Lancers land home date for hoops playoffs

A thrilling overtime win over the McMaster University Marauders will keep the University of Windsor Lancers men’s basketball team home for the first round of the OUA playoffs.

The 91-87 victory over the Marauders last week gave the Lancers the No. 8 seed for the OUA playoffs. Windsor will play host to the No. 9-seeded Marauders on Wednesday at the St. Denis Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

“It’s been an up-and-down year, but we’re really happy to be home,” said Lancers head coach Chris Oliver, whose team won the West Division with a 10-10 record.

“There were a lot of positives and we have an opportunity.”

Despite being just one of six OUA teams with a .500 record or better, the Lancers are seeded eighth with the OUA using a rating percentage index (RPI) to determine seeding.

Both teams shot better than 40 per cent from the field last week and Oliver believes defence is key to the rematch.

“To win in the playoffs, your defence has to be better than your opponent’s over 40 minutes,” Oliver said. “The first time, there were no stops on either side. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s different this time.”

Windsor will focus its attention on McMaster’s big three of Connor Gilmore, Rohan Boney and David McCulloch.

“All three are capable of taking over a game,” Oliver said.

Windsor’s lineup is dealing with some health issues. Luke Allin is battling bronchitis and his status for the game is unknown, while Mitch Farrell is dealing with a foot injury.

“We’ve had some ins and outs with the lineup,” Oliver said. “You’d like to be locked in with some things at this time of the year, but we’re simply not, but you just game plan with what you have.”

Windsor TFC Clinic: Windsor TFC will hold a clinic for coaches and parents on Saturday at the Novelleto Soccer Complex from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The clinic will feature two parts with Windsor native and University of Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski and Michigan State University head coach Damon Rensing holding a 90-minute clinic on the field to show players what colleges and universities look for in a prospect and what coaches should focus on. University of Windsor Lancers director of soccer operations Steve Hart will join Cirovski and Rensing after that for a 60-minute talk to parents and coaches about what to expect from a college or university program. Access is free to all soccer players between the ages of 15 and 17 and the cost for coaches and parents is $20. Registration must be done at the facility prior to the event from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.