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Missed opportunities

The Lakehead Thunderwolves caught a break on the out-of-town scoreboard, but missed opportunities at the charity stripe cost them a chance to take advantage of them.
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Lakehead's Andrew Hackner (left) drives to the hoop against Guelph guard Dan McCarthy. McCarthy had a game-high 26 points in the Gryphons 69-62 win Saturday night. (Leith Dunick)
The Lakehead Thunderwolves caught a break on the out-of-town scoreboard, but missed opportunities at the charity stripe cost them a chance to take advantage of them.

Guard Jamie Searle, who led the basketball Wolves with 25 points, missed two-crucial free throws with 3.7 seconds on the clock, which gave the visiting last place Guelph Gryphons the life they needed to send Saturday night’s game at a packed Thunderdome to overtime.

Searle’s misses came in the midst of a 6:38-second scoreless streak, that began when they retook the lead 55-54, and ended with 2:21 to go in the extra frame when the fourth year guard made good on his 90 per cent average from the line.

It shouldn’t have come to that, Searle said.

“I wanted the ball. I told coach I wanted the ball. I shoot 90 per cent and I should have knocked them down,” he said. “We lost because I missed two free throws, it’s a simple as that. If they go down, we win that game.

Luckily it didn’t cost Lakehead (11-3) positioning in the OUA West.

Windsor (10-4), McMaster (8-6) and Waterloo (8-6) all went down to defeat on Saturday, leaving the Wolves a game up on Windsor, a team they’ll be looking to beat on the road next weekend.

LU coach Scott Morrison, though not impressed with the team’s effort at the free-throw line, said he was even less enthusiastic about the way the team came out to start the second half, up 29-20 and seemingly in control.

After staking themselves to an 11-point advantage when guard Greg Carter stole the ball and dished it to a streaking Searle, the Wolves collapsed at both ends of the court.

Guards Jay Mott and Dan McCarthy, who had a game-high 26 points before fouling out in the final minute of overtime, hit back-to-back treys in the first two minutes to draw the Gryphons within four, and then with 3:20 to go in the period, Jonathan Moscatelli buried a three of his own, giving Guelph its first lead since they were up 10-9 late in the first.

“We played good D in the first half. Guys went in at halftime and thought they had the game won. They let their foot off the gas and all of a sudden we’re coming from behind.”
Searle, a native of Belleville, Ont., agreed.

“We thought we had it won after the first two. We gave up too many open looks, too many offensive boards, too many easy chances and we (gave) it away,” Searle said.

Down by as many as seven in the third, the Wolves brought the deficit back to a manageable deuce, when Cameron Hornby hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds to go in the frame.

Twice the Gryphons built the lead to eight, but Lakehead kept chipping away at their deficit. Import guard Matt Nagy hit a three 2:25 into the final quarter to pull his team to within five, at 54-49. Searle got a goaltending call to go his way to make it 54-51, then Salhia grabbed an offensive board and fed Searle to pull the Wolves within a single point.

They regained the lead at 6:01, but couldn’t find the net again until overtime.

Guelph also blew a chance to win it in the final seconds. After Searle’s failed attempt at the free-throw line, they fired the ball down the court, where it found the waiting hands of Moscatelli. Carter fouled him at the buzzer, preventing a sure two points, and Moscatelli could only manage one of two free throws, sending the game to extra time.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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