Jimmy Dorsey scored 49 points yesterday versus Acadia.

All Hail James The Third

In the biggest weekend of the AUS season, the best player in the conference became the major storyline with a pair of incredible performances.

Jimmy Dorsey put his Cape Breton Capers on his back and carried them to two crucial victories at home over the UPEI Panthers and the Acadia Axemen over a two day span that drastically altered the fortunes of the top four teams in the standings.

Dorsey registered a triple double on Saturday night versus the Panthers scoring 20 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 12 assists in the Capers 111-90 rout.

But that was just an opening act for his performance on Sunday versus the Axemen.

Dorsey scored 49 points and had 14 assists to out duel Owen Klassen as the Capers beat Acadia 111-106 in a thrilling matinee from Sullivan Fieldhouse. Dorsey even tallied 8 rebounds to go along with an 8 for 14 shooting performance from beyond the 3 PT line. Klassen scored 35 points and made 7 of 9 three point shots for Acadia.

Not only did “The Third” lead his team to eight points in the standings and into serious contention for a first round bye at the AUS championships, he became the clear cut favourite for AUS MVP and a lock for CIS First Team All Canadian.

X-Men Back On Top, In Drivers Seat For First Place Finish

The ST FX X-Men are officially back on track after beating Acadia and UPEI this weekend and putting up eight points in the standings. The X-Men have now won three in a row after losing four of six through the end of January.

Better yet for X-Men fans, with a pair of four point games next weekend at last place Memorial, Steve Konchalski`s troops are a safe bet to finish in first place and get a first round bye at the Final 6.

With the AUS getting two bids this year, that means the X-Men will be one win away from another trip to the CIS championships.

It gets better. Bol Kong is starting to contribute on a regular basis and has been a fixture down the stretch of closely contested games. On Saturday he had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists in a 87-82 win over Acadia, and today he had his best game with the team, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a OT win over the Panthers.

Barring a monumental upset on The Rock next weekend, the X-Men appear to have finally cleared the final hurdle and are once again the favourite to win the AUS championship at the Metro Centre.

Depleted Huskies Take Care of Business, Fassett Injured In Process

The Saint Marys Huskies kept themselves out in front of UNB for the last playoff spot with a weekend sweep of Memorial at the Tower, but suffered another injury in a season filled with them, this time to their best player, Tory Fassett (23 ppg)

Fassett went down with a knee injury in the second half on Saturday night and would not return. He was not in the lineup for the Huskies in their 74-63 victory today. As Mavs Gillis and Vince Williams made reference to during the webcast on Sportstream, the Huskies had more coaches than players dressed on the bench. Ross Quackenbush had only two players at his disposal, guard Warren Liang and post Ian Robertson.

Rookie sensation Brian Rouse stepped up to fill the void for Fassett with a 22 point performance for the Huskies who are now two points up on the Reds for the final playoff spot and two points behind Dalhousie for fifth place.

The Huskies will play the Reds in a critical four point game this weekend in Fredericton.

Power Rankings

1. St FX X-Men 12-4, 32 pts. - It`s been a struggle at times for the nationally ranked X-Men but they are winning all the close games and are the deepest team in the conference. Third year guard Jordan Clarke has been inserted in the starting line up and has given the team a boost. Tyrell Virnon is a great floor general for the team, but his inability to hit outside shots nearly led to a loss today versus UPEI as the Panthers practically dared him to shoot.

2. UPEI Panthers 12-5, 32 pts – Panthers are alot of fun to watch on the offensive end but their persistent use of zone defence can make their games a struggle to watch. Obviously they have the personnel to make the zone work and its essential with their lack of depth, but it definitely can lead to some boring basketball. Chances are pretty good though that Head Coach Tim Kendrick isn't too concerned with style points.

3. Acadia Axemen 9-6, 28 pts – Axemen had won six in a row before the weekend and played tough in road losses to X and CBU. Acadia plays four of their last five games in Wolfville including two versus Memorial. Anthony Sears has averaged over 20 points a game this term and Owen Klassen may have finally broken out of a funk with his performance today versus CBU.

4. Cape Breton Capers 10-6, 30 pts – Capers will ride Jimmy Dorsey as far as they can, which may be to an AUS title. CBU is 3-3 this year versus the other top teams in the conference and have a tough ride the rest of the way, hosting the X-Men this Wednesday, then finishing the season on the road with two games at Dalhousie and a four pointer at UPEI.

5. Dalhousie Tigers 7-9, 22 pts – Sam Williams has stepped up to provide some much needed depth at the post position, but the Tigers lack of outside shooting has caused them to struggle versus zone defences. They have two possibly critical games to play versus the Reds two weekends from now in Halifax.

6. SMU Huskies 8-9. 20 pts – Health of Tory Fassett will be a major storyline for a Huskies team already devastated by injuries. The Huskies season could hang in the balance this coming weekend with their four point game at UNB. I was reminded today during the Huskies versus Memorial game how much fun it is too watch Ross Quackenbushs motion offence. Its nice to see a team make cuts, screen, and share the basketball in the 24 second shot clock era.

7. UNB Varsity Reds 6-11, 18 pts – Reds keep winning just enough to stay in the chase. Daniel Quirion hit a huge three pointer to force OT on Saturday versus the Tigers but Dalhousie took charge in the extra session to gain the split. With a four point game versus the Huskies at home and two versus the fifth place Tigers in Halifax, the Reds have the opportunity to beat the teams they're chasing.

8. Memorial Seahawks 1-15, 2 pts – Jason Shepherd has quietly had an outstanding season for the Seahawks, averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Shepherd has shot the ball at a forty percent clip from beyond the arc and has been a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable year for Memorial.

Standings