Huskies and Axemen rivalry continues to Final 8

One of the biggest rivalries in Canadian university sport during the 1970s was that between the Acadia and Saint Mary's men's basketball teams. In fact, of the 12 Atlantic conference titles won between 1968 and 1979, the Axemen and Huskies captured six championships each.

In 1974-1975, the Acadia - Saint Mary's rivalry was in full swing. The Huskies grabbed top spot in the regular season, winning three of their four meetings over Acadia, but the Axemen weren't far behind.

For a third straight year, Acadia and Saint Mary's met in the conference final, with the Huskies claiming an 83-77 win, but Acadia was rewarded with a wildcard berth at nationals, which were held once again at Waterloo.

The Axemen opened against Loyola from Montreal, and came away with an 83-69 victory that wasn't as lopsided as the final score would suggest. Acadia led by 11 in the second half before Loyola fought back to tie. Senior Joey Wells was the difference down the stretch, on both offense and defense.

Wells led Acadia with 25 points and added 14 rebounds. Fellow senior Glen Taylor chipped in 19 points, Shawne Ricks 17 and Gene Saunders 12, with Saunders also grabbing 14 rebounds.

Moving on to the semifinals, the Axemen took on Manitoba, and for a second straight year, were eliminated from championship contention with a heartbreaking loss, this time by two points, 73-71.

Acadia led by 12 with 10 minutes to play, but the Bisons fought back to tie.

After two free throws by Rick Watts gave Manitoba a 71-69 lead with 30 seconds left, Wells tied the score at 71 with what was described as “a fine third effort” with six seconds remaining on the clock. The Bisons' Darrell Rumsey then sank the winning basket as the final buzzer sounded. Saunders had a huge game for Acadia with 23 points. Wells added 20 and Taylor 16.

Acadia and Saint Mary's ended up meeting for the consolation championship, with the Huskies scoring an 85-84 victory. Despite the presence of two teams from the Atlantic conference, the game was not deemed worthy of coverage by the Nova Scotia media.

Wells, chosen a tournament all-star, closed out his Axemen career with a 28-point performance in a losing effort. His long-time rival, Lee Thomas, finished with 30 for Saint Mary's. The championship final was also a one-point affair, with host Waterloo edging Manitoba 80-79.