Playoffs—you’re talking about playoffs? Yes we are!
Playoffs here we come! The Gaiters’ triumphant return to the ‘big dance’ was secured with an excellent home-and-home Winter Homecoming weekend which featured two thrilling victories over McGill and Concordia.
The first game of the weekend opened up Friday night against the McGill Redmen and was a must win for the Gaiters, who needed to break their current four game slide. The game looked turnover prone from the get-go, as mistakes by both teams led to few baskets in the early going. However, McGill connected on outside jumpers, breaking out to an early 7-2 lead. The contest quickly shifted gears on a three point trey from Tim Hunter for the Gaiters, and the two teams exchanged baskets until the final two minutes of the quarter with strong work from Gaiters guard Tim McAleenan and big man Herman Tesfaghebriel, the Herminator.
The Redmen worked their offense efficiently to counter Bishop’s, with a terrific perimeter game early from shooter Pawel Herra, and post player Michael White. Three free throws towards the end of the quarter had McGill leading 21-15 after ten minutes of action. The game featured high pace basketball in the second frame, with Ryan Steele helping the troops dig into the lead with a three ball of his own, cutting the lead to 24-23 with six minutes to play in the half. Guard Onnex Blackwood also contributed as a huge spark plug into the Gaiters’ offense with his playmaking abilities, and his strength driving at the basket, providing the Gaiters with their first lead of the game with four minutes remaining in the half. Closing out the second, the Gaiters utilized their terrific transition basketball to run the floor, closing the half with a 6-2 run, highlighted by Ryan Steele’s dunk on a fastbreak play. Taking a 34-30 lead into the second half, the Gaiters never looked back.
Bishop’s was fired up with energy in the third, opening the quarter with lights out shooting from the perimeter courtesy of Tim Hunter and Blackwood, and a great inside presence from the Herminator. Hunter’s second three ball of the game capped an 8-2 run by the Gaiters, extending their lead to double digits, 42-32. Sixth man and team captain Damon Thomas Anderson also provided much needed offense from the bench, scoring seven points in the frame. The Gaiters closed the third with an impressive three baskets in the final minute, to take a 61-49 edge into the decisive quarter.
The fourth frame began with the Herminator rocking the house with a fastbreak dunk, sending the crowd into hysterics. For much of the fourth, the Gaiters remained poised, never letting McGill dig into their lead with a tough man-to-man defense and efficient rebounding. Damon Thomas Anderson drilled a three to push the lead to an insurmountable thirteen points, and Tim McAleenan provided the icing on the cake with a three point dagger of his own, when the Redmen had cut it to five points, which is as close as it would get.
In a game in which the Gaiters shot a stifling 60.7% in the second half, McGill had no answer. When the buzzer sounded, the Gaiters had an 86-74 win, and were one step closer to their goal: playoffs.
Saturday night was a matchup against Concordia in the second of the weekend Winter Homecoming doubleheader, and in a packed house of over 1000 fans, it was a thriller. The Concordia Stingers, although last in the QUBL division, came out gritty and determined despite a merciless Bishop’s crowd.
The Gaiters offensively exploited the Stingers’ size disadvantage on the inside, looking to Hermon Tesfaghebriel in the early going to open the scoring. With the teams exchanging baskets, Tim McAleenan promptly knocked down a triple from the top of the circle to pump up the crowd, and forge ahead 11-8. A 12-1 run from the Stingers with back-to-back threes from guards Evens LaRoche and Jean Andre Moussignac pushed ConU ahead eight. First year forward Jeremy Leonard-Smith responded for BU, with successive baskets in transition, cutting the Gaiters’ deficit to only four, 22-18, after the first frame.
The second quarter belonged to the Stingers early. They were lights out from behind the arc, and quick in transition, breaking ahead 30-22. Ryan Steele provided an answer for the Gaiters with two straight baskets, before Tim Hunter knocked down a three of his own. In a game that was a hard, physical contest, free throw shooting proved key for the Gaiters. The Herminator got to the line to tighten the lead before guard Onnex Blackwood knocked in a pair at the line, all part of a dominant 17-2 run by the Gaiters, which was led by physical rebounding, and tough inside play. Guard Orraine Greene finished the half in remarkable fashion, burying a three pointer from just right of the top circle with five ticks on the clock, carrying the Gaiters ahead 42-34 at the break.
In the second half, the Herminator and Greene picked up from where they left off. Tesfaghebriel’s layup early was followed by a three from Greene, extending the Gaiter lead to double digits. The Stingers wouldn’t disappear, managing a big run later in the third, fueled by six free throws and fast break layups, cutting the deficit to just one, at 51-50. Orraine Greene once again provided the answer. With the ball in his hands at the end of the third, he cashed in from downtown before the buzzer sounded, giving the Gaiters a 56-51 lead heading into the fourth.
The two teams exchanged baskets for the most part of the fourth quarter, before the Stingers made a run late. They cut to the lead to just one on a layup inside from Pierre Thompson, but the Gaiters would not be denied a victory on this night. They controlled the glass throughout the game, and with an array of offensive boards, they took advantage of various trips to the free throw line, and 80% shooting at the charity stripe for the game secured the win.
Hermon Tesfeghebriel was the star of the affair, scoring 23 points in the 73-67 victory, and collecting nine rebounds. The Gaiters have one final home game this Friday against UQAM at 8 PM, before they hit close out the regular season Saturday against Laval in Quebec City.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Goodsell
