Championship pursuit: Panthers prepare for AUS tournament in Halifax

By Thomas Becker

Up until now, they had accomplished every goal they set for themselves, including earning a postseason berth and clinching a first round bye.

But one goal remains for the UPEI Men's Basketball Panthers – capturing that AUS title.

The final test begins this weekend when all six playoff teams make their way to the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax to compete for that illustrious championship.

"Right now we're sitting exactly where we wanted to be at the start of the year," said Panthers head coach Time Kendrick. "I'm very proud of them and what they've accomplished, but we have to be ready to go. It's as simple as that."

The second-seed Panthers opened the season reeling off five straight wins and were nationally recognized by the CIS as a top-10 team. Since then, the Panthers battled through various injuries and finished the season 7-8, including a current two-game slide.

"We understand we haven't played up to our level in the last little bit, but we had some issues and we're dealing with it."

Despite the recent struggles, the Panthers still earned a spot in the semifinals and await the winner of the quarter-final matchup between Acadia and Cape Breton Friday night.

In other quarter-final action, the UNB Varsity Reds take on the Saint Mary's Huskies. That winner will move on to face the first-seed Dalhousie Tigers the following evening.

The Panthers will use Friday's game as a barometer of what to expect when they take to the floor Saturday night against either the Axemen or Capers. Since both teams play completely different styles, game planning ahead of time will be much more difficult, said Kendrick.

"We'll plan two different scenarios, but we'll probably focus more on the higher seed."

The high-scoring Panthers, who rank first with 93.3 points per game, found success against both teams during the season, capturing three of four wins against the Capers, while splitting four games against the Axemen.

Still, UPEI has to find a way to generate wins on the road, where they finished 2-7 (10-1 at home), if they intend on bringing a banner home to Charlottetown.

"It will be a tough test. The league is so tight and the teams are so strong."

The Panthers hope to get strong performances from their leaders who carried them to a 12-8 record. MVP candidate Tyler Scott led the team with 25.1 points per game, while forwards Brad States and Lorenzo Parker contributed 19 and 12, respectively.

While much has been accomplished this season, the Panthers aren't done yet. They'll have to dig deep, look within themselves and put together back-to-back great games in their final pursuit of a championship.

"We have to put it all out there," said Kendrick. "One of our main goals is to try to outwork and outhustle everybody we play. I think if we do those things, we'll be right there."

Tournament schedule:
Quarter-final 1: (4) UNB vs. (5) Saint Mary's – March 4, 6:30 p.m.
Quarter-final 2: (3) Acadia vs. (6) Cape Breton – March 4, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinal 1: (1) Dalhousie vs. Winner QF1 – March 5, 6:30 p.m.
Semifinal 2: (2) UPEI vs. Winner QF2 – March 5, 8:30 p.m.

Final: Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2 – March 6, 4:30 p.m.