Bobcats Set to Start 2nd Half

• Day Two at Scotties
• Friday's Sports Briefs

  The Brandon University men's basketball team is just fine between the ears going into the second-half of their Canada West season.  
  "I have 100 percent confidence," third-year guard Ilarion Bonhomme told CKLQ's Tyler Crayston. "We have a lot of fifth-year guys who realize this is it. This is their last semester of university basketball. They're trying to lead the younger guys and everybody is stepping up."  
  The Bobcats are 2-8 and sit eight points back of the final playoff spot in the Prairie Division.  
  Even though there's ground to gain, BU believes they can book their first post-season berth in five years.  
  "We're excited and everyone is real focused," said Bonhomme "I feel like everyone knows that every game is a playoff game. That's how we're taking every game and every practice."  
  The Lady 'Cats are also 2-8 going into home games against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack Friday and the UBC Okanagan Heat on Saturday at the Healthy Living Centre.  
  The women's team snapped a 73-game conference losing streak and won consecutive contests for the first time since 2008 in the first-half.  
  "Getting to a point where we're competing all the time, that's the key I think for us and will be the key," said coach Novell Thomas. "We've shown flashes of being able to compete in long stretches. In those games, it resulted in wins. Now it's about doing. The first part of the semester was a lot of teaching and now it's either you do it, or you don't."  
  Meanwhile, the Brandon University volleyball teams have a road trip to Kamloops coming out of the break.  
  The Lady 'Cats are 9-3 and sit in third-place going into their doubleheader against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack.  
  "Gotta host," said head coach Lee Carter. "We're such a good team at home and if we want to make our playoff run like we're talking about, we need to start learning how to win on the road. We play a lot of road games this semester and we need to start winning there."  
  On the men's side, the defending conference champion Bobcats are 7-5 and share fifth-place following an injury-riddled and adversity filled first-half.  
  "Certainly I think we can still control our own destiny," said coach Grant Wilson. "It's not like we're at the bottom looking way up. We're in the middle of the pack and if we can take care of our end of the bargain, we're going to give ourselves a chance."

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