The Brock men’s basketball team continued their playoff run on Feb. 28, playing in the semi-finals against the Western Mustangs.
Western had the home-court advantage and was coming off a blow-out win in the quarter-finals against Laurier, similar to the Badger’s 23-point win over the University of Ottawa.
Brock started the game tying their best offensive quarter of the OUA playoffs thus far, scoring 24 points. Jordan Tcheunte and Jevon Brown led the offensive surge in the first quarter with nine and seven points respectively. Tcheunte was perfect from beyond the arc and Brown had two big steals that led to points on the transition. The Badgers led 24-19 after the first.
The scoring slowed for both teams in the second with the Badgers scoring 17 and locking down Western, who managed just 13 points. They took a 41-32 lead into halftime with continued standout performances from Brown and Tcheunte.
The Mustangs would not allow the Badgers to trot to the finish line. They found a second wind mid-way through the third quarter, tightening up their defence and holding the Badgers to just 13 points in the first 10 minutes out of the break.
They stopped the offensive firing power of Tcheunte and Brown, holding them to just five points combined in the quarter. A big performance from Mustangs Tyson Dunn brought the team within five to start the fourth quarter, 57-52.
Western outscored the Badgers 9-4 in the first four minutes of the quarter and were within just one point of the lead before Tcheunte got the Badgers back on track with a floater, to extend the lead back to three.
The two teams traded two-point buckets over the next three minutes until Brock’s Isiah Bujdoso got one to fall from long range, extending the Badgers’ lead to two possessions – four points – with just over three minutes to play.
On the next Badger possession, Bujdoso drove into the paint, fell hard to the floor and could not get up. Mustangs stormed down the floor with the extra man and sunk a wide-open three to bring the game back to within one point. Brock called a timeout and Isiah Bujdoso was subbed off due to the injury on the prior play, which gave freshman Xavier Fearon a chance to play in the most important minutes of the Badgers’ season.
Western tied the game at 72 with 1:38 left in the game. The following two possessions were empty but with just 29 seconds left, Jordan Tcheunte took the game into his own hands and nailed a three-pointer over the hand of the Mustang defender, 75-72.
Despite a late push from the Mustangs and missed free throws to ice the game by the Badgers, the game ended 75-72 and your Brock Badgers advanced to finals for a chance to at the Wilson Cup for the second time in just three seasons.
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On March 2, the Badgers travelled to Kingston for the OUA championship game (Wilson Cup) for a rematch of the 2022 finals that was hosted and won by Brock. There were 12 players from the 2022 finals set to play in the game.
The first quarter was an offensive frenzy with both Brock and Queens scoring at will, neither team able to contain the other. Jevon Brown and Kevaughn Ellis led the way with eight and six points, also draining two buckets from beyond the arc. Brock led after the first quarter 28-23.
The second quarter saw the Badgers get the better of Queens once again. This time both teams had cleaned up their defensive play and as the Badgers were held to just 19 points and the Gaels 15. Badgers led at half, 47-38.
In front of their home crowed Queens came out in the third quarter a reinivigourated team. They outscored the Badgers 20-15 and held them to just under 29 per cent shooting from the field.
With 10 minutes left to play and the Wilson Cup on the line, the Badgers and Gaels entered the fourth quarter seperated by just four points, Brock 62, Queens 58. Cole Sylas nailed a three over two Badgers to get the Gaels back to within one to to start the quarter. From this moment on it was a back and fourth game filled with much emotion.
The Badgers maintained the lead through most of the quarter trading points with the Gaels. That was until a Isaac Krueger nailed a three point to tie the game at 73s with 3:51 left on the clock.
The game stayed tied for the next minute as Brock failed to convert on their next two possessions and Queens missed two free throws to take the lead. With 2:42 left on the clock, freshman Andrew McKenna let one fly from long range and got it to drop, 76-73 Badgers. But the game was not close to over.
After a few empty possessions due to great defence and high nerves, Queens’ Michael Kelvin answered McKenna’s three tying the game at 76 with just over a minute to play.
Brock could not convert on their last two possessions, giving Queens last possesion of the game. The rebound was grabbed with 12 seconds left and Queens rushed up the court. Brock dropped back into their defensive coverage and Queens handed the ball off to Cole Sylas – who had 26 points – and Sylas called Iso-ball.
Sylas challenged the Brock defender, stepped back and hailed up a three over two defenders. The bank was indeed open and the Queens won the Wilson Cup in stunning fashion, 79-76.
Despite the heart breaking loss in the finals, the Badgers season is not over yet. They will compete at the U Sports nationals in Quebec City on March 8 against Dalhousie University in a do-or-die quarterfinal game.
For more information on the team, visit gobadgers.ca.
