On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the TMU Bold hosted the Brock Badgers in a men’s basketball semi-final that featured one of the best individual playoff performances in recent OUA history. This game not only featured some great highlights but also some fan affairs in the days leading up to the event.
Some key storylines surrounding the game included Brock’s control over Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in the regular season, winning both their games against the Bold with dominant defensive showings. Another was the scuffle that occurred during their game in Toronto, which culminated in a physical altercation between Bold’s Kevin Toth and Brock’s Isaiah Bujdoso.
Brock was fresh from a tight win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees at home in the quarter finals, while the Bold were able to fend off Guelph in another close game that had fans and media questioning if they were a serious contender.
Coming into the game, TMU’s Aaron Rhooms had put together another stellar regular season — good enough to be considered the frontrunner for the OUA M.V.P., which would be Rhooms’ second in a row if he were to win it. Still, the forward was yet to find any real success in the playoffs up until that point, making it his mission to make the finals and nationals in his last season.
As for Brock, they were putting together another typical performance under Head Coach Willy Manigat. Since his tenure as head coach began, Manigat has empowered all his players and emphasized a hard-nosed defensive system. While there may not be a go-to guy on offence, or even one that scores over 12 points per game, they still find a way to get things done. This season was nothing different, as the team managed the fourth seed while racking up impressive wins over some great teams earlier in the year.
The atmosphere of the game was electric. The Mattamy Athletic Centre hosts some of the greatest in-game environments, made even more exciting by the student affairs between both schools. Brock’s student section was loud and clear the entire night, hot off of some Instagram beef that was brewing between the two teams’ social media pages.
It looked like Brock was in luck to start the game as Rhooms missed his first few shots, one coming in the form of a wide-open putback layup that had the reigning M.V.P. with his head in his hands. Brock made sure to capitalize on these opportunities by getting out to a small six-point lead in the opening minutes.
The Bold were finally able to get on the board two and a half minutes in, thanks to a pair of free throws from Deandre Goulbourne. Both teams were battling hard, Brock grabbing several offensive rebounds, while TMU was drawing some fouls.
Just when Brock thought they had the gameplan figured out, Rhooms had other ideas.
Starting with a mid-range pull-up with 6:52 left in the quarter, the Toronto native would go on to score 15 out of the team’s next 17 points. Rhooms was unstoppable, hitting some of the toughest shots imaginable from everywhere on the court.
Luckily for Brock, they were still having a serviceable quarter, making shots to match Rhooms’ masterclass. Andrew Mackenna and Nemanja Sarkanovic both nailed three pointers, while Xavier Fearon hit some tough shots of his own to knot the game up at 19 apiece by the buzzer.
While Rhooms’ first-quarter explosion was something to worry about, his team came out in the second frame with a bang. Mackenna opened things up with a nice hook shot over Rhooms, followed by a resounding chase down block by Michael Okeke.
Both teams went back and forth, and the game turned into a stalemate in the first four minutes of the second. It wasn’t until Rhooms made a layup for his 19th point that the Bold took hold of the game by its neck.
Gurdeep Kalsi chipped in for a pair of layups, while Greg Dorsey and Rhooms both had emphatic dunks — the latter of the two sending the Bold fans into a frenzy as Manigat called a timeout.
Before you knew it, the Bold had gotten out to a 13-point lead with just over two minutes left in the half. To make things even worse for Brock, the others on TMU were now starting to get comfortable on offence.
Anthony Heyes checked in late in the half, nailing a three-pointer, followed by a long two-pointer to force a Bold timeout and pumping some life back into a flustered Badger team. Heyes had been a full-time starter for almost two years, but a low-body injury kept his playing status in question, as Manigat wasn’t confident that he’d play in the game.
At the end of the first half, it was 42-32 TMU.
The second half was that of a slow bleed for the Badgers. Rhooms kept up his impressive night, not slowing down at all in the third after adding two more threes to his point total. Brock tied their second-quarter scoring output with only 13 points, while the Bold dropped a 20-point gut punch that called for a Badgers miracle if they wanted to make it back to the OUA finals. Goulbourne was the standout from the frame, dropping a smooth seven points.
With 12 minutes to go, TMU held a 17-point advantage and was one step closer to reaching nationals.
Throughout the season, Brock was at their best when their backs were against the wall. A Fearon and Birch Pockar midrange later, and the Badgers were back within 13, not even a minute into the last quarter.
Manigat was pulling out all the tricks possible to try to mitigate another Bold run, including a full court press that TMU had down pat.
As time slowly ticked, the Badgers had no problem scoring. The problem was that they were giving up points at the same rate they were scoring them. Unfortunately for the visitors, they couldn’t get within 12 points for the rest of the game, and the next thing you know, the final buzzer sounded.
TMU rejoiced as they will return to the OUA finals for the first time since 2019, as they go on to face Carleton in a clash of the titans.
Standouts for the Bold included Rhooms, who dropped an absurd 27 points and nine rebounds in what was potentially his final game as a collegiate player. He shot 11-18 from the field and 4-7 from beyond the arc en route to another outstanding showing for the senior.
Brock’s season ends in the semi-finals after a year filled with lots of highs, including breakout seasons from Cairo Perry and Pockar. The latter of the two had a remarkable final two months of the season, leading his team in scoring in both playoff games.
Bujdoso equalled Pockar’s team high of 12 points, while also notching five rebounds and two assists. The guard played his final game in the OUA, capping off an impressive career at Brock, where he won a provincial title in 2021.
The Badgers shift to next season, where they’ll look to return to the playoffs in hopes of taking the next step and reaching the ultimate goal of making it to nationals.