March 6, 2006
MARAUDERS AND HAWKS BATTLE FOR WEST TITLE
HAMILTON - The McMaster Marauder men's basketball team has its eyes set on provincial and national titles. But first, the OUA West championship must be decided. The men's basketball team will take on the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Both teams have already earned berths to the national championships in Halifax later this month, however, the winner moves on to face York Lions in the OUA championship game. York upset Carleton, the three-time defending CIS Champions 82-74 on Saturday night.
Mac earned its way to the title game with a gritty 67-55 win over the Windsor Lancers on Wednesday night. Veteran guard Ben Katz led the way for the Marauders, scoring 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Meanwhile Laurier, the sixth-seed in the OUA West playoffs, has upset Guelph and Brock so far in the playoffs to earn its way to Halifax. Laurier defeated Brock 54-49 on Wednesday as Bert Riviere led the team with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Wednesday's win over the Badgers was indicative of the entire season for the Hawks. Laurier has a unique feature in that almost every player on their active roster plays, and contributes. No athlete averages more than 26 minutes per game, and in Wednesday's contest, no player scored more than 10 points, while 10 different players scored.
Two fifth-year Burlington natives are key contributors for the Golden Hawks. Wade Currie, a graduate of Nelson and former teammate of Mac football standout (and former varsity basketball player) Jon Behie, plays a similar style of play as McMaster's Rob Scully. Much like Mac's Scully, Currie comes off the bench to provide quick scoring from the perimeter. He led the team this year, averaging 14.1 points in only 22.8 minutes of action per game. Meanwhile, Scully's former high school teammate at Notre Dame, Todd Cooney, also plays significant minutes for the Hawks. Cooney averaged 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists this year.
Mac swept the season series against Laurier, winning 71-66 at home on Jan. 18, and 80-60 in Waterloo on Feb. 1. Adam Steiner (pictured) averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in Mac's two wins, while Katz and John Obrovac also averaged in double figures. Currie led the Hawks in the two defeats, averaging 15.5 points.
In Mac's recent string of victories, their experienced and balanced lineup has paid dividends. In the month of February, the team shot 49 per cent from the field, had an assist-turnover ratio of 1.34, and a turnover ratio (own/opp) of 0.67, stats that would all put Mac at the top of the country if sustained over an entire season. That trend continued on Wednesday against Windsor as the team shot 49 per cent, while limiting itself to only 10 turnovers. Mac also cleaned up its free throw attempts on Wednesday night, as they shot 77 per cent in getting to the line 22 times.
Monday's game will have a significant impact on seeding for the national tournament. With top teams UBC and Carleton tallying playoff losses, Mac could perhaps even break into the top three should they sweep their remaining two games and ride into nationals on an eight-game winning streak. Meanwhile Laurier, with a losing regular season record, could break out of a low seed with a win against Mac.
Coverage of Wednesday's game can be heard on 93.3 FM CFMU or on the internet at http://cfmu.mcmaster.ca
(Source: Chris Black, McMaster Sports Information.)
Both teams have already earned berths to the national championships in Halifax later this month, however, the winner moves on to face York Lions in the OUA championship game. York upset Carleton, the three-time defending CIS Champions 82-74 on Saturday night.
Mac earned its way to the title game with a gritty 67-55 win over the Windsor Lancers on Wednesday night. Veteran guard Ben Katz led the way for the Marauders, scoring 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Meanwhile Laurier, the sixth-seed in the OUA West playoffs, has upset Guelph and Brock so far in the playoffs to earn its way to Halifax. Laurier defeated Brock 54-49 on Wednesday as Bert Riviere led the team with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Wednesday's win over the Badgers was indicative of the entire season for the Hawks. Laurier has a unique feature in that almost every player on their active roster plays, and contributes. No athlete averages more than 26 minutes per game, and in Wednesday's contest, no player scored more than 10 points, while 10 different players scored.
Two fifth-year Burlington natives are key contributors for the Golden Hawks. Wade Currie, a graduate of Nelson and former teammate of Mac football standout (and former varsity basketball player) Jon Behie, plays a similar style of play as McMaster's Rob Scully. Much like Mac's Scully, Currie comes off the bench to provide quick scoring from the perimeter. He led the team this year, averaging 14.1 points in only 22.8 minutes of action per game. Meanwhile, Scully's former high school teammate at Notre Dame, Todd Cooney, also plays significant minutes for the Hawks. Cooney averaged 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists this year.
Mac swept the season series against Laurier, winning 71-66 at home on Jan. 18, and 80-60 in Waterloo on Feb. 1. Adam Steiner (pictured) averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in Mac's two wins, while Katz and John Obrovac also averaged in double figures. Currie led the Hawks in the two defeats, averaging 15.5 points.
In Mac's recent string of victories, their experienced and balanced lineup has paid dividends. In the month of February, the team shot 49 per cent from the field, had an assist-turnover ratio of 1.34, and a turnover ratio (own/opp) of 0.67, stats that would all put Mac at the top of the country if sustained over an entire season. That trend continued on Wednesday against Windsor as the team shot 49 per cent, while limiting itself to only 10 turnovers. Mac also cleaned up its free throw attempts on Wednesday night, as they shot 77 per cent in getting to the line 22 times.
Monday's game will have a significant impact on seeding for the national tournament. With top teams UBC and Carleton tallying playoff losses, Mac could perhaps even break into the top three should they sweep their remaining two games and ride into nationals on an eight-game winning streak. Meanwhile Laurier, with a losing regular season record, could break out of a low seed with a win against Mac.
Coverage of Wednesday's game can be heard on 93.3 FM CFMU or on the internet at http://cfmu.mcmaster.ca
(Source: Chris Black, McMaster Sports Information.)
