The Canadian U20 hockey team may be feeling a bit down right now, but they should know that there were Canadians that won something on Wednesday.
With the OUA hoops season now back, the Lancers, along with the Warriors and Marauders, hit the hardwood Wednesday and came out smelling victory.
After a slow first quarter, the Lancers (8–1) scored no less than 22 points per quarter in a 87–72 defeat of the Mustangs (5–4). Isaac Kuon led all Lancer scorers with 25 points and 67 per cent shooting.
Despite turning the ball over 10 times and only recording 15 freethrow attempts, the team shot 49 per cent from the floor and grabbed 29 rebounds. With a cushion between themselves and the Thunderwolves and Golden Hawks, the division-leading Lancers can take the early game as time to learn and prepare for their next match, against the Badgers (5–4) Jan. 8.
Meanwhile, the Warriors (5–4) narrowly escaped with a win against those very Badgers last night, a 90–89 final. I have a feeling that anyone who attended last night’s game could tell you how back and forth the momentum shifted.
The Badgers and Warriors won the first and second quarters respectively (25–16 and 23–12), and a 67–63 score at the end of the third saw no clear winner. Even though the Badgers won the fourth 26–23, the Warriors slipped away with the win. Cam McIntyre probably had the night of his collegiate career, with 38 points and four made three-pointers. Badgers guard Andrew Kraus had 21 points in a losing cause.
For the record, and this is my opinion, the Badgers have been that team in the OUA this year. They are grinders, a team that scraps and plays harder than their talent can predict. Despite the loss, keep an eye out for this team in the next month or so. They could be a spoiler for a team looking for adequate playoff position.
To wrap up, the Marauders (4–5) hosted and defeated the Golden Hawks 72–64 in Hamilton. Amos Connolly’s Marauders got off to a strong 20–9 start, but let the Hawks into the game. Luckily, the Marauders kept the Hawks at bay, using the homecourt advantage that we hear about sometimes.
The Marauders now have a two-game winning streak. They face the Mustangs this weekend.
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Cam McIntyre has actually had quite a few games like this, including his last OUA game where he scored 42 with 11 3's.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side, Brocks gaurds Andrew Krause and mike Cruickshank are absolutely outstanding - as good as any backcourt in the OUA.