The Mill Rats fought hard in a home game against Oshawa Power on Jan. 18, only to be defeated with a final score of 117-123.
Despite the loss, UNBSJ students were present and enthusiastic, along with over 2,000 fans, thanks to the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) providing 45 free tickets for lower bowl seats.
Even though Oshawa took an early lead in the first quarter of the game and maintained it through half of the first, the Mill Rats didn’t back down and pushed to pass the visiting team.
The Power fought back hard, especially William Harris, who scored 14 points alone, but the Mill Rats held tight to their lead and finished the quarter with a dunk from Sheray Thomas leaving them at 31-28.
In the second quarter, Oshawa reclaimed the lead, but the home team dashed their efforts with a three point shot from Jerice Crouch, leaving the final score of the first half at 63-57 for the Mill Rats.
The half time show featured the talents of the adorable Mini Millies and the musical stylings of Mike Boogie. Since Friday night was student night, Saint John High School and St. Malachy’s faced off in a tug-o-war, with the latter winning themselves some game tickets.
As the second half of the game started, the SRC members and UNBSJ students pumped up the volume with their cheers and dance moves as they showed their support with the Mill Rats mascot, Forman George.
Only minutes into the third, Saint John was holding on to a solid 11 point lead over Oshawa. The Power increased their gumption but they were still behind 90-88 as the third quarter came to an end.
In the final quarter both teams amped up their game and battled it out on the court to see who would come out on top. The Power stole the lead with a score of 110-101 and the prognosis began to look bleak for Saint John.
With only 36 seconds left, the Mill Rats were slowly closing the gap, putting fans on edge. Jerice Crouch, who was the leading scorer for Saint John, dropped a three pointer with 12 seconds remaining, leaving Saint John only two points behind Oshawa.
The Mill Rats attempted to regain possession, but their efforts were futile and they were forced to foul repeatedly. Unfortunately the foul shots pushed Oshawa up and out of reach for the Mill Rats, who lost the game 117-123.
