SASKATOON, SK- It was another hard fought battle in game two of the Canada West Men’s Basketball quarter final playoff game between the University of the Fraser Valley and the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Cascades fought hard and led by as many as 11 in the second quarter, but the Huskies managed to overcome the deficit and take over the game down the stretch and capture the series 2-0 with a 99-90 win.
Scoring was spread around in the first quarter for the Cascades, as they finished with a six point lead (22-16) heading into the second. Showron Glover had half of the Huskies first quarter points with eight.
The Cascades expanded their lead to 11 early in the second quarter off a clutch 3-pointer by Zeon Gray, followed by another two points from Gray on the following drive after a missed attempt by the Huskies. The Cascades were able to hold onto a significant lead until the Huskies clawed their way back and made a charge in the final two minutes, and headed into the half tied 43-43.
The second half play of the Huskies again proved to be the decider as they improved their shooting from 41.7% in the first, to 52.2% in the second. They led by as many as nine in the third, and looked to be pulling away until the Cascades made a late run at the end of the quarter, capped off by an early 3-point bomb in the fourth by James Elliot to tie the game 72-72. However, the Huskies again pulled out in front and never looked back as they knocked off the Cascades 99-90, and won the best of three series 2-0.
“I’m proud of the heart and effort our team put into this season,” commented Head Coach Barnaby Craddock. “The guys have nothing to hang there heads about, we just ran into a very strong Huskies team in their own gym. They deserved the win, we did some good things offensively and got double digit leads both nights, we made them have to play to their potential to win the series.”
Joel Friesen, Kyle Grewal, and Zeon Gray all notched double digits in points on the night. Friesen led the way with 26, Grewal had 16, and Gray finished the game with 19.
The loss to the Huskies knocks the Cascades out of the Canada West quarter finals after a great season and hard fought playoff run.
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