THUNDER BAY – Don’t tell the Lakehead Thunderwolves they don’t belong in the national top 10.
Well, actually they don’t really care.
They’re more focused on peaking in time for the OUA men’s basketball playoffs and winning on the court, not where they stand in some formula-based ranking system that booted them out while on a bye coming out of the Christmas break.
Besides, they’ll almost assuredly be back in the top 10 when Tuesday rolls around, after knocking off the No. 10 University of Toronto Varsity Blues 98-85 on Saturday night, six players hitting double digits in the game that saw LU lead by as much as 20 in the opening half.
NCAA transfer Tyler Hagl, who joined younger brother Chris on the Thunderwolves roster, led all LU players with 17 points off the bench, one of six Lakehead players to hit double digits in the game.
“We just did our job. We just came in and did our role,” said Tyler Hagl, the bench contributing 38 points, double the Toronto bench’s production.
“We played hard defence, moved the ball like we could, shot the ball.”
Younger brother Chris, in his second year at Lakehead (9-3), finished with nine points, including a three-pointer, the brothers hitting back-to-back from distance in Lakehead’s 31-point second quarter.
It was a lot like back in the day at home in Oakville, Ont., said the older Sagl, a transfer from Marists College, who led all MAAC freshmen with 8.5 points per game in 2019-20.
“It was as nice little bit of chemistry added to the lineup,” he said.
Having his older brother on the team was something Chris Sagl had been dreaming about since arriving in Thunder Bay in 2021.
“It took me a lot to get him here, but I love it. It’s really special to play with my brother. We played growing up a little bit, and we had a little break away from each other, and now we’re back together, so it’s really nice. I bet my mom loves it too – only one game for her to watch,” Chris Sagl said.
The back-to-back three-pointers were two shots to remember, he added.
“We both felt it in our hearts and we both felt it at the same time. We gave each other a little look and a little head nod and we just laughed,” Chris Sagl said. “It’s fun to play with each other.”
It was Alton Harris who provided the spark in the opening quarter, putting up 11 points in a starting role. Where he left off, Nathan Bilamu picked up, scoring a pair of key long-distance shots that helped the Wolves open a 28-20 lead.
Two more Bilamu treys and Lakehaed led 40-24, ultimately jumping out in front 46-26.
The Varsity Blues weren’t ready to concede defeat, especially with a pair of long-distance bombers of their own on the court.
Callum Baker and Ryan Rudnick each hit from beyond the arc down the stretch as Toronto closed out the half on a 13-4 run, trailing 56-46.
They’d close to within five early in the third, but Tyler Sagl put up a quick five points to stretch the LU lead back to double digits and the Thunderwolves took a 76-64 advantage into the fourth. Lakehead never led by less than eight the rest of the way.
Michael Okafor, Harris, Dylan Morrison, Bilamu, were also in double figures, as was Laouis Msambya, who completed the double-double with 10 points and 13 assists.
Baker and Lennart Weber led Toronto (10-4) with 19 points.
Lakehead hits the road next weekend for games against Laurentian and Nipissing, two teams with a combined 6-20 record.
