Box Score
It was a gritty matchup between the McMaster Marauders and the Guelph Gryphon's Saturday afternoon (Feb. 11) at the W.F. Mitchell Centre, but in the end, the Marauders keyed a 9-2 run to hold off the Gryphon's 87-79.
With the victory, the Maruaders improve to 15-5, while Guelph drops to 8-12 on the season.
Dan McCarthy (Guelph, ON) led all scorers with 31 points for the Gryphons, going 4-8 from three point range. Kareem Malcolm (Brampton, ON) added 17 points and six assists, while Zach Angus (Burlington, ON) and graduating senior Adam Bering (Windsor, ON) added nine and eight points each. Sheriff Wiredu (Ghana), also graduating, added five points, six rebounds, and two impressive blocks. As a team, Guelph shot 48%, but only 26% from three.
Joe Rocca (Sarnia, ON) led the Marauders, scoring 27 points off the bench while shooting 10-14 from the field. Aaron Redpath (Ajax, ON) added 19 points on 50% shooting, while Cam Michaud (Grimsby, ON) chipped in 15 points and six rebounds. Adam Presutti (Oakville, ON) scored 12 points to go with six assists before fouling out late in the game.
Both teams opened the game trading buckets before the Gryphons could open up a 17-9 advantage. Mac closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to trim the Gryphon's lead to 17-15 after the first quarter. Angus led the way with six points, while Michaud and Rocca each scored four for the Marauders.
Neither team was able to break the game open in the second thanks to an impressive defence showing by both teams. Redpath and Rocca did most of the damage for McMaster, scoring eight and seven points respectively. Redpath's half court heave at the buzzer capped a 9-2 run to give Mac a 37-32 lead at the half, with the Marauders outscoring Guelph 22-15 in the frame.
Guelph turned up the tempo in the third quarter, with Malcolm finally finding his rhythm. After being held to just two points in the first quarter, Malcolm exploded for 12 in the third to cut the Marauders lead to 58-54 after three quarters. McCarthy added eight in the frame, while Rocca and Presutti countered with six points each for McMaster.
The Marauders took hold of the final frame after an Angus three cut the Marauders lead to 68-66, using a 9-2 run to put Mac up 77-68 late in the fourth. McCarthy scored 15 points in the final quarter, but it wasn't enough for the Gryphons as McMaster's Rocca countered with 10 fourth quarter points.
Guelph will look to end the season on a high note when they head north to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a double-header next weekend, with games on February 17, and 18. Tip off for both games is scheduled for 8pm.
