The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team solidified their position as the number one-ranked team in the province March 2, taking home the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Wilson Cup for the second time in as many years.
Going into the tournament, the Ravens were already guaranteed a spot in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 as the host team, but that did not stop them as they marched to victory at Ryerson University in Toronto.
In one semi-final, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees faced off against the University of Windsor Lancers, with the winner automatically advancing to the CIS tournament. Fifth-year guard Warren Ward led the way for the Gee-Gees with 26 points as they took a convincing win, 78-58 over the Lancers. With the win, the Gee-Gees advanced to their first OUA title game in 20 years.
The other semi-final was the Carleton Ravens against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves. The Ravens led from the first quarter and never looked back, winning by a final score of 72-51. The 51 points for Lakehead was their lowest offensive production of the season, and their previous season-low was 53 points, which also came against Carleton.
With the Ravens advancing to the final, it was official that the winner of the bronze medal game would also qualify for the CIS tournament.
On March 2, the Lakehead Thunderwolves and Windsor Lancers took to the court to fight for this coveted spot and the bronze medal. The Thunderwolves were on a streak of qualifying for the past three CIS championships and they were not willing to end that run. They were strong early, and eventually pulled away from the Lancers in the second half, advancing to the CIS Final 8 tournament for the fourth year in a row, by a score of 78-64.
The gold-medal game featured two cross-town rivals, both of whom will be competing for the CIS title in front of their fans in their home city. As well, the Gee-Gees wanted to prove that they could beat the Ravens after two very close losses in the regular season.
But with two consecutive OUA titles on the line and first seed in the CIS tournament, the Ravens were not willing to go down. The Ravens frequently opened up big leads against the Gee-Gees, with the Gee-Gees managing to fight back every time. At the very end of the game, down by three points, the Gee-Gees went for a three-pointer to tie the game, but it just missed and the Ravens won another close one, 72-69.
Thomas Scrubb was named the player of the game, leading the Ravens with 17 points.
Lakehead and Ottawa, along with five other teams from across Canada, will now be competing in the CIS Final 8, March 8-10 at Scotiabank Place, to try and dethrone the reigning champion Carleton Ravens, who will be going for their record ninth title.
