Men's Basketball Main news

Axemen basketball team add NB native to Fall roster

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:09:00 -0300

WOLFVILLE, NS - The Acadia Axemen basketball team, 2012 AUS Champions, are continuing to build upon a championship team roster with the recent announcement and commitment by 6'5", 200 lbs. forward and Fredericton, NB native Kyle Arseneault.

Recently named as the Most Valuable Player of the New Brunswick Provincial AAA Men’s Basketball Championship game win over Kennebecasis Valley High School, Arseneault brings some size and versatility to the Axemen's roster.

Head Coach Stephen Baur feels as though Kyle is a good fit for Acadia. "Kyle is a versatile player and good rebounder, his touch and ability to make shots at his size will be a huge boost for our program. Kyle has a work ethic and competitive drive we are excited to add to Acadia basketball."

Named Offensive Player of the Year for the Fredericton High School Black Kats with a 18.3 points per game average, Kyle played for the New Brunswick Under 17 provincial team and turned in a great personal performance at the Nationals in Toronto. Second among all scorers in the tournament with a 19.3 points per game average, Arsenault finished first in 3 point shots made with 13 over four game National championship tournament.

Selected to Team New Brunswick Under 15 provincial basketball team in 2009, Kyle has represented New Brunswick in each and every year since beginning with the Under 15 team. In October 2011, Kyle was added to the developmental data base for the Canadian Men’s National Team Program.

Recently named the Offensive Player of the Year for the Fredericton High Black Kats, Kyle is looking forward to his university education at a renowned institution and a chance to play University basketball. Kyle will begin his Bachelor of Recreation Management in the fall of 2012 at Acadia.

“It’s been a dream of mine to play at the next level and I am happy to say it’s with the Acadia Axemen. I feel their program is very well suited to my style of play and I am looking forward to raising my game in such a great program that Acadia has”.

Consolation championship win ends Axemen season

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:11:00 -0300

WOLFVILLE, NS - While a consolation championships is never the same as a National Championship semi-final or final appearance, the Axemen can take the 90-83 win over Ryerson Rams in the consolation final as the first step in returning to the CIS Final 8 next year, in Ottawa.

Taking an early nine point lead on the Rams in the openning five minutes of the opening quarter, Ryerson closed the first quarter with a 24-21 advantage.

The Rams pushed out to 38-33 after two frames of play on the back of Aaron Best who netted 17 first half points.

But second team All-Canadian forward Owen Klassen's 21 point second half brought the Axemen back from a game high 11 point Rams lead with 8:32 remaining in the game.

Cutting the margin to four points on an Anthony Ashe shot from the distant arc, Acadia closed in on Ryerson and tied the game at 76 with 53 seconds left on the clock.

A foul on Anthony Ashe with 7 seconds remaining put the Carleton transfer on the line for two, sending the game into overtime after netting both shots from the charity line.

In overtime, the Axemen grabbed a seven point lead after two minutes of high spirited play, leaving the Rams in a "catchup mode" with time running down. Aaron Best's three pointer with 2:54 closed the gap but Acadia's Jonathan Tull replied with three with just over a minute remaining in the extra frame.

Seeded eighth in the tournament and taking on the reigning CIS National Champion and #1 seeded Carleton Ravens in their weekend opener, the Axemen found themselves finishing fifth overall after a 2-1 weekend.

The Axemen had slow starts in their last two games in the consolation round and the weekend opener against Carleton. Third year forward Owen Klassen (Kingston, Ont.) acknowledged the team's frustration. "We wanted to change from what we did in our last game against Lakehead. We didn't come in focused in that game and the same thing happened today. Coach got on us at halftime to make sure we would come out the second half much more focused."

Overall the weekend was not what Acadia had hoped for but the Consolation win and fifth place overall was consoling. "We found it frustrating that we didn't make it past the first round but today's win against a good team like Ryerson was as good as it was going to get."

Klassen finished the weekend with a 21 points and 12 rebounds while teammates Anthony Sears and Anthony Ashe had 20 and 16 points respectively

Rams' Aaron Best had a game high 30 points and Jahmal Jones added 20 for the losing cause.

With one of the youngest teams attending this year's CIS Final 8, Acadia will return all for the 2012-13 campaign.

Axemen top CIS #4 seeded Lakehead

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:49:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - The Acadia Axemen pulled together a 84-75 win over the CIS #4 seeded Lakehead Thunderwolves in the first of two consolation round semi-finals, after yesterday's letdown loss to the CIS #1 ranked Carleton Ravens.

Heading into what some may see as a meaningless game was difficult for both teams to prepare for but Head Coach Stephen Baur noted that his team was responsive on the notion that the game did have meaning for them.

"We really wanted to get something going in this game and after yesterday it was a bit of a let down but I thought that both teams had a slow start but we finished well the way we intended too. The team had a lot to prove today and we had a bit of a chip on our shoulders on how things had gone but today we wanted to prove that we were not eighth seeded".

The Axemen were quick off the mark pulling out to a first quarter high lead of 18-10 with just under a minute in the first frame. The Thunderwolves worked back to tie the game at 28 but rallied off of a lead changing layup by Anthony Ashe with 4:47 remaining. Acadia would hold onto a 36-33 lead at the half.

Early in the third quarter grabbed their first significant lead off of a Ben Johnson three pointer at the six minute mark, giving Lakehead the start of a lead that would last until late into the final frame.

Out to a seven point Lakehead lead after three, the Axemen shaved off seven points over 6 minutes to squeeze out a one point advantage with 3:40 remaining.

The Subway Player of the Game, Owen Klassen (Kingston, Ont.) scored his final two points of a 27 point game with 3:19 remaining to give the Axemen a three point lead heading into the home stretch.

Anthony Ashe's layup and Jonathan Tull's third three point shot of the game pushed the lead to six in the closing seconds of the game to give Acadia their first win of the weekend.

Klassen scored a game high 27 points; pulled in 15 rebounds and narrowly escaped fouling out with 4 personal fouls with over seven minutes remaining in the closing quarter.

Anthony Sears (Riverview, Ont.) and Anthony Ashe (Stittsville, Ont.) each added 17 points to the winning total while Lakehead's Greg Carter (Ottawa, Ont.) had 15 points and teammates Ben Johnson (Pictou, NS) and Joseph Jones (Washington, DC) pocketed 12 each.

The Axemen wrapped up the final quarter, out-scoring the Thunderwolves 30-14 in the final quarter, while Lakehead posted a 28-18 third quarter rally.

Lakehead, who have seven fourth year student-athletes on their roster will head home 0-2 and the Axemen, who return all players for the next two seasons, will play tomorrow at 11am in the Consolation final against Ryerson who knocked off the #5 seeded Concordia Stingers

Axemen scare defending CIS Champion Ravens

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:49:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - Netting five three point shots in the last five minutes of play, the CIS #1 seeded Carleton Ravens will continue their road to an eighth National Championship as they defeated the Acadia Axemen 82-68 in front of 3400 Acadia fans at Halifax's Metro Centre.

After one half, the 8th seeded Acadia Axemen found themselves trailing the Ravens 45-30. Carleton grabbed a commanding 23-8 lead in the first quarter, but the Axemen would not give up and closed the lead to 35-26 with four minutes remaining in the first half.

The Raven's Phil Scrubbs (Richmond, B.C.), named the CIS Most Valuable Player this season, netted 16 first half points while last year's CIS MVP Tyson Hinz landed 14. Axemen high scorers included Owen Klassen, Anthony Sears, Sean Stoqua and Anthony Ashe all with six.

Down 45-30 after one half of play, the Axemen closed the gap to 56-52 after three, outscoring the Ravens 22-11 in the third frame. Carleton held on to a slim lead heading into the final quarter.

With Acadia trailing by only five points, 65-60, with seven minutes remaining, Carleton opened the flood gates as fifth year Maritimer Elliot Thompson (Fredericton, N.B.) sank the first of five Raven's three point shots in the closing five minutes of the final frame. Thompson was responsible for four of the five treys that pushed Carleton out of range of the Axemen's hopes of repeating their performance of 2008 by knocking off the top ranked Ravens.

The 14-point margin of victory is the second lowest of the campaign for Carleton against CIS opponents. Only Lakehead had fared better this year against the powerhouse from Ottawa, losing 88-85 in conference play.

Axemen head coach Stephen Baur was positive on the loss to the Ravens. "There were some positives going on for us, we have been resilient all year and i am very proud of that. They answered the challenge today to keep battling and I think one of the differences in that stretch was the rebounding. We did a much better job in second half that allowed us to get back in it, but they are good for a reason and had enough discipline and composure to hold off our run is to their credit."

Named the CIS player of the year on Thursday night, Phil Scrubb, earned player-of-the-game honours for the winning side thanks to his match-high 25 points, including 21 on 7-of-12 shooting from three-point range. Scrubb led the country this season with a remarkable 57 per cent success rate from beyond the arc.

Tyler Scott, a freshman from Halifax, was named game MVP for Acadia after scoring 13 points. Anthony Ashe(Stittsville, Ont., also netted 13, while Jonathan Bull (Ajax, Ont.), and Anthony Sears (Riverview, N.B.), contributed 10 points apiece. Owen Klassen (Kingston, ON) had a team high eight rebounds and added nine points.

“We didn’t consider ourselves a number eight seed. We knew we’d have to play Carleton eventually if we were to win the championship, so why not face them right off the bat,” said rookie guard Sean Stoqua of Ottawa, who led the AUS champs with five assists. “To be honest, I think we could have played even better. But hats off to them. They’re a great team."

Overall, Carleton out-rebounded its rivals 45-38 and was successful on 42.9 per cent of its field goal attempts, including a 30.6 success rate from beyond the arc. Acadia was 37.1 per cent from the floor, including 27.3 per cent from long distance.

The Ravens, on track for their 8th National championship will move onward while the Axemen will play tomorrow at noon against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

Submitted by CIS Sports Information
and Acadia Sports Information

CIS announces Basketball All-Canadians

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:06:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - The CIS announced the CIS Men's Basketball Major Award winners and All-Canadians at this evening's All-Canadian Banquet at the Halifax Westin Hotel. Acadia was well represented by third year forward Owen Klassen.

Klassen was the AUS Nominee for the top Defensive Player in the country and was named to the CIS All-Canadian second team. Two other AUS players were honoured including CBU's Jimmy Dorsey and StFX's Terry Thomas

Philip Scrubb, a second-year guard from Carleton University, was named the most outstanding player in CIS men’s basketball, Thursday night.

The 19-year-old from Richmond, B.C., became the fifth Raven in seven years – and the fifth in program history - to claim the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy. He follows back-to-back recipient Osvaldo Jeanty (2006, 2007), national team member Aaron Doornekamp (2008) and current teammate Tyson Hinz (2011). Hinz was also a 19-year-old sophomore when he captured the award last season.

Scrubb, who earned CIS top-rookie honours a year ago, is the first player in history to merit the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy and the Moser Trophy in consecutive campaigns.

Another member of the reigning national champion Ravens entered the CIS men’s basketball annals during the All-Canadian Gala held at the Westin Nova Scotian. Head coach Dave Smart, a native of Kingston, Ont., received the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy – presented by Coaches of Canada – for the second straight season and for a record-breaking fifth time overall.

Other major award winners for the 2011-12 campaign include Lakehead guard Greg Carter of Ottawa, who was named defensive player of the year; McMaster guard Adam Presutti of Oakville, Ont., the recipient of the Dr. Mullins Trophy as the nation’s top freshman; and Guelph forward Daniel McCarthy, a Guelph native who claimed the Ken Shields Award recognizing excellence in basketball, academics and community involvement.

The 50th CIS championship gets under way Friday at the Metro Centre in Halifax and culminates Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Atlantic Time with the gold medal final, live on EastLink TV and SSN Canada (ssncanada.ca).

Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mbkb/index

MIKE MOSER MEMORIAL TROPHY (player of the year): Philip Scrubb, Carleton
Scrubb put up impressive numbers in his sophomore campaign despite averaging only 23 minutes of court time per contest on a team that, more often than not, put games out of reach by halftime. He was one of the main reasons behind Carleton’s second straight 22-0 regular season.

The 6-foot-3 guard finished 10th in OUA scoring with a team-leading 16.2 points per game and placed sixth in Ontario with a 55.7 field goal percentage. Remarkably, his success rate went up to 57.0 per cent from beyond the arc, making him the most accurate player in the country from three-point range. The commerce student, whose 61 three-point baskets were the most in the conference, also led the Ravens in assists (3.3 per game) and was second on the team in steals (26). At 27.5, his point-per-40-minute average ranked fifth in the nation.

A former member of the junior national team, Scrubb represented Canada last October at the Pan American Games in Mexico, where he had a spectacular 35-point performance in an overtime win over Argentina.

“Phil has taken his game to another level this season,” said Ravens head coach Dave Smart. “He has done whatever he has needed to do to win. His defence gets overlooked because he is so dominant on the offensive end, but he may be our best defender as well.”

The other finalists for the Moser Trophy were Cape Breton guard Jimmy Dorsey, Concordia forward Evens Laroche and Saskatchewan guard Jamelle Barrett.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Greg Carter, Lakehead
Carter was named the best defensive player in the OUA West division for third straight season and became the first Lakehead player to win the CIS award since its inception in 2005.

The 5-foot-10 point guard was the anchor of a defensive unit that ranked fourth in the 16-team OUA conference in both points allowed (72.0 per game) and opponents’ field goal percentage (40.6). The business administration student finished second in Ontario with 2.5 steals per game and fifth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4. Named an OUA West all-star for the first time in his fourth campaign with the Thunderwolves, he also chipped in offensively with 9.4 points per contest.

Thanks in large part to the exceptional play of their co-captain, the T-Wolves took first place in the OUA West standings with a stellar 20-2 conference record and were ranked among the top four teams in the country the entire season, including the last seven weeks at No. 2.

“We are very excited that the CIS coaches have recognized what we at Lakehead have known for four seasons - that Greg Carter is the top defensive player in the country,” said T-Wolves head coach Scott Morrison. “Many players have the ability to change a game with a big defensive play but few, if any in recent memory, have the amount of impact on an opponent’s offensive game plan that Greg has on a weekly basis. Greg has been a hard worker, a leader and a winner at every level he has played and it is nice to see his efforts rewarded by this outstanding honour.”

Forwards Owen Klassen of Acadia, Éric Côté-Kougnima of UQAM and Michael Lieffers of Saskatchewan were also in the running for defensive-MVP honours.

DR. PETER MULLINS TROPHY (rookie of the year): Adam Presutti, McMaster
Presutti is the first-ever McMaster player to receive the Dr Mullins Trophy. He also became the fifth consecutive winner from the OUA conference, including four from the West division.

A 19-year-old business student, Presutti was handed the keys to the Marauder engine by head coach Amos Connolly and told to drive it, and he did. A starter from the first day of training camp, the 6-foot-2 point guard finished among the top 10 in Ontario in both assists per game (4.0) and free throw percentage (84.5) and was third in team scoring with 11.6 points per contest, including a season-high of 27 against Guelph on Jan. 25. The most utilized player on his team, he also averaged 3.6 rebounds per outing and shot 42.2 percent from the floor, including 35.6 from three-point range.

A product of St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School, Presutti was a major factor in the resurgence of the Marauders, who finished second in the OUA West standings with a 17-5 record after placing fourth with an 11-11 mark a year ago. McMaster ranked fourth in OUA scoring and 10th in CIS this season with an average of 84.8 points per game.

“McMaster has had some great point guards like Marc Sontrop, Titus Channer and Steve Maga, and it looks like our next outstanding floor general is Adam Presutti,” said Connolly. “He brought a steadiness and reliability to the point position and played a key role in getting our team back into the top 10. Along with our other young talent, Adam is a pleasure to coach and watch and he ensures that the future of Marauder men’s basketball is very bright.”

Saint Mary’s guard Brian Rouse, Laval post Boris Hadzimuratovic and Brandon guard Ilarion Bonhomme were the other nominees.

STUART W. ABERDEEN MEMORIAL TROPHY (presented by Coaches of Canada): Dave Smart, Carleton
With five CIS coach-of-the-year awards in only 13 campaigns, Smart now has one more Aberdeen Trophy than legendary sideline bosses Ken Shields and Bruce Enns. He became the first coach to claim back-to-back awards since Enns did so with UBC in 1990 and 1991.

His troops have been as dominant as ever in 2011-12. En route to their second straight 22-0 regular season and their 12th consecutive first-place finish in the OUA East, the Ravens outscored their opponents by an average of 38 points in league play. Offensively, they were the best team in the country in scoring (94.9 ppg), field goal percentage (52.4) and three-point shooting (44.7). Defensively, they held their rivals to CIS lows in points (56.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (34.2). Not surprisingly, Carleton was ranked No. 1 in all 14 weekly national coaches’ polls this year.

With Smart at the helm of the program, the Ravens have won 340 of 370 regular and post-season games since 1999-2000, for a winning percentage of 91.9. He has guided Carleton to seven OUA titles and seven W.P. McGee Trophy victories, one shy of the all-time record for most CIS championships.

A former CIS scoring champion during his playing days at Queen’s, Smart also represented his country on the world stage this season, coaching the Canadian men’s basketball team at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Mexico.

“Dave has done another outstanding job motivating his team throughout the season,” said Jennifer Brenning, Carleton’s director of recreation and athletics. “Their focus, competitiveness and determination is a direct result of the leadership Dave provides. His commitment and preparedness is second to none in the country.”

The other finalists were UPEI’s Tim Kendrick, Concordia’s John Dore and Victoria’s Craig Beaucamp.

KEN SHIELDS AWARD (basketball, academics & community service): Daniel McCarthy, Guelph
McCarthy is the second Guelph player to receive the Ken Shields Award. He follows Christian Baldauf, who captured the inaugural trophy in 1994.

On the court, the 6-foot-3 forward was named an OUA West all-star for the second straight year after he finished fifth in Ontario with 17.5 points per game, while also grabbing 6.0 rebounds per outing. While undersized for his position, the fourth-year senior compensates with desire and determination and currently ranks fourth in Gyphon history with 1,129 career points.

In the classroom, the biomedical science student has achieved Academic All-Canadian status each of his first three years at Guelph and was named the University’s Presidents award winner last year for his outstanding excellence in his academic program.

Outside of his student-athlete routine, McCarthy is active in the Guelph community. He is currently the regional coordinator for Brain Day, an organization that educates children about brain safety, and is a mentor to fellow student-athletes, whom he helps academically. He also volunteers in schools as part of the Boys, Books and Basketball program and the Believe to Achieve program.

“I know I speak for many people at the University and in the community of Guelph when I say how proud we are to see Dan win the Ken Shields Award,” said Guelph head coach Chris O’Rourke. “He has been the consummate student-athlete and has set a remarkable example in the community and to the younger players in the program by showing the dedication that is necessary to excel in the classroom and in athletics. He is truly a leader on and off the court, this recognition reflects on what an outstanding individual he is as an athlete and in all other aspects of his life.”

Acadia’s Thomas Filgiano, Bishop’s Tim Hunter and Trinity Western’s Calvin Westbrook were also nominated.

ALL-CANADIAN TEAMS

The all-Canadian teams were also announced on Thursday.

Joining Scrubb on the first squad were fellow guards Jamelle Barrett of Saskatchewan, Jimmy Dorsey of Cape Breton and Jordan Baker of Alberta, as well as Carleton forward Tyson Hinz.

Hinz, last year’s CIS MVP, and Barrett were both voted to the top unit for a second straight season.

The second dream team is comprised of a quintet of first-time all-Canadians, including guards Venzal Russell of Lakehead, Ryan MacKinnon of Victoria and Terry Thomas of St. Francis Xavier, as well as forwards Evens Laroche of Concordia and Owen Klassen of Acadia.

In addition to Presutti, the all-rookie squad is made up of guards Brian Rouse of Saint Mary’s, Ilarion Bonhomme of Brandon and Michael L’Africain of Ottawa, along with Laval post Boris Hadzimuratovic.

2011-2012 CIS MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS

Mike Moser Memorial Trophy (player of the year): Philip Scrubb, Carleton
Defensive player of the year: Greg Carter, Lakehead
Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy (rookie of the year): Adam Presutti, McMaster
Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy (coach of the year - presented by Coaches of Canada): Dave Smart, Carleton
Ken Shields Award (basketball, academics & community service): Daniel McCarthy, Guelph

First Team
Position           Athlete                      University         Year         Hometown                  Faculty
Guard              Philip Scrubb               Carleton          2           Richmond, B.C.            Commerce
Guard              Jamelle Barrett            Saskatchewan    4            Sacramento, Calif.       Arts & Science
Guard              James Dorsey               Cape Breton      4           Baltimore, Md.             Community St.
Guard              Jordan Baker               Alberta              3           Edmonton, Alta.           Business
Forward           Tyson Hinz                  Carleton             3           Ottawa, Ont.               Commerce

Second Team
Guard              Venzal Russell              Lakehead           4           Detroit, Mich.              General Arts
Forward           Evens Laroche             Concordia          4           Montreal, Que.             Independent
Forward           Owen Klassen              Acadia               3           Kingston, Ont.              Kinesiology
Guard              Ryan MacKinnon          Victoria             5            Comox, B.C.                 Education
Guard              Terry Thomas               StFX                  2           East Preston, N.S.         Arts

All-Rookie Team
Guard              Brian Rouse                 Saint Mary’s       1          Mississauga, Ont.            Arts
Guard              Ilarion Bonhomme         Brandon            1          Washington, DC              Science
Guard              Adam Presutti              McMaster          1          Oakville, Ont.                 Business
Post                Boris Hadzimuratovic     Laval                 1          Sarajevo, Bosnia              Engineering
Guard              Michael L’Africain         Ottawa              1          Oakville, Ont.                 Communications

Axemen topple CIS #6 ranked StFX for AUS Championship

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:34:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - Six first-quarter three-pointers propelled the Acadia Axemen to an early lead that they would never relinquish en route to an 82-71 victory over the CIS No. 6-ranked StFX X-Men in the final of the 2012 Subway AUS men's basketball championship Sunday afternoon at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Acadia was six-for-eight from beyond the arc in the opening stanza to jump out to a 26-10 lead. The two teams battled back and forth the rest of the way, with StFX unable to recover from the first quarter deficit. Acadia finished 9-for-24 from three-point range while the X-Men were 0-for-15.

StFX opened the final frame with some big baskets in an effort to overcome Acadia's 14-point advantage after three quarters, but Marquis Clayton's basket with 2:37 left to narrow the gap to five was as close as the top-seeded X-Men would get.

Acadia's Owen Klassen, the AUS defensive player of the year, had an impressive 12 fourth-quarter points and finished with 20 on the day.

Tournament MVP Anthony Sears added 14, Jonathan Tull 13 and Anthony Ashe had 11 in the winning effort. Ashe led Acadia with eight rebounds.

Jeremy Dunn had a monster game for the X-Men, finishing with 27 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter, and 10 rebounds. StFX regular season leading scorer Terry Thomas also had a solid game with 19 points.

Dunn and Thomas were named to the tournament all-star team, as were Acadia's Jonathan Tull and Anthony Ashe also made the team. SMU's Brain Rouse was also selected to round out the five-person team.

Both teams advance to the CIS Final 8 men's basketball championship next weekend. The Axemen will take on the CIS #1 seeded Carleton Ravens. The Ravens open the defence of their CIS title Friday at 2:15 p.m. Atlantic Time against Acadia. The other quarter-final match-ups include Lakahead vs. Fraser Valley in the opener at noon, Alberta vs. Ryerson at 6 p.m., and Concordia vs. StFX at 8:15 p.m.

Tournament MVP: Anthony Sears, Acadia

Tournament all-stars:
Jonathan Tull, Acadia
Jeremy Dunn, StFX
Anthony Ashe, Acadia
Terry Thomas, StFX
Brian Rouse, Saint Mary's

Submitted by AUS Sports Information Office

Axemen advance with 96-87 win over Huskies

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:59:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - The Acadia Axemen will be advancing to the AUS finals and also qualifying for the CIS Final 8 for the second year in a row. This time the Axemen took an easier route than last year with a semi-final bye that resulted in a 96-87 win over the upstart Saint Mary's Huskies who eliminated the #4 seeded UPEI Panthers Friday night.

With the Huskies ahead by five in the closing minutes of the game, a flurry of three pointers pushed the Axemen ahead for the eventual win.

With Owen Klassen fouled out with four minutes remaining in the last frame, the eventual go-ahead points came off of a three point shot by Anthony Ashe, who stepped to the side of an on-rushing defender and gave the Axemen a 89-87 lead with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Treys followed by Brad States and Jonathan Tull along with Anthony Sears' one of two foul shots in the dying seconds to give the Axemen a 96-87 victory.

With the Axemen ahead 38-37 at the half and five exchanges of leads, Acadia pushed out to an eight point advantage with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Huskies closed out the third quarter with a three point shot by Brian Rouse to close the margin to 65-64.

A fourth quarter that see-sawed back and forth, had Acadia fans hushed when Huskie Miguel Pink errupted the crowd with a three point shot with seven minutes remaining to give Saint Mary's a lead that grew to 83-78 with under five minutes remaining.

Acadia fans were then crushed with Owen Klassen's fifth and final foul that put the AUS defensive player on the bench, but his replacement, Brad States, would be part of a comeback that would be remembered for years by AUS basketball enthusiasts.

Acadia went to work in whittling down the lead to one with just over a minute remaining in the game. Ashe, States and Tull would solidify the win with the final barrage of treys.

Anthony Sears, named the Subway Player of the Game, drew attention for his 31 points. Teammates Jonathan Tull, Anthony Ashe, Tyler Scott and Brad States added 17, 12, 11 and 10 points respectively. All four saw action for the Axemen for the first time this season as transfers while States and Scott were true freshmen and Maritime products.

The Huskies were led by Brian Rouse with 23 points and 10 rebounds and teammate Riley Halpin knocked down 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Tory Fassett was below his seasonal average with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The Axemen will face the StFX X-Men, who finished the season ranked #6 in the CIS Top Ten and first overall in the AUS standings with a record of 16 wins and 4 losses. Only facing each other twice this season, the Axemen lost in a 90-89 overtime result at home in early November and fell to StFX in their second meeting in Antigonish 87-82.

Both teams will advance to next week's CIS Final 8 hosted at the Halifax Metro Centre. Huskie Head Coach Ross Quackenbush coached his last game of his 23 year career.

Axemen ready for Semi-Final game

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:23:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - After an upset win over the favoured Cape Breton Capers in last year's AUS semi-finals last season, the Axemen found themselves knee deep in Top Ten opponents in last year's CIS Final 8 and they faired well despite lacking any CIS Final 8 experience.

In the early season previews, the Axemen were overlooked and most attributed their success last season to luck. As the 2011-12 season progressed, Acadia lurked in the distance as several AUS contenders battled over the first place glory.

With a five game winning streak in the closing of the AUS season that included a sweep of weekend play against the second place UPEI Panthers plus several key wins in early January including a 108-65 white-wash of the then struggling Cape Breton Capers, the Axemen found themselves at the pilot's controls. Wins against Saint Mary's and Memorial in the last week of the season clinched the second of two byes and second place in the standings.

Their 14-6 record slipped under the radar for most part with no CIS Top Ten rankings. Now it's AUS Final 6 time and will the Axemen enter the CIS Final 8 as an unranked team for the second year in a row?

While most in the basketball circles will put their money on the first place StFX X-Men or the Cape Breton Capers, one shouldn't take their eyes off of the Axemen who lost several close games to the favoured.

With an early season OT loss and a five point loss to the first place StFX X-men and a five point loss to Cape Breton in Sydney, along with close losses to UPEI on the Island, the Axemen have faired well against the cream of the crop.

As the second top scoring team in the conference and with two scorers in the top 15, the Axemen don't lack individuals who can score.

First team AUS All-Star Owen Klassen had a solid junior season, leading the conference in rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game) and finishing ninth in scoring with an average of 16.4 points per game. He was the only player in the Atlantic conference to average a double-double this year.

The 6-foot-10 forward, who was a member of the Canadian squad that captured silver at the 26th Summer Universiade this past August in China, also tied for the AUS lead in blocked shots with an average of 1.50 per game.

Equally impressive this season is third year guard Anthony Sears. Sears, who posted a 35 point game against the Cape Capers in January and was named the CIS and AUS Athlete of the week following his performance, led the Axemen in scoring this year with a 17.4 points per game average - sixth in the AUS. Sears returns from injury at the time of need as the Axemen hope to advance to the AUS championshp game.

Rookie Pat Stoqua and first year transfer Anthony Ashe will supplement the scoring. Stoqua, who finished second in three point field goal percentage, will add to the perimeter threat of Sears, while Anthony Ashe finished fourth in three point field goals made with 46 in 20 games.

The Axemen will take on Saint Mary's who defeated UPEI in the second quarterfinal game. The Axemen swept the Huskies four regular season game series. The game is webcasted by www.sportstream.ca at 8:15pm.

AUS men's basketball awards and all-stars announced

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:00:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - Acadia's Tom Filgiano, Owen Klassen, Sean Stoqua and Anthony Sears highlighted this year's AUS Awards and All-Stars from Acadia. Klassen was named the Defensive Player of the Year and was named a first team All-Star, while teammate Anthony Sears was named to the second team All-Star squad. Rookie Sean Stoqua was included in this year's AUS All-Rookie Tean and Tom Filgiano was honoured as the Ken Shields Award Nominee for Community Service.

Other AUS major award winners announced during the awards banquet at the Westin Nova Scotian in downtown Halifax, N.S., were SMU's Brian Rouse of Mississauga, Ont., who was named rookie of the year; Acadia's Owen Klassen of Kingston, Ont., who was selected as the defensive player of the year; Acadia's Thomas Filgiano of Markham, Ont., who received the student-athlete community service award; and first-year UPEI head coach Tim Kendrick, who was named the AUS coach of the year.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jimmy Dorsey, Cape Breton
Jimmy Dorsey, a fourth-year guard with the Cape Breton Capers, is the 2011-12 Atlantic University Sport men's basketball most valuable player.

A native of Baltimore, MD., Dorsey led the Atlantic conference in scoring this season with an average of 22.8 points per game, the fourth highest average in the nation and becomes the first ever player from the Capers program to capture the Frank Baldwin Trophy.

Now a three-time first team AUS all-star, Jimmy also led the conference in assists with 8.83 per game and steals with 2.78 per game. He also had a league-high 11 double-doubles, including two triple-doubles and finished fifth in rebounding (7.7 per game), sixth in free-throw percentage (83.5 per cent) and first in three-point field goals made, despite missing two games this season.

In January, Dorsey established a new CBU record with a 49-point performance in a win over Acadia, which ranks as the sixth highest total ever registered in an Atlantic conference game. His 159 assists are also a new school record and are second only in AUS history to former StFX star Randy Nohr, who had 168 assists in 2000-01.

"Jimmy has played exceptionally well throughout this season and he has been instrumental in keeping CBU highly competitive despite the challenges and obstacles this young team faced," says Cape Breton head coach Thom Gillespie. "Leading the conference in scoring and recording the second highest single-season assist total in AUS history speaks for itself, but it has been his willingness to rebound and his passion for winning that has revived the Capers program. Jimmy being named AUS MVP is a very well deserved honour."

Jimmy will now be the AUS representative for the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in CIS basketball. The last Atlantic conference player to win the CIS award was William Njoku of the Saint Mary's Huskies in 1992-93.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Brian Rouse, Saint Mary's

Rouse, a native of Mississauga, Ont., is the first Huskies player to claim the AUS rookie of the year award since Mark McLaughlin was named the top rookie following the 2005-06 season.

Brian, a 6-foot-3 guard, appeared in all 20 games this season, including 16 as a starter and averaged 30.3 minutes per game as a freshman.

He finished second in team scoring with an average of 13.9 points per game, and reached double figures in 17 of those games including three 20-point efforts.

"As his stats indicate, Brian has certainly had an outstanding rookie season," says Saint Mary's head coach Ross Quackenbush. "The poise he has demonstrated belies his inexperience as he has taken and made many key big shots down the stretch of close games."

Brian will represent the conference as the AUS nominee for the Dr. Peter Mullins trophy. Dalhousie's Shawn Plancke is the only Atlantic conference player to ever be named CIS Rookie of the Year.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Owen Klassen, Acadia
Klassen, a third-year student from Kingston, Ont., is the just the second Axemen player to be recognized as the AUS defensive player of the year, joining former Acadia standout Achuil Lual who was the 2007-08 recipient.

Owen, the 2009-10 AUS rookie of the year, had a solid junior season, leading the conference in rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game) and finishing ninth in scoring with an average of 16.4 points per game. He was the only player in the Atlantic conference to average a double-double this year.

The 6-foot-10 forward, who was a member of the Canadian squad that captured silver at the 26th Summer Universiade this past August in China, also tied for the AUS lead in blocked shots with an average of 1.50 per game.
According to head coach Steve Baur, Klassen is a key component in the Axemen's defensive scheme.
"Owen is major piece to our defense," says Baur. "He is the last line of defense and takes great pride at the back end. He always challenges shots, finishes off possessions with defensive rebounds, and cleans up a lot of mistakes we make on defense. His impact on the game is crucial for our success."

CBU's Phil Nkrumah and StFX's Garry Gallimore are the only AUS players to have been named CIS defensive player of the year since the inception of the award in 2004-05.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Tim Kendrick, UPEI
Kendrick, in his first year at the helm of the UPEI program, becomes the first Panthers men's basketball coach to be named AUS coach of the year since George Morrison was honoured following the 1995-96 season.

This year, he guided the Panthers to a third place finish in the Atlantic conference with a record of 13-7, just one year removed from UPEI missing the AUS post-season with a 7-13 record. The 13 regular season wins this year are also the most by a UPEI squad since 1993-94 when the Panthers also finished with a 13-7 mark.

His Panthers squad averaged an AUS leading 88.9 points per game and three of his UPEI players finished in the top 10 among AUS scorers.

Prior to arriving at UPEI, Tim served as the head coach of the Horton High School men's basketball team and also led the 2009 Nova Scotia squad at the Canada Games to a silver medal.

"Coach Kendrick has made an immediate, and very meaningful impact on Panther Sport and the Island with his contagious attitude," said Ron Annear, Director of Athletics at UPEI. "Tim is a strong basketball coach, and a positive motivator, with a contagious attitude. In his first year with our program, he has motivated his student-athletes to work their hardest, and be their best, on the court, in the class room and in the community. Tim has already transformed our program, re-engaged alumni and community support, and created an exciting/engaging atmosphere around Panther Basketball."

Kendrick will represent the AUS as the nominee for CIS Coach of the Year. StFX's Steve Konchalski (2000-01) is the last Atlantic conference head coach to win the Stuart W. Aberdeen Trophy as the nation's top university coach.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Thomas Filgiano, Acadia
Acadia University's Thomas Filgiano is the 2012 recipient of the student-athlete community service award and will be the Atlantic conference nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award.

A native of Markham, Ont., the 6-foot-3, second-year guard appeared in all 20 games for the Axemen this season, averaging 4.5 points per game. Last season Thomas emerged as a starter late in his freshman year which included a run to the AUS championship game and an appearance at the CIS Final 8 men's basketball championship.

A scoring and physical point guard, Tom has been a starter off and on this season and has been invaluable as a player off the bench with the highest amount of assists (58) on the Axemen roster in roughly 18 minutes of play per game.

Considered one of Acadia's top student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 Sessional GPA, Filgiano is a leader on and off the court and has the highest GPA on the men's basketball team. Off the court, Filgiano spends his time in the library, the classroom and as a Technical Assistant for Biomechanics, while maintaining an extensive community volunteer regime.

A member of the Acadia Players Association, Tom has been a volunteer with S.M.I.L.E., an innovative academic-based, yet volunteer-driven, program which offers children with varying disabilities a unique physical activity experience to improve their total development, for the last two years.

Filgiano is the first to donate his time to community, team and department initiatives including raising awareness and money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation; Swish for the Cure Charity basketball game; 'Movember'; and as a volunteer in the Wheels-2-Play Charity basketball game. Tom also donates countless hours to various Acadia Minor Basketball clinics and has been a volunteer coach with the AMB. He recently also joined several key Acadia athletes in a visit to West Hants School in a presentation and promotion of Literacy Week.

"Tom is a caring and determined person and it shows in all aspects of his life," says Acadia head coach Steve Baur. "He has great discipline to reach his goals but also carries a huge sense of community and puts always the team before himself. Tom's schedule would be intimidating to most, but he excels in all areas and is a wonderful ambassador for our team, Acadia University, and the AUS."

FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The Atlantic University Sport first and second team all-stars were also announced Thursday, along with this year's all-rookie team.

First Team All-Stars:
Jimmy Dorsey, Cape Breton University (4th year - Baltimore, MD)
Owen Klassen, Acadia University (3rd year - Kingston, Ont.)
Terry Thomas, StFX University (2nd year - East Preston, N.S.)
Tory Fassett, Saint Mary's University (4th year - Columbia, MD)
Manock Lual, University of Prince Edward Island (5th year - Ottawa, Ont.)

Second Team All-Stars:
Jeremy Dunn, StFX University (4th year - Wolfville, N.S.)
Jonathan Cooper, University of Prince Edward Island (5th year - Mississauga, Ont.)
Anthony Sears, Acadia University (3rd year - Riverview, N.B.)
Robert Nortmann, Dalhousie University (5th year - Nassau, Bahamas)
Alex DesRoches, University of New Brunswick (5th year - Dieppe, N.B.)

All-Rookie Team:
Brian Rouse, Saint Mary's University (Mississauga, Ont.)
Ritchie Kanza Mata, Dalhousie University (Toronto, Ont.)
Sean Stoqua, Acadia University (Ottawa, Ont.)
Arild Geugjes, Cape Breton University (Landsmeer, Netherlands)
Marquis Clayton, StFX University (Halifax, N.S.)

Axemen deny MUN with second half comeback

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:53:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - With second place locked in with their win against Memorial yesterday, today's second of a two game weekend against the last place Sea-Hawks was an opportunity for the Sea-Hawks to end on a positive not and land their second win of the season.

Posting a 15-10 first quarter lead, the Sea-Hawks stretched the lead to 11 with four minutes remaining in the second frame. However two three-point baskets and jumper by first year guard Anthony Ashe and a free throw sunk by Sean Stoqua tied the game at 30 with just under three minutes remaining in the second half.

With the half ending in a 36-35 Memorial lead, the third quarter saw the lead change five times until the Acadia stabilized the score with the last four minutes of the third quarter in their favour, wrapping up the third frame with a 62-56 Axemen lead.

The Axemen would hold onto the lead for the entire fourth quarter for a 83-75 regular season ending victory.

Subway player of the game Anthony Ashe posted a game high 23 points and pulled in 9 rebounds. First year guard Jonathan Tull added 16 points while Anthony Sears spearheaded the second half comeback with all 14 of his points coming in the second half and Brad States added 11 points.

Local Black Rock, NS native Jason Shepherd knocked down 19 points for the Sea-Hawks while Mike Helsby and Robbied added 16 and 10 points respectively.

With five wins in a row stemming back to two game weekend sweep of UPEI, the Axemen will await the outcome of Friday's quarterfinal matchup between UPEI and Saint Mary's. Acadia will play at 8pm this coming Saturday against the quarterfinal winner at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Axemen's win over Memorial clinches 2nd place

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:02:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - The Acadia Axewomen basketball team's record setting season could be considered a hard act to follow, but the Axemen did just so with a 100-76 win over the Memorial Sea-Hawks. The win improves Acadia to 13-6 and tied for second place with UPEI with 36 points, however, the second place position is Acadia's since they out scored the Panthers in their 2-2 regular season series matchup.

Rookie sensation Sean Stoqua pocketed 24 points, including five of seven attempts from the distant arc. Stoqua was 8 for 13 from the floor, while teammates Anthony Ashe and Anthony Sears were 6 for 11 and 6 for 10 from the floor and 16 and 17 points respectively.

At no time was the Axemen lead squandered as Acadia pushed to a game high 40 point lead in the closing minutes of the third quarter.

Stoqua scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half along with Sears who netted 15 of his 17 game points. Tyler Scott and Anthony Ashe led the second half scoring with eight and six points.

Sea-Hawk Robbie Habib, Memorial's second leading scorer this season with a 14.5 points per game average, had 21 points while Mike Helsby and Mark Woodland landed 13 and 12 points respectively. Local talent Jason Shepherd, who leads the Sea-Hawks in scoring with a 17.2 points per game average was held to only three points.

Acadia will wrap up the regular season in a meaningless game tomorrow afternoon against Memorial and then will prepare for the semi-final game #2 against the winner of #3 seeded UPEI and #6 seeded Saint Mary's.

Boys in Red

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:20:00 -0400

WOLFIVLLE, NS - WHAT’S IN A NUMBER? For Brad States it is part of who he is. Tall, slender and clean-cut, States is the picture of the 18-year-old freshman basketball player for the Acadia Axemen. But the No. 8 on his jersey would be meaningless without elucidation. His uniform number represents eight people — seven players and the coach’s wife — who died in a van carrying the Bathurst High School Phantoms boys basketball team four years ago. MORE>

Axemen take first step in determining bye

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:52:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - The Acadia Axemen took one step closer to grabbing the second place bye for next weekend's AUS championship weekend in Halifax as they defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies 73-65 in Halifax.

The important win against the Huskies will guarantee a first round bye in the AUS championship tournament next weekend if they win one of two games in Wolfville against the last place Memorial Sea-Hawks.

Trailing the Huskies 19-17 after one quarter, Acadia gained their first lead at the six and a half minute mark of the second quarter when Owen Klassen's layup was converted to a three point play on the foul call and sunk free throw shot.

The Huskies would trail for the remainder of the game, with Acadia pulling out to nine point lead two minutes into the final frame. Shaving the Acadia lead down to only three with three minutes remaining in the game, the free throw line became refuge for the Axemen. The Axemen netted nine points from the charity line in the closing minutes to captured the victory and a three game sweep of the four regular season game series.

Acadia's Owen Klassen scored a game high 18 points while pulling down 13 rebounds. Huskie Brian Rouse matched Klassen's scoring output with 18 points and teammate Riley Halpin knocked down 15 points.

Off the bench, Acadia's Tom Filgiano posted 11 points along with Tyler Scott and Jonathan Tull's 12 and 10 points respectively.

Acadia was 81% from the free throw line while the Huskies scrapped 51% after a poor 38.5% first half showing.

The Huskies will wrap up the regular season on the road against the first place StFX X-men in Antigonish. Acadia will host the last place Memorial Sea-Hawks on Saturday and Sunday and hope to hold onto second place with at least one win this coming weekend.

Axemen conclude sweep of UPEI with nail-biter

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:11:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - The Acadia Axemen basketball team capped a day of African Heritage Month celebration with a nail-biting finish as they squeezed past the UPEI Panthers 85-82 on a three point shot sunk by first year guard Anthony Ashe with 5.6 seconds remaining on the game clock.

Fans were entertained by a see-saw game along with several festivities around the special game day celebration of African Heritaqe Month. Along with the stirring rendition of "Lift your Voice" by basketball Axewomen Jasmine Parent, halftime entertainment of African dancers from the Maritime Centre of African Dance and ceremonial Tip Off by Acadia Alum Ken Fells who wore the red and blue for the Axemen up to 1983.

With an 18-11 Acadia first quarter lead, the Panthers quickly made up the deficit with a nine point run beginning at the five minute mark to cut the lead to one and then tying the game at 29 with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Panthers closed the first half with a 34-32 lead.

The third frame saw five moments of the game where the lead changed hands with both teams deadlocked at 58-58 after the 10 minute quarter. UPEI pulled out to a nine point lead early in the final quarter, but the Axemen chiseled away at the lead and closed the Panther lead to 82-79 with just over a minute remaining.

Subway Player of the Game Anthony Ashe netted his first of two end-of-the-game three point shots to tie the game at 82. With 5.6 seconds remaining, Ashe put an end to UPEI's hopes of a victory with his fifth and final three point shot of the game.

Ashe led Acadia with 21 points, while junior forward Owen Klassen posted a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds despite having his playing time cut short after accumulating five personal fouls with over four minutes remaining in the game. Two more Axemen would follow Klassen including Tyler Scott and Sean Stoqua.

UPEI's Donathan Moss scored a game high 29 points and added 10 rebounds and teammate Manock Lual posted 19 points and 11 rebounds. Geoff Doane and Jonathan Cooper added 13 points each.

Head Coach Stephen Baur was happy with the weekend. "This was a big weekend for us to grab control of our own destiny. Now we dictate our place in the standings and a chance for a first round bye."

But Baur was cautious with the teams performance heading into the final week of play. "We have been talking about turnovers and cutting those down, so two games under 15 is positive progress for us. The more the basketball moves, the better positions we are in to make good decisions. This is important for us to learn from for playoff time.”

Overaall Baur is thrilled with the team's performance against the Panthers. "To finish this game with the young line-up that we did says a lot about the fight in our locker room. The guys had the confidence to stay together and within the system in a trying environment. Ashe, Tull, and Filgiano played like leaders down the stretch while both Shaquille and States made some big plays for us at both ends".

The Panthers have one game remaining in the season and are tied with Acadia for second place. The Axemen will complete the season with three games beginning with Wednesday night's match up against Saint Mary's in Halifax and then two games at home on the weekend against the last place Memorial Sea-Hawks.

The Axemen will hold their destiny in their own hands in the coming week. Wins against the Huskies and Sea-Hawks will move them into a second place playoff bye position, while a loss to Saint Mary's could jeopardize their vision for a second place finish as the Cape Breton Capers trail Acadia by 2 points.

Axemen grab important 90-74 win over UPEI

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:55:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - The crowd of 900 plus gave Tim Kendrick a warm homecoming welcome for the former Horton High School coach but the crowd favourite handed his UPEI Panthers their sixth loss of the regular season.

Third year forward Owen Klassen led the Axemen with 28 points and 16 rebounds in Acadia's 90-74 thrashing of the second place Panthers. Klassen was seven for 15 from the floor; three for four from the three point line and 11 for 14 from the charity strip, giving the Axemen their first win since last weekend's two losses on the road at StFX and Cape Breton.

Klassen fell two points short of posting the game high 30 points netted by UPEI's Manock Lual, brother of former great Axemen Achual Lual. Lual posted a double-double that included 30 points and 13 rebounds.

UPEI was a dismal 16% from the free throw line in the first half, but bettered themselves with 58% in the second half.

All starting Axemen scored in double digit range including Jonathan Tull and Tyler Scott's 10 points each; Sean Stoqua's 11 points and Anthony Ashe's 16 points. UPEI's Donathan Moss added 19 points for the losing cause.

The Axemen led at the end of each quarter, posting a 40-30 halftime score and then moving out to a 11 point lead after three quarters. A seven point run late in the fourth quarter gave the Axemen a 17 point lead into the final three minutes of the game. Acadia would hold onto the lead, taking the first win of the third meeting of both teams this season.

With the 16 point win, the Axemen lead the head to head differential differential between UPEI and Acadia and will hope for a win tomorrow to take the season four game series despite the 2-2 tie in wins against each other.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Acadia will finish this weekend off with one more game against UPEI and then head into the home stretch with a Wednesday game in Halifax against Saint Mary's and then two home games against the last place Memorial Sea-Hawks.

Capers top Basketball Axemen

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:59:00 -0400

SYDNEY, NS - After handing an embarrassing 106-85 loss to the Cape Breton Capers in early January, the Acadia Axemen found themselves in Sydney in their second of two road games in northern Nova Scotia. The Capers took the second four point game of the season 111-106 in a Sunday afternoon shootout at the Sullivan Field House in Sydney.

A back and forth first half, Cape Breton ended the half with a 58-57 lead. The Capers would not relinquish the lead throughout the second half, capturing their second win of the weekend after ending first place UPEI's six game winning streak.

Acadia's Owen Klassen posted his highest scoring game of the season with 35 points that included seven three point baskets while Klassen was 10-14 from the floor.

On the other end of the court, senior James Dorsey scored nearly half of the Capers points, racking up 49 points that included 8 3 point shots and 14 assists.

Sean Stoqua, Tyler Scott, Anthony Ashe and Thomas Filgiano each recorded double digit scoring with 19, 16, 12 and 10 points respectively.

Head coach Stephen Baur was optimistic with the weekend's outcome. "We were excited for this weekend to measure where we were, and we leave this weekend with a lot of things to fix. Turnovers have to be our focus, our value of the basketball is too low to be an AUS contender, so that has to change in the next few weeks to end up where we want to be."

Tyler Scott returned to the lineup this past weekend after several weeks off with mononucleosis.

The Axemen return home to host the UPEI Panthers this coming weekend starting on Friday at 8pm and then Saturday afternoon at 4pm.

Basketball Axemen edged by StFX

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:21:00 -0400

ANTIGONISH, NS - The CIS No. 8 StFX X-Men defeated the second place Acadia Axemen 82-75 Saturday night in AUS basketball action in Antigonish, N.S. Tyrell Vernon paced StFX, scoring a game high 24 points in the victory

Vernon also contributed three assists, two steals and five rebounds, while Jordan Clarke and Terry Thomas provided secondary scoring in the StFX victory, connecting for 14 and 13 points respectively. Thomas had a double-double game adding 11 rebounds and also had five steals on the night. Jeremy Dunn posted 10 points and five rebounds for the blue and white.

Anthony Sears and Anthony Ashe paced the Axemen offense, as Sears rained In 22 points and seven rebounds, and Ashe connected on five three-pointers for his 21 points. Owen Klassen and Jonathan Tull each scored ten points apiece with Klassen pulling down nine boards for the Axemen.

The X-Men shot 40.3% from field goal range, 29.4% percent from three point range and 83.3% percent from the free throw line, while the Axemen were 38.7% from field goal range, 43.3% from three point range and 52.4% from the free throw line.

The Axemen were able to come out on top in the first half, outscoring the X-Men 37-33. After the second half however, the X-Men were able to take control of the game, as they outscored the Axemen 54-45 in the last half.

With the win the X-Men move ahead of Acadia into second place in the conference with 28 points. StFX continues play on Sunday against the first place UPEI Panthers at 4:00 pm at the StFX Oland Centre in another important four point game. The Axemen travel to Cape Breton to take on the Capers on Sunday.

Submitted by StFX Sports Info.
Jamie Kelly

Despite change of venue, Axemen drop Huskies

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:12:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - A night of celebration and odd circumstances resulted in a 88-77 Axemen basketball win over the visiting Saint Mary's Huskies.

With the retirement of Huskies bench boss Ross Quackenbush at the end of the season, Acadia Athletics saw it fitting to honour the 23 year coaching vet. A planned pre-game moment to honour one of the Maritimes basketball coaching icons was quickly suspended as officials had to manage the shattering of the visitor's glass backboard during the warm-up.

Anticipating a late start to the game due to the backboard replacement, it was announced that the game would change venues to Horton High School gymnasium. Prior to the change of game location, Huskies Coach Ross Quackenbush was given a gift of appreciation by the Department of Athletics noting that this game would be his last in the War Memorial Gymnasium. The last game in the Acadia gymnasium for Quackenbush never happened. Unfortunately the game was played in front of 300 or more followers who made the trek to Horton High School.

Those who made the short 5km trip were entertained by a hard fought game. While the Axemen held onto the lead for the entire game, only three points seperated both teams after one quarter of play. Acadia pushed the lead to eight points on the scoring power of rookie guard Sean Stoqua who netted 11 points and was four of five from the floor. At the end of the half, the Axemen led 38-30 over the visiting Saint Mary's Huskies.

Acadia created more of a seperation in the second half as Owen Klassen and Anthony Sears added 10 and 13 second half points to edge the Axemen closer to the victory posting a 68-56 end of third quarter score.

The Huskies grabbed a 21-20 fourth quarter win but not enough to pull Saint Mary's out of a 11 point deficit.

Huskie Tory Fassett netted a game high 29 points and teammate Jerome Smith added 20 points for the losing cause. Fassett also pulled in 10 rebounds.

The five starting Axemen all score in double digit territory with Anthony Sears leading Acadia with 20 points. Subway Player of the Game Sean Stoqua added 17 points while Anthony Ashe, Jonathan Tull had 10 and 11 points respectively. Junior forward Owen Klassen psted a team high nine rebounds, 12 points, three steals and one block.

The Axemen out-scored Saint Mary's 16-9 off the bench, as starter Miguel Pink was ineffective for the Huskies posting no points in over 30 minutes of play.

The Axemen head out on the road with games against the CIS #8 ranked and third place StFX X-men on Saturday night and then wind up the two game weekend in Syndey to visit the Cape Breton Capers.

Axemen edge Huskies in nail-biter

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:28:00 -0400

HALIFAX, NS - With a 38-30 halftime lead, the Acadia Axemen were able to fend off several Saint Mary's advances to hold onto a 76-75 victory, despite a last second effort by the Huskies.

Third year forward Owen Klassen's double-double, that included 16 points and 14 rebounds, inspired the Axemen's edging of the Saint Mary's Huskies and improving their record to 8-4. Teammate Anthony Sears netted a team high 22 points.

Falling behind early in the first quarter, first year guard Anthony Ashe sank a three pointer at the four minute mark to give Acadia it's first lead of the game.Tied at 17 on a Miguel Pink three point shot, the Axemen jostled for a two point lead at the end of the quarter.

Pushing out to an eight point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Axemen closed out the first half with an eight point margin that was regained by Ashe's second three point basketball in the first half.

Equalling the game six times in the third quarter, the Huskies tied the game at 55 at the end of the third frame. Saint Mary's pushed hard and created a six point lead at the 5:52 mark of the final quarter on a Miguel Pink three point shot.

An Owen Klassen dunk and a three point basket by Sean Stoqua changed the momentum of the game in the closing minutes. With a 74-71 Axemen lead with just over 40 seconds remaining in the game, Huskie Brian Rouse tied the game at 75 with four seconds remaining.

Klassen's last crack at winning the game drew a foul, offering Acadia two free throws to put the win out of reach with less than four seconds remaining. Klassen missed the first and sank the eventual game winner with 1.6 seconds remaining.

Huskie Tory Fassett posted a game high 28 points and 11 rebounds, while teammates Jerome Smith and Miguel Pink added 14 points each for the losing cause. Axemen Sean Stoqua, Jonathan Tull and Anthony Ashe had 16, 10 and 10 points respectively.

Head Coach Stephen Baur was glad to pull off an all important win against a very good Huskie team. “This was a good win for us. To grind out a physical win on the road is a good building block for us. We showed some good moments defensively but have to continue to grow together on that end of the floor. We have the opportunity to play SMU again in our next game, and we have to clean up our offense. The ball has to continue to move and we have to reduce turnovers. Better offense puts us in a better spot to defend, they are predictable shots and we can get back.”

Acadia will host the Huskies for their third meeting next Wednesday night in Wolfville. The regular season series is tied at one as Saint Mary's drops to a 6-8 record and sixth place in the AUS while the Axemen trail the first place UPEI Panthers by two points.

Basketball Axemen slip into tie for first in AUS standings

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:23:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - The Basketball Axemen improve to 7-4 with a convincing 99-90 win over the Dalhousie Tigers. The big four point win moves Acadia into a 24 point tie with the UPEI Panthers in the AUS standings.

The Axemen took the lead in the early minutes of the first quarter and would hold onto their lead for the entire game. Axemen Anthony Sears and Sean Stoqua would net several three baskets in the first frame, giving Acadia a 33-18 lead over the Tigers after one quarter of play.

During the second quarter, the Axemen kept up their dominating offensive play that pushed them into a 20 point lead midway through the quarter on a Owen Klassen first of three dunks. With a 57-41 lead after two quarters, Acadia would maintain leads that fell to no less than 10 point until the closing minutes of the game.

Acadia's Anthony Sears, who was named the Subway Player of the Game, scored a game high 29 points while Tiger William Yengue matched Sears' 29 points for Dalhousie.

The Axemen were 53.1% from the floor compared to Dalhousie's 46.6%. The Tigers outscored Acadia 25-24 in the fourth quarter and Head Coach Stephen Baur was not thrilled with the result. "We are excited about picking up this important 4 point win. There were flashes of impressive offensive play and we had a lot of players involved but we need to tighten our defensive play down the stretch".

Acadia's starters, including Anthony Ashe, Sean Stoqua, Jonathan Tull and Owen Klassen, scored 17, 13, 10 and 13 points respectively while Sears and Klassen led in rebounds with nine and eight respectively.

Former Axeman Casey Fox was 0-5 from the distant arc and added 18 points to the losing cause.

Acadia will look for another win next week as they head to Halifax to visit the Saint Mary Huskies. The Axemen’s next home game will be on Wednesday February 8th as they host the Huskies.

Auburn's AJ Simmonds joins Axemen in 2012-13

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:09:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - The Acadia basketball team is pleased to announce the addition of AJ Simmonds to the Axemen basketball 2012-2013 roster. Early on the recruiting trail, head coach Stephen Baur is thrilled with Simmonds' commitment to Acadia early in the process and AJ's addition as a significant step in the 2012 recruiting season.

“We are excited to have AJ join us. We had the opportunity to see him all summer and were blown away by his character, work ethic, and leadership. His play spoke for itself at Auburn the last two years and in winning a Silver Medal for NS, but seeing the rest of the picture with AJ let us know how special he is.”

The native of Dartmouth, NS currently plays at Auburn Drive High School. Simmonds recently won a provincial title last year with current Axeman Shaquille Smith; the first in school history. AJ captured a Silver Medal with U17 Team NS this past summer as the team captain, and has represented Nova Scotia on four separate occasions. Averaging 18 points and 8 assists this season for the second place Auburn Eagles, Simmonds is looking forward to your his university career at Acadia.

“The summer allowed me to build a strong relationship with the coaches, and after I met the guys I feel like I fit in well with the team and the style of play.” This past summer Assistant coach Nick Jordan was the head coach of the Under 17 Team Nova Scotia while head coach Stephen Baur and assistant coach Kevin Duffie assisted Jordan.

AJ will be taking a Bachelor of Arts degree while at Acadia this coming fall of 2012.

Basketball Axemen grab four points in wins against MUN

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:08:00 -0400

ST. JOHN'S, NL - The Axemen basketball team improve to 6-4 with two dominating wins over the weekend against the Memorial Sea-Hawks. The Hawks, who find themselves in last place with a 1-11 record, were outscored 176-125 in two games against the third place Axemen.

Acadia's Anthony Sears netted 46 points over the weekend including a weekend high 26 points in Acadia's last game of a two game weekend series sweep. Sears was 17 for 27 from the floor and 7 for 12 from the three point line in two games and missed only two shots in his 20 point game on Saturday.

In both games, the Axemen held leads that were never challenged by the Sea-Hawks, as Acadia shot an average 50% from the floor in the weekend matchup.

Head coach Stephen Baur saw several bright spots in Acadia's wins on the Rock. "It is always great to get wins on the road in the AUS. We did a good job contesting their shooters on both days and it was a good step for us defensively. Now we want to carry this momentum into Jam the Gym on Friday."

Third year Axeman Owen Klassen had a 29 point weekend that included a 14 and 15 point games while teammates Jonathan Tull, Sean Stoqua, Anthony Ashe and Tom Filgiano all recorded double digit figures in the two game weekend.

The Axemen, who find themselves four points behind the first place UPEI Panthers, play a four point game against the Dalhousie Tigers this coming Friday at the Annual Jam the Gym game.

Second half shoot Axemen past Varsity Reds

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:36:00 -0400

FREDERICTON, NB - The basketball Axemen are back on track with a convincing 90-65 win over the 3-7 UNB Varsity Reds, following their first loss of 2012 this past Wednesday night against the Saint Mary's Huskies. Improving to 4-4 with the win, Acadia is settled into a second place tie with the Cape Breton Capers.

Down 15-13 after one quarter of play, the Axemen edged the V-reds 35-33 at the half. Acadia go into several runs during the third quarter, posting a 24-6 third quarter advantage, taking command of the games outcome during a second half that had the Axemen outscoring UNB 60-27.

From a dismal 36% field goal average in the first half, the Axemen caught on fire with 54% from the floor. UNB finished the game with a depressing 27%.

Third year forward Owen Klassen and first year guard Jonathan Tull posted 17 points, while Anthony Sears added 14 points. V-Red Alex DesRoches recorded 14 points in the losing cause.

The Axemen head to Newfoundland to talk on the winless Memorial Sea-Hawks who sit in the basement of the AUS standings with a 0-9 record. UNB are on the road to UPEI for one game against the Panthers on Friday.

Axemen drop to 3-4 with loss to SMU

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:03:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - Coming off of a high after last week's dominating win over the Cape Breton Capers, the Axemen basketball team turned the ball over 24 times in front of a crowd of over 800 as Acadia drops to 3-4 following a 70-61 loss to the Saint Mary's Huskies.

The Huskies, who are struggling with injuries with only a bench of eight dressed players, grabbed an ugly win that saw 44 turnovers and a first half field goal percentage that barely surpassed 38% from the floor.

Huskie Tory Fassett grabbed the Subway Player of the game honours with a game high 21 points and seven rebounds as Saint Mary's improves to 5-5, creating a four way tie for second place with 12 points in the AUS standings. UPEI, Cape Breton, Saint Mary's and Acadia each have 12 points, but the Huskies have 3 games in hand over Acadia and two with UPEI and Cape Breton.

Tied at 14 after one quarter, the Huskies and Axemen remained tied at the half at 30. A 23-19 third quarter Saint Mary's advantage was not made up by the Axemen as Saint Mary's wrapped up the third quarter with a 52-49 lead.

Acadia would struggle to close the gap, tying at 58 at the 5:31 mark of the final frame off of an Anthony Ashe layup, but Saint Mary's would break the last tie on a Riley Halpin layup and the eventual 9 point win.

Junior forward Owen Klassen tallied 13 points and 9 rebounds while teammates Anthony Ashe and Anthony Sears added 14 and 13 points respectively.

Huskie Miguel Pink was hot from the distant arc, netting five of ten attempts and adding 17 points to the winning cause.

The Axemen travel to the new Currie Centre, on the UNB campus, to take on the 2-6 Varsity Reds this Saturday. Saint Mary's will have little time to recover some of their missing players due to injuries as they face their cross town rivals, the 3-4 Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday evening.

Axeman named CIS & AUS Athlete of the Week

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:59:00 -0400

WOLFVILLE, NS - The Basketball Axemen head into today's game against the Saint Mary's hot handed with third year guard Anthony Sears' recent CIS and AUS Athlete of the Week announcement.

The native of Riverview, NB scored 35 points in Acadia's 108-65 win over the Cape Breton Capers this past Thursday. In addition to his season-high 35-point performance, Sears grabbed eight rebounds and was almost perfect from the floor, making all five of his 3-point attempts and finishing 14-of-15 overall in the victory.

Sears, who missed several preseason and regular season games in October and part of November, seems to have hit his stride and his recent effort did not go unnoticed.

Head Coach Stephen Baur was obviously happy with Anthony's performance. “It was great to see Anthony have a game like this. After the break through at the end of last season, and the off-season he had, we all knew what he was capable of and what he meant to this team. Then to have the injury early in the season, you could not help but to feel for him. He is a big piece to our program, and are excited to see him back at full speed.”

The Axemen face the Saint Mary's Huskies and then travel to Fredericton this Saturday to take on the UNB Varsity Reds.