Perfect weekend gives Stinger hoop fans hope

By John Austen

Some were calling it a make-it-or-break-it weekend for both Concordia Stinger basketball teams. The men had a chance to move into a tie for first place if they could pull off a pair of victories, while the women were hoping to move above the .500 mark and pull into a tie for second spot by winning their two games.

Mission accomplished on both counts.

The men reeled off their fifth and sixth straight league wins, beating the Redmen at McGill 105-91 last Friday before dumping the Bishop’s Gaiters 80-63 on Saturday at Concordia.

Not to be outdone, the women beat McGill 72-55 Friday, before upsetting Bishop’s 72-66 the following afternoon. Coach John Dore and his men’s squad lost their first game to Laval 74-53 on Nov. 14 of last year and haven’t lost a league game since. Their 6-1 mark ties them for top spot in the University League standings with Laval. “We can beat Laval,” Dore said soon after the opening game loss. “It will take some work, but we expect to be right there with them at the end.”

Dore’s team appears to be regaining the form it had during the 1999-2000 season, when Concordia earned a trip to the Nationals after beating McGill in a best-two-out-of-three playoff series. The Stingers finished 13-7 in conference play that year.

Dore has brought success to every level of basketball he has been associated with throughout the years. At Concordia, where he has been the head coach since the 1989-90 season, he has taken the Stingers to the national championship tournament eight times. He won the national crown in 1990 and placed second in 1995. Patrick Perrotte and Chris Blackwood paced the attack against Bishop’s as each scored 19 points in the win. The Stingers led 41-30 at half time. Blackwood was at it again against McGill scoring 23 points, while Jon Dresner lead the way with 26 big points.

“The Stingers seem to have something different about them this year,”said Mitchell Whyte, 26, a Concordia supporter who attended both games last weekend. “I can’t wait to see how they do next time they play Laval.” Whyte and the rest of the Stinger fans will get that chance Jan. 23 when the Rouge et Or visit Concordia. Lady Stingers buzzworthy

Coach Keith Pruden’s Lady Stingers (4-3) got 19 points from Marie-Josée Raposo and 17 from Graziella Charles in their win over Bishop’s (4-2). The win pushed them into a second place tie with Bishop’s, who had beaten the Stingers earlier in the season. Both teams trail Laval, who are a perfect 7-0 on the season.

The Lady Stingers proved to be good hosts as they finished third at the Reebok Invitational Women’s Basketball Tournament held Dec. 29-31 at Concordia.

The UBC Thunderbirds, ranked No. 2 by Canadian University Sport, defeated the Manitoba Bisons 69-44 to win the event. Concordia had wins over the Carleton Ravens (55-42) and Laurier (78-77). The only loss came at the hands of the Bisons (75-74).

Charles, who was consistently strong throughout the competition, was named to the tournament all-star team. Both basketball squads take to the floor again Friday night at home when UQAM pays a cross-town visit.