Strong hoops tournament action
Acadia men, women’s basketball teams go 2-1 in Calgary Cup
The Axewomen and Axemen basketball teams walked away with 2-1 records at the Calgary Cup, hosted by the University of Calgary Dinos, at a tournament that featured some of the top basketball programs in the country.
The Axemen opened the tournament with a 96-87 win over the Mcmaster Marauders. Senior forward Erik Nissen posted had 31 points, four blocks and five rebounds. Ben Miller and Trevon Grant added 20 and 10 points respectively.
The Axemen took a commanding 24-13 lead in the opening quarter and held leads in three of four quarters. The Marauders closed the gap in the fourth, but a little too late. Matt Quiring and Miles Seward posted 22 and 20 points for Mcmaster.
The Axemen didn’t fair well against the host Dinos - considered a Top 5 program – with a 91-70. Trevon Grant posted a team-high 14 points, while Nissen and Rhys Larry added 13 and 11.
In the final game, Acadia won 95-83 over the 2017 U SPORTS bronze medalist Mcgill Redmen. Nick De Palma led the Axemen with 20 points. Miller and Grant had 17 points each and Nissen added 13. First-year forward Mason Middaugh netted 13 points in 16 minutes of play.
“Good start of our exhibition schedule against some very good teams in U SPORTS. Team consistency is always a work in progress this time of year, but we got better each game in that aspect. We had full team efforts on each night. Erik Nissen set the tone for us with a strong effort on Thursday afternoon against Mcmaster and Ben Miller was solid all weekend long. Trevone Grant shouldered the load offensively at times for us this weekend as well,” said head coach Kevin Duffie following the tournament’s last game against Mcgill.
“We got some great bench production from De Palma and first year Small Forward Mason Middaugh. We have a little more depth with this year’s roster than we’ve had in the past, and that was the major contributor to the success we had this weekend.”
Axewomen
The Axewomen completed the Calgary Cup with a 2-1 record that included wins against Waterloo and host Calgary.
Matched up against the women’s 2018 U SPORTS championship host Regina Cougars, the Axewomen fell behind early in the game and fell 88-67 in the opening game of the tournament. Paloma Anderson picked up a game high 18 points. Second-year guard Haley Macdonald posted 13 in the losing cause.
The Axewomen rebounded in the two remaining games with a 75-69 win over the host Dinos in game two. Down 41-36 after one half of play, the Axewomen tightened up on defense and tied the game at 46 before Anderson broke the tie with two drained free throws.
A see-saw battle followed with the eventual back-breaker coming at the nine-minute mark of the final frame, when fifth-year forward Katie Ross drained a three point show that would keep the Axewomen ahead for the remainder of the game. Chanel Smith netted a game high 17 points. Anderson and Allie Berry combined for 15 and 11 points.
Acadia concluded the tournament with an 82-51 win over the Waterloo Warriors. Anderson captured player of the game honours with a 25-point game that include 10 for 10 from the free throw line.
“We played three very different opponents and showed quite well. We weren’t happy with our first game versus Regina, as they are the Nationals host this year and we had wanted to give them a better game than we had,” said head coach Len Harvey. “It was still positive however, as that early loss forced us to focus back in on what makes us successful. Overall, we were very happy with the trip and the team’s progress. We had solid contributions from everyone at one point or another, now our job is to find more consistency in our execution and focus on both ends of the floor.”
Both teams head to their respective tournaments this coming weekend. The Axewomen will finish exhibition in their third tournament at Queen’s, while the Axemen will head to Ottawa to take part in the House-laughton.
Former basketball Axemen great Steve Pound will be the honorary chairperson of the U SPORTS
Men’s Basketball
National Championship, also referred to as the U
SPORTS Final 8.
Acadia and
Sports Entertain- ment Atlantic will host the 2018 U SPORTS men’s basketball championship March 8-11, 2018 at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre.
A native of Millinocket, Maine, and a graduate of Steams High School, the five-foot-nine court general was a unanimous Eastern Maine and All-state performer during his senior high school year while leading the USA in scoring at 40 points per game before the three-point line as a High School All-american.
A 1972 graduate of Acadia University, Pound starred for the Axeman for four seasons and was the recipient of many individual honours, as well as being an outstanding performer on the 1970-1971 Canadian Intercollegiate championship team.
In the 1969-1970 season, Pound led the Atlantic Intercollegiate Basketball Conference in scoring with a 21.8 points per game average and established an Acadia record of assists for one game with 19. He was named the conference’s most valuable player and selected as the CIAU MVP.
Pound concluded the 19701971 season with a CIAU National Championship and, in his senior season, 1971-1972, he surpassed Brian Heaney’s career point total of 1,917. In subsequent weeks, he went on to pass the 2,000-point mark.
Pound concluded his senior season as a basketball Axeman by being named a CIAU All-canadian and Acadia’s male athlete of the year for the second time in three years.
A science and education graduate of Acadia and after a decade as both teacher and principal in Quebec City, Pound returned to his alma mater in 1986 as executive director of the Associated Alumni. In 1995, he received his PHD from the University of Laval. For outstanding contributions to his profession, he was recognized by his peers in June 1995, receiving a Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education.
“I am truly honoured to have been asked by my alma mater, Acadia University, to be named honorary chair for the national tournament. It is a privilege to represent my teammates, all past and current Axemen, cheerleaders and fans, Acadia alumni and the Wolfville community, all of whom have played a significant role in my development,” said Pound.
“Thanks to Acadia’s leadership for giving me the opportunity to give back to the University that has given so much to me.”
Acadia’s athletics director, Kevin Dickie, said Pound was the clear choice.
“There is no one more fitting, appropriate and perfect to represent Acadia University as our honorary chair as Steve Pound,” Dickie said. “‘Pounder’ has been a great friend to many of us for years, and he might be the most passionate alumnus Acadia has had over almost 180 years. He is a basketball legend, and a proud supporter of all aspects of our University. As a former National Champion and longtime coach who was a part of many championships, this event will be special to and for him.”
The Acadia Axemen’s regular season begins Nov. 4 as they host the Memorial Sea-hawks and begin their quest for a national championship as host of the 2018 U SPORTS Final 8 at the Halifax Scotiabank Center March 8-11.