Spartans, Birds crush Vikes dreams

Ouch!

This one is going to sting for a long time. A very long time.

Playoff basketball came to a screeching halt Saturday night, as both the Vikes men's and women's basketball teams dropped heart breakers in do-or-die situations.

The Men (Game 3 vs TWU)

Over in Langley the men came out in the do-or-die game three flatter than a 99 cent slice of Second Slice Pizza. The Spartans used their crazy crowd at the David E. to jump out to a 25-16 first quarter lead. They would keep the pedal-to-the-medal in the second Q and would enter the break up by 27 points! Over Right?
Nope! As whatever Coach Beau said, or most likely yelled, during the break it was heard loud and clear by the Vikes, as they came out in the final 20 minutes a team possessed.

Led by Senior Tyler Hass, the Vikes erased the massive deficit with a 25 point explosion in the 3rd quarter. Hass, playing in what would be his final game of his hallmark collegiate career, poured in 22 points and refused to let his team go quietly into the night. Hass hit what TWU's radio announcer would call a "NBA sized 3" with 24 seconds left to cut the Spartans lead to 85-80. He would than be fouled on a three-point-attempt with just 15 seconds left. The Victoria native would hit his first two but miss the third. Jacob Doerksen would grab the 'board and than stick it to his former teammates by knocking down both his free throws to put his squad back up by 5. However, Hass would rise up again as he nailed yet another bomb from the corner to put the Vikes back within two with less than 10 seconds to go. But after Lous Hurd missed both his free throws the Vikes were unable to grab the board, allowing Jamie Vaughn to swoop in and grab the loose ball. Devastating way to lose a game, as the Vikes and the red hot Hass were unable to muster up a final attempt for a game tying shot.

After what transpired in Game 1 (see video in post below), to have this happen in Game 3...just devastating. Being down 27 at half and than to come that close in front of that crazy crowd. Heartbreaking.

One shot was the difference between a date with UBC at War Memorial gym and going home for good. An unfair outcome for a team that was far too good to have their season end in mid-February. This team was built for success in the playoffs. Built on defence and grit. But as the CIS BLOG mentioned, the competition in the Pacific Division is outstanding.

You have to feel for the Seniors Hass and Gudgeon. They wanted nothing more than a return trip to Ottawa for Nationals.

Still a very solid year for a team that climbed as high as No. 6 in the CIS National Polls and put together a regular season record of 17-6. However, the rebuilding process and forward thinking must start, and start quickly, as next year the Vikes will have some massive spots to fill with the absence of Hass and Gudgeon.

The Women (Game 2 UBC)

As painful as the outcome from the men's series in Langley, perhaps what transpired on the Island was even more gut-wrenching.

The lady Vikes were playing a do-or-die game of their own, down 1-0 in their series against the defending National champs from UBC.

The women also had a halftime deficit of their own to overcome, as an absolute abysmal 2nd quarter had the Vikes down 8 heading into the halftime break.

But Ashley Yee, the only fourth/fifth year player on the Vikes, put her squad on her back in the 2nd half and led the charge as the Vikes clawed their way back and actually led by two heading into the final quarter. Yee finished the night with 18 points and gave the Vikes some much needed secondary scoring as the Birds were draped over Kayla Dykstra all series long.

The final ten minutes had both teams get some clutch buckets from the most unlikely of sources. Two rookies, T-Birds Lia St. Pierre and Vikes Debbie Yeaboah, played liked seasoned veterans down the stretch as they exchanged back-and-forth buckets. With the score tied at 62 with only 30 seconds left, UBC had the ball and held for last shot. The 'Birds would miss their shot however and the Vikes Dykstra would grab the board. But it was the rookie St. Pierre who darted into the key to steal the Dykstra outlet pass and go hard to the rack before Dykstra was forced to foul her. With the Vikes season on the line, St. Pierre would deliver the knock-out blow by calmly draining both foul shots. Unreal poise shown by the recruit from Moncton, New Brunswick.

A great regular season record and likely a MVP award for Kayla Dykstra could not translate into any sort of post-season run for the Vikes. But it will be used as a painful learning experience for the Vikes, as unlike the men, the ladies lose nobody from this years squad. They will be right back here next year, and this bitter defeat will go along way in terms of experience and motivation for the upcoming summer workouts.


Two season's ending much too quickly for the Horns liking.

That's sport though, and as they say "there is always next year".......i guess.