It was a disappointing loss for the UTM Eagles last Wednesday night as the men’s division 1 basketball team faced Woodsworth College for the championship title. Throughout the game, the score was always close, but the result left the Eagles and their fans with a great loss.
Point guard Kent Bray gave the Eagles hope and scored 25 points during the game. Though Ambrish Patel was discharged from the game during the second half, he managed to help his team, scoring 20 points.
Nevertheless, the star player was Eddie Kajemana from Woodsworth College, who completed the game with 28 points.
During the second half, Woodsworth called a time out and when the game resumed, they placed pressure on their opponent. This is when the game became sloppy on the Eagles’ side.
As their opponent stepped up their defense line, UTM struggled, giving away fouls and free throws.
The fans complained at the many fouls that were called during the game. By the end of the second half, the amount of fouls reached 48.
Two players, Julian Gentles and Ambrish Patel from the UTM Eagles, were dismissed off the court after receiving five fouls.
“I didn’t know if I was watching a basketball game or a wrestling match. The game was extremely sloppy,” said Eagles fan Kerian Ross.
Rowdy fans filled the RAWC gym in an attempt to motivate the home team, booing at the other team and shouting, “Get some glasses” at the two referees when they made foul calls in favor for Woodsworth College.
As the Eagles struggled to communicate with one another, Woodsworth College took over the lead during the second period. Keeping the momentum high, they tuned out the crowd and kept the ball moving. With 42.6 seconds left in the second period, Kent Bray scored a three pointer and tied the game to create an opportunity for victory in overtime.
Unfortunately, the Eagles simply could not perform in the clutch and ended up losing a 77-74 heartbreaker against a very competitive
Woodsworth team. Their only loss of the season came when it mattered the most.
As fans left the gymnasium, the Eagles stayed behind, shaking their heads at their performance.
“[Woodsworth College] outplayed and defended us. We didn’t deserve to win because we didn’t play the way we normally do,” said point guard Kent Bray.
“I’m disappointed. [The Eagles] did not play with heart and desire. I have seen them play way better. We beat this team earlier on in the season by 15 points, and the team thought they could win easily,” said Eagles coach Ammar Askary. “No heart. That’s why we didn’t win.”
Woodworth’s Bador Alagraa stood proudly with his winning. “We lost last year in overtime by three points. We wanted to win, so we regrouped and played defensively,” said Alagraa.
