MBB Championship Day 2 Recap

March 2, 2018 - It was a thrilling day of March Madness style basketball at the CORA 2018 ACAC Men's Basketball Championships on Friday. The day started with a pair of entertaining consolation games, with Keyano besting Red Deer College and the host Lethbridge College Kodiaks giving the home crowd a reason to roar with a 108-89 win over rival Medicine Hat. 

The evening semi-final games were both epic affairs. SAIT and NAIT battled in an instant classic, with the Trojans needing a clutch last-second three pointer from first team all-conference star Murphy Beya to force overtime. In the end, the south's top seeded Trojans pulled out a one point victory to clinch their spot at CCAA Nationals in Laval, Quebec. 

The tournament also officially has a cinderella story. The Lakeland Rustlers, who entered as the third seed in the north, knocked off the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder, who entered the tournament as the highest nationally ranked ACAC team. The Rustlers were dynamic in leading from start to finish, punching their ticket to the CCAA National tournament with a 92-82 win.

The action comes to a thrilling climax on Championship Saturday. Lethbridge battles Keyano for fifth place glory at 2:30 p.m., while rivals NAIT and Concordia will battle for a bronze medal at 4:30 p.m. The ACAC Championship Final will then go at 7 p.m. Visit the official tournament website for ticket details and video highlight packages from each game of the tournament. 

Consolation #2 - Kodiaks claw Rattlers to keep season alive

Playing on their home floor with pride on the line, the Lethbridge College Kodiaks refused to let their season come to an end. The Kodiaks (14-9) edged southern Alberta rival Medicine Hat (16-7) 108-89 in consolation play at the Cora Breakfast and Lunch 2018 ACAC Men’s Basketball Championships in Lethbridge.

The Kodiaks dynamic scoring duo of Keanu Funa (second year, Business Administration, Lethbridge) and Colten Murray (fifth year, General Studies, Picture Butte) each started hot as the hosts charged out to a 10-point lead mid-way through the opening quarter, eventually taking a 25-16 lead after one. But the Rattlers replied in the second, quickly closing the gap, before taking the lead as an Aaron Cameron (fourth year, General Studies, Sacramento, Calif.) three-pointer kicked off an 8-0 run. The Kodiaks were able to re-gain the lead but it was just a one-point game, 47-46 Lethbridge, at the half.

After the break, the Kodiaks came out firing from beyond the arc, as a pair of threes by Grady Taylor (fourth year, General Studies, Magrath) and one each from Funa and Murray pushed the Kodiaks on a 12-2 run and gave them a lead they would never relinquish. The Kodiaks had an 80-65 advantage after three and never led by less than eight the rest of the way, as they qualified for tomorrow’s fifth-place game and ended the Rattlers season.

The Kodiaks shot 52 per cent from the floor and over 56 per cent on threes. Taylor (23 points), Murray (22) and Funa (21) each topped 20 points for the Kodiaks, with Murray adding 12 assists. DeAngelo Ashley (fourth year, General Studies, Victorville, Calif.) led the Rattlers with 18 points.

The Kodiaks will play Keyano in the fifth-place game at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in Lethbridge’s Val Matteotti Gymnasium.

Players of the game:
Medicine Hat - #4 Aaron Cameron (17pts, 2 3pts)
Lethbridge - #12 Colten Murray (22pts, 12reb, 2 3pts)

Semi-final #1 - SAIT strikes down NAIT in OT

Just call them the cardiac kids! For a second-straight day, the SAIT Trojans earned an overtime win, and this time, it means they’ve secured a berth in the ACAC championship game, as well as a berth in the CCAA national tournament. The Trojans (18-5) took the first semifinal of the Cora Breakfast and Lunch ACAC Men’s Basketball Championship 80-79 over the NAIT Ooks (17-9) in a game that will be talked about for a long time.

The game saw multiple lead changes throughout. SAIT seemed in control in the first quarter as threes by Camille Kamba (first year, Academic Upgrading, Calgary) and Dylan Cline (second year, Business Administration Automotive Management, Calgary) gave the Trojans a 10-point lead. But a Brady MacKay (fifth year, Millwork and Carpentry, Regina) buzzer-beating three to end the first quarter signaled the drama that was to come as NAIT cut the SAIT lead to 23-18.

The Trojans continued to lead, with a 37-33 advantage at half, and going up by as many as nine points in the third. But the Ooks refused to go away, and stormed back to take the lead in the third as a Jackson Jacob (third year, Pre-employment Auto Body Repair, Nassau, Bahamas) three put the Edmonton side up 68-64 with just over three minutes to play. It looked like the Ooks might hang on, but the Trojans Murphy Beya (fifth year, New Media Production and Design, Ottawa) had other ideas, nailing a clutch three-pointer with just seven seconds left to tie the game at 71. NAIT had a last-second shot for the win, but after it dropped out this game was bound for overtime.

In the extra frame, a Charlie Connor (first year, Business Administration, Lacey, Wash.) lay-up and solid free throw shooting propelled the Trojans to a three point lead. NAIT had a shot for the tie at the buzzer but it was offline and SAIT escaped with the victory.

Connor had a team-high 20 points for the Trojans, while Gemi Muya-Ntalaja (first year, Journalism, Toronto) added 19 points and 18 rebounds. Jacob had a game-high 24 points for NAIT.

The Trojans play the winner of a semifinal between Concordia and Lakeland in the ACAC championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Ooks will play the loser of that game in the bronze medal match at 4:30 p.m.

Players of the game:
NAIT Ooks - #6 Brady MacKay (16pts, 10reb, 5ast)
SAIT Trojans - #8 Gemi Muya-Ntalaja (19pts, 18reb)

Semi-final #2 - Rustlers nab semifinal win over Thunder 

The Lakeland Rustlers may have come into the Cora Breakfast and Lunch 2018 ACAC Men’s Basketball Championships as underdogs, but no one is looking past them now. The Rustlers (18-8), the third seed from the north division, led for nearly the entire game in a 92-82 win over the north division’s top seed, the Concordia Thunder (20-6). With the win, the Rustlers move into the ACAC championship game and earn a berth in the CCAA national championship tournament.

The Rustlers surged out to a lead early in the first quarter, as threes from Terrell Murdaugh (fourth year, University Transfer, Saskatoon) and Brandon Isaac (second year, University Transfer, Vernon, B.C.) put Lakeland up by nine just five minutes into the game. Concordia, the top-ranked ACAC team in the CCAA rankings – slotted sixth – coming into the tournament, showed why, storming back to tie it mid-way through the second quarter on a Mike Malin (fifth year, Bachelor of Management, Red Deer) triple and briefly took the lead. But another Isaac three restored Lakeland’s lead as they were ahead 40-38 at half.

In the third, the Lloydminster side broke the game open. An 11-2 Lakeland run early in the quarter pushed their lead to eight points, and then an 8-0 run late in the frame extended that lead to 66-57 after three. In the fourth, the Rustlers pushed their lead to 13, but the Thunder wouldn’t go quietly. An 11-4 run closed the gap and then a deep three by Ronald Bacon Jr. (third year, Bachelor of Science, Indianapolis, Ind.) brought Concordia within four with under two minutes to play. But Lakeland would not be rattled and a triple by Isaac with just 30 seconds left sealed the Rustlers victory.

Isaac drained a game-high 23 points as four different Rustlers scored in double digits. Ryan McLaren’s (fourth year, Bachelor of Management, Sherwood Park, Alta.) 19 point, 10 rebound double-double led Concordia as the Thunder had five players in double digits.

Lakeland will battle SAIT for the ACAC championship at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia takes on NAIT for the bronze medal at 4:30 p.m.

Players of the game:
Concordia Thunder: #5 Brett Jakubec (15pts, 4ast)
Lakeland Rustlers: #3 Terrell Murdaugh (18pts, 5reb, 6ast)

Consolation #1 - Huskies take bite out of Kings

After narrowly missing a huge come-from-behind victory, the Keyano Huskies weren’t going to be denied again in the first consolation game of the Cora Breakfast and Lunch 2018 ACAC Men’s Basketball Championships in Lethbridge. Keyano (15-11) were down early but stormed back for an 89-80 victory over the Red Deer College Kings (14-9) to earn a spot in Saturday’s fifth-place game.

The Kings, ranked 13^th in the CCAA national rankings and third in the south division, were crushing threes in the first quarter, including three in a row by Solon Ellis (third year, Business Administration General, St. Paul, Min.), to build a 24-15 lead after ten minutes. But the Huskies, who trailed by 22 at one point in their quarterfinal match-up with SAIT on Friday, before storming back to force overtime, once again had a large comeback up their sleeves. A 12-2 run in just two and a half minutes late in the half, and a Jo Michel (fourth year, Social Work, Montreal) dunk helped Keyano to a 39-37 half time lead.

The decisive stretch in the game came early in the third quarter, where the Huskies scored 13 straight points to build a lead they would never relinquish. Michel, an ACAC all-conference second team selection, led the Huskies charge with 13 of his game-high 29 points coming in the second quarter. Chris Oppong (fourth year, Education Assistant, Toronto) added 19 points for the Huskies, while Ellis led the Kings with 18 points.

Keyano moves on to play the winner of the Lethbridge – Medicine Hat match-up in the ACAC fifth-place game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Kings season has come to an end.

Players of the game:
Red Deer - #7 Solon Ellis (18pts, 4 3pt, 4reb)
Keyano - #11 Chris Oppong (19pts, 8ast) 

Championship Saturday Schedule 

Fifth place game (2:30 p.m.) - Keyano Huskies (N4) vs Lethbridge College Kodiaks (S4)

Bronze medal game (4:30 p.m.) - NAIT Ooks (N2) vs Concordia Thunder (N1)

Gold medal game (7 p.m.) - Lakeland Rustlers (N3) vs SAIT Trojans (S1)