Lewis, Bobcats on roll entering Wesmen weekend

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This article was published 29/11/2022 (756 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Gil Cheung reflects on a wacky 19-point comeback, one unexpected name comes up.

It’s not Khari Ojeda-Harvey, who racked up 26 points, making seven of 12 three-pointers during Brandon’s 85-81 win over Saskatchewan on Saturday. It’s not Anthony Tsegakele, the Canada West men’s basketball player of the week who posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in Friday’s 96-81 victory in Saskatoon, then 18 points and 15 rebounds the following night.

It’s Malik Lewis, the five-foot-nine guard that played just five minutes on Friday. He came in with less than 12 minutes left in Saturday’s game and forced Cheung to leave him in the rest of the way to a league-leading 7-1 record as they enter their final weekend set of the semester against Winnipeg (4-2).

They visit the Wesmen at the Duckworth Centre on Thursday at 8 p.m., then home at the Healthy Living Centre Saturday night at 7 o’clock.

“Malik gave us great minutes,” Cheung said.

“He’s a competitive kid who gets after it. I don’t know if he’s going to score but I know he’s going to play really hard, especially on the defensive end and get after it.

“Defensively we were fine, it was only 67 we’d given up but we needed a little burst of energy and he played the last 12 minutes or so and was really good for us … He gave us great minutes and was definitely a spark.”

Lewis’s game was the definition of doing the little things right — those that don’t show up on a stat sheet.

He had two points, two rebounds, one assist and three fouls, but Brandon loses that game without him. Put the boxscore away and watch the fourth quarter, in which Brandon trailed 67-48 with nine minutes to go, and you see the following:

Lewis crashed the offensive glass to create a loose ball and keep a possession alive. He sealed off Sultan Bhatti’s man to give him an easy put-back layup. The second-year guard pressured six-foot-seven Maxwell Amoafo into a turnover.

Lewis tapped a defensive rebound to a teammate — which he doesn’t get credit for — then grabbed an offensive board on the ensuing possession. He picked off a pass one-handed and fired it to Bhatti before hitting the ground — again, doesn’t count as a steal — which led to a three to make it 67-66 Huskies.

Not bad for a guy who’s grown accustomed to playing the last minute or two of each quarter to spell off the starters.

“I just wanted to give my all, give that energy to the team, that sense of effort,” Lewis said.

“Once we get into that zone, that’s when it becomes more and more fun. When we were losing, our heads were down, we weren’t motivated but as soon as we got that little spark of energy it completely switches.

“That gives us a lot of confidence. That lets us know no matter what happens in any circumstances of any game, we’re able to come out with a win.”

It’s still a change of pace for the Montreal native, who regularly led the Vanier College Cheetahs in scoring before transferring to Brandon in 2020. His U Sports career high is seven points and he collects more fouls than field goals on a roster loaded with scoring.

Tsegakele’s 21.9 ppg has him sixth in U Sports while Jahmaal Gardner is 11th at an even 20 ppg. Bhatti is second in Canada at an outrageous 60.6 per cent from three while Ojeda-Harvey is eighth at 52.8 and easily the most accurate of anyone shooting more than five per game.

So the rest of the Bobcats can worry about other things, and they’ve figured that out.

“Every role matters on the team,” Lewis said.

“The five guys on the court are what brings the points and brings the winning but the energy on the bench matters. We need the spark off the bench to keep those guys motivated. Accepting your role brings everything together.”

BU is back to first in Canada at 95.4 points per game and 31st defensively, allowing 82.3 ppg.

Winnipeg, on the other hand, is 34th at 76.8 ppg but allows 71.5, good for sixth in the nation. The Wesmen have no desire to play the run-and-gun style Brandon thrives on. They roll out a bunch of six-foot-seven to six-foot-nine forwards, usually two together, and slow the game down. Five-foot-seven Shawn Maranan leads the team at 16 ppg, but they’re fourth in U Sports with 15.7 offensive rebounds per game, fourth with 16.7 free throws made and second with 25.2 attempted.

That might be inflated by their last game against MacEwan when they hit 39 of 52 from the charity stripe. The Wesmen were down nine with two minutes to go and won 87-80, scoring their last 18 points solely on free throws.

“It’s contrasting styles,” Cheung said. “… They aren’t trying to make it a track meet.

“They’re going to try to muck it up, they want to keep the game lower scoring, we want to get it to the 90s, 100s. We’ll see who can dictate the pace.”

The Bobcat women (0-8) kick off each evening, taking on the 5-1 Wesmen on Thursday at 6 p.m., and then Saturday at 5 p.m.

Fifth-year guard Kyanna Giles is Canada West’s leading scorer at 22.7 ppg. Winnipeg is seventh in Canada with 79 ppg to Brandon’s 49.6, which ranks fifth to last.

Brandon gets the vast majority of its scoring from its guards as Piper Ingalls (13.3) and Chelsea Misskey (12.8) make up half the team’s average.

BU VOLLEYBALL: The Bobcats and Wesmen are also splitting this week’s volleyball matches, with Brandon hosting on Friday and then heading to Winnipeg the following night.

The BU men (4-6) currently sit in a three-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot while Winnipeg (6-4) is tied for fifth.

On the women’s side, Brandon (0-10) is tied with Regina for last while Winnipeg (6-4) is tied for fourth.

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