THUNDER BAY – It’s got to be the shoes.
On Friday night, his team in a heated battle against a Toronto Metropolitan Bold team looking for a share of top spot in the OUA Central, Chris Sagl’s shoe fell apart.
He ran to the dressing room, grabbed another pair, and his Lakehead Thunderwolves regained the lead and went on to down the Bold 89-85.
The shoes were back on Saturday night and were just as magical.
Sagl poured in 29 points, including a string of back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to open the third quarter, helping erase a 38-35 TMU halftime lead, sparking the Thunderwolves to a dominant second half performance and an 85-75 win that swept the season series and kept Lakehead atop the Central with a 12-2 record, a game-and-a-half in front of the streaking Brock Badgers and three ahead of the Bold.
“It was about time. I feel like I’ve missed so many shots, so it was about time I hit something in a row. I have the confidence in myself to shoot basically anything, as anyone can probably see who watches the games,” Sagl said.
“That was fun. That was really fun.”
How much credit is he giving the shoes? Maybe a little.
“These ones, I’m going to be wearing from now on, it looks like,” Sagl said.
His coach, Ryan Thomson, said Sagl’s success was the result of not looking for the outside shot in the early stages of the game.
“I think it started with him getting in the paint in the first half,” Thomson said. “It got him in his rhythm a little bit. They were worried he was going to try to touch the paint, so they were giving him a little bit more space to get to his three. He made a couple tough ones, but we support Chris. We want him to be his best self and when he’s playing with some confidence and playing with some freedom, that’s usually when he’s at his best.”
TMU’s all-star guard, Aaron Rhooms, was at his best in the opening half, torching the T-Wolves for 19 of his 29 points.
The former USports rookie-of-the year was a force in the opening stages of the game, as the Bold raced out to a 20-11 lead early in the second quarter.
LU’s defence finally got rolling and, with two minutes to go in the half, Keylian Coulibaly stepped to the line and hit a pair of free throws that vaulted LU back in front, up 30-29, the first of four lead changes in the quarter.
The final one came in the final minute, Rhooms burying a corner three for a 38-35 halftime lead for the visiting Bold, much to the chagrin of the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse faithful who filled the house on Saturday night.
Up 64-50 and not to be outdone, Sagl’s teammate, Nathan Bilamu, opened the fourth with a successful shot from beyond the arc, and then it was Harold Santacruz’s time to take over. Quiet for the first three quarters, the Spanish import was a monster in the paint in the final frame, whether it was overpowering double coverage to hit a bucket or drawing the foul and heading to the line for free points, it was his play at the end that ensured the Bold weren’t coming back in this one.
“TMU is a really good team, so getting two wins from these guys was crucial for getting first spot in our division,” Santacruz said.
“The switched a lot on me and they tried doubles, so I made quick decisions and I tried to score or I tried to find my teammates.”
Lakehead (12-2) travels to York next weekend for a pair against the Lions.
