Quebec City, QC – It’s officially March Madness at the Men’s Final 8, thanks to Laval.
It was the game that it felt like everyone had already looked beyond in their predictions. The #1 seed, Victoria Vikes vs the #8 Laval Rouge et Or. The game, which, while nice because it was the hosts and would bring a large crowd, was meant to be merely a stepping stone for Victoria on their way to finally getting their first national title since 1997.
You see, that was what was supposed to happen.
Instead, one raucous crowd, a league-leading defence, a few key runs later, and the Laval Rouge et Or had the 75-69 win and perhaps one of the most stunning upsets since #8 Saskatchewan upset #1 Brock in 2022.
There’s a distinct change in a U SPORTS championship venue on quarterfinal day when it’s the host game. Usually, in the third of four games, the energy that typically exists as a dull roar in the first two afternoon matchups slowly builds, growing louder and louder until the moment the game begins. But the energy doesn’t dip, though; it just stays at that level the entire night.
The quarterfinal matchup against the host team might be the most challenging game in a U SPORTS tournament, as the team needs to adjust quickly to a new team and an extremely hostile crowd. From the moment the ball tipped off at the Amphithéâtre Desjardins at just after 6 pm the Laval Rouge et Or crowd did not fail to live up to expectation.
With each basket in the first quarter, the noise seemed to grow louder, matched only by each Victoria miss. Before anyone could blink, it was suddenly 21-11 for the Rouge et Or after 10 minutes.
The Vikes, the three-time defending Canada West champions, were not going to roll over easy, though. Diego Maffia, one day off of being awarded U SPORTS Player of the Year, picked up 15 points in the first half on the way to a game-high 26 points.
However, Maffia struggled from deep, hitting just four of his fifteen attempts.
“Our strategy was to try to take Diego out of the game and I think our players did an amazing job trying to get him out,” Laval’s Sidney T. Lacombe said.
Into the second half the crowd only seemed to get louder with each possesion and the Rouge et Or fed off that. According to coach Nathan Grant the more they yell, the harder the adreline pumps.
“Whether you’re tired or not, the more they yell the more you gotta suck it up,” Grant said. “Legs could be a little bit tired but you just gotta find the way, and they give us that extra boost, to go tip a ball, go get a rebound when you’re tired, they compete harder because of the fans that are here.”
Up 57-48 heading into the fourth quarter the Vikes leaned heavily on their star, running multiple plays through Maffia to try and create some offence, which granted he did picking up 9 points on 4/6 shooting. The Vikes were never able to close the gap though and
Laval head coach Nathan Grant, isn’t thinking too far ahead but looking beyond the tournamnet in itself he know what a win like this means.
“Kids grow up wanting to become a member of the team in their city because they come to games like these, with screaming stands, energy,” Grant said. “I think for us for the city it’s gonna go a long way with these kids in the stands, watching our guys do incredible things and now they’re gonna wanna do incredible things.
Still though, before the future there is the matter of this weekend. The Rouge et Or play the winner of the Brock Badgers and the Dalhousie Tigers and regardless of the emotions of the night, Grant isn’t taking any of that into tomorrow.
“We’re done with tonight, one game at a time, we won that game now it’s not about tonight it’s not about carrying momentum it’s about refocusing for tomorrow.”