Men's Basketball Rewind
An exciting Week 15 of man's basketball action across the PACWEST
FRIDAY
Chargers Down Mariners
Friday night was a beauty at Camosun as the top two teams went head-to-head with Chargers upsetting the Mariners 70-63 snapping their four-game losing streak.
They seemed to be healthy with a couple of their key pieces back in the line-up including point guard Jaime Palamos Molins who played 33 minutes and scored eight points. Their bench scoring was outstanding getting 36 points from their reserves led by David Finch who had a game high 19 points coming off the bench. Cormick Brown added 12 while Jesse Vogel led the starters with 14 points. They shot 31% from the field.
With the victory, the Chargers have clinched second place in the standings, and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Mariners had their 13-game winning streak snapped with the setback as they shot 38% from the field and only 9-of-35 from the three-point line. Both Adam Anhold and Ryan Bastian dropped in 13 points and Zekun Li added 12.
Saturday afternoon these two will meet for the final time this regular season.
Four Straight For Blues
The visiting Capilano Blues used a 20-7 third quarter to push them past the CBC Bearcats on Friday night 72-59 for their fourth straight win.
They shot 38% from the field led by Kash Lang and his 16 points along with Suraj Gahir’s 15 coming off the bench.
The victory moves them into a tie with the Bearcats for third place and they have two games in hand. There are three teams sitting with 11 wins each in the ultra-tight standings.
With the loss the Bearcats fell under the .500 mark heading into the final game of the season. They shot the ball well at 41% but couldn’t stop the Blues offensively, particularly in the third quarter. Levi Van Egdom had a team high 13 points and Seth Mckenzie added 11. As a team they only reached the free-throw line six times.
Saturday afternoon these two schools meet again. For the Bearcats it’s their final game before the playoffs and have an opportunity to finish at the .500 mark for the first time in recent memory. The Blues meanwhile can leapfrog the Bearcats into third with a win.
Falcons Keep Pace
With an 89-83 comeback win on Friday night the Langara Falcons keep pace with the Blues and Bearcats in front of them winning their 11th of the season.
They outscored the Coyotes 24-18 in the final quarter to pull ahead for good. Overall, they shot 39% from the field with their starters doing most of the damage. Jamar Ergas led with a game-high 21 points and Josh Kagande scored 20 with Royce Sargeant adding 17 and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The Coyotes couldn’t stop the Falcons in the fourth quarter and lose their 17th of the season. They shot 43% from the field and did hit 13-threes but it wasn’t enough. Manny Biden had a team high 18 points and Ajak Ngouth finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
These two meet again on Saturday afternoon. With a Falcons win and a Bearcats loss they would leapfrog them into a third-place tie with Capilano. Meanwhile the Coyotes need a win to keep the final playoff spot, with a loss they would allow the idle Douglas Royals to move into a tie for that last spot.
SATURDAY
Mariners Blast Chargers
After having their 13-game winning streak snapped on Friday night the VIU Mariners came back on Saturday angry and blasted the Chargers 85-59 riding a 29-9 second quarter.
It’s their 20th win of the season on 49% shooting plus they nailed 14-three pointers. Kai Leighton was solid with 22 points on the strength of five-threes and Jacob Poulton came off the bench for 17 points. Adam Anhold finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to give the Mariners a balanced attack.
The Chargers shot the ball well at 35% but just couldn’t stop the Mariners offensive push. Jesse Vogel led them with 17 points and Lucas Sheets added 14 in the setback.
Next weekend is the regular season finale as the Mariners (20-2) visit the Langara Falcons (11-11) and the Chargers (15-7) host the Capilano Blues (11-11).
Bearcats Use Overtime
The CBC Bearcats outscored the Capilano Blues 11-6 in overtime to clinch an 83-78 victory to finish the season 12-12 and guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs.
They shot 47% from the field with Cam Carter a sparkplug coming off the bench for a game high 21 points in 13 minutes of play. Spencer Dododza was solid with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Damien Coleman Jr also added 17 points. In all, four players reached double figures in this important win.
The Blues did an excellent job clawing their way back after a dreadful first quarter when they fell behind 22-8. Overall, they shot 38% with their starters doing most of their damage. Both Kash Lang and Ahmad Athman each dropped 20 points and Zach Klim finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss snapped their four-game winning streak.
Next weekend the Bearcats (12-12) will enjoy a bye week before the playoffs while the Blues (11-11) visit the Camosun Chargers (15-7).
Coyotes Win Nailbiter
With less than a second left Manny Biden put back a missed shot to give the Coyotes an 84-83 much needed victory in the battle for the final playoff spot.
The ‘Yotes shot 43% from the field with the bench contributing major production numbers. Kai Batten finished with a team high 28 points and Alex Szewczyk had 17 and 10 rebounds. Oscar Correia also tallied a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards in the overtime victory.
The win gives the Coyotes a two-point advantage over the idle Douglas Royals in the fight for the final playoff spot. They will host the Royals next weekend.
For the Falcons the loss snaps their five-game winning streak and drops them back to .500. They shot 47% with four of their five starters reaching double figures. For the second straight game Jamar Ergas led all scorers with 19 points and Rohan Sall scored 15.
It was the third straight game without Moeiz Athaya in the line-up and the Falcons are hoping he’s back for their playoff quarterfinal in two weeks.
Next weekend the Coyotes (5-17) host the Royals (4-18) and the Falcons (11-11) entertain the VIU Mariners (20-2) in the regular season finale.