This weekend marks the first time the Mariners have visited North Vancouver since last year's gold match. If the Blues want to pick up another victory against VIU, they'll have to do it without star point guard Peter Li.
Friday - VIU 94, Capilano 80
The Mariners started out the game by hitting three of their first four shots from beyond the arc, but the Blues came back just as fast to take the lead, going up by as much as eight. An and-one layup from Kye Kotapski-Tinga stopped the bleeding momentarily, but they ended the first quarter still down by eight.
The Mariners have faced these kinds of deficits before. They trailed by double digits against both Langara and Camosun earlier in the season and came back to win both times. Sure enough, they turned a ten-point deficit into a four-point lead in just over four minutes, going into the half up 48-42.
Sukhraj Garcha cut the lead to three early in the third quarter, but an Ekman Sohal corner three gave the Mariners a bit of breathing room. VIU's propensity for turnovers was partially undone by Capilano's surprising inability to finish in the paint. The Blues responded appropriately by shifting their attack to the perimeter, tying the game with a Kash Lang shot. That would be as close as Capilano got to the lead, as the Mariners held serve the rest of the way to secure their sixth straight victory.
This game was mostly a duel between two strong guards. Kash Lang led the Blues with 27 points while Kye Kotapski-Tinga led the game with 28 points off the bench. Keyonte Beals chipped in with 23 of his own, while Kai Leighton, Ekman Sohal, and Winston Cole all eclipsed double digits for VIU.
Sukhraj Garcha continues a strong campaign for the Blues, dropping 16 points and seven rebounds to go with two assists and two steals.
Saturday - VIU 100, Capilano 67
Capilano's injury woes apparently spread to their coaching staff. TJ Klim missed the game for an undisclosed reason, forcing assistant Ross Tomlinson into the spotlight.
With all due respect to the Blues' coaching staff, it went as well as one would expect against the top team in the province.
Though the Blues led by one after the first quarter, they would never lead again. The Mariners rode a fourteen-point third quarter swing to steamroll a shorthanded Capilano unit and secure their nineteenth consecutive playoff birth.
VIU's lopsided victory is made even more impressive by the fact that none of their players hit the 20-point plateau. Their leading scorer was Markus Modrovic, who came off the bench and dropped 18 points and eight rebounds while sprinkling in a steal, an assist, and a block. Winston Cole and Keyonte Beals combined for 32 points, while Kaleb Wilson recorded eight rebounds in the victory.
Zach Klim and Kash Lang were Capilano's only double-digit scorers, recording 19 and 16 points respectively. Klim also added three assists, four rebounds, and two blocks.
After three weeks away from home, the Mariners return in February for their penultimate homestand of the season against the up-and-coming Okanagan Coyotes.
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