Men’s Basketball hitting a turning point?
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
Where were you during the snow-pocalypse of 2017? Where were you when the city shut down because nobody has snow tires? Well I know where I was. I was at Douglas College watching one of the best—if not the best—game I’ve seen here since the season began.
Let’s talk about the matchup really quick. The Capilano Blues came into the game with a record of 10–3, looking to push to 11 wins. The Royals had a record of 5–7. To say they were the underdog would be a vast understatement. But they didn’t play like it at all.
The Royals had an explosive start to the game going up 19–1. However, the Blues showed a flash of their own talent which has gotten them so far this season, and it was 19–12 before anyone knew it.
The second quarter was a thriller. Both teams traded points, with neither yielding too much ground for the other. Going into halftime, the Blues had made a bit of progress at digging into the Royals’ lead, but the home squad still lead 37–32.
Now if I could have been in that locker room when Joe Enevoldson spoke to his team, I would have loved it. Something he said inspired the squad. And they responded marvellously. They poured on the offence and ripped through the Blues.
The third quarter saw the Royals burn the Blues for 32 points, while they could only answer with 18 of their own. Where the Royals regularly struggle is with closing out games. The fourth quarter has been deadly for them, but today, that was not the case. The Douglas squad powered on for a huge 29 points in the fourth quarter, and a crazy finish. In a fashion that no one quite expected, the Royals blew the lights out at home, and ran away with the game.
Several Royals had massive individual games. Grant Campbell had 27 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds on the night, while Malcolm Mensah had 22 points. Rookie Lambert Pajayon came in clutch several times during the night with 13 points, while also clocking more than 30 minutes. However, it was Reese Morris that came away with the accolades of the night. He picked up his second double-double on the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
With that win, the Royals brought themselves just a little bit further away from the Quest Kermodes, who sit one win away from them on the table, and one game closer to the Blues, who are still 3 wins ahead of the Royals. The Royals do have an extra game to play, as the game against CBC the next day was cancelled due to the snow. They can use that came to really make up some lost ground, and take themselves further up the table.