Injuries and fatigue harm game play for Rebels
By: Liam Hodges
Ten points separated the Providence University College Pilots and the Red River College Rebels men’s basketball teams when the final buzzer sounded on Saturday night.
Rebels head coach, Scott Kirkpatrick, felt his team was at a disadvantage for the game.
“We were coming off a back-to-back and our starting point guard wasn’t available tonight, so we were a little bit shorthanded,” said Kirkpatrick. “Looking down the bench toward the end of the second quarter and the entire second half we looked a little fatigued.”
The Rebels went into halftime leading 40-27, but in the third quarter the Pilots soared back taking the lead, 60-53.
The pace picked up in the third quarter which led to some players getting frustrated. Pilots’ Braxton Phommarath and Rebels’ Aaron Backe both received technical fouls because for rough play.
The Pilots hit their ten-point lead in the fourth quarter and despite the Rebels’ late push the game finished 85-75.
This was their second game against the Pilots who also took that game by a score of 85-83.
The Rebels are in third place in the Manitoba Colleges Athletics Conference after last night’s game. They have one win in five games and will have to wait until Feb. 2, 2018 to face the Pilots again.
Until then the Rebels have other games to focus on. Their next big set of games is this weekend – a doubleheader in Ellendale, North Dakota against Trinity Bible College.
