SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The Three Oaks Team One Axemen accomplished a lot in a short time over the weekend.
The Axemen registered a perfect 4-0 (won-lost) record in winning the Confederation City Classic basketball tournament, hosted by Charlottetown Rural High School. This was the Axemen’s fourth tournament win of the 2019-20 season, but what is interesting to note is after Thursday’s opening game was postponed due to the weather, the Axemen played all four games in approximately 26 hours.
“It was tough,” said Axemen senior point guard Sahib Singh. “It was a good thing we had some big leads in the first couple of games and got to rest our starters.
“We used a lot of ice and had a lot of recoveries so we could perform the best we could.”
Singh, who led the Axemen with 28 points in the Axemen’s 91-73 victory over the Charlottetown Rural Raiders in Saturday afternoon’s final, noted he and his teammates focused on nutrition, especially a healthy breakfast, with such a busy schedule.
“It was a grind,” added Axemen head coach Faro Halupa. “It’s the mental part of getting up and down (for games) that much in 26 hours to get ready to play four games.
“I am sure we were tired in the final and I am sure Rural was, too.”
Vlersim Musliu contributed 19 points in the final and was named a tournament all-star.
Overall, Halupa was happy with how his team played at the Confederation City Classic.
“We lost our first game of the year last weekend when we were away (at a tournament) and it was nice to get right back on track right away,” said Halupa.
Scores
The Axemen defeated Amherst, N.S., 103-56 and C.P. Allen from Bedford, N.S., 104-84 in the round robin. Three Oaks then posted a 97-68 semifinal victory over Riverview, N.B.
“We played pretty well,” said Singh. “We just ran, stuck to our game plan and played defence.”
Halupa said Singh, who was one of the top point-getters in all four games, provided “efficient scoring” for the Axemen.
“He got to the basket a ton, got to the free-throw line and he pushes the pace of the game,” said Halupa. “This is what we focus on – getting out and running and getting to the basket and penetrating.
“This weekend, he stepped up in that regard. He scored a lot more than he usually would.
“With the efficiency that he is scoring at, you would love guys to have 28 points on 16 shots. His whole tournament was like that. It wasn't just one game, it was all the games. He was amongst the top scorers in every game and it was on highly efficient scoring.”
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Results
- Three Oaks Axemen results at Confederation City Classic:
- Round Robin
- Three Oaks 103 Amherst 56
- Top scorers for Three Oaks – Sahib Singh (13), Ben MacDougall (11).
- Three Oaks 104 CP Allen 84
- Top scorers for Three Oaks – Justin Caron (34), Sahib Singh (28).
- Semifinal
- Three Oaks 97 Riverview, N.B. 68
- Top scorers for Three Oaks – Sahib Singh (23), Vlersim Musliu (15), Charlie Turner (15).
- Final
- Three Oaks 91 Charlottetown Rural 73
- Top scorers for Three Oaks – Sahib Singh (28), Vlersim Musliu (19).
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