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Royals wrap first half unbeaten and No. 1 in Canada

It was the right result and a strong note to wrap up the first half of the PacWest men’s basketball season. By beating the Capilano University Blues 80-59 on Friday, the No.
Douglas College
The Douglas College men's basketball team showed a lot of moxie in rallying to beat Capilano last week, improving to 7-0 on the season and maintaining its hold on the No. 1-ranking in Canada.

It was the right result and a strong note to wrap up the first half of the PacWest men’s basketball season.

By beating the Capilano University Blues 80-59 on Friday, the No. 1-ranked Douglas College Royals can spend Christmas revelling in their 7-0 record.

That’s No. 1 in Canada, by the way.

Although it was another 20-point decision – with five of their victories by that margin or more – in fact, Capilano had the Royals on their heels for parts of the game.

Douglas actually stared at a 40-38 deficit early in the third quarter, when fifth-year forward Reese Morris went in for a layup to tie it, and was followed by four-year guard Courtney Anderson’s clutch three-pointer.

It turned the tide for the Royals and put them back in front, cueing a 17-3 run down the stretch.

Anderson, a native of Palestine, Texas, led all shooters with 26 points, including six rebounds and five steals. Morris, of Burnaby, counted 24 points and 10 boards, while Dylan Kinley chipped in nine points.

Morris, who completed 11 of 17 from the field, continues to set the pace in the PacWest circuit with a 68.9 per cent shooting success rate.

Terry Fox alum Josiah Mastandrea came off the bench and contributed four points.

For Capilano, Pinetree alum Jacky Teny netted two points and five steals.

The PacWest league goes on holiday hiatus until Jan. 10. The Royals open the second half on Jan. 11 when they host Vancouver Island for a pair of games.

 

ROYALS RALLY FOR OT WIN

It came down to an extra stanza, but the Douglas College women’s basketball team hit all the high notes en route to a 73-66 win over the Capilano University Blues on Friday in New West.

Capilano enjoyed a strong third quarter, breaking down the Royals’ 28-21 halftime advantage to go ahead by 10 points.

But Douglas College, which entered Saturday’s game on a four-game win streak, whittled the deficit down to six points on a trey from Hailey Van Roekel.

The first-year Royal would drain another three-pointer to even the score 55-55, but Capilano got back ahead by three with a minute to play.

Down to just 15 seconds, the Royals’ Cassandra Brinn forced overtime with a clutch trey, putting the two squads in a 58-58 draw.

Sierra Gallego led the charge in extra time, hitting two from long distance to finish with 15 points. Sydney Fraess topped the squad with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Van Roekel contributed 12 points. New West native Devin Strome chipped in seven points.

Counting a game-high 19 points for Capilano was Cariboo Hill alumna Mackenzie Smith.

After starting the season with two tough losses, Douglas has surfaced in second place at 5-2.

The win also propelled them up to 11th in the national standings.