The Algonquin Thunder’s men’s basketball team were struck with a historic loss by their cross-town rivals at the season and home opener Oct. 23.
The La Cité Coyotes had never beaten the Thunder before, the only Eastern conference team they had not won against in their 12-year history.
That all changed when the Coyotes won 61-49 on Oct. 23.
“They are hungry every time they play us,” said the Thunder’s head coach Trevor Costello. “Doesn’t matter if they’re down 60 or 40, these guys play hard all the time.”
Their hunger for victory was evident when the Coyotes led 5-0 out of the gate, and the Thunder didn’t have a point until four minutes into the game.
The contest was even at the end of the first half with a 24-22 Coyotes lead. When the Coyotes led 32-29, the Thunder were unable to dig themselves out of the hole, where their offence only saw 20 points in the remaining fifteen minutes.
The Thunder’s downfall was largely because the offence did not show up.
“We shot the ball about as poorly as we have ever shot it here at Algonquin,” said Costello, who is in his 19th year being involved with men’s basketball program. “(I think) we were 20 per cent (in shooting percentage). That’s just brutal.”
The offensive bright spots came from starters Kristian Charette, Murphy Beya and Owen Powers, who accounted for 38 points – 77 per cent – of the Thunder’s 49-point tally.
A high point of the game was Algonquin’s defence, which seemed to be the only thing that went right.
“We kept them to 24 points in the first half,” said Costello. “We will win a lot of games if we do that. When you score 49 it is going to be tough to win games.”
Despite the loss, Thunder starting center Denis Dervisevic remained positive because of their chance of redemption on the road against the Coyotes in February. However, he did enjoy the experience.
“This was an intense game,” said Dervisevic. “I’ve never ever been a part of a game like this. This was a packed house, great cheering from both (team’s) fans and it was a great environment to play in.”