The Bisons wrapped up the regular season in style with an 87–65 victory over the Brandon Bobcats, capping off a memorable Senior Night at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
With Brandon electing to rest two of its starting five as a precaution ahead of the upcoming playoffs, the Herd took full advantage. All 12 Bisons saw meaningful court time, allowing the bench to gain valuable experience and contribute across the board.
In a fitting tribute to Senior Night, head coach Kirby Schepp started the five seniors who have been together in the program for the full five years.
Manitoba set the tone early, jumping out to a 29–16 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 50–27 at halftime following a dominant second quarter. Brandon edged the third quarter 21–19, but the Bisons remained firmly in control at 69–48 heading into the final frame. Manitoba closed things out by a slim 18–17 margin in the fourth to secure the 22-point win.
Watts led the Herd with 16 points, while Mason Kraus added 11, Tito Obasoto chipped in 10, and Brandt Lenz finished with nine. All 12 Bisons contributed on the scoresheet, shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three.
Once again, Manitoba controlled the glass, outrebounding Brandon 46–37, and moved the ball effectively with 21 assists compared to Brandon’s eight.
Following the game, head coach Kirby Schepp reflected on the win:
“Glad we could finish off the regular season with a win. Both teams are already looking ahead to next week, as Brandon may be a likely playoff matchup for us. It was nice to get a lot of the next guys into the game and give them some valuable experience.”
With the victory, the Herd improves to 13–7, climbing into a three-way tie for second place in the Prairie Conference with Alberta and Mount Royal. After applying tiebreaker procedures, Alberta is placed 2nd, Manitoba 3rd, and Mount Royal 4th in the conference standings, giving Manitoba the #5 seed in Canada West.
Brandon falls to 8–12, remaining in seventh place in the Prairie Conference and earning the #12 seed in Canada West.
The Herd now turns its focus to the playoffs where they play Brandon again at UBC on Thursday, February 12 at 5 p.m. PST - check out the playoff section later in this newsletter for all the details.
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NOTE: Congratulations to the women’s team, who also completed a sweep of the Bobcats and finished sixth in the Prairie Conference. They will face Calgary, the third-place team in the Prairie Conference, at Trinity Western this upcoming weekend. All the best to the women’s team!