Hoop Bears feeling confident for playoff run

After capping off their regular season with a massive victory against Calgary on their home court, the Bears basketball team (13–9) will now focus their energy ahead to the playoffs and their opening round best-of-three matchup against the Saskatchewan Huskies (10–12).

Saturday night’s ten-point victory against the Central Division-leading Dinos was precisely the medicine that Alberta needed to jumpstart their confidence heading into the postseason. According to head coach Don Horwood, while the team’s successful second-half has spoken for itself, stealing a win away from a top team and a hated rival is exactly the kind of statement they wanted to make coming to this weekend.

“I haven’t seen the guys since Saturday night, but I’d say the confidence level is pretty high,” Horwood noted. “Obviously, splitting with Calgary this year—we won two, they won two—and getting a win this weekend where we beat them by more than they beat us is helping the team feel very good about themselves right now. And I think they have a good reason to—we’ve had a pretty good run since Christmas and we’ve had to claw and scratch for everything we get.”

Alberta prevailed 3–1 in their season series with Saskatchewan, splitting the first series of the year at the Main Gym and walking out of Saskatoon with a sweep of their playoff opponents. One concern that still weighs on Horwood’s mind, which he believes could tip the scales in the Huskies’ favour, is their ability to win offensive rebounds.

“The second game they played here before Christmas, they beat us by 16 or 18 and they dominated us on the boards with their size. If they were to play aggressively on the boards and we don’t, I think they could handle us. That was my biggest concern when we went in there three weeks ago and our guys rose to the occasion. Now, it’s a different scenario with playoffs on the line and all.”

While the Golden Bears will likely have to concern themselves with earning their points by committee, they will also have to keep their eye defensively on Saskatchewan’s one-man show known as Showron Glover. After dropping 37 points on Lethbridge last Saturday and having already scored 50 in a game earlier this year—an individual feat that has only been accomplished five times since 1972/73—the dynamic Huskies guard will undoubtedly be hungry for offence in his first Canada West playoff appearance.

“I thought Scott Leigh did a great job the weekend that we played them [in Saskatoon]—both nights, Scott kept [Glover] in front of him, and that’s what we’re going to be asking him to do for us this weekend,” Horwood explained. “We have to make [Glover] shoot over top of us and not let him penetrate—I mean, he’s going to get x-number of points no matter what, but I think where he hurts you more is when he gets past the guy who’s guarding him, gets into the paint, draws people, and picks for easy buckets.”

Tipoff goes Friday and Saturday night at 8pm (with a third and deciding game, if necessary, on Sunday at 3pm) at the Main Gym.