February 27, 2006
POST-SEASON UNDERDOGS PROVE THEY HAVE BITE
The road to the Wilson Cup is winding down. The two East finalists, the three-time defending champion Carleton Ravens and the upstart York Lions, have booked a spot in the OUA semi-finals, while four teams remain in the West after a thrilling weekend of upsets - the Windsor Lancers, McMaster Marauders, Brock Badgers and Laurier Golden Hawks.
Unranked York pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the playoff season as they went into Ottawa and dominated the No. 6 nationally-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees in a lopsided 76-55 win. The Lions had a balanced offensive attack, led by fourth-year forward Dan Eves, who scored a game-high 20 points to go along with his nine rebounds. Guards Tut Ruach and Rohan Steen chipped in 19 and 18 points respectively, while former OUA athlete of the week Jordan Foebel scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. York had an incredible shooting night, particularly in the opening half when they drained six three-pointers to help build a 40-29 lead at the half. Ottawa, led by senior Chris Swenson's 17 points, rallied in the second but Ruach was the man for York down the stretch - the first-team all-star scored 13 of his points in the last 10 minutes of the game to help the Lions complete the upset and earn a trip to the East Final and a berth at the CIS national tournament in Halifax, NS (March 16-19). York had a tough time getting through to the East semi as they needed overtime to defeat the Laurentian Voyageurs 85-82 last Wednesday. Ruach had game-highs in points (29), assists (six) and steals (five).
The West was certainly wild this past weekend as both home teams failed to defend their own court. The Golden Hawks bounced back from an 86-83 defeat in the final game of the regular season against rival Waterloo to eliminate the tough Guelph Gryphons 81-74 Saturday. Andrew MacKay paced Laurier with 20 points hitting four of five shots from the three-point line and six of 10 from the floor overall. Lightning-quick guard Wade Currie added 19 for the Hawks, who shot 50 per cent from the field and beyond the arc. Guelphs two all-stars had phenomenal games for the hosts but 31 points from first-teamer John Ross Bailey and 17 from second-team all-star guard John Scott Esposito wasn't enough as the rest of the Gryphons had trouble producing. Laurier was 10-12 in the regular season but with the win advance to the West semi-final against the Brock Badgers this Wednesday at the Bob Davis Gym in St. Catharines.
Saturday was one of the biggest days in the University of Windsor's entire history as three teams won OUA championships. But the Lancers cagers also grabbed some headlines with a solid 61-58 road win over the Warriors in Waterloo. Trailing by four points in the final 30 seconds, the Warriors scored two buckets to tie the game 58-58 before Windsor's Ryan Steer hit one of the shots of his life, burying a long three-pointer as time expired to silence the Warriors fans. Third-year forward Rich Allin led the Lancers with 16 points, while Steer finished the afternoon with 13. Greg Allin had a game-high 12 rebounds for Windsor. Playing in the final game of his distinguished career, Graham Jarman led Waterloo with 20 points. The Lancers travel to the Burridge Gym in Hamilton Wednesday to face the West's top-seeded McMaster Marauders.
In the only other game this weekend, the Ravens began their quest for a fourth straight national title with a convincing 77-43 win over the Queen's Golden Gaels. Queen's had advanced with a 64-56 upset win over the Toronto Varsity Blues earlier in the week but there was no chance of getting past Carleton Saturday. The Ravens were on their game, led by East Player of the Year Osvaldo Jeanty, who poured in 19 points (5-for-8 from long range), while adding five rebounds and a game-high five assists. Jean Emmanuel Jean Marie had 12 points for Carleton, while Daron Leonard and Aaron Doornekamp each went 5-for-7 from the floor en route to 11 points apiece. The Ravens meet York for a berth in the Wilson Cup next Saturday in the Ravens Nest at 8:00 pm.
(Photo: Laurier forward Rob Innes works down low in the Hawks 81-74 upset win over Guelph Saturday. Photo by Mike Whitehouse.)
Unranked York pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the playoff season as they went into Ottawa and dominated the No. 6 nationally-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees in a lopsided 76-55 win. The Lions had a balanced offensive attack, led by fourth-year forward Dan Eves, who scored a game-high 20 points to go along with his nine rebounds. Guards Tut Ruach and Rohan Steen chipped in 19 and 18 points respectively, while former OUA athlete of the week Jordan Foebel scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. York had an incredible shooting night, particularly in the opening half when they drained six three-pointers to help build a 40-29 lead at the half. Ottawa, led by senior Chris Swenson's 17 points, rallied in the second but Ruach was the man for York down the stretch - the first-team all-star scored 13 of his points in the last 10 minutes of the game to help the Lions complete the upset and earn a trip to the East Final and a berth at the CIS national tournament in Halifax, NS (March 16-19). York had a tough time getting through to the East semi as they needed overtime to defeat the Laurentian Voyageurs 85-82 last Wednesday. Ruach had game-highs in points (29), assists (six) and steals (five).
The West was certainly wild this past weekend as both home teams failed to defend their own court. The Golden Hawks bounced back from an 86-83 defeat in the final game of the regular season against rival Waterloo to eliminate the tough Guelph Gryphons 81-74 Saturday. Andrew MacKay paced Laurier with 20 points hitting four of five shots from the three-point line and six of 10 from the floor overall. Lightning-quick guard Wade Currie added 19 for the Hawks, who shot 50 per cent from the field and beyond the arc. Guelphs two all-stars had phenomenal games for the hosts but 31 points from first-teamer John Ross Bailey and 17 from second-team all-star guard John Scott Esposito wasn't enough as the rest of the Gryphons had trouble producing. Laurier was 10-12 in the regular season but with the win advance to the West semi-final against the Brock Badgers this Wednesday at the Bob Davis Gym in St. Catharines.
Saturday was one of the biggest days in the University of Windsor's entire history as three teams won OUA championships. But the Lancers cagers also grabbed some headlines with a solid 61-58 road win over the Warriors in Waterloo. Trailing by four points in the final 30 seconds, the Warriors scored two buckets to tie the game 58-58 before Windsor's Ryan Steer hit one of the shots of his life, burying a long three-pointer as time expired to silence the Warriors fans. Third-year forward Rich Allin led the Lancers with 16 points, while Steer finished the afternoon with 13. Greg Allin had a game-high 12 rebounds for Windsor. Playing in the final game of his distinguished career, Graham Jarman led Waterloo with 20 points. The Lancers travel to the Burridge Gym in Hamilton Wednesday to face the West's top-seeded McMaster Marauders.
In the only other game this weekend, the Ravens began their quest for a fourth straight national title with a convincing 77-43 win over the Queen's Golden Gaels. Queen's had advanced with a 64-56 upset win over the Toronto Varsity Blues earlier in the week but there was no chance of getting past Carleton Saturday. The Ravens were on their game, led by East Player of the Year Osvaldo Jeanty, who poured in 19 points (5-for-8 from long range), while adding five rebounds and a game-high five assists. Jean Emmanuel Jean Marie had 12 points for Carleton, while Daron Leonard and Aaron Doornekamp each went 5-for-7 from the floor en route to 11 points apiece. The Ravens meet York for a berth in the Wilson Cup next Saturday in the Ravens Nest at 8:00 pm.
(Photo: Laurier forward Rob Innes works down low in the Hawks 81-74 upset win over Guelph Saturday. Photo by Mike Whitehouse.)
