Jordan Clennon, Mark McNee, Travis Khan & Winnipeg Wesmen Steamroll Keyano College

WINNIPEG,MB–The competition will only get more difficult from here for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, who cruised to a commanding 88-41 victory Friday night against the lower-tiered Keyano College Huskies of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.

The Wesmen, currently second in the Canada West Prairie Division, used their roster’s depth to their advantage in the quarter-final match at the Wesmen Classic, seeing 11 players with over 10 minutes of court time in their home tournament. Only Steven Wesley, Benny Iko and Travis Krahn were on the court for more than 20 minutes.

Apart from a tight opening quarter which could have gone either way, a comeback was never in reach for the Huskies. Winnipeg turned their 21-14 advantage after 10 minutes into a 46-25 lead by the half.

The Wesmen’s scoring barrage slowed down after the mid-game break, only scoring a basket in the opening 5:20, but they turned it around, relying on their bench to close the match.

The Huskies shot a dismal 5 for 28 in the second half.

Despite the dominating win, third-year Jordan Clennon said his team was not satisfied with doubling up on their opponents.

“We’ve played a lot of great games this year and that wasn’t even close to what our potential is,” Clennon said, who was a perfect 7 for 7 from the floor. “We just need to focus more and get our bodies ready for the next game.”

Winnipeg is favoured to come out on top against Canada West Pacific opponent Mount Royal in Saturday’s semifinal. Keyano College has been regulated to the consolation bracket due to their defeat in the quarters. They will battle the Mayville State Comets.

The Wesmen last won this tournament in 2006. They have claimed a record 11 titles in the competition’s 46-year history.

Clennon led the offensive charge for the Wesmen with 15 points. He was closely followed by fourth-year Mark McNee and his 13 points.

For Keyano College, six-foot guard Yonas Berhe was the only player to break the 10-point barrier. He had 13 points.

NPH Top Performers

Winnipeg

• Jordan Clennon – 15 pts (7/7 FG), 5 rebs
• Mark McNee – 13 pts
• Travis Krahn – 11 pts (3/5 3pt)

Keyano College

• Yonas Berhe – 13 pts