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UFV Sports Thursday – Men’s Hoops Playoff Win, Volleyball Heartbreak

Men’s Basketball: Hot-shooting Cascades stun T-Birds in Game 1

A flame-throwing performance from beyond the arc coupled with a tidy defensive showing allowed the University of the Fraser Valley men’s basketball team to draw first blood in its quarter-final playoff series vs. the UBC Thunderbirds.

The Cascades hit 17 three-pointers to cruise past their previous season-high of 14, and limited the No. 6-ranked team in the nation to 34.2 per cent shooting from the field – including 28.6 per cent in the first half – on their way to a 92-79 victory at War Memorial Gym on Thursday.

Parm Bains led the charge offensively with 26 points and seven assists, Sukhman Sandhu poured in 21 points off the bench, Sukhjot Bains racked up 20 points and nine boards, and Mark Johnson had a huge night with 17 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists as UFV claimed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Grant Shephard paced the T-Birds with a game-high 29 points to go with 12 rebounds, and Manroop Clair and Grant Audu scored 17 apiece.

Game 2 in the best-of-three series is Friday at War Memorial, with Game 3 (if necessary) on Saturday. Tip-off times for both games is 7 p.m., with webcasts at CanadaWest.tv.

“We came in with the belief that winning was possible,” Cascades head coach Adam Friesen said post-game. “That’s where it started.

“In the first quarter, we did what we tried to do every single game this season, and that’s play defence and rebound. We don’t expect to score in the nineties, and we don’t have the expectation of scoring in the nineties tomorrow. If it happens, it happens. But we know we’ve got to play defence, board, and take care of the basketball. We’ll look to improve in those areas, and take care of the offensive end as it goes.”

The T-Birds got off to a solid start, opening an early 7-2 lead, with all seven points coming off the fingertips of Shephard. But the Cascades responded with a 9-0 run, highlighted by five points from Sukhjot Bains, and the visitors held a 19-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

UFV stretched the lead to double digits (33-22) after a Parm Bains triple midway through the second quarter, but UBC drew back to within 38-32 at the half.

The Cascades had a dynamite third quarter, boosting the margin to 16 (65-49) after a Sandhu three in the final minute of the frame.

The hosts mustered a fourth-quarter surge – they opened on a 14-5 run, cutting the deficit to 70-67 after a Shephard layup with just over five minutes left in regulation.

But a trio of triples in quick succession – two from Sandhu, sandwiching one from Johnson – swung the momentum firmly back to the Cascades, and they were never seriously threatened in the dying minutes.

The Cascades’ best long-distance shooting night of the season saw them hit 17-of-38 (44.7 per cent) from downtown, and Sandhu hit three of his four triples in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. UFV also earned a narrow 50-47 edge on the boards – a significant stat, considering the T-Birds out-rebounded their opponents by an average of 10 per game during the regular season.

“Parm was the catalyst,” Friesen said. “His aggression and his belief in himself got other people open, and Sukhman capitalized on his opportunities in the fourth quarter, no doubt.”

Men’s Volleyball (by Jordie Arthur, Cascades communications assistant): Bearcats extinguish Cascades’ playoff hopes with four-set win

The University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team saw its playoff hopes snuffed on Thursday in a four-set road loss to the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. 

The Cascades and Bearcats came into the weekend home-and-home series with matching 1-21 records, with one last PACWEST playoff berth up for grabs between the two of them. CBC, however, held a 5-3 edge in the first tiebreaker – head-to-head sets won/lost. As such, UFV could afford to lose one of this week’s matches vs. the Bearcats, but in no less than five sets.

The Bearcats came from behind to grab the first set 26-24. The second went the way of the Cascades 25-18, but CBC would take the next two by scores of 25-22 and 25-21 to seal the match and punch their post-season ticket. 

With the Bearcats (2-21) now owning an 8-4 edge in head-to-head sets won, the Cascades (1-22) can no longer catch them even if they win Friday’s season finale at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.

“Unfortunately we just didn’t rise to the occasion the way we needed to in order to keep the season alive,” UFV head coach Kyle Donen said afterward. “We fell a little flat when we needed a bit more so it’s a tough loss to swallow.”

The Cascades – playing without team captain Ben Friesen due to injury – took a 21-17 lead in the first set, but a side out and a five-serve run by CBC’s Trevor Koch allowed the hosts to grab a 23-21 advantage and they would win it 26-24. 

UFV fought back in the second, building a 19-14 lead on their way to a 25-18 set victory. CBC snatched an early 9-1 lead in the third which they would extend to 18-7, and despite a massive push from the Cascades, their comeback attempt would fall just short as the Bearcats held on 25-22.

The Bearcats built a 20-16 edge in the fourth on their way to the 25-21 set victory.

Landon Uy posted a team-high 11 kills for the Cascades, while Josh Fefchak and Justin Peleshytyk each had seven. Shubdeep Wander had 14 digs.

Jacob Molitwenik paced the Bearcats with 16 kills, and Jakob Boschmann had 10. 

The Cascades volleyball teams conclude the regular season on Friday against the Bearcats at the EFAC (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.), featuring Senior Night festivities for graduating fifth-years Adam Frederickson of the UFV men’s team and Kim Bauder of the women’s squad. The on-court ceremony will be held immediately after the women’s game, prior to the men’s warm-up.

“These are the types of games that show character and hopefully we show that kind of character and fight tomorrow,” Donen said. “One guy in particular (Frederickson) is finishing things off so the guys will play for him, for themselves, and for their teammates.”

Women’s Volleyball ( Jordie Arthur, Cascades communications assistant): Cascades top rival Bearcats in four sets

The University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team won a four-set decision over the Columbia Bible College Bearcats on Thursday night at CBC.

The CCAA No. 13-ranked Cascades started strong, winning the first two sets 25-13 and 25-15. The Bearcats grabbed the third 25-22 to extend the match, but UFV closed it out 25-22 in the fourth. 

The Cascades improved to 13-10 with the victory, while the Bearcats fell to 1-22.

“We got everything we wanted here tonight,” noted UFV head coach Mike Gilray. “We got everybody in, and we are going to do the same thing tomorrow. We want to make sure that everyone is prepared to get on the court going forward (to the playoffs).”

The Cascades got off to a hot start, building an 8-3 lead in the first set, before extending it to 18-9 on their way to a 25-13 win. The second played out similarly, as UFV gained another 8-3 advantage early, and cruised to a 25-15 set victory. 

UFV once again came out flying in the third as they manufactured a 6-0 lead off Kara Williams’s serve, but the Bearcats would fight back to level the score at 7-7. The teams would stay close throughout the set, but with the two teams level at 22-22, CBC would score the last three points to win it 25-22.

The fourth was once again tightly contested, but the Cascades edged out the hosts 25-22 to finish the match. 

Kim Bauder posted a team-high 12 kills for UFV, while Kristen McBride had 10. Defensively, four players reached double digits in digs: Karissa Marazzi with 11, and Bauder, McBride and Cassidy King each with 10 of their own. 

The Cascades also posted 16 service aces in the match, led by Kara Williams with five, with Bauder and Keira Fisher each notching three. 

Megan Polant had a team-high 12 kills and Julia Weiss posted 13 digs for the Bearcats. 

The Cascades volleyball teams conclude the regular season on Friday against the Bearcats at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.). That game night will feature Senior Night festivities for graduating fifth-years Bauder and Adam Frederickson of the UFV men’s team. The on-court ceremony will be held immediately after the women’s game, prior to the men’s warm-up.

“I think everyone is excited to celebrate Kim (Bauder), and we all want to show up for her and that’s really the goal for us,” Gilray explained. “We want to celebrate a great Cascade and everything she’s done for us.”

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