February 27th - Game 4 MBB Championships
Caronport, SK (February 27, 2025) - In a showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats, the NAIT Ooks and SAIT Trojans delivered a thrilling battle in their highly anticipated men's matchup.
NAIT vs SAIT men's matchup was a battle right to the very end, with the NAIT Ooks building a lead early in the 2nd quarter and holding off the SAIT Trojans until the very end.
Both teams struggled to find any openings and make the best of their shots in the first quarter, with a 10-7 advantage for the Trojans after 6 minutes. By the end of the quarter, it was tied at 20, as both teams shook off the nerves and found some offense.
In the first half, SAIT made one of three 3-point attempts taken, while NAIT managed to make 6 of their 13 more numerous attempts. SAIT focused on attacking the paint but were repelled by a strong defensive effort by the Ooks. By the end of the half, it was 40-33 for the Ooks.
The third quarter was a tight battle, with each team fighting for every point, with nothing easy on the offensive end. The NAIT Ooks increased their advantage by a point, ending the 3rd up 59-51.
The 4th quarter saw more changes in the lead, as neither team let up. The Trojans finally managed to drain another 3, closing the gap to 66-63, but the creative drives in the following two plays by #0, Farah of the Ooks, opened it up again. #13, McLeod skied for a great block on a 3 attempt with one minute left, going the other way after recovering the block for an easy lay-up, putting the Ooks up by 11 with a minute to go. The Trojans were not done, managing two quick steals and finishing hard at the rim, to close within 7, but a flurry of 2-point plays by both teams, as well as free throws, ended any chance of completing a comeback. The Ooks win a great battle 80-67!
Player of the game for the Trojans was Jaden Matthews with 3-13 shooting, 9-11 free throws made, 16 points and 6 rebounds. Johnny Mims was a force to be reckoned with as well, finishing with 17 points in 17 minutes played.
For the Ooks, Peter-Aluk Deng got the honours, finishing with 6-14 shooting, 3-7 3-pointers made, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Farah and Fisher helped out with 15 and 16 points, respectively.