Fraser Valley/Edmonton ( Jordie Arthur) – Men’s Basketball: Double-doubles from Bhogal, Lopez, as Cascades outlast Griffins for weekend sweep
Dhivaan Bhogal and Dario Lopez each had double-doubles for the UFV Cascades on Saturday, as they outlasted the MacEwan Griffins 88-81 to finish off the weekend sweep.
UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson highlighted the impact of his post players after the game.
“Having an established post presence is a good sign for us moving forward. We have some guys who can shoot, some guys who are playmakers, and having that presence inside can really open up the court”.
It looked like the script was going to be similar to the previous night as the Cascades got out to another quick start with an 11-2 run, but the Griffins kept it close all afternoon. They cut the UFV lead to as few as one in the second quarter, and the Cascades held a narrow 71-69 lead heading into the fourth.
MacEwan threatened throughout the quarter, getting within one point of the Cascades on three occasions, but UFV would finally pull away with less than two minutes on the clock. With the score 82-81 Courtenay Anderson knocked down a jumper, before a layup from Lopez increased the lead to five, and Nolan Anderson iced it with a pair of late free throws.
Bhogal had 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Lopez had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Dylan Kinley also showed his offensive ability notching 18 points and five assists for UFV.
Milan Jaksic had a career night for the Griffins, putting up 27 points, while Matthew Osunde had 10 points, 10 boards, and six assists.
The win moves the Cascades to 2-0 on the season, while the Griffins fall to 0-2 to start the year.
Enevoldson stressed the importance of getting two victories on the road this weekend.
“It’s Canada West basketball — It’s tough to win on the road. No matter where you go, no matter the venue, it’s tough. Any time you get two wins on the road in Canada West play you have to enjoy it”.
“We were fortunate that we were good enough to win tonight. It’s a scenario where we have to learn from it, we have to get better, but a win is a win.”
The Cascades now return home to host the Manitoba Bisons next Friday (8 p.m., canadawest.tv) and Saturday (7 p.m., canadawest.tv) at the UFV Athletic Centre. Meanwhile the Griffins now travel to Calgary to take on the Mount Royal Cougars next weekend.
Women’s Basketball: Sidhu has a big night off the bench as Cascades complete weekend sweep.
Edmonton, AB – Google Sidhu scored 14 points off the bench to help lead the UFV Cascades on Saturday afternoon, as they finished their opening weekend with a second victory over the MacEwan Griffins.
The teams battled back and forth throughout the game, but in a similar scene to Friday night, the Cascades pulled away late to secure the victory 81-64.
UFV assistant coach Dan Nayebzadeh applauded the efforts of players off the bench after the game.
“The difference between tonight and last night was bench production. Different people stepped up tonight I thought. Julia Tuchscherer was unbelievable in the second half, and Google was our unsung hero tonight.”
The Cascades took a 40-33 lead into the half, punctuated by Sidhu who drained a three, before making a steal on the inbound and laying it in for two more.
Nayebzadeh had a ton of praise for the second-year guard on the day.
“She brings a ton of feistiness and tenaciousness to the court. Usually that’s on defence, but tonight she didn’t just give us defence, she gave us defence that translated to really important offence.”
The teams played even in the third, allowing UFV to take a 56-50 lead into the fourth. The Cascades took over from there outscoring the Griffins 25-14 in the fourth quarter, led by Maddy Gobeil and Sidhu with six points each in the frame, to seal the factory 81-64.
“It’s nice to know we have another gear when we get into crunch time in the fourth quarter,” noted Nayebzadeh. “I think it’s great to be able to tell the team it’s go time, and they can turn it on”
Tuchscherer had a team-high 16 points for the Cascades, while Gobeil had 15 and Sidhu added 14.
Mackenzie Farmer paced the Griffins with a game-high 19 points, and Noelle Kilbreath had 14. Shannon Majeau posted a double-double for MacEwan with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the day.
The Cascades are back in action for their home openers next weekend, as they take on the Manitoba Bisons at 6 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Griffins head to Calgary next week to take on the Mount Royal Cougars. All games are also available to watch live on canadawest.tv.
Men’s Volleyball: Cascades drop three set decision to Huskies
The UFV Cascades fell in three sets (20-25, 23-25, 22-25) to the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night at the UFV Athletic Centre.
With the loss the Cascades fall to 2-4 on the season, while the Huskies improve to 4-2 on the year.
“I think there is a lot to learn from tonight” noted Cascades middle Ryan Hampe after the game. “They didn’t do anything necessarily better today than yesterday — but all in all tonight was on our side. We struggled, we didn’t bring a lot of energy.”
“They’re a top-four team, there’s no doubt about it, but we’re right there too. We just can’t have these lapses from Friday to Saturday night.”
The teams found themselves level at 16 in the first, but a pair of aces from Jack McGeough and a kill from Dylan Mortensen gave them a 20-16 lead and they would go on to finish it 25-20.
UFV found themselves trailing 4-0 in the second, but kills from Ryan Adams, Tyson Ardell, and Nimo Benne helped pull them back level at 6 apiece. However, the Huskies would pull away in the late stages again as blocks from McGeough and Emmett Graham boosted them to a 23-19 advantage. After trading side-outs, the Cascades fought off three chances at set point before Saskatchewan took a time out that led to a missed serve and a 25-23 set finish.
The third set played out similarly as both teams traded blows throughout, but the Huskies closed out strong taking the final four points, to win it 25-22.
Benne had a game-high 14 kills in the match, while Hampe added four blocks, and Jonas Van Huizen had 14 digs.
Graham paced the Huskies knocking down 13 kills, while Mortensen had 10, and Mark Armstrong had 34 assists.
The Cascades now head into a bye week before their next action on the road against the Winnipeg Wesmen on November 18 and 19. Meanwhile, the Huskies head home to host the Mount Royal Cougars next weekend.
Women’s Volleyball: Attieh sisters combine for 43 kills in Cascades second straight win
Abbotsford, BC – Gabrielle and Lauren Attieh combined for 43 kills as the UFV Cascades closed out a weekend sweep over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night. The Cascades closed out the match in four sets (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, and 28-26) to improve to 2-4 on the year, while the Huskies fall to 2-4.
It feels amazing” noted Cascades middle Mo Likness on her team’s victories this weekend. “We have been working so hard for this and we just needed these two wins.”
“It’s just a real big confidence booster, and I’m really excited to see what else we have in store.”
Lauren Attieh got started early in the first set, knocking down four kills in the first eight points of the match to give her team a 6-2 lead. The teams traded blows throughout the remainder of the set allowing UFV to finish it off 25-19.
The Huskies battled back in the second, picking up leads of 8-4 and 12-6 thanks to service runs from Mandi Fraser and Averie Allard, and they carried that advantage through to take it 25-18.
The third went back and forth, as the Cascades took a 9-5 lead, just to see the Huskies snag a 14-12 lead of their own. With the teams even at 22, a Likness ace, and kills from both Lauren and Gabrielle Attieh down the stretch gave them a 25-23 set win.
Caet McCorkell gave the Huskies a 15-11 lead in the fourth on a five serve run where she also provided two kills and an ace. The Cascades chipped away, but Saskatchewan kept a 24-22 lead in the late stages. UFV fought off a pair of set points to take a 25-24 lead, but the Huskies responded by taking the next two points themselves. Three straight Cascades kills from Lauren Attieh, Gabrielle Attieh, and Kristen McBride closed out the match 28-26.
Coming off a 28-kill performance on Friday, Lauren Attieh managed another 21 kills in this one, just one shy of Gabrielle Attieh’s game-high 22. Likness picked up three blocks in the effort, while Cailin Bitter had 45 set assists, and Emily Matsui provided the defence with 22 digs.
Julia Howell Bourner had 11 kills for the Huskies, while McCorkell and Fraser each had 10. Allard led the Huskies with 35 assists, and 15 digs on the night.
Both teams now head on to a bye week with the Cascades next action coming on the road against the Winnipeg Wesmen on November 18 and 19. Meanwhile, the Huskies head home to host the Regina Cougars in two weeks.
