three-pointer trimmed the margin, all part of a 9-0 run. But St. FX took over and soon led by as many as 19. “I didn’t like giving up 85 points to UNB despite the fact that they were red hot from three-point range,” said Steve Konchalski. “Give them full marks for that, but we take a lot of pride in our team defence and giving up 85 was too much.” The Varsity Reds (coached by Thom Gillespie) also included Dan Goggin and Harry Rogers (who quit early in the season).
In the other semi, Saint Mary’s defeated Acadia 75-59 as Jonah Taussig scored 16, Ashkan Rajaee 11 and 12 boards, Nate Philippe 10, Kurt Henry 9, Gabriel Goree 9, Collin Allum 10, Damon Parachnowitsch 8 and Ryan McClintock 2. Saint Mary’s shot 27-48 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc and 17-26 from the line. Each team nabbed 37 boards. Saint Mary’s garnered 20 assists, led by Taussig’s 5 and 6 steals, led by Taussig’s 3. Victor Herbert led Acadia with 17 points. Richard Brenton added 13, Joseph Savoir 7, Michael Messenger 5, Erick Wynter 5, Neil Belot 4, Daniel White 2, Phillip Davis 2, Michael Palombella 2 and Ryan Marrast 2. Starter Walter Moyse was held scoreless. Acadia shot 24-69 from the floor, 4-18 from the arc and 7-12 from the line. Acadia had 14 assists, led by Herbert’s 7 and 4 steals, led by Belot’s 2. Acadia briefly led 6-2 but the Huskies quickly got their offence on track as they moved to a 20-12 lead. Although Acadia rallied back to within 5 on a Victor Herbert jumper with three minutes to play in the first half, SMU led 35-26 at the half. The Huskies quickly extended their lead to 19 in the second half as Colin Allum came off the bench to drill a pair of threes and hit another bucket. They increased the lead to 26 with five minutes to play and coasted to the win. The Axemen (coached by Dave Nutbrown) also included Saj Joseph, Michael Grant, Peter Milne, Jeffrey Nickel, Glen Smith and Josh Carpenter.
In the final, St. FX defeated Saint Mary’s 76-57 as Fred Perry scored 19, James Maksymiw 13, Jordan Croucher 12, Jason Kerswill 11, Randy Nohr 8, Dennie Oliver 6, along with 9 rebounds. Nohr also registered 12 assists. Everett Adams added 3 points, Alexander Stephen 2 and Krzysztof Stach 2. St. FX shot 31-68 from the floor, 2-16 from the arc and 12-19 from the line but were out-rebounded 49-33. Ashkan Rajaee led Saint Mary’s with 14 and 19 rebounds. Jonah Taussig added 13 points, Kurt Henry 11, Nate Philippe 10, Gabriel Goree 4, Collin Allum 3 and Ryan McClintock 2. Saint Mary’s shot 20-57 from the floor, 2-13 from the arc and 15-25 from the line. X led by as many as 31. “We just wanted to prove to everybody that we are the No. 1 team, one of the best teams in the country,” said Randy Nohr. “Guys were really focused and we stuck to the game plan the whole game. We just pounded the ball inside and played really good defence. We had a really good team effort.” Coach Steve Konchalski noted “we were awesome. The guys really put together 40 minutes of team play at both ends of the floor. The quality of play today was exceptional.” Huskies guard Jonah Taussig noted “they really took it to us today. My hat goes off to them. They played real good defence, especially that zone in the first half. It seemed like we were fighting the shot clock for about 10 straight possessions. We couldn’t get it going today. Against X, you’ve got to play 40 minutes of error-free basketball, because if you make a couple of mental mistakes, they’re going to capitalize. They’re a great team. Every position, they’ve got talent.” Huskies coach Ross Quackenbush said “we just didn’t show up today for some reason. I don’t think we were quite there, physically or mentally. Collectively, we lacked a certain sharpness.” Saint Mary’s shot .351 from the floor and 15-25 from the line. St Mary’s took a 5-0 lead on a Taussig three and a Gabe Goree tip-in. But then St. FX ripped off a 24-9 run to put the game out of reach. Defensive pressure was the difference. Quackenbush said “X had a good day, I won’t argue that. They got comfortable and happy. It’s hard to stop a team when they are feeling good and you’re feeling maybe ok.” Huskies forward Kurt Henry said “we came out in the second half looking to get back into the game. X came out pretty tough and made some one-on-one moves and got baskets. St. FX is a tough team and they showed that today.” X-Men forward Fred Perry said “offence brings out the crowds but defence wins championships. I wanted this game more than anything. I went out and played as hard as I could for myself and my team as well.” James Maksymiw said “the guys did a great job of collectively getting the ball inside to the forwards. What makes our team so special is that we have a great inside-outside game. If teams focus on our outside game, it opens stuff in the middle and we just have to do our job.” Coach Steve Konchalski said “I challenged the team to come out and play 40 minutes of consistent basketball and they responded to the challenge like champions.” X-men assistant Augy Jones noted “we press people for 40 minutes. If it doesn’t get you in the first five minutes, it’s going to get you in the last five.”
The runner-up Saint Mary’s Huskies: Jonah Taussig; Ashkan Rajaee; Nate Philippe; Kurt Henry; Gabriel Goree; Collin Allum; Damon Parachnowitsch; Ryan McClintock; Austin O’Reilly; Shawn Smith; Stuart Josselyn; Peter Turnbull; coach Ross Quackenbush; assistant Les Berry; assistant Scott Munro; manager John Landry; SID Lori Forbes; team doctor; Dr. D Petrie; trainer Chad Newhook; trainer Eric Sutherland; athletic director Larry Uteck
The champion St. Francis Xavier X-Men: Randy Nohr; Dennie Oliver; Fred Perry; Jordan Croucher; James Maksymiw; E.L. Adams; Krzystof Stach; Jason Kerswill; Dion Williams; Jonathan Daniel; Alex Stephen; Mike Budreski; John Bustin; Paul Ricketts; coach Steve Konchalski; assistant Augy Jones; assistant Jeff Piers; manager Kara Spencer; student therapist Jim Hardy; therapist Tara Sutherland; student assistant Vince Marra; SID Matthew Davies