Miller shines as Men's Basketball Huskies stay perfect in November

It may feel too early in the season for two results to be considered statements wins, but that’s exactly what the Keyano Huskies Men’s Basketball achieved in their latest home weekend sweep.

With an 82-66 win against the Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks and a 72-53 win against the SAIT Trojans, the Huskies topped two of the stronger programs in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s (ACAC) South Division, remained perfect in the month of November, and maintained their first-place position in the North Division.  
 
“We knew this was a really tough part of our schedule,” Head Coach Jeremy Wielenga said after Saturday’s win. “These four games are going to be really tough for us so it’s good for us to hold home court and we’re looking ahead to a big showdown on Friday against Briercrest.”  

The Huskies got the stops they needed early in both games while capitalizing offensively. In Friday’s 82-66 win against the Kodiaks, the Huskies led by 12 after one quarter and stretched the lead to 18 at the half. The Kodiaks did come back in the fourth quarter, but not enough to trim the sizeable gap to a point where the Huskies were in danger of losing the lead.  

That gap was cultivated by a 27-point game from Keenan Miller. DJ Haynes and Nahshon Hurst each added 15-point performances. Yasser Abdullahi and Tafari Carefoote-Jones added eight and seven points respectively. 

Saturday, the Huskies steadily grew their lead after each quarter. Miller led the way again with 17 points, complimented by 15 from Omeechi Williams and 14 from Hurst.  

“We went to nationals and scored 60 points and still found a way to win,” Wielenga continued on the team’s commitment to defence. “Defence is what we’re built on and we just kept getting stops and waited for another push to try and score.  
 
“I’d like to see us clean things up offensively, but at the same time if you just have to grind it out and get stops; that’s what we did.”  
 
Also starring in Saturday’s win was McMurrayite Ben Simmons, who drained a trio of three-point shots, including two in the fourth quarter in a 23-second span that helped ice any thoughts of a comeback by the visitors. 

“He works so hard on his game,” Wielenga said. “It’s only a matter of time before it translates to the floor. Tonight, his three threes were massive, he had some big rebounds at the end.  
 
“He helped close the game and win the game for us, so it was a well-deserved player of the game. We’re glad to see him keep growing.”  

While the wins matter now in the regular season standings, they also give the Huskies an early glimpse to the challenge they can expect come playoffs. While he wasn’t looking that far ahead just yet, Wielenga continued to stress the importance of what the team accomplished defensively.  

“We’re a long way from playoffs,” he said. “It’s just about getting those stops and keeping yourself in the game, even when in a one-game scenario if the shots aren’t falling how are you going to try and find a way to win.  
 
“I think that’s what you take from it. Just relying on your defence and still find a way to win.”  

At 7-1, the stage is set for the Huskies to battle the Briercrest College Clippers (6-1) this coming Friday in Caronport, Sask. in a meeting of division leaders. That’ll be followed by the Huskies’ first half finale against the Medicine Hat College Rattlers (4-3).