WOLFVILLE, N.S. – A 103-88 4pt win over the visiting UNB Varsity Reds will keep the Axemen basketball team in the mix for a possible playoff bye position in the final standings as they trail the second place UPEI Panthers by six points in the standings with two 4pt games remaining.
Trailing the V-Reds for the entire first quarter, the Axemen tied the game at 26 on a Shaquille Smith (North Preston, N.S.) dunk with no time remaining in the first frame.
The Axemen opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run that would put the Varsity Reds in a trailing position for the remainder of the game. The closest UNB would get would be on a Javon Masters (Kitchener, Ont.) layup plus one with less than two minutes remaining in the third frame.
While Masters could not be corralled, his posting of a game high 40 points could not close the gap. The Axemen pushed out to a game high lead of 23 with just over six minutes remaining in the game.
A balanced attack by Acadia included 75 points from the starting five lineup. Kyle Arseneault (Fredericton, N.B.) and Shaquille Smith each chipped in 27 points while Nick De Palma (Bedford, N.S.) and Ben Miller (Winnipeg, Man.) added nine and 10 respectively. Smith captured the Subway Player of the Game honours for his timely points. Thirty three points came from the distant arc with De Palma leading the way with three 3pt baskets.
"The guys stepped up. Erik was not practicing all week, so he was limited to 22 minutes. But in that time he had 17 points. With AJ (Simmonds) out of the lineup", pointed out Axemen head coach Kevin Duffie. "It was definitely a team effort, just like the Axemen like to do it."
Erik Nissen (Quispamsis, N.B.) off the bench added 17 points and four rebounds while local Horton High School grad Mitch Tempro (Three Miles Plains, N.S.) dropped 11 points.
Jevon Masters dominated the UNB lineup with 40 points, while teammates Jesse Kendall (Guelph, Ont.) and Matt Daley (Belledune, N.B.) added 18 and 11 points. Mark Matheson (Summerside, P.E.I.) and Dylan Baker (Narre Warren, Australia) led the V-reds with 11 rebounds each. Tyronn King, (Toronto, Ont.) off the bench, added nine points.
The Axemen improve to 11-7 and the Varsity Reds drop to 10-8 with both teams set to meet again in the last game of the regular season next Saturday night in Fredericton. Before their rematch, UNB will host UPEI on Friday night while Saint Mary's visits Acadia this coming Tuesday night. All matchups are 4pt games.