Carleton Undefeated, Phil Scrubb MVP, a Microcosm of the 2011-2012 Season?
Top Performers
Carleton:
Philip Scrubb – Pts: 21 (4-6 3FG), Reb: 3, Ast: 5, Stl: 1, Min: 25
Elliot Thompson – Pts: 18 (4-7 3FG), Reb: 6, Ast: 1, Stl: 0, Min: 25
Guelph:
Andrew Beney – Pts: 8, Reb: 4, Blk:1, Stl: 1, Min: 16
OTTAWA,ON-The Carleton Ravens closed out the 22nd annual House-Laughton tournament an undefeated 3-0, with a convincing win, 104-61 over the Guelph Gryphons in the final game.
Tournament MVP Phil Scrubb of Carleton averaged 19.3 points per game, and scored 21 in this close-out game.
On being named tournament MVP Scrubb humbly said “it’s always good to get individual recognition, but I thought it was good that we played well as a team and we won.”
After the jitters wore off at the start of the game, Carleton pulled ahead with a Willy Manigat three-pointer that made the score 9-4. Scrubb scored early and often in this game, including a fast-break stop and pivot to get an easy basket in the post.
Willy Manigat and Phil Scrubb continued to score by getting right to the basket and using the fast break. Elliot Thompson was dialed in from long range as he made 4-5 three-pointers in the first half.
The Gryphons were having a tough time finding offensive opportunities, but a three-pointer by Mohamed Osman followed by his drawing of an offensive foul on the other end of the floor earned Osman some cheers from the Guelph bench.
But offense wasn’t the only factor as defense also played a significant role for the Ravens. With the whole Ravens team crashing the boards every time a shot went up, the Ravens outrebounded the Gryphons 16-9 in the first half, and 42-16 for the game. No Gryphons players scored in double figures.
This focus on defense was evident when Phil Scrubb blocked a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to preserve a 22-9 lead.
In the second quarter both teams came out shooting and each notched their highest-scoring quarter of the game. After a buzzer-beater fadeaway three by Kareem Malcolm was answered by Elliot Thompson, Andrew Benny and Tyson Hinz exchanged threes. Michel Clark also got in on the raindance. Elliot Thompson remained on point with two consecutive three-pointers that brought the lead to 37-22. After more solid play from Phil Scrubb and Kevin Churchill, the Ravens carried a 53-33 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Ravens starters Elliot Thompson, and Tyson Hinz continued to lead the charge. Close to the end of the third quarter after two second-chance points and a three-pointer by Thomas Scrubb (who finished with a double-double) made the score 70-40, Carleton coach Dave Smart began to play his young guys off the bench.
Exciting Ravens rookie Guillame Boucard had a swat that made the crowd go “oooh,” and used his strength to body past his defender on the baseline and rise up for a two-handed jam. Dan Penner made two three-pointers, and rookie Ryan Augustine also sank a three.
After the game, Phil Scrubb said “it was a good win, I thought we played decent all weekend. The home crowd was pretty excited and we got a lot of fans out so that’s always good.”
Point guard Willy Manigat backs up Scrubb saying it’s all about the fans; “We always want to try to put the best product out there on the floor and always try to play as hard as we can. We want to win and improve every day. With this tournament being the House-Laughton tournament, and being a tournament that means a lot to our alumni, it was important for us to make sure we represented the people who have played in this program in the past, and keep winning.”
The Gryphons don’t have much time for rest and reflection as they play this Thursday, October 20th at Humber College.
The Ravens will not rest easy as Willy Manigat says “we need to improve on everything,” before the team’s regular season opens on November 11 at McMaster University.
Tournament Records
Carleton: 3-0
Bishop’s: 2-1
Victoria: 1-2
Guelph: 0-3
Tournament All-Stars
Jeremy Leonard-Smith – Bishop’s Gaiters
Sean Monplaisir – Bishop’s Gaiters
Ryan MacKinnon – Victoria Vikes
Kevin Churchill – Carleton Ravens
Elliot Thompson – Carleton Ravens
Tournament MVP
Phil Scrubb – Carleton Ravens
