Abbotsford — The UFV Cascades men’s basketball team shifted into overdrive tonight to down the Lethbridge Pronghorns 77-62 at the Envision Athletic Centre. The victory was achieved courtesy of a UFV 27 point fourth quarter, and assures the Cascades a spot in the Canada West Final Four next weekend (Feb 28 – March 1).
Both Lethbridge and UFV showcased some quality basketball tonight, and both looked dominant for periods of the game. Unfortunately for the Pronghorns, many of their best moments came in the first half, and netted them only a three point lead, 30-27, after 20 minutes. Despite an impressive effort from forward Brandon Brine, who by half time had put up 13 of those 30 Pronghorn points, as well as five boards, Lethbridge simply wasn’t prepared for the havoc the Cascades would let slip in the second half. Truthfully, it would be hard to say that anybody was prepared for the coming spectacle.
UFV, a team that averages only 72 points per game, scored 50 in the back half of tonight’s contest. After going 0-6 from behind the arc in the first two quarters, Cascade Manjodh Dulay shot a sizzling 6-9 in the last two quarters to spark a Cascades squad that went 50 percent from downtown (11-22) in the second half. Kevon Parchment went 3-6 from the same range in the same period, helping Dulay establish a blistering torrent of points that the Pronghorns simply couldn’t match. Brine would attempt to respond for his team, accumulating a further 10 points and five rebounds to finish with a double-double (22 and 10), but it wasn’t enough. In the end, a shell-shocked Pronghorns team was able to score only four points in the final six and a half minutes of the fourth quarter as they succumbed to UFV’s stifling defense and brilliant shooting.
Dulay led all Cascades with 24 points. Parchment finished with 19 points and six assists, while Jasper Moedt had 11 points and nine rebounds. Remembering that Amrit Gill was the Cascades top-scorer at halftime with seven points makes all of these numbers even more impressive.
It’s unfortunate, in this particular match-up, that one team winning means another team has to lose, since the Pronghorns showed moments of true offensive genius amidst a very classy two game series. Lethbridge had eight steals on the night, including three from senior guard Dallon Martin, and picked up 22 assists. If not for the Cascades’ reality-bending shooting spree, the Pronghorns would have had a good chance of contesting the result to the finish.
“I’m just incredibly proud of my team,” said Cascades head coach Adam Friesen. “We have worked so hard to improve individually and collectively since July, and to be rewarded with a Final Four appearance is terrific.”
The Cascades will participate in next weekend’s Canada West Final Four to be hosted by the highest remaining seed. The Pronghorns are done for the season.
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