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Newest blog contributor Mel Magalas, long-time coach in the Burlington, ON area and father of present U of T Varsity Blues guards Nick and Seb Magalas gives readers a recap of last night's tight Blues win at York...

Varsity Blues “out roar” Lions. The crowd at the Tait McKenzie Centre seemed apprehensive and unusually quiet for last night's game between the York Lions and the Toronto Blues. In fact it was the Blues fans who contributed most of the noise and enthusiasm but even with that York proved difficult to handle. The Lions never did take the lead, but they tied the game twice in the fourth quarter before a killer steal late in the game by Blues Nick Magalas seemed to turn the tide and Toronto never looked back after that point. Nick Snow who seemed to have trouble penetrating the paint early in the game was instrumental in getting some key offensive rebounds late in the game and made some crucial outside shots earning him 12 points overall. Rob Paris picked up from where he left off the night before, in which he had 29 points against Laurentian. Paris hit for five threes helping him to earn a total of 23 points for the night. Nick Magalas once again contributed some speed and quickness to offset the feisty Lions and contributed 13 points for the evening. Perhaps the pleasant surprise for the Blues in last night's game was the contribution of rookie Drazen Glisic, who contributed four points but proved to be even more valuable with some excellent offensive rebounding. York Lions were once again led by Tut Ruach who played 40 minutes and contributed for 13 points overall. Other high scorers for York were Stefan Haynes with 14 points and Matt Terejko with 15 points. This is a building year for York but I wouldn’t want to meet them in the playoffs as they are coming together nicely and each game they play provides them with valuable playing minutes. The Blues appeared a bit sluggish last night but to their credit they were coming off a long bus ride from Sudbury having played Laurentian the night before. The Blues now get ready for a crucial road trip in Ottawa where a win over the Gee Gee’s will give them sole possession of second place and that all important home game advantage should both teams happen to meet in the sudden death semi-final playoff like they did last year.

Dinos Hit 15-3 In a Wide Open Affair from Wayne Thomas... Neither to point guard Jeff Price, nor to Head Coach Dan Vanhooren did Saturday's game with Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops feel like a win for the Calgary Dinos. In interviews following the game, all Price could offer was 'We played badly ...." Likewise, Coach Vanhooren proclaimed "We were ugly." The Dinos came out on the top end of an exploding scoreboard, 117-100, as neither team played many minutes of defense. The result, however, leaves Calgary at 15-3 in Canada West play this season, while TRU falls to a dismal 2-18, with two losses in Southern Alberta this weekend. For the second night running, Henry Bekkering was an efficient offensive threat for Calgary as he racked up 34 points to go with 38 from Friday's win over Fraser Valley. Tyler Fidler, Dinos impressive 6'8" freshman guard, was another bright light for the home team with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 big steals. Robbie Sihota's 11 rebounds and 14 points gave fans a glimpse of his return to form after recent sub-par outings. Thompson Rivers appreciated the 'shirts and skins' type of game that broke out tonight, as they matched the Dinos hoop for hoop in the 4th quarter, and closed to within 6 points. Cochrane HS grad Brent Traxel, in his 5th year of eligibility for the Wolfpack struck for 24 points including 5/6 from long range. Brian Smith, another 5th year man, notched 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. George Aramide with 17 and Kamar Burke-16 also hit double figures for the game 'Pack, who beat the Dinos 44-43 on the boards. Calgary shot 51 % from the floor and 26/32 free throws - 81%. TRU was 43% and 57% from the line, but stayed in the game with 10/21 from beyond the arc. Dinos Ross Bekkering sat this game out, as Coach Vanhooren chose to rest his big rebounding post man to allow his ankle to heal. Notes ...
> Late Friday - we waited for the UBC - Trinity score after all the rest were in ... reason? UBC 99 - at Trinity 90 OT This is not the kind of performance one would expect of the T-Birds, who were ranked ahead of the Dinos in a story by Howard Tsumura of the Vancouver Province.
THE PROVINCE'S CANADA WEST POWER RANKINGS ( going in to this weekend's games)
1. Brandon Bobcats (14-2) (2)
2. UBC Thunderbirds (13-4) (4)
3. Calgary Dinos (13-3) (1)
4. Victoria Vikes (12-5) (3)
5. Alberta Golden Bears (11-5) (6
> Saturday Night Scores ...
> In the big ... (attendance 10,000 +) MBNA Capital Hoops Classic played at the Scotia Centre in Ottawa tonight it was the #1 ranked and unbeaten Carleton Ravens 70- Ottawa Gee-Gees 66.
at Saskatchewan 74 - Alberta 52
Fraser Valley 85 - at Lethbridge 75
UBC 81 - at Trinity Western 58
at Simon Fraser 71 - Victoria 66
at Winnipeg 79 - Regina 54
Brandon 105 - at Manitoba 92

Mike Quigley's Laurier Golden Hawks Report... GOLDEN HAWKS ATTACK FIZZLES AGAINST WESTERN The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks generally pride themselves in putting a good defensive effort on the floor which, in turn, will lead to offensive opportunities and a shot at winning each time they step on the floor. Unfortunately the good defense that they showed at Alumni Hall in London Saturday afternoon against the University of Western Ontario Mustangs was not enough as they fell 73-60. The loss drops the Hawks’ OUA record to 6-9 (10-15 overall) and 7th place in the OUA West. The Mustangs move up to 8-7 and the 4th spot. Holding the Mustangs to 23 points in the 1st half and 73 overall should have allowed the Hawks a shot at a win but a 28% shooting percentage from the floor (19.5% in the 1st half) and only 50% from the foul line shot the Hawks out of the game. The 1st quarter opened with neither team able to connect until the Hawks broke the ice with a basket 4 minutes into the game. The Mustangs hit 1 free throw shortly after that then took a 3-2 lead. The Hawks responded with a 3 to retake the lead and hang on to a 15-10 lead at the end of the 1st. Unfortunately for the Hawks, this lead could have been greater but a couple of Mustang blocks on easy shots had the Hawks slightly intimidated and several sure baskets were missed by tentative shooting. The 2nd quarter was a repeat of the 1st. Neither team was able to generate any consistent offense. The Hawks managed to score 5 points in the first 4 minutes of the quarter to hold a 20-12 lead but then were shut out until their final possession of the quarter.. Meanwhile, the Mustangs slowly cut into the lead finally tying the game with 1:50 to go and retaking the lead in their next possession. Western took a 23-22 lead into the dressing rooms at the half. During that 1st half the Hawks had a more than respectable 41 shots from the floor but shot just 19.5%. They were also out rebounded 27-18. The Hawks opened the 3rd quarter with a basket to retake the lead but the Mustangs tied in with a free throw on their next possession and retook in on the one that followed. The Golden Hawks maintained pace, tying the game but were unable to get ahead when the and-1 free throw was missed and their offensive rebound of the missed ended in a turnover. Both team finally found their offensive rhythm but the advantage was with the bigger, older Mustangs who opened up a 7 point lead. The Hawks battled back cut the lead to 1 with just over 2 minutes remaining in the quarter and then taking the lead 41-40 on their next possession. An open 3 gave the Mustangs the lead back but a Hawk basket allowed them to tie it again. Unfortunately, the Hawks were held scoreless over their final 4 possessions while the Mustangs knocked in 10 points including an and-1 3-pointer on the buzzer to give them a 53-43 lead at the end of 3. The Hawks traded baskets with the Mustang through the early part of the 4th quarter but they were never able to close the gap. A pair of back-to-back 3-pointers gave them a little life but that was erased when the Mustangs replied with a pair of their own. When both of Lauriers’s starting posts fouled out during the quarter, Western’s size advantage allowed them to continue dominating the rebounds. The Mustangs were able to outscore the Hawks 20-17 in the 4th quarter to take the game by a final score of 73-60. The Mustangs won the rebounding war 48-39 and held the Hawks to 28.4% from the floor for the game. The Golden Hawks were again led by potential ROY candidate Kale Harrison (wing, Stratford, ON) who scored nearly half the Hawk’s points, finishing with 29 (23 in the 2nd half) and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. No other Hawk finished in double figures in scoring although Jesse MacDonald (3rd yr, point guard, Brantford, ON) had 9 (all in the 1st half) to keep the Hawks in the game. Matthew Walker (4th yr, wing, Waterloo, ON) also pulled down 10 rebounds. The Mustangs were led by Bradley Smith (4th yr, F, Churchill, ON) who finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Matthew Curtis (4th yr, G, Hamilton, ON) added 13 points while transfer Colin LaForme (4th yr, F, Hamilton, ON) had a double-double - 12 points and a game high 14 rebounds. Alex Brzozowicz (3rd yr, G, Chicago, IL) added 10 points and had 4 blocked shots. The Hawks next contest will be Wednesday night when they travel to Guelph to take on the 9-6 University of Guelph Gryphons. Guelph won the first matchup 82-72 on a 4th quarter comeback. Tipoff for the game is 8:00 pm.

OUA West Standings
Windsor 11-4
Brock 10-5
Guelph 9-6
Western 8-7
Lakehead 7-9
McMaster 7-9
Laurier 6-9
Waterloo 4-12

SPARTANS VALIANT COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT LANGLEY, British Columbia – Daniel Demian (Coquitlam, B.C.) lay face down on the court in the first half, nose bleeding after taking an elbow to the face. This picture said it all as his Trinity Western University Spartans limped through one of the worst halves in school history, mustering just 13 points to trail the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds by 25 points. But like Demian, the Spartans got up and fought back, pulling to within seven points early in the fourth quarter, before the Thunderbirds pulled away to win 81-58 at TWU’s David E. Enarson Gymnasium. “The first half is something I haven’t been involved in a long, long time, maybe back to my days as a grade eight girls coach,” said TWU head coach Pat Lee. “Our defence was outstanding in the first half, but we just really struggled to make shots. In the whole half we only had two assists, which means we were doing too much ‘one pass and shoot’ and we just didn’t execute at all.” UBC led 20-9 after one quarter as the Spartans struggled to find their rhythm, and it just got worse in the second, as TWU scored just one field goal, a Jon Loewen jumper with 1:50 left in the half. The Spartans shot 15 percent, making just five of 32 shots, and converting only two of five free throws. UBC, on the other hand, had different players score, including forward Bryson Kool (Pitt Meadows, B.C.), who led all scorers at the half with nine points and four rebounds. The Spartans found their offence quickly in the third quarter, as jumpers and free throws started falling from everywhere. TWU scored 14 points, more than their entire first half output, in the first five minutes of the third quarter, and would go on to outscore UBC 30-14 in the frame to pull within nine at 52-43. Demian, bloody nose and all, helped the Spartan surge with two jumpers and a free throw. The Spartans shot 66 percent from the field and made six of eight three-point attempts in the quarter, half of them from rookie Matt Myers (Tumwater, Wash.). In the fourth TWU cut the UBC lead to just seven points on a Jason Keegstra (Vernon, B.C.) fast break tomahawk dunk, making it 53-46 with 8:34 remaining. But that’s where the Spartans rally would end, as Kyle Watson (Richmond, B.C.) went right back down court and calmly buried a three pointer to push the lead back to 10 points. Three Spartan post players would foul out soon after and from there it was all UBC, as they would outscore TWU 25-12 to win going away. The Spartans were led in scoring by three bench players as the high-flying Keegstra finished with 12 points, Lance Verhoeff (Calgary) notched 11 points and five boards, and Myers totaled nine points and four assists. For the T-Birds Watson was unconscious in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 16 in that quarter as he missed just one shot, and was four of five from three. Kool finished with 15 points, 11 boards, three assists and two blocks, and Blain LaBranche (Edmonton) poured in 10 points off the bench. The Spartans finish the season with three straight games against the Simon Fraser University Clan. The first meeting will be TWU’s last regular season home game on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 6 p.m. The Thunderbirds last homestand of the regular season is also next weekend, and it starts with a rare noon tip against the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday February 1, 2008.

-TW-