For immediate release

March 10, 2009

Eagles fall in first round of BCCAA playoffs

(Surrey, BC) For the Eagles men’s basketball team, their season came down to down to the deficit that they could never overcome, as they fell to the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) Timberwolves 78-72 in the first round of the British Columbia Colleges’ Athletic Association (BCCAA) playoffs last Thursday night.

Making their first appearance in the BCCAA playoffs since 2004, the Eagles appeared to be nervous when the game started. The Eagles fell behind 10-0 to the Timberwolves and were down by 16 points at half time. “I thought we were nervous coming out at the start” said head coach Bernie Love. “We weren't playing as a team and the guys were trying to do too much on their own.”

While the Eagles were able to contain BCCAA All-Star Inderbir Gill of the Timberwolves, they were unable to keep the Timberwolves off the offensive boards. “UNBC big men were very athletic and they really crashed the boards hard. We didn’t box out and lost focus at that end of the floor and it hurt us” said Love.

After some half time adjustments, the Eagles outscored the Timberwolves in the second half and were able to close the gap to 73-72 with a couple of minutes remaining. “We talked about stepping up our effort defensively” said coach Love. “We also switched our defense since we were having trouble stopping their players from penetrating. I really thought that is what gave us the chance to get back in the game.”

The Eagles were led by Omid Davani (Port Coquitlam), who scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Nick Lafleur (Maple Ridge), who scored 14 points and had seven assists. Reflecting on the season, coach Love seemed pleased with the team. “I’m very happy with the season as a whole. Re-building a program and getting into the playoffs in only two years says a lot about the effort of the guys. The program is definitely heading in the right direction but we need to add a few more pieces before we can compete for the top spot in the BCCAA.”

For complete championship results, visit www.pacwestbc.ca