CIS Hoops.ca

Larry Moko's article in the Hamilton Spectator on both the women's and men's games at Mac The article notes that Brad Rootes missed the last 2 days of practice with an ankle injury and that Mike Kemp (DNP) and Rohan Steen (11 minutes) also were injured for Brock.

Mary Caton's article in the Windsor Star on both the women's and men's games in Windsor last night as Waterloo actually took an early 12-6 lead in the men's game before Lancers Coach Chris Oliver went to his ever-productive bench and the game quickly turned around for Windsor. Also from Waterloo web site Windsor easily handles Warriors

St. Catharines Standard article on Brock's win over Mac


ROOTES DRAINS KEY THREE-POINTER AS BADGERS TOP MARARUDERS

(Hamilton, ON) Held in check most of the evening, All Canadian point guard
Brad Rootes (Niagara Falls, ON) knocked down a big three-point shot in the
late going, propelling the Brock University Badgers to 61-57 triumph over the
McMaster University Marauders, in OUA West action on Wednesday evening at the
Burridge Gym.

With the victory, the Badgers (#8 NABCC, #11 cishoops.ca) improve to 11-5,
strengthening their hold on second place, as they look to secure that
all-important first round playoff bye. Brock remains only a single game
behind the first place University of Windsor Lancers. Brock travels to
Windsor Saturday, in a battle for top spot in the conference. The Marauders
fall to 7-9, tied for 5th in the tightly-bunched standings.

The visitors jumped out to an early 12-6 lead. But the Maroon and Grey fought
back, narrowing the margin to a single point, 17-16, at the end of the first
quarter.

The Marauders finally were able to assert themselves as the second quarter
wore on. Mac jumped out to a six-point lead, before a late Badger charge
resulted in the teams heading to the locker room deadlocked at 33-33.

There was not much to choose between the two clubs in the second half either.
The visitors led by five points, but the home side came back to lead by six
points themselves. With the clock winding down, and Mac up 55-53, Rootes
worked his magic. The Badgers drove the court on a fast break, but stopped
short, firing a pass back to Rootes just outside the arc. The Brock captain
calmly knocked down the long range bomb, to restore a 56-55 Badger lead.

Forward Owen White (Port Hope, ON) led all scorers with 20 points and 6
rebounds. Fellow forward Dusty Bianchin had a 12 point, 10 rebound
double-double. Rootes, held scoreless in the first half, finished with 12
points. The Badgers were without forward Mike Kemp (Niagara Falls, ON), and
guard Rohan Steen (Welland, ON), who was injured during the game.

Forward Andrew Losier (Waterdown, ON) continues to exert himself at both ends
of the floor, finishing with a 16 point, 12 rebound double-double. Freshman
guard Tyrell Vernon tallied 10 points for the Maroon and Grey.

The Marauders return to the hardcourt this weeked, when they host the Wilfred
Laurier Golden Hawks, who are among the teams deadlocked with Mac in the
middle of the standings. The action, part of the annual Marauder Weekend
festivities, can be heard on 93.3 CFMU-FM and http://cfmu.mcmaster.ca .
Viewers can also follow the live stats on the internet, via
http://www.athrec.mcmaster.ca/athletics/teams/basketball/livestats/index.htm


GOLDEN HAWKS GRIND OUT WIN OVER GUELPH

The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks won their first road game of the season, traveling over to Guelph and grinding out a 72-67 win over the University of Guelph Gryphons. The win moves the Hawks’ OUA record to 7-9 (11-15 overall) and keeps them tied with Lakehead and McMaster for the final 2 playoff spots in the OUA West. The Gryphons remain in 3rd place with a 9-7 record. The Hawks have split with the Gryphons this year with both clubs winning on the road, but Guelph holds the point spread tie breaker.

Guelph jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on a pair of baskets in the paint but the Hawks came back to take a 5-4 lead of their own. Neither team was able to sustain their offense over consecutive possessions but, after the Gryphons retook the lead with another inside basket, a pair of 3-point baskets gave the Hawks an 11-6 lead midway through the 1st quarter. A 6-1 mini run by Guelph tie the game but the Hawks hit a foul shot and then a basket to take a 15-12 lead after the 1st period.

The 2nd quarter was very much a duplicate of the first with neither team able to put together any stretch of offensive success and the game seesawed back and forth. The lead changed hands four times with the Hawks seeing their lead expand to 5 points twice only to have the Gryphons take a 3 point lead. In the end, the game remained tied at 26-26 at the end of the 2nd quarter, Both teams displayed some strong defense holding each other in the low 30's% shooting from the floor. The Hawks were in this game because they were able to match the intensity and desire of the Gryphons from the start.

Both teams seemed to find their offense in the dressing rooms at the half. The 3rd quarter opened with each team hitting 4 points to keep the game tied. After the Gryphons took narrow 32-30 lead, the Hawks scored 17 points in their next 8 possessions although Guelph put in 9 during the same period, to take a 47-41 lead. The teams traded foul shots down the stretch and Laurier was up 51-47 after 3 quarters.

The Gryphons stormed out to start the 4th quarter scoring 6 straight points to retake the lead 53-51. A Hawk 3-pointer gave them back a lead that they would never relinquish and, after scoring the next 9 straight points they held a 63-53 lead with 5 minutes remaining in the game. The Gryphons threw everything that they could over the final 5 minutes cutting the Hawks lead to 3 points but the Laurier squad was able to hold them off. The Hawks final 11 points were scored from the free throw line (11/12) making the Gryphons pay for fouling them to stop the clock and lengthen the game.

The Golden Hawks were led by veteran Matthew Walker (4th yr, wing, Waterloo, ON) who finished with a game high 20 points (19 in the 2nd half), including 10/12 from the foul line. He also finished with 7 rebounds to lead the team in that category. Rookie Kale Harrison (wing, Stratford, ON) added 19 points (13 in the 1st half) including 3/4 from behind the 3 point arc. He also added 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Point guard Jesse MacDonald (3rd yr, Brantford, ON) had a second strong game in a row finishing with 16 points including 8/9 from the foul line. The Hawks, as a team, were 8/16 from 3 point land and 26/37 from the free throw line.

The Gryphons were led by Nick Pankerichan (4th yr, G, Hamilton, ON) who finished with 18 points. Borko Popic (4th yr, G, Waterloo, ON) added 15 while Duncan Milne (4th yr, F, Calgary, AB) had 14. Jay Mott (3rd yr, G, Burlington, ON) had 8 rebounds.

The Golden Hawks will travel to Hamilton on Saturday afternoon to take on the McMaster University Marauders in a battle of 7-9 teams fighting for a playoff berth. Tipoff for this contest is 2:00 pm.

Ben Myers, Sports Editor of the Fulcrum, uOttawa's campus newspaper has a piece on the recent Capital Hoops Classic

UBC takes a shot at bullying article previewing the T-Birds event as part of their game on Friday against Alberta. The game begins at noon PT/3 PM ET.