Men’s Thunder basketball stomped by Colts

The Algonquin Thunder men’s basketball team fell to the Centennial Colts 88-71 Feb. 2.

The game was a back and forth contest which stayed close for the majority of the night.

The Colts led the Thunder 44-41 at halftime however, the Thunder men didn’t look fazed heading into the locker room.

They came out strong, opening the second half with a leap in defensive intensity and a focus to attack the rim on fast breaks.

The Thunder took a one-point lead into the final quarter but the tempo of the game seemed to lean a little more towards the Colts.

The Colts came out in the fourth quarter hot and went on a huge run to extend their lead to double digits with six minutes to go in the fourth.

The Thunder never got closer than four points in the final minutes of the game and the emotions of the team seemed to get the best of them.

“It was just a meltdown,” said head coach Trevor Costello. “Guys didn’t hit shots, didn’t defend well, stuff we’d been doing earlier in the game, letting guys turn corners.”

The Thunder’s team was led by David Tshimanga, who shot 80 per cent from the field on 10 shots, scoring 22 points.

“We weren’t focused on playing defense; we’re too focused on trying to make something happen on the offence and trying to get back on track. Guys were getting tired and we didn’t come with the right energy, the right focus. I think.”

The Thunder seemed to leave many players open for shots continuously in the game and got dominated on the glass, being out-rebounded 49-34, including the Colts gobbling up 23 offensive rebounds.

“It’s just that fourth quarter lately, in the last couple of games, it’s been killing us. We’re on a big slide and we have to get off this slide if we want to advance at all,” said Costello.

The Thunder – now 8-8, hope to get back on track when they face the St. Lawrence Vikings Feb. 8.