With a chip on their shoulder, the Ravens dominated the Windsor Lancers in the Wilson Cup championship with a final score of 103-59 on March 7.
It was no secret this game was more than just the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships for the Ravens. After falling 74-71 in Windsor back in January, the team was itching to redeem themselves.
Right from the get-go, the Ravens wasted no time attacking the rim and taking the lead.
Phil and Thomas Scrubb took charge by combining equally for 14 points and six rebounds in the first quarter.
Into the second quarter, the Ravens’ offence pushed the Lancers on their heel, with Victor Raso leading the way. Raso was three of three from beyond the arc and three of four from the line, as he finished the first half with 12 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Raso, who was later named player of the game, admitted the Lancers’ focus on the Scrubb brothers allowed for some breathing room for other players.
“Tommy and Phil are match-up problems for everybody, so we just have to space well and play off those guys,” Raso said. “We just stick to our roles and play confident.”
After a 58-35 score at half, the Ravens refused to let up as they continued to dominate on both sides of the court, especially from inside the paint.
As the Lancers’ hopes of catching the Ravens began to seem unlikely, their frustration started to show as OUA all-stars Rotimi Osuntola Jr. and Mitch Farrell both found themselves in foul trouble.
However, with foul trouble of their own, Ravens head coach Dave Smart gave his bench more time to make an impression.
“We had to stay out of any more foul trouble and go to guys like Cam [Smythe] and Guillaume [Boucard],” Smart said.
Boucard was a constant threat on the floor as he finished the night with 17 points, nine rebounds, and one steal.
Even with Smart subbing off the majority of the Ravens’ starting lineup for injury precaution, the offensive pressure was too much for the Lancers, as the clock counted down the remaining minutes of the fourth quarter.
Coming into the game, the Ravens admitted their inside game was the biggest issue in their last meeting with the Lancers.
“They attack the rim and they rebound,” Smart said. “That’s what they do. We knew it was going to be like that.”
In team stats, the Ravens out-rebounded the Lancers 52-29 and put up 34 points from within the paint in comparison to Windsor’s 20.
In addition to his OUA awards, Thomas Scrubb, who finished the game with 16 points, was named player of the tournament, but with the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) Final 8 being held at Ryerson University from March 12-15, Scrubb and the rest of his teammates already had their sights set on the upcoming tournament in Toronto.
It was announced on March 8 the Ravens have been awarded the top seed going into the CIS Final 8 and will face off against the eighth-ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the quarter-finals.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Scrubb said. “The three teams here this weekend all lost, so they’re going to have a pretty big chip on their shoulder. So we know they’re going to step it up. We have to see what kind of draw we get, but we’ll be prepared.”
Smart echoed Scrubb’s statement.
“We lost so much in terms of leadership and talent last year and had to really redefine how we played,” Smart said. “I’m happy with how our guys have responded. We have to keep going in the same direction that we’ve been going.”
