The Kermode Kave didn't prove to be the ultimate edge for the Quest Kermodes men's basketball team at the CCAA men's nationals, but Quest head coach Sean Shook said his team has proven it can compete with some of Canada's best.
Quest finished fifth at the eight-team tournament, losing a thrilling 87-84 game to Sheridan College on Thursday (March 13), defeating the Crandall Chargers 95-83 on Friday (March 14) and falling to the Vanier Cheetahs 96-76 on Saturday (March 15).
Friday's game against Sheridan was a heartbreaker for Quest. It erased the school's golden dreams, but Shook said he loved his team's effort.
"I thought we did an outstanding job against them and I don't know if we did anything different that the outcome would have changed," he said.
Graduating senior Jose Colorado led the way for Quest with 27 points and guard Cartiea French-Toney added 20 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and three steals. The Kermodes had a chance to tie the game on the final play of the game but failed to convert.
Despite the opening-day loss, the Kermodes still had a chance to win the bronze and kept those hopes alive by defeating New Brunswick's Crandall University on Friday. Quest was led by Shedrick Nelson, who caught fire and scored 37 points, including a perfect seven of seven from beyond the three-point line.
The third-place aspirations for Quest ended on Saturday when they fell apart in the second half against Quebec's Vanier College. The Kermodes shot 29 per cent for the game and were outscored in the second half by 18.
"We played liked we didn't want to be here at times," Shook said of Saturday's loss. "We had opportunities in the first half to have the lead but had too many empty possessions, a lot of turnovers and just unforced errors that cost us."
He said aside from the second half against Vanier, Quest went toe to toe with some of the country's top talent.
"I thought we played 100 minutes of really good basketball but just couldn't get anyone going on Saturday," he said.
Shook said the experience at the nationals will help his team, especially the young talent, mature and grow.
"It's that high level of basketball that you can't duplicate," he said of the tournament. "Even in the Pacwest, there are a couple of games that get to this level, but a lot of games it's just not there. For the young guys like Denzel Laguerta and Paul Getz to play against bigger, stronger and faster guys will really help our program overall."
While Shook looked to the future, he also acknowledge Colorado for his four stellar years on the court.
"He's Jose - I love the kid," Shook said of the program's all-time leading scorer. "I can be up and down emotionally but he's a flat line - he never gets too up or down. He's been such a solid scorer for us and been one of the best in the country. He helped moved our program forward and it's really moving in the right direction thanks to guys like him."
He added that from a host school standpoint, the tournament was a success - on and off the court.
"We knew we would have limitations with our facility and change rooms, but we made adjustments and all the feedback has been positive," Shook said. "We've had a lot of people visiting here for the first time and talking about how beautiful 麻豆社国产is."
Langara wins crown
The Langara Falcons lost just one game in the 2013-'14 basketball season and it happened to be at Quest's gym.
And while the Kave might have felt like a sour place for Langara when they lost in 麻豆社国产in November, it might be the sweetest court for them now after they won the CCAA National Championship in 麻豆社国产on Saturday.
The Falcons trailed by six to the Red Deer College Kings after three quarters of the gold medal game but stormed back in the final quarter to win 88-86 - but not without some anxious moments down the stretch.
Langara led by seven with 29 seconds remaining. Red Deer guard Lloyd Strickland, though, hit four three-point shots to narrow the gap to one, 87-86, with 4.9 seconds left. But after tournament MVP Brody Greig of the Falcons made the first of two free throws, Langara's defence made sure Red Deer couldn't get off a shot on its final trip up the floor.
Falcons coach Paul Eberhardt said he used his team's loss in the CCAA semifinals last year to help wake Langara up heading into the fourth.
"I reminded them of last year and how we felt when we lost," he said. "I told them there was 10 minutes to go and they had better come off that floor pretty much ready to die - and they did. They responded big time and put together an amazing fourth quarter, led by Brody."
Eberhardt praised Quest and the community of 麻豆社国产for the terrific job they did hosting the event.
"A lot of people were worried when it came to Quest about if they could pull it off and they proved everyone wrong," Eberhardt said. "They ran an amazing tournament and the atmosphere in the gym is unbelievable."
The Kings were awarded the silver medal at the event, with the Sheridan Bruins winning the bronze. For more details on the tournament, visit www.ccaa.ca/men-s-s14848.
