Humble pie
Lethbridge serves up one-sided loss to T-wolves
That was some case of indigestion the UNBC Timberwolves developed in the second quarter of their game against the Lethbridge Pronghorns. By the end of that 10-minute stanza the entire starting lineup of the T-wolves was ready to check into the infirmary to get their stomachs pumped.
Their misery on the U Sports Canada West men’s court Saturday night at the Northern Sport Centre was a product of an unappetizing menu of long-range strikes, unrelenting drives to the net, smothering swats and acts of basketball thievery served up by the Pronghorns in a 106-68 thrashing.
The second game of the weekend set between the teams was nothing like the first – a 96-90 Twolves’ win on Friday. The Pronghorns caught on fire in the second quarter and annihilated UNBC 284, scoring 15 unanswered points heading into the locker room with a 45-28 lead at halftime and didn’t let up in the third quarter, outscoring the T-wolves 33-22.
Chad Oviatt, a Pronghorns’ third-year forward, drew a starting role for the first time this season and made the most of his opportunity, scoring a career-high 32 points and hauling in eight rebounds.
“It was a lot different (from Friday’s game). We took care of the ball and we worked hard,” said Oviatt. “Coming back from a loss, you just have to put the work in. Last night the energy wasn’t there and we were flat and just not into it but tonight we were ready to go.”
Eric Pierce scored 17 and Mike Pierzchala grabbed nine rebounds, both coming off the bench for Lethbridge.
“I’m really proud of Chad,” said Pronghorns head coach Mike Hansen. “Every coach’s dream is to have a player, whether he plays four minutes or 40, his approach and his demeanour and his attitude and selflessness doesn’t change. He’s been the one guy who’s minutes have been up and down all year long and I just felt like we needed to start with better defensive energy and made the decisions to start him and Brett (Warren) and (Oviatt) made me look awfully smart tonight.”
It was the most lopsided loss of the season for the T-wolves, in their final home game of the season. T-wolves forward Austin Chandler had his grandfather, mom and girlfriend from Washington State in the stands on seniors’ night and they watched Chandler and his teammates Jovan Leamy, James Agyeman and Vaggelis Loukas play the last home game of their university careers on Saturday.
“Unfortunately it was our senior night and it definitely didn’t go the way we planned,” said Chandler, a native of Wenatchee, Wash. “Coming off a win last night, guys were feeling good, but any team with pride, if you lose on the road you’re going to come back hard the next night and that’s what Lethbridge did. In many ways, as a group of guys on our team, we kind of folded and the way we conducted ourselves didn’t reflect our team as well as it should have and it kind of sucks because this is our last impression at home. Losses happen, whether it’s 40 points or two points – the way we took the loss was unacceptable.”
Knowing his team was not going to recover from the blowout deficit, T-wolves coach Todd Jordan brought in his first- and secondyear reserves in the third quarter and they got their chances to play in the second half.
Vova Pluzhnikov, with 14 points, was the only T-wolf to reach double figures. Loukas had 10 rebounds. Leamy, who turned in one of his best games in two years as a T-wolf on Friday when he collected 16 points, 10 assists, five steals and nine rebounds, was held to just nine points in the rematch.
“They just went on a run offensively and we weren’t able to put some stops together,” said Leamy. “It kind of affected our energy and we didn’t really attack the same way we did offensively (in the first quarter) and it just built up.”
The good news for the T-wolves (9-11, 11th place) was their win Friday clinched their second consecutive playoff spot. Had they swept the Pronghorns they had a chance of finishing as high as eighth in the 17-team league, which would have made them first-round playoff hosts.
The way it works in Canada West in the first round is the top four men’s teams – Calgary Alberta, UBC and Saskatchewan – earn first-round byes. The teams that finish fifth through eighth host a one-game series against a team that finishes ninth through 12th. The order of finish is not just determined from win-loss records, seedings are also based on the RPI index, which takes into account the quality of opponents each team faces in the 20-game regular season.
The T-wolves will travel to Abbotsford to play the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (13-7, fifth place) in a one-game playoff on Thursday. Lethbridge (12-8, seventh place) will host the Victoria Vikes (10-10, 10th place) Friday night.
“Our focus now is to just look forward to UFV and prepare for that matchup,” said Leamy. “It’s a new season and we’ll re-focus and get back in the gym and work.”
Losses happen, whether it’s 40 points or two points, the way we took the loss was unacceptable. — Austin Chandler