Brent Mutis, CapU Sport Information & Compliance Officer
Four of the No. 3-seed Capilano Blues starters scored in double digits, led by 32 from shooting guard Martin Bogajev, in a 109-77 quarter-finals win over the No. 6-seed Okanagan College (OC) Coyotes Thursday at the PACWEST provincials.
Bogajev found his range early on, drilling four of five from three-point territory as he posted 14 points in the first quarter. Fellow Blues guards CJ Campbell and Tyrone Asenoguan were also ready to play from the opening tip as they each had emphatic dunks in the opening quarter which helped CapU to a 30-22 lead after 10 minutes.
OC was sharper in the second quarter, led by Ajay Gill's pair of threes but Coyotes guard and PACWEST leading scorer Omon Edobar picked up his third foul early in the second which limited his effectiveness the remainder of the game.
The Blues led by just a point at 45-44 at halftime but were stellar defensively to start the second half, limiting OC to just 10 points in the third quarter while scoring 26 themselves including eight each from Campbell and Asenoguan.
With a 17-point lead heading to the fourth quarter, the Blues didn't ease up and got 11 more points from Bogajev in the final frame. The strong finish was welcome as the Blues allowed a double-digit lead to get away the last time they faced OC in the playoffs in the 2020 PACWEST quarter-finals.
Sam Bailey was a warrior on the boards for the Blues, pulling down 17 rebounds while blocking two shots. Campbell added six boards, three assists and two steals to his 14 points while Asenoguan finished with 21 points, five assists and four steals. Owen Cutler and Michael Kelly each hit from downtown coming off the bench, finishing with seven points and six points respectively.
With the win, Capilano advances to the PACWEST semifinals against Camosun College. Tip off is 3 p.m. Friday at Columbia Place in Abbotsford.
