The Cambrian College men's basketball team is ready to climb a major hurdle.
Last weekend, the squad pulled off a thrilling 79-73 win over Centennial College to advance to the 2007 OCAA Final 8 provincial championships.
Now, the Golden Shield must face one of the best college
teams in the country, Fanshawe in the first round of the OCAA
Championships on Thursday at 6 pm.
The tournament is being hosted at Durham College in Barrie.
Cambrian must win, or they will be eliminated.
Fanshawe is ranked second overall and cruised through the
regular season with a perfect 14-0 record.
Cambrian made great gains during the 2006-07 season. After
going 2-16 last year, the club went 10-8 this season and earned
plenty of respect.
Cambrian is ready to pull off an upset and feel good about
themselves after a strong season.
"It meant a lot to the guys on this team to make the playoffs,"
said Mike Raskevicins. "I think we exceeded expectations this
year. It was great for us to beat a team like Centennial and
advance into the playoffs...everyone has been working hard for
it. We played Fanshawe earlier in the year and we held our own
against them, so we know we can play with them and we're
ready to prove ourselves."
The Golden Shield will not have an easy time.
"The boys are excited and ready to pull off an upset," said
head coach Brad Hann. "We have to play our best game of the
season...no doubt. It's going to take a monumental effort."
The 2006-07 season has been a tremendous success for the
rebuilding program at Cambrian.
"In terms of the program...it means everything to the program
by making the playoffs," said Hann. "It was a big deal after
being in the league for just two years and it's something
we can build on. It makes a statement that Cambrian basketball
is back and ready to keep moving forward."
