The Martlet

It was an exciting weekend in men’s basketball at the sold-out Mckinnon gym, as the Fraser Valley Cascades came to town to match the Vikes for a two-game series. 

UVic’s Jeff Cullen saved the Friday, Jan. 29, showdown when he scored the game-winning basket with just a second left on the clock to earn the Vikes a 56-55 win.

“We’ve got to refocus, and get some rest tonight. [We have] another test tomorrow, and we’ve got to be ready to go,” said Cullen in anticipation of Saturday night’s rematch. 

It looked like the Vikes got their needed rest, as Saturday night they hit the court hard, taking a 26-12 lead in the first quarter. The Vikes even maintained their lead going into the second half, with a 47-28 advantage.  

“Sometimes that kind of lead is a precarious thing to have,” said head coach Craig Beaucamp.

By the third quarter, the Vikes may have gotten a bit too comfortable. The Cascades, led by American-born point guard Zeon Gray, outscored the Vikes 28-19 in the third quarter. By the fourth quarter, the Cascades’ comeback was in full swing.

“Once we lost momentum, we had a tough time getting it back,” said Beaucamp of the second half. 

Momentum wasn’t the only thing missing for the Vikes, who made only 50 per cent of their free throws.

“It was a game where we scored a little bit, but we missed too many free throws down the stretch and we just didn’t get a big stop,” said Beaucamp.

The Cascades managed to bring themselves out of a 23-point deficit to win the game 79-77. James Elliot’s short-jump shot gave the Cascades their first lead of the game, with just under a minute left on the clock in the fourth. The gym was electric with nerves as the Victoria crowd watched the Cascades reap sweet revenge for Friday night’s game.

“You have to give them a little credit. They didn’t quit, and hit some big shots down the stretch,” said Beaucamp of the Cascades’ comeback.

Zeon Gray scored the game high of 23 points, 16 of which he scored in the second half. Kyle Grewal also had nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. Meanwhile, top scorers for the Vikes were Pierce Anderson and Cullen, who contributed 14 points each.

The Vikes needed a sweep this weekend to secure their ticket for the Canada West playoffs, but the Cascades leave town just a half-game ahead of the Vikes for the eighth and final CanWest playoff seed. Next weekend, Feb. 5 to 6, the Vikes will head to Vancouver to face the best team in Western Canada, the UBC Thunderbirds (14-1).