(Halifax, NS) The 2025-26 ACAA Men's Basketball Championship continued this afternoon with the second semi-final matchup as the St. Thomas Tommies edge the UNBSJ Seawolves 80-74 Saturday evening at the A. Garnet Brown Memorial Gymnasium. The Tommies advance to the championship game tomorrow afternoon as they will face off against the top-seed Mystics.
Vincent Lyttleton (Markham, ON) and Marcus Wilson (Miramichi, NB) paced the Tommies' offence in victory, finishing with 19 points each. Evan Valanne (Miramichi, NB) notched a double-double, tallying 12 points, while collecting 10 rebounds for the Tommies.
AJ Nash (St. John's, NL) finished with a game-high 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the Seawolves. Daren Clarke (Hamilton, ON) added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Ethan Szemerda (Saint John, NB) contributed with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to round out the Seawolves' attack.
Things kicked off in the second matchup of semi-final action, and Evan Valanne opened the scoring for the Tommies. The Seawolves would look to AJ Nash as he made three consecutive lay-ups, powering their offence with consistent attacks. Nash would continue to attack the basket, this time facilitating for a teammate, as he threw a behind the back pass that found Doyle Burton (Stillwater Lake, NS) under the basket for the easy two. Caleb Scholten (Fredericton, NB) would respond for the Tommies, as he connected on a three from the right wing to put the Tommies up 4 midway through the first quarter. Valanne would crash the offensive glass, as he found the rebound and finished over his defender. Looking for a response, the Seawolves would turn to Ewan Wilson (Falmouth, NS) as he buried consecutive threes to shift the momentum back to the Seawolves as they cut the lead to five. The Tommies would call on Jeven Eddy (Ajax, ON) lift their team and shift the momentum back after he battled down low where he would come down with two offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points each time. The Tommies would extend their lead to nine after Ceejay Hanson (Manchester, ENG) beat the buzzer with the lay-up. The Tommies led 30-21 at the quarter break.
Out the quarter break, the Seawolves looked to push the pace and the ball would swing around the arc until it found Daren Clarke wide open at the right extended elbow to cut the Tommies' lead to three. With all the momentum with the Seawolves, Nash would catch the pass at the top of the key and he would connect on the three as they trailed 32-30. Midway through the quarter, the Tommies would respond with a made basket by Valanne but the Seawolves answered immediately when Clarke would find Nash for another made three. As the defence picked up, both sides were looking to convert on a field goal but it would be more challenging than expected. After both teams were in a shooting slump, the Tommies were the first time to get out of it, when Vincent Lyttleton would knock down a three to extend the Tommies' lead. The next time that Lytteton touched the ball, he would execute another made basket, this time a driving lay-up over the defender as they led 41-34 with over one minute remaining in the half. The Seawolves were able to narrow the deficit as the Tommies held a 42-37 lead at the half.
Lyttleton would open the scoring in the third when he attacked the Seawolves' defence with the right-handed lay-up off the left side. With energy on the Tommies' side, they would continue to attack as they would hit Hanson with a cross-court skip pass as he drained a crucial three to extend their lead to 13. The triple would force the Seawolves to call a timeout in hopes to recollect and regroup. Out of the timeout, the defending ACAA champions would find crucial mid-range jumpers first by Clarke and then Ethan Szemerda would cross up his defender before rising over him to cut the lead to nine. Nash would take down a defensive rebound for the Seawolves and drive through the Tommies' defence but their opponents would respond instantly as River Lanz (Rothesay, NB) drained a corner three to give the Tommies a 10-point margin. In a back-and-forth exchange, the Tommies would connect again from range, when Marcus Wilson knocked down the deep triple. In the ensuing possession for the Seawolves, Szemerda would attack the lane and lay it up over the defenders. Late in the quarter, Wilson would sink another three for the Tommies to maintain their double-digit lead at 61-51. Eddy would continue to be a dominant force on the glass, securing another offensive rebound as he finished the lay-up through the contact to extend their lead to 14. The Tommies would take a 65-53 into the final quarter.
With a spot in the finals on the line, Burton would look to ignite a run for the Seawolves as he dove to the basket as his teammate found him in perfect timing for the lay-up. On the next Seawolves possession, Clarke would push the pace and find his way to the basket as he cut the Tommies' lead to 65-57. Out of the Tommies' timeout, a play was drawn for Lyttleton to attack the basket and the play was executed perfectly as he laid in the ball over the defender. As momentum shifted back to the two seed Tommies, it would be Eddy's relentless effort on the glass that gained them another possession, finding Valanne cutting to the basket to extend the lead to 12. Midway through the quarter, the Seawolves looked to answer the flurry of baskets by the Tommies, Szemerda would find Lance Howlett (Hubley, NS) open in the corner for the three. Howlett would then find himself open on the block where Nash would find him for a drop-down pass that narrowed the deficit to eight. Four minutes remaining in the quarter, Wilson would find Lyttleton open for the three to extend their lead to 75-64. In a moment where the Seawolves needed a basket to shift the balance to their sideline, the Tommies ramped up their defence making it difficult for their opponents. Their defensive pressure was a staple for them throughout the game, and it became the highlight of the fourth quarter denying many of the Seawolves' attempts. As the quarter reached the final minute, the Tommies looked to close out the defending champions, but they refused to give up as Szemerda would knock down a three to cut the lead to five with 50 seconds remaining. Ultimately, it would be the closest that the Seawolves would reach, as the Tommies were able to close out the Seawolves by an 80-74 margin.
Cleve's Source for Sports Player of the Game
Vincent Lyttleton (St. Thomas Tommies)
AJ Nash (UNBSJ Seawolves)
The Tommies advance to tomorrow's championship matchup as they face the top-seed Mystics. Game time is at 3:30 p.m.