The UFV Cascades men’s basketball team is riding high heading into the holiday break.
The club ran its win streak to seven games after a pair of victories in Kelowna over the UBCO Heat.
Friday’s game saw the Cascades dominate early on, building up a 44-24 lead at the half to cruise to a 92-62 win.
Mark Johnson and Andrew Morris contributed with 16 points apiece, with Sukhjot Bains grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
The Cascades held the Heat to just 27 per cent shooting in the first half, and also out-rebounded the opposition 45-36.
“The guys moved the basketball, and it was nice to see everyone being a threat out there,” UFV head coach Adam Friesen said. “Everyone was looking to score, but only when the good opportunities arose.
“If we could shoot the three-pointer a little bit better (the Cascades were 13-of-37 on Friday), that would be the last thing that would be nice to see offensively.”
The club continued the momentum on Saturday, outscoring the Heat 46-28 in the combined second and third quarters to roll to an 80-60 victory.
Parm Bains was red-hot from the field, making eight of 13 shots from the field, including six of 10 from beyond the arc, and collected 27 points in total. Johnson had another strong game with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Friesen said he likes the way his team has closed out the 2018 calendar.
“As a group we really are coming together. We’re looking forward to the second half of the year and trying to build on the momentum we’re ending the first semester with,” he said.
The Cascades enter the break tied for third in Canada West with an 8-4 record. The team returns to action on Jan. 4, when the Brandon Bobcats come to town.
The women’s team is also heating up and extended its win streak to four games after also sweeping UBCO in Kelowna.
The Cascades blew the Heat out of the building in the first quarter on Friday, building a 19-5 lead, and rode that to a 73-48 win.
Taylor Claggett continued her excellent season, collecting 18 points and nine rebounds. Abby Zawada also had a strong night, with 17 points, and shot five of nine from the three-point line.
“Early in the first quarter, we were getting some pretty good shots but they weren’t falling,” Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said. “I just encouraged the girls to keep pushing the ball and moving the ball, and later in the quarter we got some buckets that kind of broke the game open.”
Saturday’s game saw the Cascades take over in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Heat 21-11 to roll to a 72-59 win.
Claggett led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Katelyn Mallette added 15 points.
The women’s record moved to 7-5 with the pair of wins, and the club sits in sixth place in the Canada West.
They return to action on Jan. 4, when the Brandon Bobcats come to Abbotsford.
For more on the teams, visit gocascades.ca.