After a demoralizing loss in this year’s Capital Hoops game, the injury-riddled Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team (16–4) were hoping to bounce back against a strong Brock Badgers (15–5) team in a battle of the No. 1 seeds at the Ravens’ Nest on Sunday.
But as the contest stretched into double overtime, Brock pulled away for an 84–79 win in the Ravens’ final regular-season home game of the season.
The Ravens hadn’t lost two games in a row all season and were hoping to avoid a late-season skid, looking for the return of X-factor Aubrey Dorey-Havens to stabilize the lineup.
Much to the Ravens’ dismay, the Badgers started out hot. Anthony Heyes, Andrew McKenna and Isaiah Bujdoso combined for 13 points in the first quarter as Brock took control early, building up a strong 21-12 lead over the Ravens.
“Missed shots early, a lot of things to clean up, a lot of turnovers, rebounds that we could’ve gotten that we didn’t get,” Dorey-Havens said after the game.
Carleton responded in the second half. Marjok Okado (9) and Emanuel Ngo Kana Suzama (8) combined for 17 points, as the Ravens would energize the Nest with an offensive clinic in the second quarter.
Carleton led Brock 34-32 at the half.
The third quarter stayed close, with Carleton threatening to pull away after building a three-possession lead at multiple points. Brock responded each time, led by Birch Pockar’s eight-point quarter, and the teams went into the fourth tied at 45.
The Ravens and Badgers traded yet more baskets.
Carleton again appeared to have seized momentum, battling to a 66–64 lead late in the quarter. Brock’s Heyes missed a potential go-ahead three with 14 seconds remaining, seemingly setting the stage for a game-winning stand from the Ravens.
Instead, Pockar delivered a clutch jumper to tie the game at 66–66 and force overtime.
“I thought we had some hangovers from the Capital Hoops classic,” Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said. “But the reality is that we got it together, we were up a bunch of times but as soon as we got up a bunch of times we relaxed a little bit too much.”
In the first overtime period, Brock scored first, but the Ravens stole the lead and led 72-68 with 1:47 to go in the five-minute span.
From that point on, the Ravens managed just one more point yet still found themselves in front, with star Dorey-Havens at the line and a chance to extend the lead to four.
He missed both free throws, and with nine seconds left in overtime, the Ravens found themselves in the same position they were in at the end of regulation.
Needing a nine-second stand to close it out, the Ravens instead watched Brock’s Andrew McKenna bury a clutch three-pointer to tie the game 73–73, sending a frustrated Carleton squad into a second overtime.
“At this moment, I don’t think I’m very confident about it,” Charles said when asked about Carleton’s ability to deliver in crunch time after letting Brock off the hook twice.
“I mean, obviously, we’re injured, but nobody cares. Playing younger guys, they’re making mental mistakes, and it just showed up at the end.”
Carleton scored the first basket of the second overtime period before Brock put up six straight points to take a two-possession lead.
The Ravens tried to cut into the deficit, but after the teams traded baskets, Brock pulled away to clinch an 84–79 victory, surviving two late-game scares.
Charles stressed the toll of injuries, pointing out that Carleton played top-heavy and couldn’t distribute minutes throughout its bench.
“We have guys playing 47, 42 minutes and (Brock) didn’t have anybody over 40 minutes — it does show up at the end, unfortunately.”
The Ravens will play two more regular-season games before the playoffs, starting with a road matchup against Laurentian on February 13 at 8 p.m.
“Just gotta get healthy,” Charles said. “If we’re not gonna get healthy, we gotta get tougher.”
Featured image by Nailla Sibomana/the Charlatan
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