Men’s basketball: Wolves advance to the OCAA quarter-finals
The men’s basketball Wolves came out on fire for their first playoff game, scorching the Niagara Knights 93-69 on Feb. 15 at the Jack Doyle Athletic and Recreation Centre.
Leading the charge was Tesloch Luk, scoring eight of the 10 points for the Wolves in the first two minutes of the game. Luk was excellent from the free throw line to start the game, going four for four at the line in those two minutes.
“That was team success today,” said Luk. “That was everybody as a team. We all rallied together as a score sheet, probably show after tonight, and we just rallied together and played together, ”
Simon Desta kept the Wolves’ fire ignited. The Wolves’ all-time leading scorer was making it rain from three, shooting three for four in the first quarter.
Desta said the intensity shown by the Wolves women’s basketball team earlier in the day fuelled his own game. “Watching them definitely got me ready for today,” said Desta.
The Wolves women’s basketball team beat the Sheridan Bruins 57-43 at home before the Wolves men’s game.
The score at the start of the second quarter was 25-14 for the Wolves and the Knights were starting to put out the fire. The Knights made some defensive adjustments in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Wolves.
Heading into halftime the Wolves had a 15-point lead.
The third quarter belonged to Ted Braden, the Wolves’ starting centre, who put on a clinic the entire quarter. Braden went four for four from the field while grabbing a rebound and getting a block on the defensive end.
Albert Opena looked to widen the Wolves’ 65-47 lead by shooting four for five from the three point line.
“The way we played team basketball, when we play like that I feel like we’re hard to stop,” said Desta after the win.
Wolves head coach Trevor Castello was energetic and very vocal as usual. Castello emphasized how the team came to play in a big moment.
“Guys came to play. I wasn’t sure what kind of team we would show up, but our guys were well prepared and it was just a matter of executing, and those guys did,” said Castello.
Castello was very excited to have the chance of beating the Humber College Hawks to advance to the OCAA playoff tournament.
“A trip to Toronto, Let’s go see Humber, number one team in the country,” said Castello.
The Wolves will play their quarter-final game at Humber College on Feb. 23.
