It was not quite the atmosphere the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team would have hoped to see for their first two home games of the regular season. The majority of students were away for the fall break, but the team played as if the gymnasium was packed, polishing off the University of Windsor Lancers and the Western University Mustangs Nov. 1-2.
Carleton started the season ranked first overall in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), with Windsor ranked sixth.
The Ravens got off to a fast start, but the Lancers managed to keep it interesting through the first half. They even stole the lead during the first quarter.
That lead didn’t last long as strong play from Ravens Philip Scrubb and Kevin Churchill turned the deficit around quickly.
Scrubb led the team with 24 points, while Tyson Hinz led the team with eight rebounds.
The Lancers put up a valiant effort, showing why they were sixth ranked in the CIS going into the game, but the Ravens powerhouse beat them 95-74.
Scrubb attributed the team’s success in the game to the many veterans on their squad.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time,” he said. “We lost a couple guys last year, but most of our guys are back. We know each other pretty well, and it really helps on the court.”
Their second game was against the Mustangs Nov. 2.
This time it was clear from the very start which team was in control, as the Ravens took it to their opponent early and often.
Scrubb and Clinton Springer-Williams led the way, with Springer-Williams scoring four three-pointers in the game.
The Ravens seemed unstoppable, limiting the Mustangs’ possession of the ball and shooting 66 per cent from the field as a team. They managed to lead by an astounding score of 57-21 at halftime.
The starters were rotated out early in the game, and the Ravens closed out the Mustangs by a whopping score of 117-42.
“The coaches spend a lot of time scouting other teams and the plays they like to run, so they get us really well prepared for the game, and we try to execute their game plan,” Scrubb said.
The Ravens improve to 2-0 on the season, and Western falls to 0-2.
Carleton is to embark on a road trip that won’t see a return to the Ravens’ Nest until Nov. 22.
“We go into every week preparing for the team we’re going to play,” Scrubb said. “We know it’s going to be a bit tougher on the road, but every week we prepare the same, and we try to make practices harder than games so that when we get to the game, we’re ready to go.”
The Ravens face off against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves Nov. 8. The Thunderwolves are the 2012-2013 CIS silver medalists and lost to the Ravens in the CIS men’s basketball Final 8 gold medal game. Carleton will then take on the Guelph University Gryphons Nov. 9.
