Clutch victory

Size doesn’t matter – at least on the basketball court.

Flanked by a crew of much taller Windsor Lancers defenders and the outcome of the game on the line, Lakehead’s Yoosrie Salhia was like a giant among men on Friday night, especially in the final two minutes of play.

The Wolves fifth-year pivot, a night away from his final regular season home game in a Thunderwolves uniform, scored a bucket underneath off a Dwayne Harvey steal that doubled their lead to four.

He then hit a pair of clutch free throws to make it a five-point game and if that wasn’t enough, played like a monster underneath the glass, grabbing a key offensive board that led to a Ben Johnson drive to the net that put the game out of reach.

The No. 10 Wolves (13-5) went on to beat the No. 4-ranked Lancers 70-64, Salhia finishing with 13 points and 15 rebounds, a heroic performance for a team in need of two home wins this weekend to remain in contention for top spot in the OUA West.

Intense is not nearly the word to describe the a fourth-quarter finish, which saw the Wolves extend their lead to nine points, only to have the never-say-die Lancers (14-4) whittle it down to two with plenty of time left on the clock at a raucous Thunderdome.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve been in a game that close down the stretch that close and it felt really good,” Salhia said. “It showed our teamwork and how our game-play really worked out. We just worked hard.”

Make no mistake, first place is hot and heavy on the minds of both teams. Home-court advantage aside, it also means avoiding the No. 1 Carleton Ravens in the opening round should the OUA West winner make it to the final four.

“It’s huge. Every game you come in you say it’s just another game, but we’d be kidding ourselves if we said that now. We know that these two games are huge and they mean a lot to us this weekend.”

Though the Thunderwolves netted the first five points of the contest, the Lancers escaped the first quarter with a 17-15 lead.

It was Ryan Thomson who fuelled the second-quarter comeback. Thomson, who earlier drained a pair of threes, dropped his own missed shot into the hoop midway through the period to put LU up 27-26, a lead they’d never relinquish.

Lakehead coach Scott Morrison admitted not being able to pull away once they built up a lead made things a little harrowing down the stretch, but overall he was happy with the performance.

“Looking back, it probably was a pretty good game to watch. I’m really pleased with the effort of the guys. Windsor made a couple of runs in the second half and they dug in and stayed strong and got some good rebounds.”

In Morrison’s estimation, it was those offensive boards that keyed the win.

“They got a couple on us, but Yoos had a hell of a game down the stretch. Even Greg (Carter) elevated above everyone else to get a key board. Like my dad always said, you don’t have to win the rebounding battle for 40 minutes, but you’ve got to get the key ones if you have a lead.”

Thomson led all scorers with 17 points. Ben Johnson was also strong for Lakehead, especially early, and finished with 11.

Lien Phillip, ranked No. 12 in the nation by North Pole Hoops, was held to 13 points.

Tip-off for Saturday’s rematch is 8 p.m.

Beyond the arc: Former Thunderwolves star Warren Thomas is in town for the weekend, taking part in the senior send-off ceremony on Saturday. Graduating fifth-year seniors Salhia, Carter, Johnson, Joseph Jones, Brendan King and Matt Schmidt will be honoured.