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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Oct 28, 2022

Kodiaks Triumph Over Clippers in Well-Rounded Game

Box Score
Game Leaders
LETH
Pts: Brady Baines - 22
Reb: Christopher Schlauwitz - 7
Ast: Paycen Blackmore - 6
BC
Pts: Oroma Bongomin - 17
Reb: Zach Martens - 13
Ast: Corbin Gengenbach - 4
Team Stats
Full stats

By Jeff Misener

The Briercrest men's basketball team faced the Lethbridge Kodiaks in their home opener. The Clippers were keen to secure their first win of the young season, and their opponent, one of the ACAC's stingiest defensive team in recent years, would provide a stern test for the energetic hoopsters from Caronport.

Declan Peterson's open dunk gave the visitors an early lead. Briercrest centre Zach Martens dominated the defensive boards early, and Briercrest's Corbin Gengenbach rewarded his energy with an easy hoop. Lethbridge shot well from the outside, while the Clippers struggled to convert offensive rebounds into points. Numerous errors by the home team allowed Lethbridge to build a 28-6 lead.

In quarter two, Martens assisted Bryant on a fast-break layup, but Kodiaks' guard Taylor Barfuss responded by cutting through the defense. A brief offensive flurry by Bryant and guard Riley Seaborn, and tough rebounding by Martens and Bryant, gave the large crowd some optimism, but Peterson's second dunk, this time in traffic, stifled their joy. Martens' determination and power featured in the later stages of the quarter, highlighted by a spicy, rim-rocking dunk over a Lethbridge defender that roused the crowd. However, Lethbridge's steadiness allowed them to maintain their large advantage going into halftime, 46-22.

Martens and Bryant continued to deliver gutsy, blue-collar efforts at both ends. Lethbridge's Brady Baines nailed several triples in the frame, and the Kodiaks ran a precise, opportunistic offense to maintain their lead. Though Bryant attacked the rim with reckless abandon throughout the quarter, the Clippers could not make inroads into the large deficit.

In the final frame, Baines continued to demoralize the hosts by knocking down threes. Martens remained an offensive threat and defensive stalwart for Briercrest. Clippers' Oroma Bongomin provided the fans with reason to cheer late in the period, but Lethbridge's overall game proved superior, and they won going away, 103-69.

Lethbridge Player of the Game was Brady Baines with 22 points and 3 steals. Briercrest centre Zach Martens scored 15 points and added 13 rebounds to receive the award for Briercrest. The Kodiaks' Paycen Blackmore enjoyed a balanced game (14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists), and Matthew Bryant had a double-double (15 points, 10 boards) for the Clippers.