Love Competition Hall was abuzz with basketball action over the weekend, as the Martlets and Redmen took to the court for the annual McGill Redbird Classic. Six teams from across Canada competed in the preseason tournament, eager to challenge the home teams and showcase their talents in front of a rowdy and enthusiastic crowd.

Redmen

The Redmen entered the tournament with confidence on the backs of two decisive preseason victories against Queen’s and American International. They kicked off their weekend action against the Laurier Golden Hawks. Despite an evenly matched first quarter, the Redmen pulled away in the second half. They dominated the offensive glass and caught the Golden Hawks in futile defensive rotations with their quick ball movement. Starting point guard Adrian Hynes-Guery, and second-year forward Rodrigo Imperador de Paula had 14 points apiece. McGill ended the game on a 17-3 run, resulting in a commanding 80-59 victory.

The key to the win was McGill’s excellent defensive effort. Head Coach David DeAveiro commented on the significance of the team’s success on the defensive end.

“We have played extremely well defensively. [I’m] a little surprised since we haven’t had much time to practice with our group of guys,” DeAveiro said. “But I’m very pleased with how we are playing now … everyone is coming on and contributing.”

Following their decisive win over the Golden Hawks, the Redmen came into Saturday’s match looking to extend their winning streak and once again defend their home court against the Trinity Western Spartans. While both teams struggled to hit shots early on, it was McGill that broke its shooting funk first, led by freshman guard Christian McCue’s four three-pointers and Hynes-Guery’s 23 points. The Redmen continued to convert on hustle plays and received significant contributions from their deep roster. They came out on top 93-71 in another statement win. Coach DeAveiro was pleased with the depth of his team’s roster and second-year guard Vincent Dufort.

“Everyone has really played their part. Vincent Dufort does all the dirty work so he’s not getting a lot of credit, but Vince has been outstanding for us,” DeAveiro noted. “Christian McCue making shots [and] doing really well as a freshman, Rodrigo coming off the bench and giving us instant offense in the post… it’s been a team effort.”

McGill capped off their strong play by defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gee’s 85-64 and placing first in the Redbird Classic. Hynes-Guery was named tournament MVP and Coach DeAveiro earned his first victory over Ottawa, his old team.

The Redmen look to continue their success on the court at the Brock Invitational Tournament this coming weekend in St. Catherine’s, Ontario.

Martlets

The McGill Martlets entered the Classic eager to impress and looking to capitalize on their own two-game winning streak. Unfortunately, the Martlets fell short, unable to convert their effort into victories.

McGill’s first game occurred on Friday evening against the St. Mary Huskies. The game was plagued by sloppy play on both sides early on, with the Martlets and Huskies combining for 16 turnovers in the first half. Despite the considerable effort and desire exhibited in the second half, the Martlets continued to struggle, resulting in a tough 76-57 loss. Point-guard Francoise Charest and freshman forward Mariam Sylla both scored a team-high 11 points in the loss.

Following the game, Martlet Head Coach Ryan Thorne reflected critically on his team’s performance.

“I think we’re young so we make some mistakes … I think we have to do a better job of preparing [our freshmen], but I also think we got to be more disciplined in what we do,” Thorne said.

Looking to recover from their loss the night before, the Martlets  appeared energized on Saturday against the Regina Cougars. Once again, the team struggled to score, and failed to create any chemistry on the offensive end. Although there were bursts of defensive excellence from McGill in the second quarter, the Cougars ultimately forced turnovers and dominated the Martlets on the glass, leading to another disheartening 70-30 McGill loss.

That discouraging theme followed McGill into their last game on Sunday against the Ottawa Gee Gee’s. McGill fell 66-63.

Coach Thorne could only express disappointment in the Martlet’s play over the weekend.

“I don’t think we had discipline … I don’t have any highlights from this [tournament]. I’ve seen this team play really well, so I know that we’re a better team,” Thorne said. “I know that we have some injuries, but from this weekend [there are] zero highlights.”

The Martlets look to bounce back and end their preseason on a high note against Queen’s on Oct. 26.

Amidst cheers, whistles, and blowhorns, the McGill Martlet and Redmen swim teams hosted squads from across Quebec for the second RSEQ Cup on Saturday at Memorial Pool. The Martlets finished second out of six teams with 112 points, behind the Montreal Carabins, while the Redmen recorded 78 points, good for third behind the Laval Rouge-et-Or and Montreal.

Several individual performances stood out at the meet. Fifth-year phenom Steven Bielby claimed four medals, most impressively in the 400m individual medley (IM). He won by a full body length over second place with a time of 4:32.80.

“I wasn’t sure how the race would pan out, and I like to lead it from the front just to be in control,” Bielby said, all smiles after the meet. “It’s a strategy I normally do, and it worked out well today.”

Third-year backstroke specialist Jennifer Darling finished second for the Martlets in the 200m backstroke, clocking in at 2:18.50. Quick off the block, Darling swam neck and neck with Montreal’s Gabrielle Soucisse for the majority of the race. In the last 50 metres, Soucisse overtook Darling, winning by 2.16 seconds.

The enthusiasm of the fans and team members was evident throughout the meet. In the highly anticipated men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, McGill’s first relay team­­—consisting of Marc-André Benoit, Michael Luck, Pierre-Alexandre Renaud, and Bielby—took the lead over the first three lengths. However, in the last 100 metres, Dominique Massie-Martel of Laval outswam Bielby and stole the win with a time of 3:29.10 over McGill’s second place 3:30.30.

According to Head Coach Peter Carpenter, the “swim of the day” was Pierre-Alexandre Renaud’s performance in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:52.21. After a strong start, Renaud maintained a steady pace, vying for first with Christopher Bezeau of Montreal and Dominique Massie-Martel of Laval. With a final spurt of energy, Renaud snatched gold in the last 50 metres. He ended the day with one gold and two silver medals, good for “swimmer-of-the-meet.”

On the whole, Coach Carpenter was pleased with the results. He noted the team’s focus on fitness since the first RSEQ Cup a couple weeks ago.

“One thing that was glaring at the first Cup meet was that we weren’t as fit as we needed to be, and we’ve worked hard these past two weeks,” Carpenter said.

The added focus definitely paid off, as several members of the Martlets and Redmen qualified for the CIS Championship in February in Calgary, thanks to their performances on Saturday. In addition to those already qualified, McGill added Darling in the 200m backstroke and first-year Kathleen Caldwell, who earned three medals at the meet, in the 400m individual medley. Second-year Taryne Landry matched Caldwell with three medals of her own. As a whole, the team effort was far from understated.

“The sum of the parts is important,” Carpenter said. “I thought that as a group they really stepped up and supported each other well today.”

Looking forward to the rest of the season, the team is realistic about their difficult schedule. “The teams we’re up against are very, very tough … we will step up to the challenges [as] best [as] we can,” Carpenter said.

McGill will face stiff competition from Montreal’s women’s team and Laval’s men’s team in future RSEQ meets. The Martlet and Redmen swim teams will hit the pool again next weekend on Oct. 27, when they host Ottawa and Toronto in a Tri-Meet at Memorial Pool.

In case you were too busy fact checking the U.S. presidential debates, or catching the first week of fall sweeps, here’s what you missed this past week in the world of sports…

BASEBALL — The boys of summer continue on, as the kings of October wait to be crowned. A-Rod proved once again he isn’t made for fall baseball, relegating himself to a pinch-hitter, as he and the Yankees waved goodbye to 2012 after being swept by the Tigers in the American League Championship Series. Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera are proving to be the winning formula for Detroit, and it should be no surprise that the Tigers are in the Fall Classic. The National League Championship series was much more spirited, as the San Francisco Giants prevailed in a dramatic seven-game series. The World Series begins on Wednesday in San Fran.

BASKETBALL — While it’s only preseason, the NBA fills a much needed void in winter sports with the absence of NHL hockey. The headlines have been dominated by the injury report, as the Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire has been ruled out for 2-3 weeks and the Minnesota Timberwolves have lost Kevin Love for 6-8 weeks. Dirk Nowitzki is fresh off knee surgery, which will make it difficult for the Dallas Mavericks in the early season. In the early goings, the Golden State Warriors are on top, but as we all know, the preseason can be deceiving—just ask the Lakers. The newest super team finds itself 0-5 on the year, but with Dwight Howard healthy and ready to play there is no reason to think the losing will last, especially into the regular season.

FOOTBALL — What a week in the NFL. Robert Griffin III showed some substance to the hype, as he threw for two touchdowns, 258 yards, and rushed for 89 more. However, it was all in a losing effort, as Eli Manning and the Giants refused to be counted out—what a surprise—scoring a 77-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left to claim the victory. In another tight contest, the Jets provided a shockingly strong performance against the usually unstoppable New England Patriots. The game went deep into overtime, with New England ultimately moving to the top of the AFC East with a 29-26 victory. Finally, the Saints are gaining some momentum in New Orleans, as they improved to 2-4, on the heels of Drew Brees’ 377 yard, four touchdown performance. The Baltimore Ravens obviously aren’t the same strong defence without Ray Lewis and LaDarius Webb—both of whom are out for the season—as the team fell to the 6-1 Houston Texans 43-13.

The McGill Redmen claimed first place in the CUFLA East division on Thursday night after defeating the Bishop’s Gaiters 12-10 at Molson Stadium. After losing by a single goal in their previous matchup against Bishop’s (8-1), McGill (9-1) handed the previously undefeated Gaiters their first loss of the season.

McGill held the lead for the entire match, and team captain Ryan Besse added back-to-back insurance goals in the fourth quarter to solidify McGill’s position as the top team in the East.

The teams are bitter rivals, and their games often consist of physical play. This contest was no different. After coming out of the gate slowly in the teams’ previous meeting, McGill came out firing in this one, scoring five unanswered goals in the first quarter. McGill utilized its fast-break effectively by dictating the pace and surprising Bishop’s, who managed to generate little offence in the opening frame. Besse, who entered the game two points shy of becoming McGill’s all-time points leader, netted McGill’s first goal of the game, and the first of his team-high five in the match. Fourth-year Jishan Sharples, who proved to be lethal from in close, scored two of his three goals in the first quarter. In the game, Sharples set his own record by notching his 100th career point as a Redmen.

Besse opened the following quarter in style by scoring his record breaking point on a diving powerplay goal. Bishop’s managed to gain some ground on McGill in the quarter by netting three goals, cutting McGill’s lead to 7-4. Head Coach Tim Murdoch praised Besse’s effort after the game.

“Besse had an incredible game, despite playing both midfield and attack,” Murdoch explained. “He scored five impressive goals against the stingiest defence in Canada.”

However, Murdoch was quick to note that the team’s success in this game and the season as whole has certainly been more than a one-man effort.  Senior leadership has been the standout element of this year’s squad.

“Our biggest strength [this season] has been strong leadership from senior [members] Ryan Besse, Kyle Robinson, Jishan Sharples, and Jon Rathauser,” Murdoch said.

He also had high praise for his coaching staff, noting that they are responsible for teaching the younger members of team.

“[Our coaching staff] mentored our talented, young offence, and were the masterminds behind [our] league-leading offence.”

Bishop’s took control of the scoring in the third, tallying four goals against McGill. Two of these goals occurred on the powerplay, as McGill fell victim to some undisciplined, physical play early on in the quarter. Nevertheless, the Redmen headed into the final frame up 10-8.

Much of McGill’s success came from its ability to limit the Gaiters’ possession of the ball. This can be largely attributed to the work of faceoff specialist Brandon McLean, who secured 14 of 18 faceoffs for the Redmen.

Besse notched two goals to open the final quarter of play, cushioning McGill’s lead to four. From there, Bishop’s added another midway through the frame, but couldn’t seem to muster enough offensive chances to get back into the game. The Gaiters added a late tally, but it proved insufficient.

Moving forward into the playoffs, Coach Murdoch gave some insight into what the team needs to do in order to bring a national lacrosse championship back to McGill.

“[We need to] stay healthy, stay motivated over the next two weeks, and [not] overlook the ability of any team in our league to outplay us if we are not mentally prepared,” he said.

As the top-seeded team in the East division, McGill will face the Carleton Ravens in its playoff opener on Oct. 27 at Molson Stadium.

Photos by Mike King.

The doors to the Bell Centre may remain locked for NHL players, but they were pried open for players and fans of a different sport on Friday night. NBA basketball returned to Montreal for the second time in three years as the Toronto Raptors “hosted” the New York Knicks in a preseason game as part of the NBA’s Canada Series. The series also includes a game in Winnipeg between Detroit and Minnesota. A sell-out crowd lived up to its rowdy reputation, and the players didn’t disappoint. The Raptors defeated the Knicks 107-88.

Toronto entered the contest with a 3-1 exhibition record, while the Knicks were 2-0. However, the Atlantic division rivalry lacked much of its usual punch as the game was just another opportunity for head coaches Dwayne Casey and Mike Woodson to get to know their teams, and plan for the regular season. The neutral location of the game was significant to the Raptors organization, which is currently trying to broaden its fan base across the country.

“I think we need to realize that we are the Raptors from Toronto, but we have the whole country behind us,” Jose Calderon, the Raptors’ longest-tenured player, noted after the game. “That’s the difference between us and the other teams in the league … it’s good for the NBA and for Canada.”

Jamaal Magloire, a 34 year-old centre from Toronto, agreed with Calderon. He hopes that the NBA makes trips to Montreal and other Canadian cities every season.

Raptors Head Coach Dwayne Casey saw the trip as a good opportunity for the team’s young players—Toronto has an average age of almost 25—to be exposed to a different environment.

“It should be a cultural experience,” Casey said of playing exhibition games in cities without NBA teams. “It’s a situation where there’s not a lot of time for guys to go out in the day. But I know the guys understand the city [and] they know it’s a very historical city. We have young guys and every experience is probably a new experience for our guys.”

The Knicks, on the other hand, are well-travelled, but gave Montreal favourable reviews.

“It is beautiful,” Knicks point guard Jason Kidd said. “I have family here and they’ve been asking me to come up, but this is my first time. I’ll be back; it’s a beautiful city.”

Carmelo Anthony, who dropped 24 points in 34 minutes, felt the same.  He spoke of the city’s energy and  complimented Montreal’s fans, who have been starved for professional sports action beyond the CFL’s Alouettes.

“This was big time,” he said. “The fans stayed in it right through the game and were excited about basketball. We had a good time but we wished we could’ve put on a better show for them.”

Montreal’s central location—five hours from Toronto and seven from New York—meant that there was a constant tug-of-war between Toronto fans—the designated home team—and Knicks’ supporters.

“[There were] spurts when you heard the fans cheering for us ,and spurts when you heard them cheering for the home team,” Anthony said. “It was just a good atmosphere.”

The fans likely set their prior allegiances aside and cheered for basketball in general. The building erupted in response to slam dunks by the Knicks’ Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, and the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan.

Raptors fans also got the a chance to see some of the new Raptors players, and a team that is expected to be much-improved after last season’s 23-43 performance, causing them to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year. New faces Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields played significant roles in the win, recording 17 and six points respectively for Toronto. Andrea Bargnani led the way with 20 points.

The Raptors open their season at home on Oct. 31 against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks will make the long trip across the Brooklyn Bridge to participate in the grand opening of the Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets.

Photos by Simon Poitrimolt.