Condors scrape by Cougars twice
MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME 1: SAULT COUGARS vs CONESTOGA CONDORS
SAULT STE. MARIE – The Cougars were looking to add a second win to their record on Saturday night, and had a good opportunity to do so against and evenly matched Conestoga Condors team. The Cougars got off to a good start in the 1st quarter with Simon Wal and Valentine Okeke kick starting the Cougar offence and Mahier Mohamed coming off the bench for 5 points in 3 minutes of action for a 4-point lead at the end of the 1st.
Conestoga would flip the switch in the 2nd quarter as guard Avery Sutton went off for 10 points on 4-4 shooting, including a 3 pointer to send the Condors to a 4-point lead at half. Wal and Okeke for the Cougars continued their strong play into the 2nd to keep them within striking distance going into the 3rd.
The Cougars put on the pressure in the 3rd with some solid defense and contributions from Matthew Kment and Jaylyne Moore-Tucker being a strong presence on the glass. The Cougars would cut the lead down to 3 points for the Condors going into the final frame.
With the win in the Cougars sight, the 4th quarter would come down to the wire. Kevon Clarke would score 7 points and pull down 4 big defensive rebounds in the frame and come up with a big block late in the game and score on the other end to get within 2 points of the Condors' lead. The last minute of play proved crucial, however as the Condors hit some key shots to make it a two possession game and would finish with the 73-69 win over the Cougars.
Cougar Scoring: Simon Wal (18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks), Matthew Kment (10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist), Jaylyne Moore-Tucker (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals), Mahier Mohamed (10 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists).
GAME 2: SAULT COUGARS vs CONESTOGA CONDORS
SAULT STE. MARIE – The Cougars were looking to bounce back Sunday after a close 4-point loss on Saturday to the Condors. The game would see the teams change leads frequently with Conestoga taking the first turn in a low scoring first quarter of 12-7 with Stephen Miller providing 5 of the 7 Cougar points.
The 2nd quarter was the Cougars turn to jump out in front as they outscored the Condors 27-16 thanks to 7 a point run and back to back 3 pointers by Brian Senecal. The 2nd quarter onslaught also had Simon Wal scoring 7 points and Mahier Mohamed and Jaylyne Moore-Tucker both contributing 6 points.
After being held in check in the 2nd the Condors came out flying in the 3rd going on a 6 point run to start the frame, with the Cougars following up with a 6 point run of their own, answered immediately from the Condors as they went on a 7 point run in response.
Kevon Clarke kept the cougars afloat in the 2nd half with 10 points, including a timely 4 points in the 4th. The final quarter had two more lead changes and foul trouble put the Condors into bonus free throws, which turned out to be too much to overcome in the final minutes, ending in a 67-57 final in favour of Conestoga.
Cougars scoring: Simon Wal (14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists), Kevon Clarke (12 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals), Stephen Miller (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists).
Up Next: The Cougars take to the road to play the St. Clair Saints on Saturday Nov. 16th @ 6:00pm and Sunday Nov. 17th at 3:00pm.