Mar 4, 2014
The Falcons men's basketball team celebrate their provincial championship win.
Vancouver, BC – The Langara Falcons men’s basketball team has repeated as Pacific Western Athletic Association champions (PACWEST).
The Falcons brought home the gold medal with a 90-84 win last Saturday over the Vancouver Island University Mariners (VIU), a rematch of last year’s championship. The Falcons now head to Squamish to compete in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship from March 12 to 15.
In the championship game, Langara led VIU 24-14 after the first quarter, but trailed 43-38 at halftime. The Falcons high-scoring offence kicked into gear in the final frame as they outscored VIU 36-24 to seal the victory. Langara entered the PACWEST tournament as the favourite, finishing the regular season with a record of 20-1 for the second year in a row.
"It was a great win against a very good team. I was very proud of the character the boys showed to come back from a six point deficit in the fourth quarter. To win the PACWEST championship once is a difficult taks, but to win it back-to-back is a very special accomplishment," said head coach Paul Eberhardt.
Point guard Brody Greig led the way with 33 points and eight rebounds, including 8/11 at the free throw line. Forward Elliot Mason added 19 points, including two three-pointers in the middle of an 11-1 run late in the game. Jitinder Lohcham added 16 points, including 8/10 from the free throw line. The Falcons outrebounded VIU 54-43 overall, and finished 27/36 at the line. Greig and Lohcham hit key free throws in the last minutes of the game to seal the win.
Greig was named Player of the Game for the final, as well as Tournament MVP. Lohcham and Mason were named Tournament All-Stars. Greig was also named as the PACWEST Athlete of the Week. For the Mariners, Brandon Jones and Clayton Billett were named Tournament All-Stars.
“Brody is our team leader and he is one of the most skilled passers I have ever had on my team. He always sees two or three passes ahead and is unquestionably a very unselfish player,” added Eberhardt. “He has a very quiet competitiveness about him and if the game is on the line I want the ball in his hands. In the last 30 years I have coached most of the top players in BC and I can honestly state that Brody is the best point guard I have ever had the pleasure to coach.”
In the semi-final, Langara defeated the Capilano University Blues 97-76. Garrett Ling-Lee and Jitinder Lohcham led the Falcons with 24 points each, while Elliot Mason had 13 points. Greig had a triple-double with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Falcons dominated the Blues on the boards 58-39.
Quest University is hosting the CCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship. The Falcons are seeded first overall and will play the #8 seeded Concordia Thunder on Thursday March 13, 3:00pm (PST).
View more photos of the provincial final between Langara and VIU here.
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Mark Dawson
Communications Officer
Communications & Marketing
T 604.323.5702
mdawson@langara.bc.ca