Cougars coast to victory over Cascades

Max Campbell, Mount Royal Cougars Sports Information

CALGARY, AB – With their 87-70 win versus the University of the Fraser Valley at Kenyon Court on Friday evening, the Mount Royal Cougars knocked off the Cascades for the second time in three meetings this season. 

The Cougars were effective on both ends of the floor, with four staters hitting double figures and the team combining for six blocked shots.

Back-to-back turnovers on Mount Royal's first two possessions led to an early 2-0 deficit, but Derek Wolf then launched a shot from behind the arc to get the Cougars on the board. A Brett Layton steal was relayed to Ryan Cunningham before Wolf finished off the fast break for a 16-12 advantage with less than five minutes left in the first quarter. 

In the second quarter, a pump-fake from Ray Goff allowed the Okotoks, Alta. native to evade a pair of Fraser Valley defenders for an easy score. Leading 47-38 at the break, the Cougars pulled down 22 rebounds including nine from Layton, the conference's leading rebounder at 10.7 per game. Only two Mount Royal players failed to find the score sheet in the opening 30 minutes.

A highlight-reel block by Lefebvre in the third denied Navjot Baines from in close. Although the Cascades managed to outscore the Cougars by a score of 23-21 in the frame, Glen Yang's two successful foul shots in the final stages of the quarter extended the lead to seven.

Matthew Gray's jump shot in the fourth sealed the win for the Cougars as he shook his defender with a behind-the-back dribble.

Sitting in fourth place behind the MacEwan Griffins, Mount Royal possesses a 9-10 record. The Cascades, having already locked up second-place in the Explorer Division, suffered defeat for the seventh time 19 contests.

Saturday night will see Mount Royal host Fraser Valley at 7:00 pm to wrap up the regular-season schedule. Lefebvre, the Cougars' lone fifth-year player, will be donning the Blue and White for the final time in his CIS career.