One shot. It is all that has separated U of T (16-8) and Ottawa (19-4) in three games this season. Sadly, it proved to be one too many as the Gee-Gees defeated the visiting Blues 69-68 in the Ontario University Athletic semi-finals on Saturday.
Down by two with twenty seconds left and the ball in their hands, third-seeded U of T had the potential to upset second-seeded Ottawa en route to a date with the finals. A desperate but shrewd Garnett and Grey showed the muster of fourth-ranked defence, swarming and suffocating the Blues as the seconds ticked off. With no good opportunity presenting itself, U of T was left with a bad look, a missed basket and a dejected drive home from capital city.
“An absolutely great game that turned out to be bittersweet,” said coach Mike Katz. “Just too bad for us, but it showed that we can play with the best teams in the nation.
“We hung in there, as we were down eight with three minutes left. Many teams would have given up, but not us. We actually took the lead, which was traded off in the last minute and a half. But you look back, and it was just a terrific basketball game. How much closer can you get?”
Forwards Mike Williams and Ben Katz led the Blues with 18 and 14 points, and all five of the starters had double figures, each notching close to thirty minutes.
“It was a game where our veterans had to play, and I can’t ask for more than what they gave the team,” Katz said.
Gee-Gee point guard Willy Manigat, who came off the bench to score 18 points and dish five assists, led Ottawa in a performance that Katz called a game breaker.
“He was the difference out there, no doubt about it.”
The first meeting had hosts Gee-Gees squeaking out a 59-58 win against U of T Jan. 6. A month later in their own backyard, the Blues took a chest-thumping 70-68 victory as Williams hit fall-away jumper at the buzzer.
U of T entered the game having won 12 of their last 13, and Katz was optimistic heading into the game.
“We have high expectations,” he said, breaking his code of silence prior to Saturday’s game against Ottawa. “We’ve played well throughout the year, and the team is where it needs to be.”
This squad was an experienced one, with core players such as Williams and Katz both in their fifth years of eligibility, and won’t be on next year’s roster. Starters Mike Di Giorgio and Dwayne Grant are in their fourth and third years respectively.
In the first round, the Blues opened with a convincing 77-58 win over sixth-seeded Laurentian (6-17) Wednesday.
Against the Voyageurs, U of T run-and-gunned their way to the victory, getting out on the break for easy points, their play punctuated by an emphatic Grant dunk late in the first half. This game was all Blues, as Toronto had four players record double digit scoring games, led by Grant’s 16 and Katz’s 12 points and nine rebounds.
“We played well on defence and the way we executed, I can’t ask for more from the team,” Katz said after the game. “We try to run, but we can also slow down the pace and win that way. Basically we take our opportunities and try to take what we get.”
