By Nathan Hutton (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: September 11, 2013
The annual varsity tailgate party drew more interest than ever last Monday and culminated with a free draw for a pair of Canucks tickets. Athletes and supporters volleyed, dribbled, bumped, and stickhandled in between sampling free burgers, snow cones, and iced pop.
After the party, the Cascades men’s basketball team continued a string of exhibition games in preparation for their season opener in November. The game was played in front of a raucous crowd of UFV students in the Envision Athletic Center. The visiting team was the University of California Riverside Highlanders, a NCAA Division 1 team who are currently on a trip north playing CIS men’s teams from around the province.
Right from the tipoff it was apparent that the Highlanders were here to play. From the outset, the game consisted of constant pressure as the teams tried to find their respective rhythms. A big three at the end of the second quarter from Cascades forward Jasper Moedt put the Cascades within a point. Yet the Highlanders seemed to turn a switch in the second half. Chris Patton, their towering 6’10” center, scored sixteen of his game-high eighteen points after halftime and led his team to the 81-61 victory.
“We worked really, really hard for the majority of the game,” UFV coach Adam Friesen said of his team’s effort. “We played together.” The Cascades were led by Moedt with 12 points.
