Bruins sweep Cougars in back-to-back games
Guard Shane Bennett steps back to shoot the baseline jumper (Photography by Mikhail Heller/ The Sheridan Sun)
STORY BY MIKHAIL HELLER
The Sheridan Bruins (3-1 OCAA) swept the Sault Cougars (0-2 OCAA) at home 104-47 and 106-68 in back-to-back victories last weekend at Davis Campus for a combined blowout of 95 points.
In Saturday’s game, the Bruins took advantage of the Cougar’s shallow bench and shorter roster and shot 48.8 per cent from the field, while the defence held Sault to only 24.6 per cent, connecting on only 17 of their 69 shot attempts.
Jamal Pryce led the team in scoring with 16 points, four rebounds, with two assists and two steals.
The Bruins took the lead early in the first and never looked back. They finished the first quarter ahead 23-8.
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Five other players finished in double figures: Nathaniel Nelson scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds, and Kadeem Hall had 15 points and 3 rebounds.
Although Sheridan set the tone of the game early, Sault still shot 71.4 per cent from the free throw line while the Bruins only shot 63 per cent.
Bruins Jim Flack made a point of managing the team’s minutes more evenly during the series to cut down on fatigue and limit the risk of injury.
“Both last night and tonight we spread the minutes out as much as possible,” said Flack. “It doesn’t matter if you win by two or 42, you spread the minutes around or you become prone to injuries when you make one or two guys play too much. So guys that don’t usually play have got to perform or we yank you out of the game.”
During Sunday’s game the toll of a back-to-back began to show for Sault, which ended with two players injured.
“They ran out of gas. They’re not as deep as we are and our style of play brings pressure and we push and push and push them to do that two days in a row with a relatively shallow bench and they got injured – that’s what happens,” said Flack.
Noticeably more on Sunday, the Bruins had an excellent scoring output from beyond the arc, shooting 39.6 per cent.
“We had a very good day from the three, which every team should have, but we had a very, very good day from the three,” said Flack.
Pryce once again stood out for his team finishing the game with 20 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.
Jamal Pryce sets up on defence before Sault imbounds the ball.
Sheridan had 14-second chance points, while Sault only had four. They outrebounded them 61-34, and scored 57 points from beyond the arc.
“We just ran the ball. Put a lot of pressure on their offense and tired them out, and we just kept finding guys open,” said forward Jemaul Jones.
He finished the game with 9 rebounds, being extremely active on defense.
Adam Elhereich seemed to be involved in every single play while he was on the floor. He finished the game with a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
“I try to bring the energy and try to focus on what the coach wants me to do. As long as we win I do what I can,” said Elhereich.
The Bruins continue their OCAA West campaign hosting Mohawk College Nov. 11 at Davis Campus.
