As I sat intently behind the Gaiters’ basketball bench on Friday, January 15th, engrossing my eyes on Coach Rod Gilpin’s sharpie as he drew up a play, one thing came to mind: There was not a breath of negativity. “We can do this, let’s go!” I heard Ryan Steele yell as he high fived his way through the bench. Could they? After a promising first half, they had been out-rebounded steadily by the UQAM Citadins throughout the third quarter, gone flat with their shooting, and found themselves down 59-50 with five minutes and 54 seconds remaining. While I scanned the bench, expecting to find heads hung down in shame, or expressions of futility, or at least frustration, none of it was there. Instead there were the demeanors of athletes who knew this was their game to win. Then they went to work.
Ryan Steele initiated the comeback with a lay-up to cut the deficit to seven points. On the defensive side of the ball, the Gaiters utilized a relentless full court press on the Citadins. The result? Turnovers. As UQAM committed their third in as many possessions, with the lead having been cut to four, BU found their sharp shooter Tim Hunter, who promptly buried a three ball. 59-58 game. 3:36 to go.
UQAM finally managed a response, making good on a lay-up by Adil El Makssoud, but guard Onnex Blackwood would not be denied going to the rim. After sinking a free throw to cut the lead to two points, Blackwood made a stellar drive to the basket to tie the game up at 61-61, where it remained at the end of regulation.
In a game that featured a highlight reel alley-oop dunk from Steele, a wipeout at the Gaiters bench that took out a referee, and other wild loose ball scrambles, it was fitting that it would head to overtime. While the Gaiters felt robbed at the end of regulation when Tim Hunter appeared to go up with the ball to some contact from UQAM, the non foul call merely paved the way for a more exciting ending.
The overtime was dominated by the Gaiters from the get go. Blackwood continued to make stellar plays with his quickness and ability to drive to the net, scoring early. Then, they broke out to a five point advantage on an emphatic jam by big man Herman Tesfaghebriel only a minute later.
While UQAM chipped away at the lead with a few baskets in transition, the star of the game, Onnex Blackwood, put the game on ice at the free-throw line. Blackwood finished with 20 points in total to lead all Gaiters. Behind his terrific game, the little things pulled together this victory for the Gaiters. Captain Damon Thomas-Anderson contributed crucial back-to-back baskets in the third quarter when things were going south. This shift in momentum opened the stage for the play of the game. With Tim McAleenan handling the ball at the top of the circle, I witnessed him meet eyes with Ryan Steele. Steele, only giving a brief wave of his hand, cut along the right side of the court before sprinting towards the basket. McAleenan promptly delivered a gorgeous alley-oop feed to Steele, who went up high for an extraordinary two handed finish. The play would have been only a clouded memory had they lost. But too much had been laid on the line in this effort to come up with anything less than a win.
So as the final seconds ticked down, and Blackwood moved to centre-court, extending his arms triumphantly with a passionate scream, fans knew they had witnessed something special. Sometimes sports teams will recall one game as the defining point of their season. Only time will tell what this win leads to.
As Muhammad Ali once said: “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.” I think the Gaiters are filled with all three.
Photo courtesy of The Concordian.
