Top-seeded Ravens five-peat, Scrubb brothers enter record books - Mar 16, 2015
The top-seeded Carleton University Ravens claimed the W.P. McGee Trophy for the fifth consecutive season and for a record 11th time overall thanks to a decisive 93-46 victory over the No. 3 Ottawa Gee-Gees in the championship final of the 2015 ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS men's basketball Final 8, Sunday afternoon, in front of a near-sellout crowd of 3,917 at Ryerson University's Mattamy Athletic Centre. The Ravens, who earned the top seed for the national tournament after they captured the OUA banner a week ago, completed a successful five-year run for the second time in program history, equalling their remarkable streak from 2003 to 2007. Brothers Philip Scrubb (190-G-92) and Thomas Scrubb (198-F-91) became just the fourth and fifth players in CIS annals to win five national rings in men's basketball, joining Osvaldo Jeanty from the 2003-2007 Ravens as well as Eli Pasquale and David Sheehan from the University of Victoria dynasty in the 1980s. In his final university game, Philip Scrubb completed a dream weekend as he received his second Jack Donohue Trophy as Final 8 MVP - three years after he first merited the award in 2012 - and was named Carleton game MVP for the third time in as many games this week thanks to a 28-point, 10-assist performance. The all-star guard from Richmond. B.C., the only player to win CIS player-of-the-year honours on three occasions over his career, shot 10-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and was 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Thomas, the reigning two-time CIS defensive player of the year and 2013 Jack Donohue Trophy winner, had a double-double of his own with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The cross-town rivals from the nation's capital had also faced off in last year's CIS title match, with Carleton prevailing 79-67. It marked the third rematch in CIS men's hoops history after Victoria beat Waterloo in both 1985 and 1986, and back-to-back victories by StFX over Brandon in 2000 and 2001. 'It's pretty cool to think about,' said Philip Scrubb about the five consecutive national titles. 'Each individual one is different and pretty special and this one, after we lost a few games this year, is a good feeling.' Ravens bench boss Dave Smart, who has been at the helm for all 11 McGee Trophy triumphs, echoed his point guard's statements about what the most recent one means to him 'Really for me, it's one at a time. It's always a different group. To win without Tyson (Hinz) and Kevin (Churchill) is not easy - they were the heart and soul of last year's team and to find a way to get it done this year is pretty special.' Carleton's defence smothered the Gee-Gees, limiting the country's highest-scoring team from the regular season (94.5 ppg) to just 23 points in each half, including eight points in a 22-8 fourth quarter. The Ravens, who had the nation's top-ranked defence this year (56.4 ppg) led 15-10 after the first period, 38-23 at halftime and 71-38 after 45 minutes. Fifth-year Ottawa guard Johnny Berhanemeskel, the 2014-15 CIS player of the year, was held to just six total points on 1-of-10 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three-point range, and didn't find the score sheet until two minutes before the halftime break. For the game, Carleton shot 55.4% from the field and 52.2% from beyond the arc, compared to 25.0% and 15.4% for their opponents. The Ravens also won the rebound battle 44-29. Leading 15-10 after 10 minutes, the Ravens led 15-10 started the second quarter on an 11-0 run to open the game up. The lead quickly ballooned to 20 and, with 5:10 remaining in the half, Ottawa head coach James DeRouin was whistled for a technical foul which seemed to give his Gee-Gees a spark they desperately needed. Ottawa scored on consecutive possessions and then drew a charge call at the defensive end and moved to within 13 points. Carleton held steady however and had retreated to the locker room up 38-23. The Ravens came out of the break hungry for more and Connor Wood (193-G) led the champions on a 16-2 run to open the second half. Third-year guard connected on three straight three-pointers and added a pull up jumper all within the first three minutes of the quarter 'They came out on that run and I had to burn a timeout,' said Derouin after the game. 'That put their lead at 26 and the way they were defending, I knew we had a pretty uphill climb at that point and it seemed to go from bad to worse from there.' Ottawa's offence could never find its rhythm and the Gee-Gees trailed 70-38 after three quarters. To make matters worse, the OUA bronze medallists also lost their CIS coach of the year as Derouin received a second technical foul and was forced to leave the bench for the final quarter. Not satisfied with their lead and unwilling to take a possession off, the Ravens outscored Ottawa 22-8 in the final quarter to put the finishing touches on the lopsided victory. Wood finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 on three-pointers. Jean-Emmanuel Pierre-Charles also scored in double figures with 11. In a losing cause, forward Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue (198-F), playing in his last contest in a Gee-Gee uniform, was named Ottawa's game MVP following a seven-point, seven-rebound effort. Guard Moe Ismail (193-F/G) came off the bench and was an unlikely leading scorer for his squad with 10 points in eight minutes of action. With tournament host Ryerson winning the bronze medal earlier on Sunday, the OUA conference swept the CIS podium for the second time in three campaigns. Carleton, Lakehead and Ottawa finished 1-2-3 in 2013. The University of British Columbia will host the 2016 CIS men's basketball Final 8 in Vancouver.
Courtesy of: cis-sic.ca
CIS All-Canadian 1st Team 2015
Berhanemeskel
Scrubb
McLaughlin
Masters
Scrubb
All-Tournament MVP: Philip Scrubb (6'3''-G-92) of Carleton All-Tournament Fair Play Award: Adika Peter-McNeilly (6'3''-G) of Ryerson Player of the Year: Johnny Berhanemeskel (6'2''-G-92) of Ottawa Rookie of the Year: Johneil Simpson (6'5''-G) of Brock Defensive Player of the Year: Thomas Scrubb (6'6''-F-91) of Carleton Ken Shield Award nominee: Noel Moffatt (6'5''-F) of Memorial Coach of the Year: James DeRouin of Ottawa
Rukus crowd roars as Gaiters claim 2015 RSEQ Men's Basketball Championship - Mar 8, 2015
Fifth-year senior Majid Naji (211-C) knocked down a pair of free-throws with just under two seconds remaining to clinch the Bishop's Gaiters first RSEQ conference championship since 1999. The Gaiters, in front of a capacity crowd 1073 in Mitchell Gymnasium topped the two-time defending champion McGill Redmen 68-63 to claim the title. The victory propels the Gaiters to the CIS National Championships set to take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto from March 12-15. It also marks the first championship of Rod Gilpin 's career as the men's head coach. The crowd at Bishop's was loud and proud as they grabbed 18-17 and 37-29 leads after the first and second quarter respectively. The Gaiters seemed poised to blow the roof off of the newly renovated facility by pacing themselves to 20-point advantage with 2:24 left in the third frame, but McGill refused to give in and started to chip away at the Gaiters lead. The Redmen cut the Gaiters advantage to 55-45 after the third stanza. The momentum stayed with the two-time defending champions as they were able to tie the contest at 60 with 2:46 remaining. Jona Bermillo's (Montreal) three pointer with 2:33 left, had the crowd cheering like it was 1999. It was the shot that put the Gaiters in the lead for good. After a defensive rebound by Naji he was fouled and sent to the charity stripe. His two successful free-throw attempts with just fewer than two seconds remaining had the all Gaiter fans cheering 16 years' worth of ecstasy. The final buzzer sounded with the Gaiters on top 68-63. "I think the crowd might have made the difference tonight," said Rod Gilpin . "We played really well to push the lead to 20 but McGill fought back and made some tough shots. Down the stretch our fans helped carry us over the top. Jona was great and he was great when we needed him." The victory punched the Gaiters ticket to the 2015 CIS Championship set for March 12-15 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto hosted by Ryerson part of Sportsnet's Super CIS Championship Weekend. The Gaiters will learn their seeding and first round opponent on Sunday, March 9 at 3 p.m.
Ravens defeat Lancers to capture ninth Wilson Cup title in 13 seasons - Mar 8, 2015
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 (190-G-92) 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 (190-G) 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 (198-F-91), 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.
The third time is the charm. With a final second push at the Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon, the University of Victoria Vikes defeated the host-University of Saskatchewan Huskies 70-67 in the Canada West men's basketball championship final. It was the third straight season the Vikes appeared in the final and only win in that span. After a comeback third quarter by the Huskies to lead 60-56 heading into the final 10 minutes, Canada West Most Valuable Player Chris McLaughlin (208-C) pushed Victoria back to tie the game at 65 with 3:44 left. All-Star Marcus Tibbs (183-G) put the Vikes ahead with a jumper on the next trip down the court. Two Matthew Forbes free throws tied the game back at 67 but Tibbs once again gave the Vikes the lead. A missed Saskatchewan three-pointer with seven seconds left sealed Victoria's championship win. Tibbs led the Vikes in the win tallying a game-high 25 points, while McLaughlin registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Mack Roth (198-G/F) added another 10 points and nine rebounds. Canada West Defensive Player of the Year Ben Baker (191-G) led the Huskies in the game with a double-double recording 21 points and 10 rebounds. Evan Ostertag (183-PG) added another 17 points from the bench for Saskatchewan, while Forbes added 13 points. The Vikes jumped to a 7-3 lead to open the first quarter, but Huskie Mike Scott hit a three to tie the game at 20 to end the first quarter. Victoria went on a 6-0 run to start the second frame before Ostertag hit a three from the top of the arc. Huskie shooters went cold midway through the second and the Vikes grew an 11-point lead. Baker hit a jump shot at the buzzer to cut the Vikes lead to nine at 42-31 at halftime. A 4-0 Saskatchewan run started the second half before Roth hit a long three to restore an eight-point lead. A Forbes three started an 18-1 run by the Huskies to give Saskatchewan a 54-45 lead. Saskatchewan held a 60-56 lead after the third. Victoria finished the night shooting at 41%, while Saskatchewan shot at 39%. Both teams advance to the CIS Final 8 hosted by the Ryerson University Rams March 12-15 in Toronto.
CanWest Tournament Final: Victoria - Saskatchewan 70-67 CanWest Tournament Semifinals: Thompson Rivers - Saskatchewan 71-84 Victoria - UFV 86-61
Courtesy of: canadawest.org
All-CanWest Awards 2015 - Mar 8, 2015
All-CanWest 1st Team 2015
McLaughlin
Ogungbemi-Jackson
Nixon
Friesen
Wolfram
Player of the Year: Chris McLaughlin (6'10''-C) of Victoria Rookie of the Year: Lars Schlueter (6'8''-F-95) of Calgary Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Baker (6'3''-G) of Saskatchewan Coach of the Year: Dan Vanhooren of Calgary
Tigers top Huskies 88-78 in OT to claim 2015 Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championship banner - Mar 3, 2015
The Dalhousie Tigers topped the Saint Mary's Huskies 88-78 in overtime Sunday evening to claim the 2015 Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championship banner - their first since the 2010-11 season. The Tigers came out strong in the opening quarter, but two late quarter runs by the Huskies put SMU on top 21-12 at the end of one. Despite Dalhousie's fiery defence, Saint Mary's still managed to sink 56 per cent of their shots from the field with help from Osman Barrie (F/C) (Ottawa, Ont.) who went 3-for-3 from the floor. Kashrell Lawrence (188-F/G) (Brampton, Ont.) led Dalhousie with five, while SMU's Brian Rouse (183-G) (Mississauga, Ont.) topped all scorers with seven points and added four rebounds. The Saint Mary's big men, led by Osman Barrie's 10 points, proved too much for the Tigers in the first half, and the Huskies increased their lead to 41-28. Lawrence posted 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half to lead the Tigers. SMU's shooting percentage seemed to be the difference maker, doubling Dalhousie's 28 per cent. Through three, Saint Mary's remained ahead 60-52 led by Jeremy McAvoy (185-G)'s 13 points, including three three-pointers in the quarter. Dalhousie managed to bring the game within one early in fourth and kept the momentum up until the last moments of the game, trading baskets with Saint Mary's all the way through the fourth quarter. With 27.4 seconds remaining, Dalhousie tied the ball game at 73, but neither team could decide the winner in regulation. Overtime continued to be as thrilling as the first four quarters. Dalhousie carried their late momentum into extra time and would not be overcome, winning 88-78. Ritchie Kanza Mata (Toronto, Ont.) seemed to be the Tigers spark, and scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth and overtime periods. Kashrell Lawrence, the Subway player of the game and championship MVP, scored 31 points for Dalhousie. Saint Mary's Subway player of the game was Brian Rouse, who led the Huskies with 21 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. The members of the championship all-star team from Saint Mary's were Marquis Clayton (178-PG) (Halifax, N.S.) with nine points, four rebounds, eight assists and four steals, and Osman Barrie who added 16 points and eight rebounds. Kashrell, Kanza Mata and Sven Stammberger (Halifax, N.S.) made up the rest of the all-star team. Stammberger had seven points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Tigers now advance to the 2015 ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS men's basketball Final 8 championship, being hosted by Ryerson University in Toronto March 12-15.
Atlatinc Tournament Final: Dalhousie - Saint Mary's 88-78 Atlantic Tournament Semifinals: Dalhousie - UNB 85-74 Saint Mary's - UPEI 105-92
Courtesy of: prestosports.com
All-Atlantic Awards 2015 - Mar 5, 2015
All-Atlantic 1st Team 2015
Masters
Scott
Lufile
Lawrence
Curcic
Player of the Year: Javon Masters (6'0''-PG) of UNB Rookie of the Year: Ben Miller (6'2''-G) of Acadia Defensive Player of the Year: Ritchie Kanza Mata (6'1''-G) of Dalhousie Coach of the Year: Brent Baker of UNB
Smart
