March 5, 2011
LAKEHEAD ENDS CARLETON'S THREE-YEAR REIGN, TAKES FIRST WILSON CUP IN TEAM HISTORY
HAMILTON, Ont. (OUA) - The Lakehead Thunderwolves captured the first Wilson Cup title in club history and unseated the reigning three-time OUA-champion Carleton Ravens with a 77-62 victory in the 94th Wilson Cup, the climax of the OUA men's basketball Final Four, hosted by McMaster University.
Lakehead's Jamie Searle, a fifth-year guard from Belleville Ontario and OUA first-team all-star, was named the Porter Player of the Game and awarded the Keith Macpherson Trophy as the outstanding player in the Wilson Cup final. Searle posted a team-leading 23 points, including 14 points in the fourth quarter. He connected on eight of 15 field goal attempts, and was a perfect six-for-six on free throws.
"Carleton's an amazing team, but we knew this was our night," said a jubilant Searle. "We knew we were the only team to have a chance against them, and we worked for 40 minutes to get it done."
A 31-point fourth quarter lifted the Thunderwolves over a Raven team that had kept the score largely in check for the first 30 minutes of play.
"We got up by ten [in the fourth quarter], and we just kept hitting shots," said Lakehead head coach Scott Morrison, this season's OUA West Coach of the Year. "I told the team that this was our time."
Third-year guard Joseph Jones amassed 15 points for Lakehead, connecting on four of five attempts from outside the arc. Also in double-digit scoring for the victors were Ryan Thomson, with 12 points, and Yoosrie Salhia, with 10. Salhia added a team-leading nine rebounds.
Carleton's offence was led by second-year forward and OUA East Player of the Year Tyson Hinz, who posted 19 points, eight of which were sunk in the final quarter. Elliot Thompson grabbed 11 rebounds, all coming off the defensive glass.
Lakehead, which joined the OUA men's basketball circuit in 1988-89, had never previously appeared in a Wilson Cup championship game. Carleton, which was appearing in its fifth consecutive conference final, now boasts a 6-4 all-time record in Wilson Cup games.
The Ravens, ranked first in the nation in the CIS Top Ten poll, had posted a previously unblemished record in 2010-11, including an undefeated 22-0 regular season to lead the OUA East division. Lakehead, 17-5 in conference play, finished atop the OUA West and currently ranks sixth nationally.
The Wilson Cup, first presented in 1908-09, is emblematic of the Ontario university men's basketball championship, and is in its 94th season of competition.
Carleton's offence came out strong in the opening minutes, building up a 10-4 lead by the five minute mark of the first quarter. Lakehead's offence soon found its rhythm, sinking a trio of three-pointers in the final 3.15 of the quarter. The Thunderwolves took a narrow 15-14 into the first break after Jaime Searle sunk a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
Lakehead's momentum continued into the second frame, slowly but methodically pulling ahead of the Ravens to take a 32-26 advantage into halftime.
Lakehead's narrow edge on Carleton continued through the third quarter. A three-point buzzer-beater by Jones was initially waved off by the officials as having been released after the buzzer sounded, but the ruling was reversed in Lakehead's favour after a conference of the officials. The reversed call gave Lakehead a 46-39 advantage going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Searle's dominating performance was supplemented by nine points by Jones, including a pair of three-pointers. The Thunderwolves outscored the Ravens 31-23 in the final frame, sealing the 77-62 victory.
Both Carleton and Lakehead advance to the CIS men's basketball Final 8, hosted at the Halifax Metro Centre on March 11-13.
WILSON CUP FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE
All games at Burridge Gymnasium, McMaster University
Friday March 4
Semifinal 1: Lakehead Thunderwolves 71, Ottawa Gee-Gees 69
Semifinal 2: Carleton Ravens 83, Laurier Golden Hawks 76
Saturday March 5
Wilson Cup final: Lakehead Thunderwolves 77, Carleton Ravens 62
