The Carleton Ravens made quick work of the Western Mustangs for a chance to win their 15th McGee Cup in the last 18 seasons. The Ravens won the 90-63 and led by over 20 points for most of the second second half, expanding their lead at one point to as much as 32.
Four players for the Ravens finished in double figures. Isaiah Osborne led the way with 17, Alain Louis had 15, and both Lloyd Pandi and Yasiin Joseph finished with 13 points. It was truly a full team effort for the Ravens, as they finished with a mind-boggling 50 bench points on the night. Alain Louis was definitely the standout performer for the Ravens second unit tonight, and for his effort he was awarded the player of the game. Along with his 15 points, he was also able to contribute 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. Another key performer was the aforementioned Osborne who recorded a double-double with eleven rebounds.
Ravens Coach Taffe Charles when asked about his bench effort tonight he said, “We’re a deep team, and I think the biggest thing is we knew [the Mustangs] weren’t a very deep team…so that is what we were trying to do.”
A lack of depth for the Mustangs was certainly the case. A team that would usually only go eight men deep during the regular season was missing one of their best players, Julian Walker, who was sidelined with the flu.
Everything went wrong for the Mustangs today, from their shooting performance, to their defensive intensity and ball control. Omar Shiddo, the Mustangs best scorer, struggled to put the ball in basked all night, finishing with 13 points on a poor shooting display of 3 for 16, and a horrific 0 of 10 from three-point range. The team was only able to hit 4 threes in total on 31 attempts for a horrific percentage of 12.9. That percentage paired with a rebounding margin of -28, and allowing the Ravens to convert 18 points off of 15 turnovers the Mustangs chance at their first McGee Cup since 1991 came to a close.
However, the Mustangs may not exit this tournament empty handed. They will play the loser of the second semifinal game between UBC and Dalhousie Sunday at 2pm. Radio Western will be covering the Mustangs Sunday afternoon for their chance of leaving the tournament with a bronze medal.
