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Photo: Marta Kierkus.
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Led by Agada and L’Africain, Gees begin national championship push

The nationally second-ranked Gee-Gees men’s basketball team travelled to Northern Ontario to close out their regular season against Nipissing and Laurentian on Feb. 26 and 27.

In the first game against the Lakers, the Gees had a more impressive defensive performance than anything. Held to only 49 points on the night, Nipissing couldn’t get any of their shots to fall as Ottawa held them to an abysmal 31 per cent field goal average.

The Gee-Gees spread the ball out incredibly efficiently, as four of their starters scored in double figures. As always, Caleb Agada and Mike L’Africain were the leaders for the team in the 74-49 win.

L’Africain continued his scoring dominance by meeting his average with 20 points on the night, while Agada had 17, Nate McCarthy chipped in with 13, and Vikas Gill added 10.

The following night, the Gee-Gees took on a familiar foe in the Laurentian Voyageurs. The game between the two marks the 71st time they’ve matched up since 1971. The all-time series was split 35-35 before the Gee-Gees took the advantage with a 102-79 victory.

The Voyageurs jumped out to an early lead against their rivals as they held a 26-25 lead after the first quarter of play. They would continue to keep the game close before halftime, only allowing the Gee-Gees to nab a one-point lead at half.

In the final two quarters, it was all Gees as a combination of Agada, L’Africain, McCarthy, and Brandon Robinson dominated for the team. The four led the Gee-Gees with 23, 22, 18, and 18 points, respectively.

Matt Plunkett also found his three-point shot once again, hitting on four of six from distance for 14 points.

With the win, the Gees capped off their season with a 17-2 record and a first round bye in the playoffs. The team will host the winner of Toronto vs. Queen’s on March 5 at 8 p.m.

Provided Ryerson wins their second-round matchup, the Gee-Gees will not host the Wilson Cup Final Four as the Rams own the head-to-head tiebreaker.