Men's and women's basketball at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport tournaments
The Stingers men’s basketball team tied for seventh place in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 tournament. They played a consolation semifinal March 10 in the tournament, losing 84-80 to the Ryerson Rams.
Fans enjoyed a game featuring entertaining runs by one team then the other in a see-saw affair. But the end result was a difficult loss for the Stingers who blew leads of 14 points in the first quarter and 16 points in the third.
Fourth-year forward Evens Laroche had 19 points and nine rebounds. Fifth-year forward James Clark was named the Concordia player of the game. He had 22 points and nine rebounds in his last game as a Stinger.
“We are proud of James,” said Head Coach John Dore afterwards. “This year he persevered and came back from a broken wrist in the first half (of the year). I know it was frustrating for him at times. We are really proud of him and the way he played here at the nationals.”
Decee Krah, a fifth-year shooting guard, also played his last game as a Stinger. He had eight points, five rebounds and five assists.
The St. Francis Xavier X-Men had a 23-2 lead four minutes into the game and they were up 32-15 at the end of the first quarter. Although the Stingers were scrappy, narrowing the gap to 13 points a couple of times, they couldn’t get close. The Stingers went on to the consolation round after losing 98-82 to St. Francis Xavier.
Five Stingers had double figures in the game – Zach Brisebois had 12 points and was named the Concordia Player of the Game. Jerome Blake and Kafil Eyitayo scored 11 points each. Evens Laroche and Kyle Desmarais were good for 10 points each.
“I was surprised myself,” said StFX head coach Steve Konchalski. “I have nothing but respect for Concordia and coach John Dore. We were just full of energy and they missed some shots.”
“They beat us in every facet of the game,” said Dore. “It wasn’t just the first quarter, it was the whole game. They out-hustled us and outworked us. They did everything a little quicker and a little more efficiently.”
Stingers women’s basketball team at the CIS West regional qualifying tournament
The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team lost to the Regina Rams, 73-60, on March 9 in Saskatoon at the CIS west regional qualifying tournament.
Kaylah Barrett scored a career-high 34 points for Concordia but it wasn’t enough to lift the Stingers to victory at the CIS West Regional women's basketball semifinal in Saskatoon on Friday night.
“We were nervous, and it showed early,” said Stinger Head Coach Keith Pruden. “Credit Regina, they are a very good team and played well. We had a lot of good looks but we just couldn’t capitalize. I was very happy with the effort we put in tonight.”
Barrett, the Quebec conference MVP, led all scorers in the game. She also had nine rebounds in 36 minutes of playing time. “She was unbelievable,” said Concordia assistant coach Rastko Popovic. “She did everything possible to try and keep us in the game. She showcased her full repertoire and it just shows how hard she worked this year and how much she has improved.”
The Stingers also had scoring help from Anne-Marie Prophete, who chipped in with 11 points.
Concordia is eliminated from post-season play. Windsor is playing Regina in the CIS national championship tournament in Calgary March 17-19.
Related links:
• Recreation and Athletics - Men’s basketball
• Recreation and Athletics - Women’s basketball