Gage Sabean put up an impressive 23 points against the Ravens
Friday night at Ravens’ Nest set the stage for a battle between two U Sports men’s basketball powerhouses. In the 2022 edition of the Capital Hoops Classic, the Gee-Gees and Ravens met for the first time this season.
Last year, it was the U of O that brought home the Capital Hoops Classic.
Undefeated and coming off an overtime victory over the Queen’s University Golden Gaels, the University of Ottawa had yet to take on an opponent as tough as their crosstown rivals and reigning U Sports champions.
The top-ranked Carleton Ravens were also undefeated, meaning that one team’s win streak would end, and the other would be hoisting the Capital Hoops Classic trophy.
Josh Inkumsah was the first on the board, banking a three pointer for the Gee-Gees.
The teams went back and forth but a three pointer by Cole Newton beat the shot clock to make it 9-7 for the Gees.
It didn’t take long for the lead to flip as Carleton quite literally powered through the Gees defense. The Gee-Gees kept it close though, only trailing by a single point at the end of the quarter
With 12-11 on the scoreboard, an error by Maxime Boursiquot allowed Carleton to score off a breakaway basket, but only seconds later he was able to make up for it with a layup drive of his own.
From there, the Ravens started to take over, dominating inside the paint on the Gees side of the court.
Gage Sabean kept the Gee-Gees in the game with some magic behind the three point line, earning eight of the U of O’s 18 points.
The Ravens still led 22-18, but Sabean drew the charge against Lloyd Pandi to prevent the lead from being extended.
Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin called a timeout with 2:48 left on the clock, an attempt to slow down the Ravens who had clearly found the gaps in the Gee-Gees usually outstanding defense.
A three pointer out of the hands of Borys Minger fell in favour of the Gees but it didn’t feel like much with the Ravens leading 28-21.
The second quarter came to a close with the U of O trailing 35-21 after a full court buzzer beater shot by the Ravens.
The U of O had 20 minutes to turn the tides and change the pace of the game.
Boursiquot hit a reverse layup to get the Gee-Gees started in the third quarter, and a foul against the Ravens gave the Gees another opportunity to score. Boursiquot turned the Ravens mistake into three points for the Garnet and Grey.
Sabean found success behind the arch yet again, but the Gee-Gees were still behind 44-29 as the Ravens continued to work efficiently on offense.
Carleton excelled at finishing from anywhere in the offensive zone allowing them to maintain their lead over the Gees.
Boursiquot ended the quarter with a spicy little dunk, but him and the Gees still trailed 55-42.
The beginning of the final quarter was sloppy, if anything. Both teams struggled to find the basket, and a flurry of fouls and strange whistles occurred.
It got worse too, a series of turnovers by the Gees helped the Ravens build on their lead.
Sabean found another nice three pointer, but there was still a 15 point deficit for the Gee-Gees to dig their way out of and only 6 minutes to work with.
With his fifth and sixth three pointer and 23rd point of the game, Sabean was leading the charge.
With 2:40 left in the game, the Gees lessened the damage done by the Ravens, only trailing 64-53.
An eight second call against the Ravens was key in starting the final push, Boursiquot added a three to the board but there just wasn’t enough time to finish the job.
The Carleton Ravens remain undefeated, claiming the 2022 Capital Hoops Classic trophy while the Gees fall to 8-1.
Next week, the Gee-Gees will be back in Montpetit Hall to welcome the Ryerson Rams in a doubleheader.
