KINGSTON, Ont. - Entering the final four games of the 2013-14 season, the St Lawrence College men's basketball team need to record important victories, even an upset victory (or two), to secure a playoff spot.
On Friday, the eighth place 7-9 Vikings hosted the third place 9-7 Georgian College Grizzlies and got the upset victory they were looking for. The Vikings would play phenomenal basketball throughout the entire 40 minute game, leading to the impressive 77-63 upset victory, recording an important two points in the process.
"We got contributions from everyone," said Vikings head coach Barry Smith.
Five SLC players would finish the game in double digits for points scored.
"Those are the kind of stat lines that we are looking for from this club. We know we have the talent and skill to achieve it every game."
Smith added that the Vikings have had the same goal this season, to limit a team to just 60 points per game.
"Our best chance to come away with a win is when we limit a team to less than 60 points per game. Tonight they hit a late three at the end of the game to go just above 60, but the goal paid off," said Smith.
The teams began the game with a tentative pace, with both squads testing to see how opposing players would react to certain plays. SLC got the game started with some great three-point shooting to open the scoring and set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Vikings played with tremendous energy during the first half.
In the second half, the Grizzlies could not match the Vikings offence, as SLC continued to find success with all aspects of their offence. Whether it was finding Terrence Thomas, Andrew Dawkins, or Connor Paulain for getting the three-point shot, or finding Donald Gibson, Brad Richards and Dylan George for the play down low, the Vikings were able to capitalize on the vast majority of their chances.
"It was really great to have contribution from everyone, but I have to give credit to Griffin Fernandez and Brad Richards. The two really stepped up tonight and probably played their best game of the year," said Smith.
Thomas would finish with a team-high 17 points. Dawkins recorded 14 points, Paulain added 13, Richards scored 11 and Fernandez recorded 10 points.
The Vikings are back in action with Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. when they host the 0-17 Fleming College Knights in the final home game for the Vikings.
Source: St. Lawrence College
KINGSTON, Ont. - The Georgian Grizzlies men's and women's basketball teams travelled east for a pair of games against the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings and the Loyalist Lancers this past weekend.
Georgian's men's team had a second quarter to forget in their match against the Vikings as they would trail by 12 going into halftime. The Grizzlies couldn't find a way to make those points up as they fell 77-63 to a team at their heels in the standings. Mark Brown (Toronto) had a team-high 17 points for the Grizzlies.
In their second match of the weekend the Grizzlies squandered a 38-25 halftime lead to the Lancers who came all the way back taking the lead with just 30 seconds on the clock. Georgian lost its scoring touch late and were defeated 67-62. Ivan Ivic (Croatia) had 13 points in the loss for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies did themselves no favours in the crowded OCAA East Division standings. The two losses put Georgian in a three-way tie for fourth place with Loyalist and St. Lawrence-Kingston in the standings. The Grizzlies are one game out of third place and the seventh place Seneca Sting sit just half a game back. Only the top six teams will qualify for a one game playoff crossover match to earn a spot at the OCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
The Grizzlies men's team has two important games remaining on their schedule, first against the Canadore Panthers this coming Sunday followed by a big match against the George Brown Huskies on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the Georgian Athletic Centre.
On the women's side the Grizzlies had a difficult road trip as they were unable to put two solid team efforts together. Summer Bly (Barrie) recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds but the Grizzlies couldn't slow down the Vikings who rolled to a 71-49 victory.
In their match against the Lancers, the Grizzlies simply couldn't get their scoring together shooting under 30 per cent for the contest as Loyalist claimed a 65-51 victory. Jazmyn Canning (Barrie) had a career-high 15 points for the Grizzlies.
Georgian is now eliminated from playoff contention and will play their final game of the season Tuesday, Feb. 18 versus the George Brown Huskies.
Source: Georgian College