Panthers defeat Sea-Hawks 66-54, keep playoff hopes alive

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers will live to see another day.

The Panthers (8-11) kept their playoff hopes alive with a critical 66-54 win over the Memorial Sea-Hawks Saturday night. 

It was a grind offensively for both teams, but that's when the leaders need to step up, and that's exactly what UPEI's Kamari Scott did, as he finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Kyree Thompson provided a lift off the bench with 14 points and two rebounds, while Jace Colley had 13 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and a steal.

The Panthers limited Memorial (9-9) to one double-figure scorer in Flynn Boardman-Raffet, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Nicholas Tuff and Emanuel Ring were held to just 13 combined points a day after scoring 49.

In a tie game early on, Scott scored four straight on a jumper and a crafty move in the lane to pull his team ahead 10-6. However, that lead was short-lived as the Sea-Hawks stormed in front 13-10 behind a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Josh Francis triple. After 10 minutes of action, Memorial led 22-18. 

After Thompson put his team ahead on a pair of free throws, Sam Chisholm drove hard left and converted the tough layup to make it 27-24, forcing their opponent to regroup with a timeout.

The quick breather didn't help the Sea-Hawks much, as the Panthers extended the lead to 10, 34-24 on a Chisholm layup and five straight points from Thompson.

The Sea-Hawks looked like they were about to get within seven of the Panthers, but Colley came out of nowhere and emphatically denied Ivan Tsafack, who had a clear lane ahead. That block led to a runout the other way, resulting in a Scott layup. UPEI led 42-32 at the break.

The second half was far from pretty. It was a struggle for both teams, and it was clear that fatigue had set in as they combined to score 46 points in the final 20 minutes. After trading baskets to start the third, the Panthers extended their lead to 52-38 thanks to three straight layups. The Sea-Hawks chipped away at the deficit some but still trailed 57-47 going into the fourth. 

Nothing was falling in the final quarter either, as both defences took over the game. UPEI held Memorial to just seven points while they scored nine the other way. But in the end, they got the job done and, more importantly, kept their playoff hopes alive.

The Panthers will play their final regular season game in Cape Breton vs. the Capers, while the Sea-Hawks return home for two against the Saint Mary's Huskies.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek