Kamari Scott goes off for career-high 38 points in emotional win over Sea-Hawks
It’s as if someone was there guiding them to victory.
By Thomas Becker
It's as if someone was there guiding them to victory.
Before the game, the UPEI Panthers celebrated the life of Oscar Waugh, a 15-year-old basketball fiend who lost an 18-month battle with cancer last summer.
Much like Oscar, the Panthers showed a resilience that only the fiercest warriors exhibit—those who never give in and fight with everything they have, especially when the odds are against them.
After controlling most of the first half, the Panthers struggled mightily in the third quarter, where they surrendered a 10-point lead and went into the fourth trailing 70-66. The Memorial Sea-Hawks would open up an 11-point advantage with just 6:50 to play, signalling the end was near. But with their season on the line, the Panthers stormed back thanks to some timely plays from their star.
With 3:05 remaining, Kamari Scott converted a rare four-point play to pull his team within two, 84-82. Moments later, the veteran guard saw Daniel Gonzalez Longarela barrelling down the lane and fed him a pass for an easy layup to put them in front. On the ensuing possession, Scott pulled up for a three-pointer and drilled his seventh of the game to give his Panthers (7-11) an 89-84 lead, all but sealing a 91-86 win and ending their five-game skid.
Scott finished with a career-best 38 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Not to be forgotten was Jace Colley, who had a vintage performance with 28 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
Scott said he and the team were inspired by Oscar's story of resilience and his ability to face adversity head-on.
"Before the game, coach Glenn shared an impactful letter from Oscar's mom about how he was fighting, how he was still putting up shots in the gym during treatment, and just how he had a positive attitude toward everything. It really gave me the courage to fight and keep digging for more. When our team was down, I always knew we had a chance," he said. "If we learned anything from Oscar, it's to never give up and always keep fighting."
The Sea-Hawks (9-8) had a trio of players who reached the 20-point mark, including veteran forward Nicholas Tuff, who had 29 points and six rebounds. Flynn Boardman-Raffet recorded a double-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists, while Emanuel Ring finished with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Tied 7-7 early on, Colley went to work, scoring five straight points on an and-one and a putback dunk to pull the Panthers ahead 12-7. Scott then capped off an 8-0 run with a triple.
After Flynn split a pair of free throws, Scott scored five consecutive points to make it 20-8. The Panthers' offence was unstoppable throughout the quarter, where they shot a blistering 66.7 per cent from the field and led 34-19. Scott led all scorers with 15 points.
Scott continued his scoring tear, adding four more points to his total while giving his team a 19-point advantage in the opening minutes of the second quarter. But the Sea-Hawks were able to cut the deficit to 41-32 behind a 9-0 run. River Drefers scored five of those nine points to keep his team within reach.
The Panthers responded with an 8-2, thanks mainly to their willingness to attack the basket, as six of the eight points came on layups. After 20 minutes of action, they led 51-41.
Tuff went off in the third, as the skilled big man single-handedly outscored the Panthers 10-6 in a three-minute span, trimming the deficit to just six, 57-51. Midway through the quarter, Tuff and Ring connected on back-to-back triples to tie it at 57-57 before Ivan Tsafack gave them the lead on a layup. Tuff had 16 in the quarter, as the Sea-Hawks went into the fourth ahead 70-66.
After Memorial extended their lead to 11, UPEI slowly whittled into the deficit, setting the stage for some big plays from Scott, who scored 15 points in the final quarter and made sure his team came away with the much-needed win.
"They did a good job in the third quarter taking away some of my strengths, but I had to counter and came back in the fourth quarter and found my shot again."
The Panthers look to stave off elimination and make it two wins in a row when they take on the Sea-Hawks again on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek
