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Gaiters
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Gaiters edge Valley City State to advance to Wesmen Classic Championship December 29, 2009 WINNIPEG – Onnex Blackwood’s (Toronto, Ont.) layup with 33 seconds left proved to be the winning points as the Bishop’s Gaiters team downed the Valley City State (N.D.) Vikings 72-68 at the Wesmen Classic in Winnipeg. Blackwood scored nine of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, keying the Gaiters’ second straight win. The Gaiters led for most of the game, using an early 9-0 run to build an 11-4 lead, forcing Valley City into an early time out. The Gaiters extended their lead to eight points, as Ryan Steele (Toronto, Ont.) blocked a Vikings shot and made a fast-break layup to put Bishop’s up 14-6, on their way to an 18-12 first-quarter lead. In the second quarter, the Gaiters led by as many as nine points, but the Vikings scored the final four points of the half to cut the margin to 33-28. In the third quarter, an Oraine Green (Toronto, Ont.) trey gave the Gaiters a 44-32 lead, their largest of the night. The Vikings responded with an 11-0 run to make the score 46-45, but they were unable to pull ahead, and the Gaiters led 53-49 after three quarters. In the fourth, Hermon Tesfaghebriel’s (Coquitlam, B.C.) trey put the Gaiters up 56-49, but Valley City used a 10-2 run to take a 59-58 lead, their first since leading 4-2. Blackwood put Bishop’s up 63-59, but Valley City tied the game with 3:39 left on a rare four-point play by Calvin Kraft. Green put the Gaiters 67-66 with a pair of free throws with 1:06 left, while Blackwood made it 69-66 after Green found him in the post with 33 seconds to go. Blackwood’s 20 points led all scorers, as he went 9-for-12 from the field. He finished with a team-high nine rebounds, one short of another double-double. Tesfaghebriel added 17 points, including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line, while Tim Hunter (Baie d’Urfé, Que.) scored eight. Valley City State had three players in double figures, led by Mark Klingburg’s 15 points. Orlando Anderson had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds, while Calvin Kraft scored ten points. The Gaiters shot 42.6% from the field, while Valley City State went 43.3%. The Gaiters were 18-for-21 from the free throw line, including three key free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Bishop’s outrebounded the Vikings 36-31. Valley City committed 23 turnovers, to the Gaiters’ 15. With the win, Bishop’s (6-10, 4-10 CIS, 1-4 QUBL) advances to the championship game of the Wesmen Classic, and will play tomorrow at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. Eastern) against either the Lakehead Thunderwolves or the Laval Rouge et Or. |
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