REGULAR SEASON
| Concordia | 12-0 | John Dore | |||
| McGill | 7-5 | 12-19 | Ken Schildroth | ||
| Bishop’s | 4-8 | 11-13 | Eddie Pomykala | ||
| Laval | 1-11 | Jacques LeBel | |||
In the regular season, Concordia finished atop the standings with a (12-0) record.
Playoff non-qualifier Laval Rouge et Or: Akli Brahim, Philippe Coutu, Sophal Khuong, Francois Prud’homme, Martin Vaillancourt, Jeff Gauthier, Mouhamadou Sow, Brian De Ruiter, Jean-Pierre Reimer, Glenn Marsh, Philippe Laurent, coach Jacques Lebel
In the semis, McGill defeated Bishop’s 86-79 as 6-8 forward Todd McDougall scored 27 and nabbed 8 boards. Forward Todd McDougall said the Redmen were determined to redeem themselves after a late season 87-58 loss to hapless Laval, perhaps the worst team in the country. “That was an enormous wake-up call. We worked really hard to make something of this season after that loss. Our hard work showed tonight,” he told the Montreal Gazette.” McDougall added that the Redmen were also determined to avenge a loss to the Gaiters in the 1993 semis. “There was just no way we were going to lose tonight. The veterans remembered what happened last year. Some of us, myself included, played scared that game but not this time. We played with a great deal more confidence.” McDougall scored 12 as McGill built a 40-29 lead at the half, while shooting .560 from the floor. The Redmen contained Tom Van Alstine to 3-6 from the arc and shut down the Gaiters perimeter game. Bishop’s missed a raft of bunny layups in the first half. “You just can’t miss easy layups in a game like this,” said Van Alstine. “McGill always plays us well on the outside but we had our chances inside and didn’t capitalize. We got it close in the end. We didn’t quit.” McGill led 60-43 with 11 minutes to play but the Gaiters rallied off 10 unanswered points before McDougall hit a pair from the line to stem the bleeding. Bishop’s cut McGill’s lead to 78-73 with 36 seconds to play, and to 84-79 with 11 seconds on the block before the Redmen iced it at the line. They finished 29-42 from the line, while Bishop’s was 18-27. “When we got that wake-up call against Laval, we knew that we weren’t going to get anywhere without working hard for a full 40 minutes,” said Ryan Schoenhals, who scored 21 for McGill. Greg Southward led Bishop’s with 19. Colin Feasby added 17.
In the final, Concordia swept McGill 83-72; 87-73 (2g-0).
In game one, Concordia stomped McGill 83-71 as league MVP Robert Ferguson scored 25, nabbed 7 boards, dished 7 assists and committed no turnovers. “He was everywhere,” teammate Frederic Arsenault told the Montreal Gazette. “No one could have stopped Fergie tonight. You could see the intensity in his eyes before the game. He was completely focused and told me, this was it. He was a fifth-year player and it was his last chance to get back to the national championship. Fergie said he didn’t want to screw up his last chance.” Ferguson said “I want to get back to nationals real bad. But I don’t know how much that was responsible for what happened out there tonight. In the first half, all I wanted to do was get everybody involved in the offence. Hit the open man. The aim was for me to do the same thing in the second half, only I seemed to be the one who was open. McGill opened with leads of 16-11 and 19-16 early but the Stingers got on track for a 17-2 run to take a 33-21 lead. Concordia led 42-36 at the half. McGill rallied to within 51-49 midway through the second half but Ferguson exploded for 15 points in the next seven minutes, capped by a trey that gave the Stingers a 77-62 lead. “The game plan was to take it to them tonight,” said Ferguson. “And really it was our defence which produced our offence. I had a good night tonight but it will be someone else next time. We have a lot of people who can score 25 points in one game.” Emerson Thomas added 16 points and 6 assists for the Stingers, while rookie Maxime Bouchard notched 14 while hitting four from beyond the arc. McGill guard Rick Varisco, who scored 12 on 3-12 from the floor said “we turned up our game a notch tonight but so did they. We have to come to practice with our game faces on now.”
In game two, the Stingers completed a back-to-back undefeated sweep of the QUBL by stomping McGill 83-72. Coach John Dore told the Montreal Gazette that he was worried about the lack of preparation for nationals, so easy was Concordia’s romp through the league. “It’s pretty tough to maintain your intensity level when you play McGill, Bishop’s and Laval three times each after Christmas. We worked hard on it in practice trying to simulate game conditions and playing in close games but it’s not the same thing as the real thing.” McGill took an early 19-15 lead after ripping off a 12-0 run ignited by 6-11 centre Doug McMahon, who had 15 of the Redmen’s 19 points. He finished with 24, as did forward Todd McDougall. But the Redmen’s lead was short-lived as Concordia cranked up its defensive pressure, got it running game on track, and got a trio from beyond the arc from Steve Thomas the Stingers outscored McGill 23-9 to take a 38-27 lead. McGill never really threatened again. “We knew that if we increased the tempo, they couldn’t stay with us,” said Dore. “And we changed up our press and that seemed to confuse them at times.” The Stingers pressure forced Redmen ballhandlers Doug Varisco, Chris Emergui and Ryan Schoenhals into 17 turnovers. Emerson Thomas led Concordia with 18, including 13 in the first half. Steve Thomas added 14, Robert Ferguson 14, Frederic Arsenault 11 and Maxime Bouchard 10.
The bronze medalist Bishop’s Gaiters: Greg Southward; Colin Feasby; Kevin McGuire; Shane Thompson; Russ Johnson; Stewart Clark; Dan Pfliger; Tim Johnston; Tom Van Alstine; Glen Faucher; Brennan Wares; James Forsythe; coach Eddie Pomykala; assistant Jeff Harris; manager Roger Thomas
The runner-up McGill Redmen: Doug Varisco; Chris Emergui; Ryan Schoenhals; James Daniels; Sam Mendolia; Hubert Davis; Connor Glynn; Chad Wozney; Julian Stelzer; David Rudnick; Jon Campbell; Keith Driscoll; Hugh Rowan-Legg; Todd McDougall; Douglas McMahon; coach Ken Schildroth; assistant Nevio Marzinotto; assistant Bernie Rosanelli
The champion Concordia Stingers: Emerson Thomas; Steve Thomas; Robert Ferguson; Frederic Arsenault; Maxime Bouchard; Hennssy Auriental; Ralph Auriental; Jason Brade; Wendel Bradshaw; Warren Daniel; Chris Eames; Marcelin Emile; Abel Joseph; Bobby Miller; Marlon Sullivan; Shawn Villaroel; Gaetan Prosper; Daniel Furlong; Justin Padvaiskis; Jean-Pierre Reimer; coach John Dore; assistant Harvey Liverman; therapist Saro Koresteciyan; therapist Doug Glazen