Even with a slow season, Bears sweep Regina Cougars

Ranked right below the University of Regina Cougars on Friday January 31, in the Canada West Prairie Division, the University of Alberta Bears basketball team won both Friday’s and Saturday’s games by a significant margin. 

Both teams went into Friday’s game with several injured players, making substitutions and different lines hard to manage. The first quarter reflected this match up with a quick back and forth by both teams.

Although the Bears got the tip off, the Cougars were first to score with a two, quickly followed by a three. However the Bears didn’t hold back and immediately took the lead and kept with it for the rest of the game. 

Neck-in-neck for the first two quarters

Rookie Nash Semeniuk had a lot of playtime this game, following his stellar performance the weekend prior. Although not as many points scored, it was clear that out of the five rookies on the team, he has the most leading presence. 

However the real star of this game for the Bears was Isaac Simon. With 10 assists and his game-high of 23 points, Simon was a clear director of play for Friday’s game. 

The first quarter saw a lot of built up energy from the Cougars with Lodie Kenyi dunking two baskets. Although there was a lot of back and forth between the two teams, the end of the first had the Bears in the lead by five points with a score of 21 to 16. 

The second quarter saw a similar starting lineup for Bears, with the same few players getting rotated in and out. This was mainly due to injuries and showed the team’s reliance on crucial players. In this case, fifth-year Max Russel was the figurehead for the team. He scored points as soon as he got on the court. 

The Cougars did start to take a more powerful stance in the second. They had a strong defence and started scoring steadily to catch up to the Bears. With this comeback, the Cougars made the scoring neck-in-neck, prompting the Bears for a power play to earn back the lead. 

Nate Waldron from the Bears was able to retrieve several rebounds, allowing the Bears to have possession of the ball frequently in the shootout area. On the other hand Jordan Persad from the Cougars had quick and stealthy movements which directed him from one end of the court to the other.

Rookies and veteran, a test run

The third saw Russel get back-to-back points for the Bears, enhancing their lead, while Simon was hitting net more often than not. This quarter was where the Bears took initiative and increased their lead by a lot, reaching a 71 to 53 lead. 

The fourth quarter saw three rookies including Semeniuk going in alongside Russel. With the strong lead, this could be a test run for the rookies alongside a veteran. Both teams only had one fifth-year on court on Friday. This made it clear that a new generation of Cougars and Bears are taking the reins next season.

By the looks of it, Semeniuk will be in the eye of it. With 11 points on Friday where he was fourth in top scorers and 23 points on Saturday making him first in top scorers, he is one to lookout for.

This quarter saw the Bears sweep the Cougars, with a 22 point lead midway through. After another two minutes they accumulated another six points landing them at 93. The Cougars scored another few points but were nowhere near the Bears. 

The game on Saturday marked the third straight win for the Bears. Although a successful few games, it might be too late to see success from the team. The Bears are currently ranked sixth in the Prairie division of Canada West, and don’t have enough games left to climb the standings.