Jumping Out the Gym
Stingers Get First League Win of The Season Against Laval
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When Stingers rookie Ken Beaulieu earned a breakaway late in the fourth quarter, it was as if he was given a blank canvas on which to express his art. The newcomer stole the ball from an opposing player and was already off to the races from mid court.
While the end result was a classic dunk—no windmills or other theatrics—the crowd got loud all the same. The play could still serve as a pièce de resistance to the team’s comeback win over the Laval Rouge et Or this past Thursday night.
“Everyone in the gym knew he was going to dunk the minute he got the steal,” said first-year point guard Ricardo Monge. “There’s no surprise there, and it was still exciting.”
The Stingers men’s basketball team captured their first league win of the season in an enthralling 80-70 win over the Rouge et Or. Despite being behind Laval for most of the game, the Stingers were never down by more than 10 points and managed to stay close to their opponent before overtaking the lead in the fourth quarter.
“It’s really exciting to win the first home game,” said Monge. “We started out slow, but in the end, it’s the fourth quarter that counts. So we took care of business there.”
“I think our guys stayed fairly focused,” said Stingers head coach John Dore. “We executed well offensively and dominated defensively in the fourth quarter.”
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Stingers forward Ken Beaulieu led his team with 18 points, including his late fourth quarter dunk that placed an exclamation point on the victory. The rookie stole the ball from Laval’s Antoine Beaumier and raced up to the net to dunk the ball.
“I just ran [down] the court, jumped as high as I can, and threw down the dunk,” said Beaulieu.
“He’s probably going to be the most exciting player in our conference,” said Dore, regarding Beaulieu. “Everybody saw the dunk; he can jump to the moon.
“Who says white men can’t jump?”
“He’s probably going to be the most exciting player in our conference. Everybody saw the dunk; he can jump to the moon.” – Stingers head coach John Dore on Stingers rookie Ken Beaulieu
Despite lead changes within the opening four minutes of the first quarter, the Laval Rouge et Or started building a lead when they held a score of 26-20 after the first 10 minutes of play. Concordia maintained a close score in the second and third
quarter yet trailed the Rouge et Or for most of the game.
The Stingers finally regained the lead at the nine-minute mark of the fourth quarter, following a free throw from veteran Mukiya Post. The Stingers held onto the lead until the end of the game.
“Defensively [at first], we were not in sync,” said forward Michael Fosu, who achieved a double-double, recording 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. “But as soon as we picked it up defensively, there was nothing they could do.”
Although the first win of the season is one to savour, the Stingers must now focus on their next opponent, the Bishop’s Gaiters. The game is at home on Thursday, Nov. 13. The Gaiters squad finished second in the RSEQ standings and made the provincial title game last year.
“I believe that we can match up with any team,” said Fosu. “There’s no reason why we can’t match up with any team. Obviously, it’s going to be a big test for us, but I feel strong enough that our team can pull a win from [Bishop’s].”
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