The Douglas Royals outduel the Montmorency Nomades for a spot in the National Championship
Montmorency - The Douglas College Royals stun the hometown favorite and defending national champions Montmorency Nomads 93-87 in semifinal action at the 2018 CCAA National Championship in Quebec. “Oh my goodness it feels great!” Royals head coach Joe Enevoldson said after the game with elation.
The excitement didn’t stop there as guard Grant Campbell expressed his feeling after the game. “I am speechless right now. I’ll let you know what it all sinks in”.
The win allows the Douglas Royals to move on to play for the CCAA National Championship against the Seneca College Stings from Ontario. The last time the Royals were in this position was in 2008, when they won in Quebec and this will mark the 5th time they will compete for a national title since 1993.
The game opened with dominance by the Nomades, who outscored and outplayed the Royals on both sides of the court. By the end of the half, the score was 45-34 for Montmorency. Nomades’ player Alix Lochard recorded 17 points in the first half alone while the Royals top scorer would be Reese Morris with 6 points.
During the half, Coach Enevoldson rallied his team. “I said nothing inspirational but just factual. The first half got away from us, we missed a few layups and we get those and maybe we’re not down eleven. We stayed our course and did what we did”.
With the reality check Royals coach instilled on them, the Douglas team came out looking like a new and reenergized team. The Royals would come and score 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to take their first lead of the game and a 5 point lead into the final quarter.
The Royals would never let The Nomades get within 4 points in the fourth quarter despite the many scoring chances and fouls. Whenever the Nomades has gotten any points, the Royals responded immediately. The game would eventually end with the Douglas Royals winning 93-87.
Player of the game for the Douglas Royals Kameron Johnson recorded 33 points while player of the game for the Nomads Alix Lochard scored 26.
The focus now turns the gold medal match between the Royals and Seneca Sting to which coach Evevoldson had already shifted his attention to. “Seneca really looks like they can go in transition. Obviously, we will have to do a better job but it’s a national final, you’re going to have to play your game”.
The Gold Medal CCAA National Championship match will take place at 8:00pm EST at Montmorency and will be streamed live on the CCAA website. The bronze medals series of games begins in the morning, all live on the CCAA website.
Eric Beaudoin