With a 1-21 season not buried deep enough on his resume, Scott Morrison isn’t going to get too critical about any win.
But it doesn’t mean he has to love them all.
Friday night was the perfect example of a victory the Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s basketball coach would just as soon forget – or find a way to turn it into a lesson learned for his players.
Morrison’s squad built a 17-point halftime lead, built mainly on making turnovers count, but it took a vein-popping scream-fest during a third-quarter timeout, the Brock Badgers having crept to within nine, for the message to be delivered.
There was not much nice Morrison had to say about the 81-65 win over the visiting Brock Badgers, upset as he was at the 26 turnovers his team committed in the victory.
Not even a 20-point, six-steal, seven-rebound performance by fifth-year guard and reigning defensive player of the year Greg Carter failed to draw criticism from Morrison, whose 6-4 team nevertheless captured its fifth straight OUA win to move within a game of first-place Windsor in the OUA West.
“I think he did a good job. Brock has a history of sagging off Greg and trying to make him beat them with the jump shot. And tonight he was able to go 3-4 from three, which is a huge key for him in his confidence,” Morrison said.
“I didn’t think he passed the ball very well tonight. But overall he gave us a good game and played good D, definitely rebounded the ball well and I’m looking forward to him being a little better tomorrow night.”
Carter, whose double-pump three-pointer late in the fourth stemmed the Badgers attempt to revisit a single-digit lead down the stretch, wasn’t all that impressed with the way he played.
“I turned over the ball a lot, so it’s not really a good game for me if I turn over the ball and I’m not taking the ball as a point guard,” the Ottawa native said.
That all in, better to learn the lesson now than later on in the season when the competition is a little tighter and the little mistakes turn into big losses, he added.
“If we played a better team it probably would have been a closer game and it might have been a (loss) for us. So if we take care of the ball and execute better we should be on pace for playing better basketball in March,” Carter said.
There were signs of optimism in their play.
Second-year forward Joseph Nitychoruk came off the bench and played well, especially in a second-quarter stretch with starter Yoosrie Salhia resting on the bench. The Winnipeg native finished with six points and three boards.
Ryan Thomson was also strong at times, netting 14 points, though he did let his temper get the better of him in the fourth, called for a flagrant foul that sent Jameson Tipping to the free-throw line for a pair of easy points. But the Badgers, who kept the ball, couldn’t score on the ensuing possession and Thomson took the ball down low, spun and drained the bucket, restoring a 14-point Lakehead lead, 71-57 at the time.
Tipping led Brock with 18, including 14 in the second half.
The two teams play again at the Thunderdome on Saturday night. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
Beyond the arc: Sixth-man Joseph Jones was hobbling after the game after a hard foul to the net that sent him through the exit doors into the locker-room area. Jones made one of two free throws, then came out of the game, LU up 76-62 … Forward Brendan King is still sidelined and on crutches … Brandon’s 7-foot centre Mike Luby of Kenora had five rebounds in 13 minutes of court time.
