Hoop Axemen sweep MUN, clinch top spot

BY JOHN DECOSTE

Kings County Register

It took most of the season, but the Acadia basketball Axemen have finally clinched first place in the AUBC standings.

The Axemen swept a weekend series from the Memorial SeaHawks, winning 113-44 Feb. 16 and 120-51 Feb. 17, to pass the Cape Breton Capers, who they had been chasing all season, for top spot with one game remaining Feb. 23 at home against UPEI.

Acadia enters the final weekend with a 17-2 record, six four-point wins and 11 two-point wins for 46 points - six ahead of Cape Breton and eight up on both SMU and St. F.X.

The Capers, Huskies and X-men all have two games remaining this week. None of them can catch Acadia.

The games at Memorial represented a homecoming for Axemen Leo Saintil, who played for the SeaHawks from 2004 to 2006. While he didn’t accomplish his goal of outrebounding the entire SeaHawks team, Saintil did have 23 points and 15 rebounds in 25 minutes Feb. 16 and 23 points and eight boards in 26 minutes Feb. 17.

Saturday’s rebound total allowed Saintil to set a new AUBC record for rebounds in a season, breaking the record of 258 held by former Axemen Matt Chapman. Entering play this weekend, Saintil had 269 rebounds with one game left to play.

February 16, the Axemen scored the game’s first 23 points and led 35-3 after one quarter against a Memorial team that entered the game at 0-16.

Besides Saintil’s 23, Shawn Berry added 18 points, Peter Leighton 13 and Paulo Santana 12. Pat McIver, Andrew Kraus, J.D. Howlett and Luckern Dieu had eight points apiece.

Sunday, the Axemen won just as handily, scoring at least 30 points in three of the four quarters en route to a season-high 120 points. Leighton had five three-pointers in his game-high 28 points (in 18 minutes). Saintil with 23, Berry and Howlett with 11 each and Achuil Lual and Santana with 10 apiece also managed double figures.

With the win, the Axemen, who had long since clinched a playoff berth, ensured themselves of both a first-round playoff bye and a match-up with the lowest-seeded semifinalist on the second night of the playoffs, set for March 7-9 in Halifax.

Axewomen split Memorial visit

The Axewomen, meanwhile, split their weekend games at Memorial, shocking the top-ranked SeaHawks 80-77 Feb. 16 before losing 85-59 Feb. 17.

Brianne Osimok had 28 points and Becky Mutch added 21 in the win, in which Acadia led the entre game - except on one occasion, when Memorial managed to tie the score.

Marrla Evans, Jennifer Bishop and Emma Duinker all chipped in eight points for the Axewomen, who led 21-16 after one quarter, 37-35 at halftime and 60-57 after three quarters.

Sunday, Memorial got back on track, improving to 15-3 on the season while Acadia fell to 7-12. Victoria Thistle led four SeaHawks in double figures with 21 points. Osimok had 18 and Mutch and Evans 10 apiece in a losing effort for Acadia.

Entering their regular season finale Saturday, the Axewomen are fifth in the conference at 7-12 for 22 points, thanks to wins in four of their eight four-point games – one victory each over SMU, St. F.X., Cape Breton and Memorial.

Acadia automatically qualifies for the AUBC playoffs Feb. 29 to March 2 as the host team, but the goal of head coach Angie McLeod all season has been to make it to the playoffs through the front door. A win Saturday, and Acadia should be able to do just that.