The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team put together a big-time bounce-back performance, topping the Trinity Western Spartans 102-88 on Saturday evening at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Cascades had struggled mightily at the defensive end on Friday as they dropped aÂ
97-87 decision to the Spartans, allowing the visitors to shoot 50 per cent from the field. The hosts turned in a more attentive defensive effort in the rematch, holding the Spartans to 38.3 per cent shooting.
Jordyn Sekhon lit the fuse for the Cascades offensively, detonating for 14 points – highlighted by 4-for-4 from beyond the arc – in the second quarter as the Cascades built a 20-point lead at the half.
The Spartans (3-8) rallied in the second half behind Mason Bourcier, who posted a triple-double for the second straight night, and got back to within two points (81-79) midway through the fourth quarter. But the Cascades (5-4) closed things out in clinical fashion in the dying minutes, with
Vick Toor and
Kyle Claggett tying for team-high scoring honours with 19 points.
"I thought we did a great job defensively, just understanding their personnel a little bit better," Cascades head coach
Joe Enevoldson said afterward. "We made a few subtle adjustments, but nothing extraordinary by any stretch. We just wanted to make sure we got a handle on Q (Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath), and we got a handle on Bourcier getting down the pipe a little bit. Obviously loading up on them, their dribble penetration angles become a lot different. I thought we did a good job of that, especially in the second quarter.Â
"And then we got out and ran – we re-found our identity. That's who we are. We're tough defensively when we decide to be, we can grind you a little bit, and then we can get out and run. We've got multiple guys who can finish in transition, and that's what we did tonight."
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The Cascades had a brighter start on Saturday – Toor got rolling early, scoring six quick points, and
Aidan Wilson came off the bench to score seven in the first quarter as UFV led by as many as nine.
The second quarter was all about Sekhon. The fourth-year swingman was white-hot from beyond the arc, draining a quartet of triples and adding a high-flying reverse layup to close the quarter. UFV's lead at the half was 58-38.
"From a confidence perspective, that was as pivotal a moment for him as he's had all year," Enevoldson said of Sekhon. "He's capable of scoring in quick bursts, and when he gets going, he's a lot of fun to watch and he's a lot of fun to coach.Â
"He always gives it his all on the defensive end of the floor, and we give him very tough assignments because he can do it. Sometimes that does involve a bit of sacrifice on the offensive end, but he got going tonight and he really lifted us."
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The Cascades extended the lead as high as 24 early in the third quarter, but the Spartans found some traction, scoring eight straight points to cut the deficit to 71-59.Â
TWU guard Tre Fillmore caught fire in the fourth, draining four treys of his own in quick succession. The last of those – with 4:58 left in regulation – cut the Cascades' cushion to two points (81-79).Â
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But UFV responded with a lightning-quick 8-0 run of their own –
Jake Willemsen and
Dylan Kinley hit back-to-back threes, and
Dario Lopez converted a putback to make it 89-79 with three minutes left, and the Cascades kept the Spartans at bay from there.
Sekhon finished with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds), Willemsen and Kinley contributed 11 points each, and Toor stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, six assists and a block to go with his 19 points.Â
Gilbreath scored a game-high 25, and Bourcier's triple-double featured 16 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.Â
"I'd still like to figure out how we can build on huge leads vs. letting teams get back into the flow," Enevoldson said. "But it was a great team effort to get us through the storm, especially against a team as offensively gifted as they are."
The Cascades basketball teams are back in action next weekend on the road, facing the UNBC Timberwolves in a Friday-Saturday set.
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