MBB: Vikes shutdown Cougars offence en route to CW championship berth

EDMONTON - The Victoria Vikes held the Regina Cougars to just a 27.5 shooting percentage in a 74-65 victory late Friday night at the Saville Centre, booking a date in the Canada West Championship in the process.

The Vikes will look to win their first conference championship since 2015, where they won their CW record 15th title. They face an undefeated Alberta Golden Bears squad that won their earlier semifinal match in the evening. They have also clinched their spot in the Final 8, hosted in Edmonton as well.

The Cougars will play in the bronze medal match, with the possibility of a national championship berth still in play. They match up against provincial rivals the Saskatchewan Huskies, of whom they won the season series 3-1.
CW second-team all-star Diego Maffia was the player of the match for the Vikes, keeping an often stagnant Victoria offence in the lead for the majority of the game. He finished with 20 points, a line that included five threes. First-teamer Scott Kellum flanked him with a game-high 22 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars were paced by a depth effort, as no one player was able to heat up and take over. Carter Millar, CW third-team all-star, was the leading scorer for Regina, knotting 17 points.

While both teams had a strong night on the defensive side of the floor, it was the Vikes that were able to find their shooting form to lead most of the way. The Cougars finished 19/69 from the floor, and 6/29 from beyond the arc. While noting that they were more a volume than efficient scoring team in the regular season, it was still an impressive defensive effort from the British Columbia squad.

The first quarter was as exciting as a 27 cumulative points quarter could be, with the Vikes escaping with a 16-9 lead. Both teams played ferocious defence, leading to the low total. The Cougars were able to hold the number one three-point shooting team in the conference to an 0/3 goose egg from beyond the arc. While the Vikes were able to feast in the paint to the tune of an 83.3% from in the key, they were largely stifled by an active Regina perimeter defence. The Cougars were able to get clean looks but were unable to capitalize on them, finishing the quarter with a 23.5% shooting percentage that included a 1/7 mark from three. The Cougars Majok Madal, and the Vikes Dominick Oliveri were the leading scorers with four points apiece.

The defensive effort would continue from both sides in the second quarter, with Victoria ultimately leading at halftime 34-25. The quarter would be a back-and-forth frame, as both offences cold starts started to thaw. The Vikes hit four three pointers in the quarter, including three off the hand of Maffia. What the Cougars lacked in efficiency they made up for in volume, tying the game at 25-25 with help from fourth-year Brayden Kuski who scored five points to go with two rebounds and an assist in the quarter. Victoria would grab a hold of the game with a minute to go, going on a remarkable 9-0 to head to the dressing room with the lead.

The Vikes would maintain their lead throughout an even third quarter in which both teams scored 17 in the frame, but in very different ways. The Vikes were able to maintain their lead by scoring relatively efficiently, an effort spearheaded by Kellum, the fifth-year Victoria guard. The Cougars were again a volume shooting squad, lowering their shooting percentage to just 20.8% overall by the end of the quarter, but making up for it on the offensive glass. The teams entered the final quarter with a 51-42 game in favour of Victoria.

The fourth quarter saw the Vikes start to pull away. They had their biggest lead of the game midway through the quarter, and were buoyed by a phenomenal frame from Kellum. They outscored the Cougs down the stretch 12-10 to eke out a strong defensive victory.

The Vikes will face the Bears in the gold medal match tomorrow at 8PM MST, while the Cougs face the Huskies at 6PM. You can catch the games on canadawest.tv or follow live on the CW website.