Wolves score back-to-back victories
The Algonquin Wolves men’s basketball team secured two wins on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, to finish the regular season.
The Wolves played in front of fans for the first time Friday night at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre. They faced off against the East division leading Georgian Grizzlies, who were 6-1 heading into the game.
The Wolves finish the regular season with a 6-2 record and are seeded third in the East division. They will host the 3-5 Seneca Sting Wednesday, March 9 at 8 p.m. in the qualifying round of the playoffs.
During the weekend games, the Wolves were not intimidated by their opponents’ record and took advantage of turnovers and fouls to lead by 10 points at halftime.
The Wolves continued to dominate in the second half, at one point leading the Grizzlies by 24 points. The Grizzlies pushed back late in the game, but the Wolves hung on to win by five. 87-82 was the final score.
Wolves forward, Zerious Loney, led the team in scoring with 31 points.
Simon Desta scored 24 points for the Wolves and said the win against the Grizzlies gave the team a lot of confidence, “These were the top dogs in the East, and we took them down.”
Head coach Trevor Costello agreed.
“It gives us a lot of confidence, you know we were prepared, we were so prepared for this game, we had good practices this week, we watched lots of video, we knew what they were doing,” Costello said.
Costello also commented on having fans back in the building.
“It was awesome to hear people cheering, what a great feeling and great atmosphere,” said Costello.
The Wolves were back in action Saturday afternoon to face the Centennial Colts.
The game stayed close in the first half with the Colts leading for most of it. The Wolves however stayed in the fight and tied the game at halftime, 38-38.
The Wolves dominated the start of the second half, scoring 13 unanswered points. At the end of the third quarter the Wolves led by 12.
The Wolves did not take their foot off the gas and cruised through the fourth quarter to win 85-67.
The win did however come at a cost. Starter Kaylum Bobal will not be joining the team in the playoffs with an apparent wrist injury he suffered during the game. Coach Costello lamented the loss of Bobal, calling him a leader and a veteran on the team. Bobal recorded three points before leaving the game.
