By Leighton Geraghty – Contributor 

As the RSEQ regular season comes to an end both Bishop’s basketball teams will continue to practice. Cementing themselves as an elite program in the province and gaining national recognition the Gaiters men’s and women’s teams have both clinched home court advantage for the semifinals of the RSEQ. 

The women’s season has been a roller coaster ride as they enter playoff time. Starting the preseason off struggling to find offence the young squad battled to cement themselves as a powerhouse in the conference. The Gaiters were one of two teams to beat the nationally ranked Laval Rouge et Or. They shocked the province and the country as they finished 11-5 good for 2nd in the RSEQ. The team is highlighted around forward Victoria Gauna who was named MVP of the conference. Their path to March is a difficult one. Although they secured home court advantage they took on the McGill Martlets. The regular season series was split 2-2. Neither team has been able to find offensive success against one another as they have both showcased great defensive matchups. Bishops will have to find some offensive success in front of the home crowd in order to punch their ticket to the finals. 

The ladies took to the court for their 6:00pm tip-off. As promised the game was a defensive battle from start to finish. Neither team could create any separation as they exchanged leads throughout the entire game. Bishops ultimately came out on top. Shaylan Greaves was announced as the player of the game despite only having two points she was all over the court and an absolute dog on defense. Creating turnovers and opportunities for the Gaiters to capitalize on. In her postgame interview with colour commentator Eddie Pomykala, she was given praise and told that she had the greatest two point performance Mitchell Gym has ever seen. The Gaiters make their way back to the finals for the third consecutive season. Just like last year they will travel to Quebec City to face off against the 3rd ranked team in the country the Laval Rouge et Or.

The men’s program has stayed dominant straight from the start of the season. Posting an overall record of 18-4 and a conference record of 14-2 with their only two losses coming to the Concordia Stingers. Over the course of the season the team has propelled themselves on the notion of being a “family” or a “brotherhood.” After each home game the guys take to the center of the court to finish off the game in prayer showcasing their love for one another. As described by many this team has something special and will be their own worst enemy in the playoffs. The Gaiters are filled with the deepest bench in the RSEQ. Players like Zachary John who tied the school record for most assists in a game with 14,  coming off of your bench is a coach’s dream. The path to March for the Gaiters is relatively simple, Win, Win and Win. They start their playoff series off against the 4-12 Laval Rouge et Or who are defending National Champs. The season series was dominated by Bishops as they beat Laval by double digit margins in three out of four games. This however is a fearful matchup for most coaches. While Bishop’s has everything to lose, Laval has nothing. 

            Wednesday Feb. 26 Mitchell Gymnasium, 8:00 p.m. Rouge et Or vs Gaiters. As the post season kicked off the regular season all stars were announced. The Gaiters swept the floor with the awards as they were able to tally Coach of the Year (Matt McLean), Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All Star (Etienne Gagnon), Second Team All Star (Yannis Malanda) and finally Most Valuable Player and First Team All Star (Charles Robert). Bishops came out firing on all cylinders as they put together their best performance of the season. The league allstars really came through in the game as Laval’s Steeve Joseph tallied 37 points in the teams loss. Robert and Gagnon both accumulated double-doubles for the Gaiters. Charles finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Etienne racked up 14 points and 16 rebounds. Yannis Malanda also added to the scoring with 21 points of his own. Despite all the great individual performances it was really a team win for the Gaiters. The ball movement was spectacular as they always found an open look. Heading into the finals the Gaiters will be tasked with a hard fight against season rivals the Concordia Stingers.