Injury-plagued Badgers split pair

With more starters in the stands than on the floor, the Brock Badgers (9-7 OUA) were in for a long night against the No. 6-ranked Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks (14-2 OUA) on Jan. 25 at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.

Of the 16 players on Brock's reported roster, only 10 were active for the mid-week game. With injuries to Jameson Tipping (Orangeville, ON), Mark Gibson (Toronto, ON), Tshing Kasamba (St. Catharines, ON)and Didi Mukendi (St. Catharines, ON), Brock's second unit gained some experience against the division-leading Hawks. Rookie Nathaniel Gardner (Ajax, ON) dressed despite a shoulder injury and picked up three points in 11 minutes.

Fans and teammates cheered as role player Michael Williams (Brampton, ON) got his first career Varsity start. He wouldn't be the only Badger making a debut, however, as Avery Percival (British Virgin Islands) suited up for his first game. The 6'6" rookie had walked on to make the team in September, but chose to concentrate on academic responsibilities. Percival, an intramural teammate of Assistant Coach Luc Stevenson, was picked up just one day before the Laurier game but was able to make an impact off the bench with eight points and four rebounds.

The Hawks got out to a quick 15-4 lead, spurred by the hot hand of Max Allin (Chatham, ON) with 10 points including a pair of three-pointers on their way to a 30-18 lead after the first quarter. Percival would score his first points as a Badger in style with an emphatic two-handed dunk.

The Badgers managed to outscore Laurier in the second quarter 13-11 as the Hawks' shooting floundered during the period, leaving Brock doing by 10 at the half. Allin's first half would top all players' full game point totals with 15, despite being shut out in the second half. He would, however, collect eight rebounds and seven assists in a balanced performance. Brock's Andrew Ferguson (St. Catharines, ON) would lead the Badgers scoring with 10 of his team high 11 points in the first half. Fergie added seven boards and a block on 4-8 shooting.

Head Coach Brad Rootes employed substitutions often, keeping fresh legs while trying to find effective defensive match-ups with a platoon of young players. Foul trouble kept Kale Harrison (Stratford, ON), sixth in OUA scoring, to limited minutes and 14 points. The Hawks held Brock to 10 points in the third frame, leading 58-41 at the final break. Laurier then put up 31 points in the fourth quarter to secure a 89-55 victory.

Laurier put in a dominant performance on the glass, outrebounding the Badgers 56-38. Of note was the performance of senior Guard Andrew Kraus (Markham, ON) who added nine rebounds, two assists and a steal to his 10 point performance.

On the road against Guelph (8-8 OUA), the return of Mukendi and Kasamba provided a boost as the Garden City duo combined for 28 points (Mukendi 19-Kasamba 9) in the 71-67 victory. Brock increased their lead in each of the first three quarters, but just held on as the Gryphons outscored them 23-12 in the final frame. Brock improved their shooting percentage to 46.7 per cent (28-60) and forced 19 Guelph turnovers in the victory. Kraus had a stellar game with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, six steals and even a block in 27 minutes. Ferguson added eight points and five boards.

Brock's next home games will be Feb. 10-11, both against the Lakehead Thunderwolves at 8:00 p.m. in the Bob Davis Gymnasium.