Successful season ends in disappointment for Falcons
[Truro, N.S] An injury to the Falcon's star player led to a disappointing finish to a very successful season for the men's basketball team last week.
The Fanshawe Falcon men's basketball team came up short at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Basketball National Championships held in Truro, Nova Scotia from March 12 to March 14. The Falcons fell to Mount Royal College in the bronze medal qualifying game 80-73 ending their quest towards a CCAA medal.
Head coach Glen Johnston said he was proud of his team for their accomplishments during the regular season and their championship run in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA).
“I told my team that I was proud to be a part of it,” Johnston said. “I do not think you remember your whole season as the last two games, that would be senseless. The guys have a lot to be proud of, we lost our best player and we were not able to handle it without him but I do not think that makes everything we did wrong.”
The CCAA and OCAA Player of the Year, Pat Sewell injured his ankle in the teams opening match against John Abbott and was unable to play the rest of the tournament.
Sewell was disappointed that he could not help his team past their opening round victory.
“Obviously, I definitely wanted to be out there with my team, but unfortunately it could not happen,” Sewell said. “It is definitely pretty disappointing, I wanted to help my team finish off the year, I helped them get here, but shit happens.”
Team captain Adrian Pykta said the Falcons did not perform up to their standards and were also missing Sewell's presence on the court.
“Everybody tried to step up, but it just was not enough,” Pykta said. “It hurts because he (Sewell) takes a lot of defenders on him, get a lot of shots, and he is guaranteeing you fifteen points a game at least. So it is tough but at the same time we are a deep team, we just did not play the way we should.”
Opening the tournament on a high note, the Falcons defeated John Abbott College 87-81. Sewell led the team with 19 points before injuring his ankle late in the game, while Pykta and guard Omar Sybbliss chipped in with 16 points each.
Without Sewell healthy enough to play, the Falcons faced the eventual tournament champions Dawson College in their second game, losing the contest 71-54. Guard Dave Brown led the team with 15 points, while Alex Brkljac contributed 9 points.
Hoping to reach the bronze medal game, the Falcons faced Mount Royal College in their next game. Despite a late second half run, the Falcons ran out of time and lost 80-73. Brown led to team with 15 points and Pat Wright chipped in with 14 points.
In his 31-years of coaching Falcon basketball, Johnston had never coached an undefeated team throughout the regular and OCAA championships, and according to Johnston this year's squad was one of the best overall teams he has coached in his career.
“It is one of the best absolutely,” Johnston said. “It is hard to know what we would have done, we were missing kind of a key piece so I do not think it is fair to judge against all the others, but they certainly had a great season and I think that is all that counts.”
