Colts Make Unexpected 3-0 Comeback against Panthers

Timothy Ho of the Centennial Colts gets ready to serve during game action at the Athletic and Wellness Centre between the Colts and the Canadore Panthers. (John Theurer/Colts Media)
It was an evening to remember for Centennial's Timothy Ho as he scored a game high 19 points to lead the Colts to an impressive comeback win over the Canadore Panthers! (John Theurer/Colts Media)

By Teru Ikeda and Kajan Thiruthanikasalam

SCARBOROUGH, ON - On a quiet, Sunday Remembrance Day afternoon, it looked like the Canadore Panthers would take the early bus home and take the W back to North Bay.

Though the Colts lost the first two sets by close margins, 25-23 and 25-21, the Panthers led comfortably 2-0. The Colts, however, miraculously foiled the Panthers' plans; the Colts came back to defeat them 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 16-14)!

The snow had not yet fallen, but Christmas came early in the AWC. The Colts climbed back by kills from Ho, Ho, and especially the last set, Ho. Timothy Ho killed 54.5% of his total attempts, leading all players with 19 points. He had 14 kills, three service aces and two blocks.

"We usually have (Timothy Ho) on the middle right side," said Sev Libramonte, Assistant Coach, who heaped praise on assistant coach Neil Sareen for shifting Ho to the outside position. "In the third or fourth set, we were trying to think, 'Let's try to rearrange something' after things weren't working."

Ho had a game-saving dig and four kills in the final set, but credits the leadership skills of Javed Baksh (12 points) in coming back from down two sets.

"We knew we could beat (the Panthers)," Ho said. "Once we get down on ourselves, it's really hard to come back up."

Ho also praised Jason Fillion (14 points) and rookie Bryan Brown (12 points), saying, "They changed the whole game around. It's a momentum boost when we get a block like that. It boosts our morale. We just started roaring and playing our game."

A service ace by Fillion tied the last set at eight apiece. Brown, who had a relatively quiet game, had all three blocks in the critical moments of the fifth set. His last block sealed the comeback for the Colts, who stormed onto the court, celebrating a victory that once seemed impossible.

The win pushes Centennial back to .500 at 2-2 while Canadore falls to 4-2 with the loss.

TOP THREE PERFORMERS OF THE GAME

  1. Timothy Ho (Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker)

  2. Bryan Brown (Middle Blocker)

  3. Javed Baksh (Right Side)

CATCH OUR NEXT GAME

Timothy Ho and company hope to carry forward the momentum from Sunday's game into the rivarly battle against the George Brown Huskies on Thursday November 15 at 8:00pm. It'll mark the second game of a three-game homestand.