Men’s basketball loses comfortable lead against Kermodes
By Courtnie Martin, Sports Reporter
After watching the women’s basketball team suffer a devastating loss in the game, the men came out hungry as ever to defeat Quest University. The team seemed focussed and ready for an upset. From the tip-off, Douglas seemed to control the game. The Royals set the tone in the first quarter, with no signs of letting up. They defended their territory very well, seldom allowing the Kermodes to have second opportunities in their own fully packed gym. Both teams saw considerable offensive success in the first 10 minutes of play, walking into the second at a deadlock: 32-32.
The Royals’ offensive output would carry over into the next quarter. Ameet Kaila hit two big three’s, giving and then extending Douglas’ lead at the four-minute mark. Quest committed several turnovers back-to-back, allowing Douglas second and third opportunities at the basket. Douglas began running lay-up drills on the Kermodes, and Quest’s coach became frantic and called a time out to stop Douglas from showcasing their talents any further. Douglas still continued to attack the rim offensively while defensive aggressor Dustin Popoff snatched a series of important rebounds on defence. Both teams went on a scoring run for the next two minutes, but the highlight was first-year player Grant Campbell silencing the crowd after draining a huge three-pointer with a Kermode hand in his face. On the other end of the floor, Kaila made an athletic block causing the Royals to go wild. Douglas took an 11-point lead into half-time.
The momentum of the game changed when Andrew Baron was called for two consecutive offensive fouls. Quest called a quick time out and came out eager to play. The Royals had trouble keeping their possessions alive—committing turnover after turnover—and Quest made them pay on each occasion. The once quiet fans began their loud cheering again. Douglas struggled with answering from this point on. Within four minutes Douglas came unraveled and the Kermodes took the lead for the remainder of the game. Douglas was successful at the three-point line but had no response to the crowd or the change of pace. Coach Beausoleil called two timeouts back-to-back, but this proved ineffective in slowing Quest’s run. The Royals looked defeated and the scoreboard reflected that. The last quarter was very much the same pace. Douglas had some great opportunities at the basket but they were unable to climb back out of the hole. Quest took the victory in a 98-85.
“I think we had a good first half. We didn’t take care of the ball in the second half and they went on a big run. It wasn’t a bad game at all. The effort just wasn’t there second half. They ran up on us and we didn’t respond the way we should have. I thought it was a good learning experience for us. Once we learn to roll with the punches in a game like this, we will be fine,” said captain Kristian Hildebrandt.
