Match 5 — Camosun Chargers 58, MSVU Mystics 56

Camosun Chargers withstood a furious press by the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics in the dying minutes of Thursday’s first bronze medal quarter-final to escape with a 58-56 win at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association men’s national basketball championship at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B.

The PACWEST wildcard entry from Victoria, B.C. got the go-ahead basket by Jamie Palamos-Molins with 48 seconds to go – his only basket of the day – to edge the Atlantic Collegiate winner Mystics of Halifax, N.S. Camosun advances to the bronze medal semi-final while MSVU will play in the seventh place game, both on Friday.

Lucas Sheets, the 4Imprint Canada player of the game, delivered 13 points to lead the Chargers, helped by Cole Belton’s 12 points and eight rebounds and Noah Helman’s 10 points and seven rebounds. The Chargers benefited from a big 47-31 edge on the boards.

Issac Matheson, the 4Imprint Canada player of the game for the Mystics, fouled out with 1.21 remaining, robbing MSVU of one of their most dangerous shooters in the final moments. Jaxon Smith led the Mystics with 24 points and eight rebounds, including a couple of key baskets in the last two minutes to draw the Mystics even. Matheson contributed 17 points.

Sheets admitted the defensive intensity late in the fourth quarter by the Mystics rattled his squad.

“They put that press on us and it kind of surprised us. But after the time out, we figured it out and Jamie got that big basket on that drive,” Sheets said after the game.

The Chargers exploded off the opening tip to surge to a 13-3 lead before the Mystics found their game. Camosun led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and 30-27 at half. They extended the lead to 47-39 at the end of the third before the fourth quarter nailbiter.

Match 6 – Vanier Cheetahs 90, VIU Mariners 79

The Vanier Cheetahs shook off opening game rust and looked more like the tournament top seed as they beat a determined VIU Mariners squad 90-79 in a bronze medal quarter final Thursday at the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national men’s basketball championship at Mount Allison University in Sackville N.B.

Vanier, the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) representative, used a blazing start, scoring more points in the first half – 54 – than they did in dropping their opening game to the host Mount Allison Mounties. The Cheetahs feasted on VIU turnovers, scoring 32 points off turnovers compared to just seven by the Mariners.

The Vanier bench also made a huge contribution, outscoring the VIU reserves 43-7. 

Liam Ngos, 4Imprint Canada player of the game, powered the Cheetahs’ attack, scoring 27 points in the first half on his way to a game-high 34. Carl Cleophat added 18 for Vanier.

Jakob Poulton was a threat from deep for the Mariners, the PACWEST champion, scoring 28 points, Kai Leighton also had a big game for VIU with 21.

Ngos said his team was determined to reverse the outcome of their opening night loss.

“I don’t normally look to score that much, but after last night, I decided to drive to the hoop more and I started to get more comfortable with the ball in my hands,” Ngos said post-game.

VIU, which suffered a heartbreaking one-point opening quarter-final loss to George Brown, got into foul trouble in the third quarter. All-Canadian big man Adam Anhold, who often dominates inside, picked up his fourth foul with just under four minutes left in the third. He eventually fouled out midway through the final quarter.

Vanier looked like a different team from their debut at the championship, putting up 31 points in the opening quarter. They took a 54-41 lead into half-time and led by eight points heading into the final frame.

The disciplined Mariners closed the gap to just four points with under five minutes to play, causing Cheetahs’ coach Faris Saaida to call a timeout. His team responded, with forward Yanis Malanda scoring two crucial baskets to expand the lead.

Vanier advances to a bronze medal semi-final while VIU will play MSVU Mystics in the seventh place game, both on Friday at Mount Allison.

Match 7 — Keyano Huskies 63, Humber Hawks 56

Humber’s dominant third quarter could not match the play of Evan Meyer, Keyano’s big man, whose automatic physicality and play in the key was too much for the Ontario champs to handle, seeing the Pacific West wildcard team advance to the gold medal game in a 63 to 56 win.

The Humber Hawks, 2024 OCAA Champions and fresh off a 104-57 quarterfinal win over MSVU yesterday, set the tone early on in this affair. They established their dominant on-court presence by outscoring Keyano in points in the paint (10 to 6), points scored off turnovers (4 to 0), and, most significantly, bench points (7 to 5). 

This match may come down to the role played by each team’s role players, with 16 combined players seeing floor time in the first quarter alone. Depth is of the most significant importance at the highest level.

If depth defined the first quarter, fouls and free throws shone in the second. An early flagrant foul committed by the Hawks took away the momentum built early in the first quarter. With 11 and 10 points apiece from DJ Haynes and Evan Meyer, respectively, and 7 rebounds from the latter, the Huskies pulled away to a ten-point margin at the half, leading 34-24. 

When a team has three times the free throw opportunities as their opponent and makes nearly 70% of their attempts, as is the case for the Huskies, the chances of playing for gold only heighten. 20 long minutes remain, and as seen in yesterday’s dramatic third match, leads vanish momentarily.

Finally, Humber’s Jalen Menzies, 2024 All-Canadian, gives his Hawks some life. After four stagnant minutes in the third for Humber with nothing to show for their defensive efforts, having kept Keyano to just two points thus far, Menzies forced a turnover and finger-rolled it in on the fastbreak. Two minutes later, at the 4:00 minute mark, Humber had closed the gap in this semifinal matchup, trailing just 36-34. 

Despite his unmemorable 1-7 field goal shooting, Menzies showed why he is among Canada’s best; even when he struggles to connect in the points column, his presence alone can bring the Hawks bench to their feet and shift the momentum of a game.

In a beautiful on-court interaction at 5:17 in the fourth quarter, Keenan Miller of the Huskies displayed true sportsmanship. After driving the basket and knocking over an opposing Humber defender in the process, Miller did not hesitate to check in on his fellow competitor’s well-being, mouthing, “My fault, my fault.” More often than not, sport brings out the kind-heartedness of those athletes who want nothing more than to win. Cheers to you, Miller.

Meyer, an Oshawa native and 4imprint Player of the Game, made his territory abundantly clear as Keyano’s standout player. He finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, a double-double, to jolt his team to a finals appearance. Kwabena Antwi earned 4imprint Player of the Game honours for Humber.

After the devastating loss, Humber dropped to the bronze semifinal against the Vanier Cheetahs on Friday at 3:00 PM. The Keyano Huskies will play in the gold medal match against the winner of Mount Allison and George Brown. Postgame, Meyer insisted upon how important it will be for his team not to “turn on each other and stay composed.” 

Then, as the Huskies hope, “everything will work out.”

Match 8 — George Brown 80, Mount Allison Mounties 76

From the media press box, with 2:40 remaining in the first quarter and a lot of basketball to play, a passerby might have heard the following utterance: “What if it happens…”

If it is possible for a gymnasium to reach beyond capacity, then the McCormack Gymnasium reached this point during Mount Allison’s loss against the George Brown Huskies, 80 to 76 on Thursday night. The home crowd went berserk following each turnover, interception, rebound, shot clock violation, and targetless pass in favour of the Mounties. It was a night to remember.

In the first, the visiting Huskies started hot with three-pointers from Naseem Barry and Jacob Masters, but the garnet and gold would not take long to respond. Shooting 50% of their field goals, 50% from the free throw line, and 50% from three-point range, the Mounties built upon the momentum provided by their supporters. Co-captain and proficient rebounder Tim Ellison took charge with 8 points and 2 rebounds, but it may have been point guard Edmond Surur’s clutch (and called ahead of time) three-pointer to put the dagger on their 19-13 first-quarter lead.

To the second, the Huskies demonstrated how effectively their 1-2-2 high-octane, fast-paced defensive system has the ability to shut down a team’s run-and-gun offence. With 2:30 remaining in the half, Mount Allison had only scored 6 points. 12 defensive rebounds and 12 forced turnovers will do that to a team. Nonetheless, a defensive swat by Mount A’s Kaden Augustin, followed by a great defensive effort from Keith Rowan, gave the Mounties an opportunity to keep this game within 4 by the end of the half. 

The following 20 minutes would decide the fate of the underdog, “what if” Mounties, trailing 33 to 29. If Mount Allison is to turn this match around in the third, they would need to reduce the number of points lost off of turnovers; the Huskies capitalized on 17 points alone from Mount A’s turnovers in the first half.

George Brown’s Jeremiah Brown, the 6’6 guard from Scarborough, ON, seemed to fail to miss a shot in the third quarter. And just when it appeared his 18 points, 4 rebounds, and perfect free throw percentage would settle this contest, an illegal screen and a charge by the Huskies energized the Mountie Pride crowd. Fighting back from a double-digit deficit, the George Brown Huskies led 59-51 heading into the final quarter of play. No big deal, only a gold medal matchup versus the Keyano Huskies on the line.

The turnovers forced by George Brown (28) only accumulated throughout this contest, and Mount Allison would ultimately lose too much ground. George Brown slowed the pace to their liking and relied on their big guns to provide the overwhelming offence. Brown and Masters finished this one with 27 and 15 points, respectively, sending George Brown to the infamous gold medal game, to be played on Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 PM. 

Mount Allison will contest for a spot in the bronze medal game tomorrow night at 6:00 PM. Edmond Surur earned 4imprint Player of the Game for the home side.

Heading into the final showdown with Keyano, 4imprint Player of the Game Jeremiah Brown’s inner-child showed post-game, noting how, even with a National Title on the line, this tournament is “a joy to play.” With just 48 hours until either the Keyano Huskies or George Brown Huskies (that will get confusing), Brown echoed one clear message: “Scout for a Keyano Husky.”

May the most determined Husky win.

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