‘March madness’ begins in February

From about mid-February on, there’s really no excuse for a sports fan in our area to be bored.

Last weekend (Feb. 8 to 10) alone saw the Acadia hockey Axemen qualify for the AUHC playoffs, the basketball Axemen clinch first place in their conference standings and the Horton boys and girls and NKEC girls all clinch regional high school basketball titles.

The season continues for all these teams, as well as the Acadia women’s basketball team, with at least a couple of them having legitimate shots at conference or provincial titles.

Not all the competitions will be played here, but a couple of them will; others are close enough (Halifax, for example) to facilitate easy travel for interested fans.

If you like watching top-level basketball, you should see the Horton boys’ team play before their season ends. That now means the NSSAF D-1 boys’ provincials, which, fortunately for local fans, Horton will be hosting from Feb. 28 to March 1.

The Griffins haven’t lost since Dec. 29, 2006 and will enter provincials on a 61-game winning streak. A lot of Horton’s games this season have been lopsided affairs, but all the top teams in the province will be at provincials - including some, like Citadel High, Horton has not played head-to-head.

The Griffins are well-coached, and the players have bought into the coaches’ system big-time. Ellis Ffrench and Jeremy Dunn are two of the finest high school players in the province, and they have a deep and talented supporting cast. Local fans will never get a better chance to see what this special team has to offer than at provincials, where Horton will be looking to repeat as provincial D-1 boys’ champions.

That same weekend (Feb. 29 to March 2), fans of university women’s basketball are in for a rare treat as Acadia hosts the AUBC women’s championship. This is usually a top-flight tournament and has not been hosted here in several years.

The Axewomen have had an inconsistent season but, at their best, they have been competitive with the conference’s top teams (beating both Cape Breton and Memorial) and appear more than capable of an upset or two. New Minas native Jennifer Bishop is an experienced fifth-year veteran, and newcomers Brianna Osimok and Emma Duinker of Cambridge have both made an immediate inpact on the Axewomen fortunes in their first year at Acadia.

What looks to be the most competitive Atlantic University Sport men’s basketball championship in at least a decade goes March 7 to 9 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Acadia is the defending champion but, while last year’s win was somewhat of a surprise, this year the Axemen go in as, at least, co-favorites. In some ways, the Axemen are like the Horton boys – deep, talented, and capable of beating an opponent in a variety of ways.

If you haven’t yet seen him in an Acadia uniform, try and see Leo Saintil play – if not this coming Saturday afternoon in Wolfville, then definitely March 8 and (hopefully) March 9 at the AUS finals. At 6’5” and 240 pounds, Saintil is simply overpowering to most opponents. Versatile Shawn Berry, sharpshooter Peter Leighton, veteran Achuil Lual and 2007 conference MVP Paulo Santana are some of the other weapons Acadia has.

The neatest thing about this year’s AUS championships is Acadia is far from a sure-thing winner. Cape Breton is every bit as good - maybe even a bit better on defense – and both St. F.X. and Saint Mary’s are also more than capable of going all the way.

With the CIS championships in Ottawa this year, the AUS Final Six will be the biggest and best stage for university men’s basketball locally, and well worth the trip to Metro.

Last but not least, if you feel like a bit longer road trip, Moncton will host the University Cup CIS hockey championship for a second straight year March 22 to 25. Acadia is probably a longshot to make it to the University Cup but, again, all the best teams will be there - likely including the defending national champion UNB Varsity Reds, another must-see team and well worth the price of any admission.