Brandon Bobcats will not be going to the CIS national championships. A panel of coaches convened Sunday and decided to give the Acadia
Axemen the wildcard entry into next weekend's Final Eight tournament in
Ottawa, ending Brandon's 2007-2008 campaign. "I thought we deserved to go," said Brandon coach Mike Raimbault. "It's
tough to look at it and be positive at this time. I'm definitely proud
of our guys... what else can you say." The decision also brought an end to the CIS careers of three fifth year bobcats in Yuri Whyms, Yul Michel and Adam Hartman.
"I just feel sick to my stomach," said Hartman, who was visibly emotional. "All day, my whole career just flashed before my eyes... I feel sick."
The Axemen were thrust into the wildcard race after falling 75-72 to the Saint Mary's Huskies in the Atlantic Conference championship game Sunday afternoon.
Acadia beat Brandon 85-72 in their lone head-to-head meeting in late December, and Hartman feels that was what did the 'Cats in.
"That's probably the factor that kept us back," noted the Virden product. "But we had a chance against Alberta (at the Canada West final four), we were up eleven, but we just couldn't pull through."
Raimbault echoed those sentiments.
"We didn't win the game to get there," added the first year coach. "That's the bottom line. We left it up to other people's decision, and it was out of our hands."
The Axemen will be seeded fifth at the National Championship and face the Laval Rouge et Or in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The five-time defending champion Carleton Ravens are the tournament's top seed and will meet the Alberta Golden Bears in their opening game.
The Canada West champs from UBC are seeded second and will battle the Brock Badgers while Saint Mary's takes on the Western Mustangs in the other quarter-finals.
More information on the upcoming CIS Championships can be found at http://www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_basketball/2008/
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written by: Jeremy Sawatzky, BU Sports Information