The Carleton Ravens defeated the University of Victoria Vikes in Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) semifinal action 83-74 on March 14 to advance to the championship game.
About 30 members of Carleton’s boosters Red Zone made the five hour trek to see the Ravens play, and they were not disappointed.
The Ravens started strong, taking an 8-2 lead to start the game. The teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, with Phil Srubb once again dominating the court. Shooting proved to be a big issue for the Vikes at the start, as a team averaging 37.5 per cent on field goals.
“We just couldn’t get the ball to fall for us, and they were just knocking down shots,” Vikes guard Marcus Tibbs said. “They’re a very good team and that was how it started.”
The second quarter opened with the Vikes hitting a three to bring the game within a more manageable nine points.
It was not enough, as the Ravens continued to score with various methods.
A big factor that led to the Ravens’ success was their defence. Ravens fourth-year forward Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles stuck to the six-foot-ten Vikes forward Chris McLaughlin like a leech, allowing very little inside at the post positon.
Ravens head coach Dave Smart said Pierre-Charles was a critical piece of their success.
“I thought he had a great game, he worked hard and played fast on offense and again, he attacked the game offensively and defensively, he stayed on him,” Smart said.
The third quarter began with Phil Scrubb continuing to play in a league of his own, notching a double-double at halftime with 14 points and 10 assists.
Big plays from Victor Raso and Connor Wood saw the Ravens take an almost 30-point lead, but the Vikes again were able to clamber back a little going into the final quarter.
The Vikes brought the game within 11 points after shutting down the Ravens to start the fourth, but it didn’t take long for things to begin working again for Carleton, as Pierre-Charles scored the Ravens’ first of the quarter and Wood hit a big three to extend their lead.
Tibbs proved to be difficult to cover, scoring 27 points. Phil Scrubb said he was impressed with Tibbs’ output.
“He’s tough to cover one on one, and obviously whoever we play next game is going to have a guy like that who can break you down and score, so we’ve got to do a better job of playing help defence,” Phil Scrubb said.
Both teams traded baskets until late in the frame when the Vikes were forced to foul, but Carleton outlasted its opponent from Canada West.
Phil Scrubb finished the game with a game-high 29 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds.
Despite the victory, he said he believes the Ravens need to be better for the championships.
“Today, I thought we didn’t play well in the second half, and if we play like that tomorrow we’re going to lose, so we have a lot of things to work on,” he said.
Despite Scrubbs’ view they need to improve, Smart said Victoria deserved credit for how the second half went.
“We’ve got to give credit to Victoria. They played hard and figured out ways to attack, and it shouldn’t have made a difference, and Tibbs started making shots,” Smart said. “If he doesn’t make those shots nothing changes, but if he makes them our rotations become a little bit different.”
The Ravens won’t have long to improve, as they will either face the Ryerson Rams or the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the CIS championships tomorrow at 3 p.m.
