March 3, 2008
CARLETON AND WESTERN SET TO BATTLE FOR 2008 WILSON CUP
Carleton 75, Ottawa 56
The Carleton University Ravens Men's Basketball team won the OUA East championship over the University of Ottawa Gee Gees. 75-56. Tonight's game marks the 27th straight victory in CIS & OUA regular and post season play for Carleton. The Ravens have now captured 6 OUA East Championships in the 9 years Head Coach Dave Smart has been at the helm. The team under Smart is now 211-23 in OUA and CIS regular and post season games good for a 91percent winning mark.
The game started off as the previous dozen Carleton-Ottawa Basketball games in the OUA regular and post season a close game with lots of emotion from both the athletes on the court and the capacity crowd in the stands. Carleton grabbed an early lead in the first quarter 22-16. The second quarter saw the Gee Gees come to life and out score the Ravens, 14-9, to close to with one point at the half, 31-30.
In the second half, the 5-time CIS National Champion Ravens put on a clinic beating Ottawa at every phase of the game and out scoring Ottawa 24-13 to take a commanding 12-point lead into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter Carleton continued to dominate a tired Gee Gee team who had played three games in a week and half to earn the right to play Carleton. The Ravens out scored Ottawa in the final stanza by 7-points to earn the OUA East Title, by a convincing 19-points, over their cross-town rivals.
The Ravens were led by the Wilson Sports Player of the Game, Aaron Doornekamp, Odessa, Ontario who played an excellent game leading Carleton to victory. The fourth year veteran scored 19-points, pulled down 4-rebounds, recorded 4-assists and his overall leadership on the court helped Carleton to their 6th OUA East Title. Stuart Turnbull, Kingston, Ontario and Neal Dawson, Ottawa, Ontario each added 12-points and Manny Jean-Marie, Ottawa, Ontario 11-points.
Rob Saunders, Kingston, Ontario led all Ravens with 8-total rebounds as Carleton out rebounded Ottawa 33 to 22 for the game.
The Gee Gees leading scorer was Sean Peter, Ottawa, Ontario led Ottawa with 14-points. The rest of the points for the Gee Gees were spread amongst Josh Gibson-Bascombe, Toronto, Ontario Donnie Gibson, Kingston, Ontario and Dax Dessureault, Ottawa, Ontario with 12-points a piece.
Western 79, Brock 62
The story continues for the upstart Western Mustangs men's basketball team, as they continued their winning streak, knocking off Brock 79-62 at the Bob Davis Gymnasium on March 1.
As the cliché goes, the Mustangs came into March like a Lion. They'll hope to go out as one.
Western qualifies for the CIS national tournament, the Final 8 Tournament hosted by Carleton University in Ottawa.
Fifth-year forward Adam Ruickbie played another phenomenal game, with a series of key boards and blocks to allow Western to maintain the lead in the third quarter.
Western exploded for a 51-35 run in the second and third quarter, taking Brad Rootes out of the game and moving on for victory.
\"It's really an unbelievable feeling,\" said Ruickbie. \"We said to ourselves at the start of the season that we were going to set a goal to win the OUA West championship and go to the nationals.\"
\"Here we are, we peaked at the right time,\" he added. \"What a better way to finish my career.\"
For a second straight game, Andrew Wedemire had a brilliant game off the bench, scoring 11 points and adding 10 rebounds. Brad Smith, who was relatively silent in the OUA West semi-final win at Windsor, scored a game-high 20 points.
Owen White paced the Badgers with a team-high 18 points. Rootes was held to just 15 points.
The Mustangs outrebounded the host Badgers 27-17 in the second half, dominating possession and dictating the flow of the game.
Western looked shaky in the later stages of the game, perhaps feeling like they'd wrapped up the game with a 25-point lead midway through the third.
But they limited their turnovers and rushed play in the final five minutes, en route to the victory and their first berth at nationals since 2000-2001. That year after Western knocked out the Victoria Vikes, the Mustangs lost to Alberta for gold 76-71 in Halifax.
It was the two years before Carleton began their run, and the undefeated host Ravens will look for their sixth straight CIS title on home turf at the ScotiaBank place.
The Mustangs will play the winner of the Ravens-Ottawa Gee-Gees OUA East Final for the Wilson Cup on March 8.
Although Brock looked good early - especially after Rootes hit his first shot of the game on the Badgers' second possession from down-town - Western had control of the game 18-13 after first quarter.
It was 32-22 Western with just under five mintues remaining in second quarter for Western and 36-23 with just under three minutes remaining in the half.
With a lead as big as 15, Western led 39-29 at the half. Western went on a 15-6 run to end the second quarter.
Smith was unbelievable in the start of the second, scoring eight of Western's first 10 points in the half, to stretch their lead to 51-32, with a lead as big as 25 in the quarter.
In the fourth, the Mustangs started to play sloppy but they regrouped late to hold onto the lead and victory. Brock only came within 15 points in the fourth quarter.
White was the top Badger on the day but he got into foul trouble early in the second quarter which cut his hot streak.
Western's bench scored 21 of their 39 first-half points, with rookies accounting for eight. Ryan Barbeau and Garrett Olexiuk played key minutes, finished for a combined eight points and four boards in the opening 20 minutes.
The Mustangs committed 15 turnovers in the game. Western outscored brock 52-20 in the paint.
\"24 teams, 5 CIS berths, 2 OUA champions - the OUA basketball playoffs, presented by Investors Group\"
The Carleton University Ravens Men's Basketball team won the OUA East championship over the University of Ottawa Gee Gees. 75-56. Tonight's game marks the 27th straight victory in CIS & OUA regular and post season play for Carleton. The Ravens have now captured 6 OUA East Championships in the 9 years Head Coach Dave Smart has been at the helm. The team under Smart is now 211-23 in OUA and CIS regular and post season games good for a 91percent winning mark.
The game started off as the previous dozen Carleton-Ottawa Basketball games in the OUA regular and post season a close game with lots of emotion from both the athletes on the court and the capacity crowd in the stands. Carleton grabbed an early lead in the first quarter 22-16. The second quarter saw the Gee Gees come to life and out score the Ravens, 14-9, to close to with one point at the half, 31-30.
In the second half, the 5-time CIS National Champion Ravens put on a clinic beating Ottawa at every phase of the game and out scoring Ottawa 24-13 to take a commanding 12-point lead into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter Carleton continued to dominate a tired Gee Gee team who had played three games in a week and half to earn the right to play Carleton. The Ravens out scored Ottawa in the final stanza by 7-points to earn the OUA East Title, by a convincing 19-points, over their cross-town rivals.
The Ravens were led by the Wilson Sports Player of the Game, Aaron Doornekamp, Odessa, Ontario who played an excellent game leading Carleton to victory. The fourth year veteran scored 19-points, pulled down 4-rebounds, recorded 4-assists and his overall leadership on the court helped Carleton to their 6th OUA East Title. Stuart Turnbull, Kingston, Ontario and Neal Dawson, Ottawa, Ontario each added 12-points and Manny Jean-Marie, Ottawa, Ontario 11-points.
Rob Saunders, Kingston, Ontario led all Ravens with 8-total rebounds as Carleton out rebounded Ottawa 33 to 22 for the game.
The Gee Gees leading scorer was Sean Peter, Ottawa, Ontario led Ottawa with 14-points. The rest of the points for the Gee Gees were spread amongst Josh Gibson-Bascombe, Toronto, Ontario Donnie Gibson, Kingston, Ontario and Dax Dessureault, Ottawa, Ontario with 12-points a piece.
Western 79, Brock 62
The story continues for the upstart Western Mustangs men's basketball team, as they continued their winning streak, knocking off Brock 79-62 at the Bob Davis Gymnasium on March 1.
As the cliché goes, the Mustangs came into March like a Lion. They'll hope to go out as one.
Western qualifies for the CIS national tournament, the Final 8 Tournament hosted by Carleton University in Ottawa.
Fifth-year forward Adam Ruickbie played another phenomenal game, with a series of key boards and blocks to allow Western to maintain the lead in the third quarter.
Western exploded for a 51-35 run in the second and third quarter, taking Brad Rootes out of the game and moving on for victory.
\"It's really an unbelievable feeling,\" said Ruickbie. \"We said to ourselves at the start of the season that we were going to set a goal to win the OUA West championship and go to the nationals.\"
\"Here we are, we peaked at the right time,\" he added. \"What a better way to finish my career.\"
For a second straight game, Andrew Wedemire had a brilliant game off the bench, scoring 11 points and adding 10 rebounds. Brad Smith, who was relatively silent in the OUA West semi-final win at Windsor, scored a game-high 20 points.
Owen White paced the Badgers with a team-high 18 points. Rootes was held to just 15 points.
The Mustangs outrebounded the host Badgers 27-17 in the second half, dominating possession and dictating the flow of the game.
Western looked shaky in the later stages of the game, perhaps feeling like they'd wrapped up the game with a 25-point lead midway through the third.
But they limited their turnovers and rushed play in the final five minutes, en route to the victory and their first berth at nationals since 2000-2001. That year after Western knocked out the Victoria Vikes, the Mustangs lost to Alberta for gold 76-71 in Halifax.
It was the two years before Carleton began their run, and the undefeated host Ravens will look for their sixth straight CIS title on home turf at the ScotiaBank place.
The Mustangs will play the winner of the Ravens-Ottawa Gee-Gees OUA East Final for the Wilson Cup on March 8.
Although Brock looked good early - especially after Rootes hit his first shot of the game on the Badgers' second possession from down-town - Western had control of the game 18-13 after first quarter.
It was 32-22 Western with just under five mintues remaining in second quarter for Western and 36-23 with just under three minutes remaining in the half.
With a lead as big as 15, Western led 39-29 at the half. Western went on a 15-6 run to end the second quarter.
Smith was unbelievable in the start of the second, scoring eight of Western's first 10 points in the half, to stretch their lead to 51-32, with a lead as big as 25 in the quarter.
In the fourth, the Mustangs started to play sloppy but they regrouped late to hold onto the lead and victory. Brock only came within 15 points in the fourth quarter.
White was the top Badger on the day but he got into foul trouble early in the second quarter which cut his hot streak.
Western's bench scored 21 of their 39 first-half points, with rookies accounting for eight. Ryan Barbeau and Garrett Olexiuk played key minutes, finished for a combined eight points and four boards in the opening 20 minutes.
The Mustangs committed 15 turnovers in the game. Western outscored brock 52-20 in the paint.
\"24 teams, 5 CIS berths, 2 OUA champions - the OUA basketball playoffs, presented by Investors Group\"
