Acadia would not be denied a Championship

The 1971 national men's basketball championship had the potential to be a perfect storm for the Acadia Axemen. Not only were the Axemen the number-one team in the country, the tournament was being played at Acadia's three-year-old, state-of-the-art War Memorial Gymnasium.

Acadia fans had been anticipating the 1971 nationals since their team's underwhelming performance at Waterloo in 1969. This year, with any luck, there would be no surprises, unexpected or otherwise.

The Axemen featured the 'one-two punch' of Steve Pound and Rick Eaton, part of a deep and talented roster that played extremely well as a group. Gary Folker was a hard-working forward; Peter Phipps, formerly of Loyola, ran the offense; and Jerome 'Bruiser' McGee and freshman Tom Farrington provided added strength, bulk, and toughness.

As the host team, Acadia drew Loyola of Montreal as their opening match-up and scored a 59-42 victory. Eaton, who played a great two-way game, finished with 20 points to lead all scorers. Phipps added 12, Pound, Folker and McGee eight apiece and Tom Staines three.

The win advanced the Axemen to a semifinal match-up with an old rival, the Windsor Lancers, who could never be taken for granted. For a change, it was no contest, as Acadia romped to an 84-55 win. Phipps scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, including 14-14 free throws.

In a departure from their usual style, coach Gib Chapman had the Axemen running from the opening whistle. Acadia led by as many as 17 midway through the first half and had a 38-29 lead at halftime.

Eaton added 16 points and McGee 15. Led by 12 rebounds from Eaton and 10 from McGee, Acadia outrebounded Windsor 44-40.

After the win over Windsor, to many in attendance, the final against Manitoba was a foregone conclusion, but the Bisons, who went 17-1 in conference play and had a couple of the best players in Canada, couldn't be taken for granted either.

The Axemen, however, were not to be denied on this occasion. Acadia started strong, and according to the Athenaeum, “for the most part, the game was decided in the first quarter.”

Acadia combined timely offense with stingy defense to score a 72-48 victory and claim a second national title. Eaton, in his final game as an Acadia player, finished with 27 points and was named tournament MVP. McGee added 13 and Pound and Folker 10 each.

With Eaton and Phipps the only Axemen scheduled to graduate, the future looked strong.

Contributed by John DeCoste '77. John's book, Living the Dream: The Acadia Axemen at the Nationals can be purchased by contacting John at jadecoste56@gmail.com