SARNIA – The Redeemer Royals will be playing for a medal at the 2020 OCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Kel-Gor.
In thrilling fashion, the Royals knocked off the Sheridan Bruins in front of a packed house inside the Lambton College Athletics & Fitness Complex, 99-90.
With the win, the Royals have punched their ticket to the semifinals on Saturday, where they will face either Lambton or George Brown at 6:00 p.m.
The loss brings an end to the 2019-20 season for the Sheridan Bruins, one that saw the Bruins hold the top spot in the CCAA National Rankings at one point in time.
It was a back and forth game from the outset, with both teams fighting for momentum. Redeemer came out of the gates strong, racing to a 16-7 lead early on. With all of the momentum at their backs, it looked as though the Royals could put some separation between themselves and the Bruins early.
Then, the fire alarm went off.
Reminiscent of Super Bowl XLVII back in 2013 when the power went out in Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, one that led to a massive shift in momentum, it looked as though the Bruins were the beneficiaries of the alarm. After an extended break, the Bruins started to find their rhythm, and they carried that into the second quarter.
After a back-and-forth start to the quarter, one that saw the Bruins slowly chip away at the lead of the Royals, they were rewarded for their perseverance. With 2:55 left before the break, a layup from Jemol Edwards gave Sheridan a slim one-point lead.
Redeemer would make sure that they entered the break with a boost of momentum. Redeemer scored the last five points of the quarter, made up of two free throws from forward Spencer Kerssies and a three just before the buzzer from Goran Veselinovic, to lead 44-40 at the break.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter, where Redeemer was up six to start. Sheridan opened on a 10-2 run to take a 73-71 lead to seize momentum for the time being. Willed by a slew of Redeemer fans in attendance, the Royals weren’t going down quietly, and they continued to fight to hold onto their momentum.
Down the stretch, Kerssies put the Royals on his back and willed the team to victory. He scored 13 of his game-high 32 points in the final seven minutes of the game, carrying Redeemer down the stretch. On the back of their fifth-year forward, Redeemer came away with the hard-fought 99-90 win over Sheridan to keep their season alive.
Along with his 32 points, Kerssies added 11 rebounds, further proving why he was named an OCAA West Division First Team All-Star the night prior. Jacobus Vanderpol also finished with a double-double of his own, chipping in a quiet 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Kerssies was named the Player of the Game for Redeemer.
All five starters for Sheridan reached double-figures, led by Nick Campbell, the 2020 OCAA Player of the Year. He finished with a team-high 19 points and was named the Bruins’ Player of the Game.
Redeemer will now play throughout the weekend, beginning with their Saturday evening semifinal contest at 6:00 p.m.