Game 9 Recap – Gladiateurs de Laval vs. PEI Mustangs

Gladiateurs de Laval 71 – PEI Mustangs 43

The Gladiateurs de Laval club secured first place in Pool A and its third consecutive win at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, with a 71-43 victory versus the PEI Mustangs this morning. Laval remains undefeated (3-0) and will play in a semi-final contest later today with a berth in the gold medal game on the line.

Laval and the Mustangs both played some solid basketball to open Day 2 of game action at the University of Prince Edward Island. In a tight first half, the teams displayed a torrid pace en route to a 30-24 edge in for Laval going into the third quarter. The momentum began to shift in favour of Laval in the third, before the Gladiateurs put the game away with a strong fourth quarter effort. The hometown Mustangs battled hard throughout the game, but could not sustain the offensive output in the latter half of the game.

Carl Pelletier dropped a game-high 17 points for the Gladiateurs. Adam Loo scored a team-leading 13 points for the Mustangs.

Game 10 Recap – Saint John Mavericks vs. Bulldogs de Quebec

Saint John Mavericks 68 – Bulldogs de Quebec 50

In a clash of undefeated teams, the Saint John Mavericks were victorious over the Bulldogs to Quebec with a 68-50 win to capture top spot in Pool B at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Both the Mavericks and Bulldogs will compete for a spot in the gold medal contest in a separate semi-final matches later today.

Saint John (3-0) joined Laval as the only remaining undefeated teams in the tournament. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs (2-1) secured second place in Pool B. Shooting accuracy proved to be a deciding factor in the game, as the Mavericks shot 50.0% from the field while the Bulldogs converted on just 36.8% of their attempts. Saint John unleashed a balanced offensive attack as four players hit double digits in scoring, compared to just one by the Bulldogs, as the Mavericks held the lead throughout most of the game.

Kevin Lawrence scored a team-high 18 points for Saint John, and fellow Maverick Robin Doucet contributed 16 points in the win. Bulldog Maxime Poulin was an offensive force with a game-high 27 points.

Game 11 Recap – Club ’99 vs. Variety Village

Variety Village 64 -Club ’99 41

The Variety Village Rolling Rebels earned a berth in the semi-finals thanks to a 64-41 win over Club ’99 during Day 2 action at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. With the win, the Rebels (2-1) secured second place in Pool A and will face Saint John (3-0) in a semi-final match today at 4p.m.

Club ’99 (0-3) will try for its first win against the Douglas College Royals in the consolation round at 2p.m.

The Rebels set the pace early in this contest, outscoring Club ’99 16-4 in the opening quarter. By the half, Variety Village extended its lead to 36-14. Club ’99 rebounded with a strong third quarter, and started converting on scoring opportunities, shooting 52.6% from field goal range compared to 21.4% in the first half. However, the potent Rebel offence did not waiver as the team continued to hit the mesh in the final two frames, earning a shot at the gold medal game.

Jesse McNalley led the Rebel attack with a game-high 24 points. Blaine Hancock scored a team-high 15 points for Club ’99.

Game 12 Recap – Fredericton Lightning vs. Douglas College Royals

Douglas College Royals 60 – Fredericton Lightning 44

The Douglas College Royals club seized its first victory at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals with a 60-44 over the Fredericton Lightning in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Both squads will play in the consolation round this afternoon, with the Royals (1-2) set to tip off agains Club ’99 at 2p.m. and the Lightning set to face hometown PEI at 2:30p.m.

The Royals and Lightning played a hotly contested opening half, as both clubs sought their first win in the tournament. The Royals held a 3-point advantage – 27-24 – at the halfway mark of the game. Douglas College picked up the pace in the latter half of the game, shooting a solid 70.0% from field goal range, and posting 33 points to come away with the win.

Matt Gee tallied 19 points for the Royals, while John Collins drove the offence with 15 points and went 2-for-2 from 3-point range for the Lightning.

Game 13 Recap – Douglas College Royals vs. Club ’99

Club ’99 – 84 vs. Douglas College Royals 60

Saskatchewan’s Club ’99 won its first game of the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in style, defeating the Douglas College Royals 84-60 and earning a shot to play for fifth place in the tournament in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The Royals (1-3) will play for 7th place.

Club ’99 (1-3) found its offensive groove in the consolation tilt, scoring 84 points after averaging just 47.3 points through three preliminary round games. The offensive momentum continued to develop throughout the game, as Club ’99 improved its offensive output in each quarter, shot an overall 55.4% from field goal range, and dominated the boards with 46 rebounds compared to 19 by the Royals.

Douglas College played a strong opening quarter to keep pace with Club ’99, but the tide began to turn in the second frame and the Royals trailed 37-25 at the half. The Royals showed no quit, playing hard until the final buzzer but could not find a way to shut down the opposition’s offence.

Blaine Hancock was an offensive force for Club ’99, scoring a single-game tournament-high 53 points. Matt Gee dropped 31 points for Douglas College.

Game 14 Recap – Fredericton Lightning vs. PEI Mustangs

PEI Mustangs – 54 vs. Fredericton Lightning 37

The PEI Mustangs improved their record to 2-2 with a 54-37 win over the Fredericton Lightning (0-4) at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on Saturday. The hometown Mustangs will play for 5th place against Club ’99 in one of two placement games tomorrow. The Lightning will battle for 7th place in the tournament standings against the Douglas College Royals.

The Mustangs doubled up on the Lightning 12-6 in the opening quarter and never looked back. PEI took a 22-12 lead into the half before dropping another 20 points in the third quarter. Fredericton rebounded with a solid effort in the final frame, outscoring the Mustangs 14-12. Both teams struggled to make good on their shots, as the Mustangs converted on 39.0% of their attempts from field goal range, while the Lightning converted on 32.0% of their shots from the same distance. Both teams will attempt to improve their scoring touch in their final games tomorrow morning, both starting at 8am (AT).

Stephen Farquharson tallied a team-high 15 points, and Adam Loo added 14 points for the Mustangs. John Collins scored a team-high 10 points for Fredericton.

Game 15 Recap – Saint John Mavericks vs. Variety Village

Variety Village – 79 vs. Saint John Mavericks 70

The Variety Village Rebels (3-1) have punched a ticket to the gold medal game for the second consecutive year thanks to a 79-70 victory over the Saint John Mavericks (3-1) at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on Saturday. The defending-champion Rebels will try for a second straight championship title, while the Mavericks will play for bronze.

This semi-final match was a seesaw affair that saw numerous ties and lead changes. Both teams started strong in an attempt to win the early momentum, and the Mavericks held a 2-point advantage – 16-14 – after the first quarter. The Rebels secured a narrow lead of their own in the second frame, taking a 35-34 lead into the third. The score remained close in the third, before Variety Village ultimately pulled away in the final quarter. The starters got the job done for the Rebels, while the Mavericks had a strong 21-point effort from the bench.

Jesse McNalley recorded a game-high 37 points for the Rebels, while Bill Hill led the Mavericks with 21 points.

Game 16 Recap – Gladiateurs de Laval vs. Bulldogs de Quebec

Gladiateurs de Laval – 65 vs. Bulldogs de Quebec – 62

The Gladiateurs de Laval seized a berth in the gold medal game in dramatic fashion with a clutch 65-62 win over provincial rivals the Bulldogs de Quebec at the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Open Finals in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on Saturday. The undefeated Gladiateurs (4-0) will face the defending-champion Variety Village Rebels for the championship crown, while the Bulldogs (2-2) will tip off against the Saint John Mavericks for the bronze medal.

This semi-final match was one of the closest and most thrilling games of the entire tournament, with ten lead changes and 12 ties, as the teams traded baskets until the dying seconds of play. The heated contest was deadlocked at 62 with less than one minute left on the clock. With the game and a spot in the championship match on the line, Laval’s Marc-Antoine Ducharme dropped a clutch three-pointer with one second left in the game to secure the victory for the Gladiateurs.

Carl Pelletier led the offense for Laval with 26 points, while Maxime Poulin delivered another strong offensive performance with a game-high 32 points for Quebec.