Ravens defeat Lancers to capture ninth Wilson Cup title in 13 seasons

It doesn't get old for Dave Smart and the Carleton Ravens. They thumped a hot Windsor Lancers team fresh off a thrilling semifinal victory, 103-59 on Saturday night to capture their ninth Wilson Cup title.

Carleton was not only playing for the Wilson Cup, but for redemption after the Lancers got the better of the Ravens back in January on Windsor's home court.

But this time, it really wasn't close. The Ravens led from start to finish and shook off an early physical flurry from the Lancers to take a slim first quarter lead.

Carleton was able to pull away in the early stages of the second with a 14-4 run. Neither team was feeling very good shooting the ball with the Ravens shooting 33 per cent and the Lancers shooting 31 in the first half.

The Lancers hung around for the first half of the quarter but the Ravens forced them into sloppy play. A few turnovers and a couple ill-advised fouls was all Carleton needed to turn it into a 17-point lead with four minutes to go in the first half. Carleton led by 23 at the break.

Windsor's aggressive play didn't seem to be paying off. They keyed on Philip Scrubb especially and sent him to the line six times where Scrubb hit 11 of 12 free throws on the night.

The game really got away from the Lancers when their frustration started to show through four minutes into the second half. They were assessed three technical fouls on the same stoppage. To add insult, and important points, the Ravens were 26-for-31 from the line on the night.

Victor Raso had a very efficient game and was named the Porter Airlines Player of the Game.

 "We just stick to our roles and play confident in them," said Raso who went 5-for-6 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line for a game-high 21 points. "Tommy and Phil are matchup problems for everyone so we just have to space well and play off those guys. Tonight it was me stepping up, last night it was Connor, sometimes it's Gavin. It doesn't really matter to us who it is. It's whatever the defence decides to give us and we just play."

Carleton focused on their inside game in this one and it paid off as they had 34 points in the paint and dominated the battle on the boards 52-29.

 "Rebounding was a major focus," said head coach Dave Smart. "We were hoping to break even. We thought that would give us a decent shot at winning the game because they rebound so well. We were fortunate we got some stops and rebounds.

 "They rebound and attack the rim so we knew it was going to be like that," added Smart. "I don't think we were prepared for it when we got to their place. They didn't shock us with their talent but they shocked us with their intensity. He's done such a good job with that group. They've got some guys that can play but they lost a lot. It's hard to replace that much talent but they've been probably better this year. That's how they play. They get after it on the O boards, get after it in transition, and they play free. They didn't shot as well today as they can so that allowed us to get out in front too."

The Lancers and the Ravens both head on to the CIS Final Eight next weekend to be played at Ryerson University. Seedings and the final wild card spot will be announced on Sunday.

 "It's going to be tough," said OUA Final Four MVP, Thomas Scrubb, of next weekend's national tournament. "The three other teams here this weekend will probably have a big chip on their shoulders since they all lost a game this weekend. We know we've played well this weekend but we need to step it up a notch next weekend. We'll have to see what kind of draw we'll get but we'll be prepared."

Alex Campbell, Evan Matthews, and Kalid Abdel-Gabar all scored in double-digits for the Lancers in a silver medal winning effort.

Courtesy: Ottawa Gee-Gees Sports Information