From beyond the arc, Aiden Warnholtz released his trademark jumper. He had been clinical in the first three quarters of the Feb. 15 game against the uOttawa Gee-Gees, but this three-point attempt just bounced off the rim.
In a split second, Marjok Okado became a blur. He dashed from the top of the paint and through a pocket of uOttawa defenders, leaping for the basket just as Warnholtz’ missed shot fell. He grabbed the ball and dunked it, hanging off the rim.
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Then came the staredown. Okado stood face-to-face with uOttawa’s Dragan Stajic, flexing until Stajic broke away. The Gee-Gees called a timeout and Okado marched back to the bench.
The Carleton Ravens were up by 11.
Carleton closed out the fourth quarter with a 77-60 win, clinching the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East and a first-round bye in the playoffs. With the regular season almost over, the assurance of an easier path to the national championship is a relief to the Ravens, who have endured one of the roughest seasons of the last two decades.
“Our range of outcomes has been pretty spectacular over this season … but [it] has been changing,” head coach Taffe Charles said. “We’re past playing poorly against poor teams … We’ve established a little bit of a higher ceiling.”
The Ravens and Gee-Gees faced off in a rematch of the Capital Hoops game earlier this month. The two highly ranked teams were positioned in a virtual tie atop the OUA East standings; the winner of Wednesday’s game would win the division.
“We knew that we needed to win this game to put ourselves in a position to kind of control our fate,” Warnholtz said.
That led to some nerves in the first half, with the Gee-Gees jumping to a 9-2 start. Carleton took its first lead with 1:23 left in the first quarter on a three-pointer from Ben Riley, but remained locked in a rock fight through the second quarter.
At the half, the score sat dead even at 37.
“We didn’t play very well in the first half,” Charles said. “We weren’t very sharp. I think our nerves got to us a little bit.”
Charles has been preaching defence for the Ravens all year. Their unique defensive approach is part of what makes this dynasty tick, but the young team has struggled for most of the season.
But in the second half, something clicked. The Ravens defensive efforts overwhelmed uOttawa, launching Carleton to a 17-point win.
Warnholtz led the Ravens with 26 points, another high point total for Carleton’s leader on and off the court. Charles said he wants to see Warnholtz develop more of a “mean streak” in guiding some of Carleton’s younger players.
“He’s been on me about that and Dave [Smart] as well has told me that before,” Warnholtz said. “I need to get a little meaner in the sense of, not putting people down, but making sure that if people are making mistakes, I can get on them. Because I’ve been here for five years now, so I’m in a spot where people are going to listen to me.”
With one year of eligibility left, Warnholtz was honoured before the game as part of the Ravens’ seniors’ night celebration but said he hasn’t made a decision on returning to Carleton next year.
“He’s having to carry the mail,” Charles said. “Hopefully he comes back for another year, but the reality is, it’s his time and I like that sense of urgency. I always tell these guys, whenever it’s your last year, I want that feeling where you’re desperate. He’s desperate to win.”
After winning their final regular season game on Feb. 18, the Ravens secured home court advantage through the playoffs as the top seed in the OUA.
The value of playing all playoff games at home is not lost on Charles.
“It’s four games in two weeks. You want to be home as many times as you can. For us, it’s Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday,” Charles said, referencing Carleton’s quarterfinal, potential semifinal and final schedule. “You don’t want to be travelling at all. It’s just a very tough turnaround time. If you can stay at home, it gives you the best chance to be successful.”
Carleton will play its first playoff game Saturday at 8 p.m. against the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
