Men’s Basketball still ranked fourth in the country

Gaels split doubleheader against Ravens and Gee Gees

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

Queen’s Men’s Basketball took one loss and one win in Ottawa this weekend.

The Gaels played the Ravens first on Friday and struggled to hit their stride. Going into that game, Carleton sat just above Queen’s at third in the country—the team prepared themselves for an inevitable four-quarter battle.

The game started off slow for Queen’s as the Ravens quickly took a seven to zero lead.

After a couple missed shots, Connor Keefe started the scoring and Cameron Bett subbed on.

All game, Queen’s had one mission: deactivate Carleton’s Aidan Warnholtz.

This season, Worenholtz has been the Raven’s not-so-secret weapon. With him dropping six three-pointers and 28 total points in the game, it’s safe to say Gael deactivation efforts were unsuccessful.

At the end of the first half, Queen’s was down 52-49. With such a close first half of the game, the team looked for ways to step it up and they found Bett.

Bett had his best game all season on Friday. He came off the bench and hit a season high 35-points for the Gaels, but he didn’t stop there. He played a career-high 38 minutes and became an all-around thorn in the Raven’s side, sinking 13 of 14 free-throws.

Bett’s efforts, however, weren’t enough to secure a win. Even a double-double from Cole Syllas didn’t swing the game for Queen’s.

Bett tied it at 77 for Queen’s with just over seven minutes of play left in the game, but the Ravens wanted it more. Worenholtz went on a three-pointer rampage and hit two for Carleton in the last minute and a half of play to give the Ravens a 103-89 victory.

However, the Gael’s weekend in Ottawa wasn’t over. On Sunday night, the Gaels met the Gee Gees for the first time this season, who were ranked first in the country prior to tipoff.

The Gaels started off strong and gave Bett his first start of the season. They got out to an early lead, but the Gee Gees recovered and finished the quarter up by four points.

All season, the men’s team has done an excellent job of staging mid-game comebacks and Sunday was no exception. Some exceptional teamwork from Cole Syllas and Michael Kelvin II in the second sent Queen’s on a seven-point run. By the end of the first half, Queen’s was leading the game 43-31. queensjournal.ca/sports/

This matchup of two of the league’s most powerful teams ultimately came down to who shot more efficiently near the rim. The Gaels controlled the second half on route to a 76-62 win thanks to 32 points in the paint—the Gee Gees made a measly 10.

Queen’s now sits at the top of the OUA East standing with the best record of any team in the OUA.

The Gaels will take on Guelph this Friday before playing the Gee Gees again on Sunday in Kingston.