Tyler Fidler Holds Down The Fort Against UBC, Picking Up Much-Needed Victory

By Wayne Thomas

NPH TOP PERFORMERS

CALGARY

• Tyler Fidler– 25 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
• Dustin Reding– 16 points, 5 rebounds
• Josh Wolfram– 15 points, 4 rebounds

 

UBC

• Doug Plumb– 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
• Malcolm Williams– 16 points, 2 rebounds
• Kamar Burke– 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals

CALGARY,AB–After having lost several close games earlier in the season, it was a sweet victory for the Dinos (3-5) over perennial power UBC, who had a nightmare weekend in Southern Alberta, arriving at 4-0 and leaving at 4-2, after losses in both Lethbridge and Calgary. 

Coming back for the second half with the score locked at 45, the ‘Birds took a flurry of fouls to starters Nathan Yu, Graham Bath,  Doug Plumb, and Balraj Bains, but Calgary’s Tyler Fidler picked up his fourth near the start of the 4th quarter, with the game lead see-sawing. 

The teams spent much of the evening exchanging foul shots, with Calgary going 26/41  and the T-Birds 26/40 . 

The benches saw plenty of playing minutes, with starters accumulating fouls …  Bains and Bath took their fifth fouls within seconds of each other in the 4th, and for the game UBC saw both Tommy Nixon and Doug Plumb foul out as well, while Calgary lost  Keenan Milburn in the final minute.

With Fidler nursing four fouls on the sidelines, Dustin Reding provided the offense the Dinos needed in the middle of the final frame, and the fifthh year post finished up with 16 points.

When Fidler returned, he was rattled on a failed dunk attempt, but Josh Owen-Thomas cashed a trey from the corner at the two minute mark. Nathan Yu went to the line and hit two free throws to close it to one, but Fidler, returning for the last minute, made a clutch turnaround J from the right corner to restore a three point UC lead.

After a UBC offensive foul with 15 seconds remaining,  Owen-Thomas converted 2 FTs and Calgary celebrated. 

Finishing the game with 25 points, Fidler steadied Calgary at both ends when he was needed the most.  Josh Wolfram scored 15 and had  4 boards, as he and Patrick Walker altered several UBC shots through the game. 

The T-Birds received 17 from Plumb, 16 from rookie Malcolm Williams, and 14 by Kamar Burke, who led both teams with 11 rebounds.

UBC won the battle on the boards 51-30, but shot 41% from the floor to the Dinos 53%.  

 

Other Games in Canada West  – Saturday

 

at Alberta Golden Bears  79   Fraser Valley Cascades 57 … in what was a meeting of the #7 and #8 teams in the country, the Bears (6-2) dominated completely, as their defense held UFV to just 35% shooting, and Jordan Baker paced the Prairie Div. leaders with 20 pts. and Robertt Dewar added 17 as  Alberta committed  just 8 turnovers compared to 21 for the Cascades (5-3).  UFV had Joel Friesen with 13 and 11 boards, while Kyle Grewal scored 12 and snared 10 rebs.

at Saskatchewan Huskies 98  Trinity Western Spartans 73   … Jamelle Barrett appears to have the mojo back, with 23 pts., 7 assists. Peter Lomuro shoots 8/10 for 20 pts., and the Huskies (5-2) are 60% from the floor.  Kyle Coston sits for much of the game (foul trouble?) and has only 7 for Trinity. Sean Peter is the Spartans’ lead scorer with 24, as they fall to 2-6. 

Victoria Vikes 90   at  Lethbridge Pronghorns 59    … perhaps too much emotion from the Friday win, but Lethbridge (4-4) is never in this one against the 8-0 Vikes, whose 53-29 half-time margin all but put the game on ice. Ryan McKinnon led the Vikes again with 23, and he had help from both Mike Berg and  Michael Acheampong who chalked up 14 apiece, as Victoria shot 54% from the field.  The ‘Horns were just not able to generate offense, with 13 points from each of Logan Reiter and Dom Coward the best they could muster.

at Thompson Rivers WolfPack 110  Regina Cougars  100 …  a free-wheeling affair to say the least, as both teams cut loose their big guns … Justin King of TRU had  35 to pad his lead as the League’s top scorer and added 11 boards, while Chas Kok netted 22 and dealt 5 assists for the ‘Pack who even their mark to 4-4 at the break. Paul Gareau, with  23 points and 8 rebounds, and Brendan Hebert 20 pts., including 4/6 from 3 point range, were the top Cougars as they fall to 2-5 .

Brandon Bobcats 81    at  UBC-O Heat  68 …  the Bobcats move to 3-5, and the Heat are last in the Pacific with a 1-5 mark. No box-score at press time.

 

Notes …

 

-Our ace reporter in L.A. , Dave Wells, flush with the Horns victory over UBC, fills us in on Morgan Duce, “a 5’11” shooting guard from Raymond. Played quarterback for the Comets too. Played one year of hoops at Lethbridge College before his Mormon mission and one year after. Was ACAC South Division 1st-team All Star last year.” Well, we knew most of this, but had too many of us (including his proud parents) guessed he might be the high scorer in a rare win over mighty UBC?!

 

<<< Lethbridge transfer guard, Morgan Duce, driving against UBC

 

 

 

1.  

   • We were half-kidding about the availability of players with eligibility left as the UC Dinos ranks get thinner… but, it appears that neither Asst. Coach Hamaliuk nor Head Coach Vanhooren can properly simulate an opposing post man in a pre-game shoot-around, so the call has, indeed, gone out for more bodies. That looked a lot like Yuri Anissovets on the bench Friday night, and Trevor Debolt tells us he is planning to start practices next week. This will help the Dinos, who are really in a tight spot, and it will save a nasty injury to Coach Hammy, who has limited lateral movement at this stage of his career.

 

1.  

   • Just 1 game next week in Canada West, and that’s the return match in the Battle of Winnipeg as the Wesmen travel to the suburbs to face the Manitoba Bisons, who won game 1 last week 87-70. The OUA has a full slate of games on the 2nd and 3rd weekend.