It’s a classic case of veteran experience against youthful exuberance tonight at the Halifax Metro Centre, when the Carleton Ravens attempt to reach the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national final once again.
The Ravens, now 32-0 against CIS competition this season, will take on the tournament newcomers from the University of Fraser Valley later this evening, after the Cascades upset the Lakehead Thunderwolves 83-71 in the quarter-final March 9.
Ravens head coach Dave Smart prepared his team for the contest during this morning’s practice, stressing the need to play at a higher tempo than they did in their 82-68 quarter-final win over the Acadia Axemen.
“They’re very physical, if we can match they’re physicality and get the game a little bit more up tempo than we had last night then we’ll be OK,” Smart said. “If not, it’s going to be trouble.”
The contest will feature two exciting individual battles that should go a long way in determining who gets a chance to play for the national championship. The first of which pits two of the most explosive offensive players in tournament against one another, as Philip Scrubb will go head-to-head with Joel Friesen.
“They’ve got a lot of guys that can shoot it so we’ll have to rebound really well and hopefully we can get out in transition and put some pressure on them,” said Scrubb, who led the Ravens with 25 points March 9 against the Axemen.
Friesen led the Cascades this season with 16.8 points per game. The Abbotsford, B.C. native poured in 13 points against a stingy Lakehead defence, and will need to be even better against the reigning CIS player of the year.
Inside the paint, the task of slowing down Tyson Hinz will be given to a committee of big-men, with Kyle Grewal chief among them. The 6’6” forward led the Cascades with 17 points against Lakehead, but more importantly, he anchored the defence with his physicality inside.
Grewal will have to ensure that he remains disciplined, as he very nearly fouled out of the game with the Thunderwolves — something head coach Barnaby Craddock cannot afford tonight.
With their first-ever CIS Final 8 game behind them, the Cascades will have relieved much of the nerves that plagued them during the opening quarter yesterday, which should make for an exciting contest.
The Ravens will be favoured, but the upstart Cascades have already proven they don’t mind being the underdog.
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. eastern time, where fans will find out if the slipper still fits for the Cascades, or if the experience of the Ravens will lead them to yet another championship game.
Follow the Charlatan’s live blog at 5 p.m. for updates and analysis from our team in Halifax.
