Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – After putting up 100-plus points in back-to-back games, while finally breaking through for their first win of 2018-19, the MacEwan Griffins men's basketball team heads into its final weekend of the Canada West campaign with some momentum.
They will aim to ride that wave into the off-season and possibly play playoff spoilers along the way.
MacEwan (1-17) visits Victoria (8-10) on Friday (9 p.m. MT) and Saturday (8 p.m. MT, both on Canada West TV).
"I think we've made some tremendous gains and we'll have tremendous work ethic," said interim head coach Ken Schildroth, whose squad is coming in off a weekend split against Brandon that saw them score 103 and 108 points on respective nights.
"We'll have a competitive team that will represent MacEwan in the UVic gym. For UVic, it represents an opportunity for them to advance to the playoffs, so we're motivated to be the spoiler and we want to finish our season up on our continued progress as a team."
Realistically, the Vikes – tied for 10th in the Canada West standings – have a great chance of making the playoffs, regardless of this weekend's result. Even if they lose both to MacEwan, the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot would only be activated if Mount Royal University wins at least once against Brandon this weekend and Thompson Rivers University sweeps Calgary, who have yet to lose this season.
The Griffins' campaign will end without a playoff berth for a third-straight year, so the weekend is about finishing on a strong note as the program gets set to enter a new era under a new coach next season.
"We have tremendous potential that we need to tap into," said Schildroth. "There's a tremendous work ethic and a growth in our culture as a team to think we, not me. Those types of things happen when you start to build.
"You can see a tremendous growth in their effort and enjoyment of the game."
MacEwan entered the season with a young team, but Schildroth says they're now a battle-tested group, who've gone through the rigours of a Canada West season.
"At this point in the season, they're a veteran team," he said. "They're no longer rookies. All the teachings that have gone on throughout the year are now being exhibited on the floor."
