The PA music serenaded the arch-rival UBC Thunderbirds with School’s Out by Alice Cooper as a standing-room only crowd cheered raucously Friday night in CARSA gym as the seconds ticked down in the University of Victoria Vikes’ 91-83 Canada West men’s basketball playoff semifinal victory.
The Thunderbirds did a masterful job double-teaming UVic’s prolific shooting-guard Diego Maffia, and hounded the conference scoring champion all night with unrelenting in-his-face pressure, that held the likely conference MVP to 10 points.
That meant the other Vikes had to step up, and they did, to propel UVic into the Canada West championship game next weekend on Ken and Kathy Shields Court against the winner of today’s other semifinal between the Winnipeg Wesmen and Manitoba Bisons.
“It was frustrating to not be involved as much as I would have liked, but I have trust in my teammates, and we all have trust in each other,” said Maffia.
Vikes rookie sensation Renoldo Robinson took it upon himself to carry the load and came through with some monster plays in a 26-point performance. Robinson dominated Quebec colleges when at Dawson College in Montreal and showed he will be a force at UVic for the next several years.
“They did a good job of pressuring us and took Diego away but guys like Renoldo [Robinson] stepped up,” said UVic head coach Craig Beaucamp.
“We said, ‘OK, we’re in a fist fight,’ so let’s punch back.’ The guys found a way to get it done.”
Among them was another composed freshman, Izzy Helman out of Claremont Secondary, with 12 points.
“They doubled Diego and that took us out of our game in the first half but we made adjustments in the second half and Renoldo [Robinson] was great,” said Helman.
“We played some tough defence down the stretch.”
Not showing his lack of years, Helman coolly stepped to the line to sink four critical free throws as UBC cut an 83-73 UVic lead with two minutes remaining down to 85-82.
“I am a good free-throw shooter and I wasn’t nervous,” said Helman.
Fifth-year forward Dominick Oliveri scored 14 points and sophomore Elias Ralph 13. Triston Matthews led UBC with 23 points.
It was the visiting Thunderbirds who had to take the boat but the Vikes who started out like a ferry on fire, reeling off the first 11 points of the game and building that to 15-2. The Thunderbirds, however, proved unruffled and persistent as they brought it to 17-15 to end the first quarter. The score was tied 43-43 at the half and seesawed back and forth until UVic scored the final two baskets of the third quarter to lead 69-65.
The win practically assures UVic a spot in the U Sports national championship tournament March 10-12 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S. The Vikes are ranked No. 2 nationally in U Sports, so even they lose the Canada West championship game against the Bisons or Wesmen, UVic is nearly guaranteed to be awarded one of the two wildcard berths into nationals.
But this is clearly a team that wants to go through the front door and has its sights set on a first national title for UVic since Olympian Eric Hinrichsen led the Vikes to the 1997 Canadian championship.
