Wolves men’s basketball team dominate the Fleming Phoenix in a 96-74 win
The Algonquin Wolves men’s basketball team came out firing on all cylinders on Jan. 18 against the Fleming Phoenix, beating them by more than 20 points at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.
Ted Braden led the charge, using his six-foot-seven frame to his advantage. He finished the first quarter with eight points and two rebounds. Going into the second quarter, the Wolves led 24-10.
It was a slow second quarter for the Wolves, as the Phoenix came out in a full-court press. Fleming wasn’t going out without a fight, and Mani Maynard was bringing unmatched effort, scoring five points in the quarter while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out an assist.
At halftime, the Wolves carried a nine-point lead over Phoenix. The Wolves wanted to enhance their 45-36 lead — and did exactly that.
OCAA league leader in points per game Tesloch Luk and Wolves’ all-time points leader Simon Desta took over the game in the second half. With Desta being a threat from long range and Luk facilitating the floor, the Phoenix defence didn’t know what to do.
Desta’s success against Fleming stemmed from his prior game against Durham College.
“I started the game off aggressive (against Durham) and I kind of got away from that in the second half. This game, I wanted to be aggressive the whole time out,” Desta said.
Desta finished the game with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Luk was on each end of the floor all night, whether it was taking advantage of mismatches on the offensive end or snagging rebounds on the defensive end. Luk was making all the right decisions against the Phoenix, scoring seven of 12 from the field, while going three for six from beyond the arc.
From Luk’s perspective, the team succeeded because everyone got their jobs done. “We’re very close-knit together, and everybody played their role tonight,” Luk said.
Luk finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Wolves led the Phoenix 72-60, and they never looked back. The Wolves ran away with the lead and sealed the 96-74 victory.
During the game’s final seconds, the Phoenix double-teamed a Wolves player to steal the ball and go for a layup. Wolves players did not like this and took action. The teams needed to be separated and escorted off the court by their coaches.
Wolves head coach Trevor Costello was unimpressed with his player’s actions. “I didn’t like the way it ended, but I like our intensity and that was good,” Costello said.
The Wolves look to build off this win and are on the road next weekend, facing off against the Seneca Sting on Jan. 24, and the Georgian Grizzlies on Jan. 25.
