Despite a stiff test on the road Friday, the Keyano Huskies Men's Basketball team kept their perfect regular season record in tact with a pair of weekend wins against the University of Alberta – Augustana Vikings in Camrose.
"It was good to come away with two wins," Head Coach Jeremy Wielenga said. "I thought Augustana played very well on Friday and gave us a tough challenge. It was good for us to be in a close game.
"We got stops when we needed to and found a way to win. Saturday, we really responded well and bounced back to form."
With a 91-85 win Friday, the Huskies experienced their closest margin of victory all season. While the Vikings were ahead at points, the Huskies prevailed with a 35-point effort from Sean-Michael Clancey. Also finishing in double figures were DJ Haynes with 16 points and Jusci Thompson, who added 10.
Clancey also tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven, joining similar performances from Omeechi Williams and Taliik Ross.
The Huskies held a five-point lead at the half, with the Vikings cutting it to four after three quarters. A 27-25 fourth quarter in favour of the Huskies confirmed the victory.
"It felt like a playoff game," Wielenga continued. "We're getting into that time of year. Any time we can get any of those experiences, that'll be great for us later on.
"They played very well and they hit some tough shots. It was good for us to get into those situations."
Saturday's result was a different story with the Huskies winning 111-75. Clancey once again led the Huskies, scoring 22 points and adding 12 rebounds for the double-double. Haynes added 20 points, Nathan Carefoote-Jones and Ross each had 18 points while Williams was right behind them with 17.
Leading 29-13 after the first quarter, a 36-point second quarter put the Huskies up by 27 at the half. Winning the second half by nine points, the Huskies put the finishing touches on a win that clinched the top spot in the North.
"I'm glad the guys found a way to get it done this weekend," Wielenga said of the achievement. "That'll bode well for us in the future, knowing that we'll have that extra week of rest."
The Huskies have the next weekend off before returning to action on the road against the Briercrest College Clippers and Medicine Hat College Rattlers.
