The Gaiters squander two fourth quarter leads.
Two winnable games. Two missed opportunities. The Bishop’s Gaiters dropped two games this past weekend as part of a doubleheader, beginning at home against McGill, and then closing on the road against Laval.
In the home opener against the McGill Redmen, the Gaiters looked poised for another victory stepping on court. They jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first seven points of the game, capped by a layup from guard Onnex Blackwood. Bishop’s sustained pressure on the Redmen throughout the first quarter, highlighted by strong inside play from Herman Tesfaghebriel, and a beautiful fade-away jumper from captain Damon Thomas Anderson at the shot clock buzzer. Leading 19-13 after the first frame, the contest became much more competitive, with the Gaiters utilizing a challenging full court press defense, while the Redmen gave Bishop’s a zone D. Thomas Anderson capitalized on a strong three-point play to push the lead to 23-17 early in the quarter, however McGill continued chipping away at the lead.
The first lead change of the game occurred with four minutes remaining in the half, as guard Pawel Herra netted his second straight basket for the Redmen to put them ahead by one. Tim McAleenan helped shift the momentum back to the Gaiters’ side, burying a three-ball, and by halftime, Bishop’s had regained the lead, 35-33.
The Gaiters started the second half right where they left off, with guard Oraine Green promptly hitting a three pointer in the first minute, to push the lead to five. McGill responded with a much more up tempo offense, breaking out to a 9-4 run to knot the game at 42 apiece.
It was evident that Bishop’s was struggling to contend with McGill’s zone defense, failing to set screens and committing turnovers. However, towards the end of the 3rd quarter, Onnex Blackwood caught fire; scoring four straight buckets, all in transition, and the Gaiters clung to a one point lead heading to the fourth. The Redmen were far from discouraged. Firing from all cylinders, they opened up a 60-54 lead, with star guard Matthew Thornhill burying a monster trey to cap the run. The threes kept falling for McGill, as another guard, David Clark, sunk one from the corner, pushing the Redmen ahead 63-56.
The Gaiters raced on a run of their own, with the help of Blackwood’s playmaking abilities and work down low from Damon Thomas Anderson. With the score tied at 63-63, the teams exchanged deep balls, before Oraine Green finally misfired. McGill began to pad their lead until the final minute, seemingly hitting the dagger from the corner to go ahead 77-71. Young point guard Jamil Abiad kept things interesting for Bishop’s, hitting back to back threes in the final minute, but Tim Hunter’s last second prayer from just inside half court fell short along with the Gaiters, who fell to McGill 81-78.
BU took the road for the second of their doubleheader, to play the powerful Laval squad. Once again, the Gaiters came flying out of the gates. Three pointers by Herman Tesfaghebriel and Oraine Greene had the Gaiters up 10-2 in under two minutes of play. While Laval chipped away at the lead, the first quarter still belonged to the Gaiters, who shot 3-5 from three point range and led 26-20.
Ryan Steele opened up the second quarter with the Gaiters’ first five points, and Oraine Greene hit from long range to push the lead to 34-24. The Rouge et Or of Laval regrouped with Jerome Turcotte-Routhier scoring eight of the next ten for his squad to tie the game. Tim Hunter put the Gaiters back on track before halftime, scoring six in the last four minutes of play. At the end of the first half, the Gaiters held a narrow 44-42 edge.
The second half opened with sharp shooting from Bishop’s, with Tim Hunter, Ryan Steele, and Onnex Blackwood all contributing. Steele capped the team’s 11-3 run with another jumper, giving the Gaiters a ten point lead. Etienne LaBrecque kept Laval alive, scoring six points in a row.
With the gap closing, bench player Tim McAleenan hit a crucial three in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter, and the Gaiters got a defensive stop, allowing them to lead 60-54 entering the decisive quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with a high flying Laval squad, who wouldn’t be denied victory. They began their opening possession with two offensive rebounds before scoring, had defensive stops on the other end, and powered up court with sharp jump shooting. After just over two minutes, the Gaiters’ lead had vanished. As the quarter pushed on, the Gaiters slumped from the floor. With the score tied at 64, the Gaiters missed seven straight shots, while Laval had contributions from their bench as well as their leading scorer of the game Routhier, to break open a 71-64 lead.
Bishop’s finally produced some offense, with Ryan Steele cutting the lead to three late in the game, but Laval laid the dagger the following possession, with Chris DesLauriers connecting from downtown. They iced the game in the final minute at the free throw line, sending the Gaiters to a tough 78-71 loss.
In a back and forth contest, Laval won the crucial bench battle, 37-26, which made the difference. With a tough upcoming schedule for the Gaiters who face UQAM Feb. 12th on the road before facing Laval Feb. 13th again at home, they have a week off to prepare for a playoff push.
