Cascades dump Dinos to end season
By Ashton Chugh, March 5 2015 —
The University of Fraser Valley Cascades put an end to the Dinos men’s basketball season with a 72–65 win in game two of the Canada West quarterfinals on Feb. 28 in Abbotsford.
UFV took game one the previous night by a score of 78–71. Cascades guard Vijay Dhillon had an efficient game, scoring 20 points on six-of-eight shooting.
The Cascades’ second victory in the best-of-three series secured their trip to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport final eight in Toronto on March 12–15. The tournament is Canada’s version of the U.S.A.’s March Madness.
UFV never trailed at any point in the game. The Cascades stormed out to a 24–10 first-quarter lead, and amassed a 39–23 lead by halftime.
The Cascades’ lead only grew as the Dinos trailed by as much as 23 points in the third quarter. However, Calgary’s captain Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson inspired a comeback as the Dinos clawed their way to within two points with 1:30 left in the fourth.
Dinos guard Jhony Verrone scored the last points of their season on a layup, but UFV answered right back on a hook shot from power forward Nate Brown.
The Dinos couldn’t respond and fouled UFV centre Jasper Moedt after he secured a clutch defensive rebound. Moedt iced the game with two free throws to end Ogungbemi-Jackson’s career.
Ogungbemi-Jackson scored 12 points in the fourth. UFV head coach Adam Friesen praised the play of the Dinos captain.
“We know he’s one of the best players in the country, and you’re in a situation as a fifth year where you’re battling for your career,” Friesen said of Ogungbemi-Jackson’s play in his last game. “You’re going to go out swinging. He put on one heck of a performance in the fourth quarter.”
Canada West rookie of the year Lars Schleuter finished with 12 points, while Abbotsford native Matt Letkeman had 10 points and two blocks off the bench for the Dinos.
The Dinos placed fifth in the Canada West conference with a record of 12–8, an improvement from the 2013–14 season when they went 7–15.