The Warriors men's basketball team picked up two huge wins over the Algoma Thunderbirds on home court to finish off their 2019 portion of their schedule.
On Friday night it was Think Pink night at the PAC and the Warriors used a big opening quarter, outscoring the T-Birds 28-11 to earn a 83-78 victory. Algoma made a fourth quarter charge, putting up 29 points compared to 17 for Waterloo but the black and gold held on for the two points.
Justin Malnerich (Cambridge/St. Benedict's Catholic Secondary) had a career high 31 points in the win, knocking down 8 of his 13 3-point attempts. He also added five free throws.
Nedim Hodzic (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) put up 20 points going 8-for-15 from the field while collecting seven boards.
Jayden Grewal (Oakville/Kings Christian Collegiate) and
David Ramon Prados (Madrid, Spain/Virgen de Atocha (North Platte College)) rounded out Waterloo's attack with 13 and 11 points respectively. On the glass, Ramon Prados led all players with nine rebounds.
On Saturday, four of Waterloo's five starters hit double digits with
Kuel Thomas (Kitchener/Huron Heights Secondary) having a breakout game as Waterloo took out Algoma 86-59. The sophomore guard had a career high 21 points with an impressive 9-for-13 night from the field while going 2-for-2 from the line. Thomas also collected 12 boards.
Hodzic was the next best Warrior with a double-double, tallying 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Simon Petrov (Waterloo/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary) and
Jayden Grewal (Oakville/Kings Christian Collegiate) rounded out Waterloo's strong team performance with 16 points each.
Defensively the Warriors had six steals and six blocks, keeping an opponent under 60 for the first time this season.
With a key four points, Waterloo moved into a tie for fourth in the OUA west division and head into the Holiday Break with a 3-8 record.
