Catch and Release

Camosun Chargers 70, Keyano Huskies 67

Chargers score 25 in fourth quarter, stave off Huskies in bronze quarterfinals

After dropping the PACWEST title game on a last second three pointer and losing their CCAA quarterfinal in double-overtime, the Camosun Chargers were due for a turnaround of luck. The Victoria squad outscored their opponents, the Keyano Huskies, 25-16 in the fourth quarter to earn a 70-67 win.

Like the first four games of the tournament, the game was close at the half. The Chargers held a 34-32 lead at the break but the Huskies came out firing in the third quarter. Deandre Rowe scored 9 points in the frame to push the ACAC champions into the driver’s seat. 

Owen Jones keyed the Camosun comeback. He scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter, including three shots from beyond the arc and two free throws with time running out to push the Camosun lead to three. The Huskies got two late three point attempts off but were unable to tie the game.

Tyler Synesael earned a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) and was named Camosun’s 4Imprint player of the game. Deandre Rowe earned the same honour for Keyano as he scored a game-high 21 points and was dangerous all game long.

The Chargers advance to a bronze semifinal Friday at 7 pm against the Humber Hawks while the Huskies will play in the 7th/8th place game against the St. Thomas Tommies at 2 pm. 

A Tale of Two Comebacks

Kodiaks rally in second quarter, downs St. Thomas

Lethbridge Kodiaks 88, St. Thomas Tommies 83

The hunt for a national bronze medal continued with haste as the ACAC wildcard Lethbridge Kodiaks locked horns with the ACAC champion St. Thomas Tommies.

The first quarter mirrored how the game would turn out. St. Thomas jumped out to an early 8-4 lead, but the Kodiaks quickly got back into it. Both teams remained close until a traveling violation against Randall Mongard. This sparked a 26-8 Tommies run that carried them to the end of the quarter.

In the second, the Kodiaks began to creep back into the contest, just as the Tommies themselves had done against Humber the night before. Though St. Thomas’ shooting remained hot, Lethbridge shot hotter and took the lead on a Levi Balderson jumper. Randall Mongard sent the Lethbridge fans into halftime happy with a Eurostep layup at the buzzer.

The beginning of the third was an omen of things to come, as Levi Balderson and Ceejay Hanson traded threes in the first minute. The Tommies briefly took the lead on a 13-2 run and a Marcus Wilson layup, but just as quickly as they got it, they lost it.

A Jackson Wright putback sandwiched between two West James shots, one from beyond the arc, rendered the efforts of John Hickey’s team moot.

Vincent Lyttleton wasn’t keen on rolling over, hitting two threes in the final minute of the quarter to get it back within four.

Jeven Eddy began the fourth with a finger roll, but just as the Kodiaks had done all game long, they shut down any hope of a St. Thomas comeback. Levi Balderson caught fire and scored 10 points in the quarter as the Kodiaks survived a wild affair.

Levi Balderson was named Lethbridge’s 4Imprint Player of the Game. He scored a game-high 23 points, including two crucial threes in the fourth quarter. Nathaniel Hosannah added a double-double in the victory, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 boards.

Marcus Wilson took home the 4Imprint Player of the Game Award for St. Thomas, scoring 15 points and coming one rebound shy of a double-double. Vincent Lyttleton led the Tommies with 21 points.

The Kodiaks aren’t out of the woods yet; they have a date with the Mohawk Mountaineers in the bronze semifinals on Friday at 5 pm. St. Thomas regroups for a matchup with the Keyano Huskies in the placement game that same day at 2 pm.

Happy Days With The Phonse

Brebeuf heading to title game for first time in program history

Dynamiques de Brébeuf 85, Mohawk Mountaineers 71

History was at stake for these two teams. The Dynamiques de Brebeuf were on the verge of their first national championship appearance in program history, while the Mohawk Mountaineers were searching for their first appearance since 2012.

The early goings proved fortunate for the Dynamiques, as their San Antonio-like ball movement left Mohawk’s defense in a trance. Three consecutive threes from Adam Alami, Aven Allana, and Mael Coutou put them up six, which was enough of a cushion. Another corner three from Malek Alphonse was the icing on the cake for an epic first quarter that saw Brebeuf lead by nine.

The second quarter saw both teams kick their offense into high gear, scoring almost forty combined points. Nonetheless, untimely fouls from Mohawk and quick shooting from Brebeuf saw the lead grow to ten at the half.

In a tournament filled with close games, the Dynamiques wanted to close out the Mountaineers as soon as they could. As Mohawk continued to miss shots, it looked like Brebeuf would make good on that promise.

Mohawk remained stubborn and continued to chip away deep into the fourth quarter, getting the lead down to eight with a pair of free throws from Iverson Chong. Brebeuf continued their torrid pace, crushing Mohawk’s hopes with a slam dunk from Malek Alphonse and a huge block from Samuel Desrochers to cruise to victory.

Malek Alphonse was stellar in the game, scoring 19 points off the bench on 7-10 shooting. Mael Coutou equalled his point production while adding five rebounds and was named Brebeuf’s 4Imprint Player of the Game. Samuel Desrochers added 13 points and two massive blocks.

Iverson Chong was named Mohawk’s 4Imprint Player of the Game, leading all scorers with 20 points while adding a steal and two assists. Jerry Jr. Mercury held down the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds and coming one point shy of a double-double.

The Dynamiques will play for national gold on Saturday night against VIU. Mohawk shifts to the bronze semifinals and will take on Lethbridge at 5 pm (Pacific) Friday.

Hometown Heroes

VIU is back in the title game after seven years

VIU Mariners 81, Humber Hawks 60

Not far removed from a riveting quarterfinal victory over Lethbridge, the Mariners returned to the friendly confines of the VIU Gymnasium for a heavyweight bout against the defending CCAA national champion Humber Hawks.

Humber took an early lead off a pair of jumpers from Nathan Savage and Dwayne Burke and led by as much as six after an Isaiah Brady-Clarke jumper, but the home team wasn’t about to go out quietly.

The Mariners pieced together basket after basket, leading by as much as seven after a fadeaway jumper from Kye Kotapski-Tinga, but a response from Adrian Aluyi brought it back within five.

Two free throws from Victoire Ndongo to begin the second quarter got the lead down to three, but that’s as close as it would get for the rest of the game. The Hawks only scored nine first quarter points to VIU’s 21, including a three from Kye Kotapski-Tinga at the buzzer.

The third quarter got off to a slow start for both teams as Humber committed a shot clock violation and VIU struggled to finish at the rim, but a pair of Winston Cole free throws and a straightaway three from Markus Modrovic got the crowd back into it. Benny Kazadi did most of Humber’s damage in the quarter with six points, helping the Hawks climb back into the game.

The fourth quarter turned into a runaway. As VIU hit shot after shot and the hometown crowd got rowdier by the minute, Humber was always one step behind despite consistently making their field goals.

Winston Cole’s three with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter proved to be the dagger. As Humber slinked off the court to a funeral dirge of cowbells and bam bams, the Mariners rode the wave all the way to the date with Brebeuf in the national title game. It marks the fifth time the Mariners have played for national gold, and the first since 2019.

Winston Cole led all scorers with 19 points while taking a game-high 19 shots. Ryan Bastian added 10 points in the victory, while Kye Kotapski-Tinga added 17 off the bench. Also off the bench came VIU’s 4Imprint Player of the Game, Markus Modrovic, who recorded a 14-10 double-double.

Nathan Savage was named Humber’s 4Imprint Player of the Game, scoring 14 points. Isaiah Brady-Clarke followed close behind with 10 points, while Adrian Aluyi grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Mariners will face the RSEQ champion Dynamiques de Brebeuf in the gold match on Saturday. The Hawks move to the bronze bracket and will face the Camosun Chargers on Friday at 7 pm (Pacific). 

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