Friday, 21st February Vs. UPEI Panthers – 8:00 PM NST
Saturday, 22nd February Vs. UPEI Panthers- 2:00 PM NST
THE MATCHUP
Sea-Hawks will finish up the 2019-2020 AUS regular season at home with a pair of games against the UPEI Panthers. Even though these are the last games of the season, this is the first match-up between the two teams as the two games will be worth 8 points in total. Even though the Panthers have no chance of making the playoffs, two wins this week would see them take over Memorial in the standings and finish 7th on the season.
Currently, the Panthers are in 8th place with a record of 3 wins and 15 losses. This UPEI team is one of the youngest in the conference after losing important players from last year, Milorad Sedlarevic and Amin Suleman. Even though this season has been a bit of disappointment, as they won’t make playoffs for the 4th straight year, there have been bright spots that the team needs to be excited about. Their first-year guard Elijah Miller is one of the candidates for AUS Rookie of the year and deservingly so. He is averaging 15.9 points and 5.6 assists per game while also lurking the lanes on the defensive end, posting 1.7 steals per game. Etobicoke native has proved that he is a reliable playmaker that is very able to put the ball in the basket and it will be interesting to see his progress in the coming years. The former AUS All-Rookie Team member, Jamesley Jerome has continued his growth this year with impressive inside game. The second-year forward is averaging 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while also shooting an efficient 53 percent from the field. In addition to this duo, the x-factor for the Panthers is their third-year guard Dakelle Brooks who has been a solid source of production whenever he is on the floor. Coming out of East Preston, NS, he has been building up his play level over the years, as he is averaging 11.9 points per game this season. It is important to note that the Panthers has been struggling on the road this season, not notching a single win away from Prince Edward Island. The Sea-Hawks will need to put the pressure on them right away and try to keep them winless when they play away from home.
HAWKS EYE
For the Sea-Hawks, the pressure is on. They are currently 7th in the AUS with a record of 6 wins and 12 losses, trailing to Acadia by only 2 points. Securing 8 points this weekend will be huge in securing a playoff spot and Memorial will have to go all out in order to do that. Even though the team has suffered many injuries this year, there is still a good chance for the Sea-Hawks to make the playoffs where every team is a threat to win it all. How far they will go will largely depend on Cole Long, their 4th year forward who is having an extraordinary season so far. He is averaging 20.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while also shooting an accurate 39 percent from the three-point line.
Long believes that the sense of urgency needs to be there for Memorial: “Our first round of the playoffs is this weekend. It’s a win or go home situation, and we have to confront these games with a dominant mentality”
In order for the Sea-Hawks to secure two wins this weekend, they will have to rely on their more experienced players that have been through their fare share of high-pressure games. One of these players is Daniel Foo who has been with the team for multiple years and keeps providing a veteran presence on a fairly young Memorial team. Originally being a spark plug off the bench, Foo has started a couple of recent games due to injuries to some of the starters and has been solid this season averaging 9.1 points in only 19.6 minutes per game.
When asked about what team needs to do to secure the wins against UPEI, he said: “ It is going to take a full team effort. We have to stick together, trust each other and the work that we have put in all season long”
In order for Sea-Hawks to maintain control of the games this weekend, they will need to take good care of the basketball and limit their turnovers as much as they can. For that to happen, Memorial’s starting point guard Jason Thompson will have to provide a steady presence on the ball and organize the play on offense. He has been amongst the league leaders in assists for a second straight year, showcasing his passing skills night in and night out.
“For us to win both games this weekend, we have to be better than PEI at the little things; winning loose balls, rebounding, and limiting turnovers”, Thompson said. “If we can win those areas of the game and hopefully get back some of our key players, we should be in a great position to secure our playoff spot”
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Peter Benoite feels confident that the team can get a pair of wins with a right approach to the game, acknowledging that these games decide whether the team makes the playoffs or not.
“We currently sit in 7th place in the standings and will need to come out to play our best this weekend to get ourselves into playoffs. The good thing is that we are in control and we just need to get back to how we were playing in the first half of the year, with good ball movement, good shot selection, and good defense”
However, Benoite believes it won’t be easy. “PEI are very talented and have had a lot of close games, so they are much better than their record suggests. We will have to make sure we play with effort, make sure we outwork them, and take care of things at home”