Mystics finish second at conference championship

(Halifax, NS) The 2025-26 Men's ACAA Championship continued as the two-seed St. Thomas Tommies outlasted one-seed Mount Saint Vincent Mystics 91-73 to claim the ACAA Championship Sunday afternoon at the A. Garnet Brown Memorial Gymnasium.

Vincent Lyttleton (Markham, ON) fuelled the Tommies' offense with 20 points, while shooting 4/8 from 3pt. Marcus Wilson (Miramichi, NB) added 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Evan Valanne (Miramichi, NB) notched a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, with 3 blocks.

Mystics' offence was led by Isaiah Cromwell-Wright (Dartmouth, NS) with 17 points and 4 rebounds. Adam Callaghan (Sydney, NS) contributed with 16 points, while Chase Tynes (Loon Lake, NS) rounded the offensive attack as he chipped in with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

As the championship game started, Isaiah Cromwell-Wright opened things up with a transition three to put the Mystics on the board. Cromwell-Wright would pick off an entry pass and push it in transition to extend the Mystics' lead to 5. Vincent Lyttleton (Markham, ON) would respond for the Tommies, connecting on a corner three as they trailed 7-3. Zachary Dool (Moncton, NB) would sub in for the Tommies and promptly tied the game up with a three at 8 a piece. The Mystics would respond as Chase Tynes would find the cutting Anthony Lecky (Sydney River, NS) behind the Tommies' defence to give them a 15-11 lead. With the momentum with the host Mystics, they would get a boost from second-year Ben Kearney (New Waterford, NS) with his ability to crash the offensive glass, and block opponent's shot attempts. Looking to respond, the Tommies would call on Caleb Scholten (Fredericton, NB) and Ceejay Hanson (Manchester, ENG) as their baskets would give them their first lead of the game at 16-15. Late in the quarter, Marcus Wilson would free up space from his defender and rise up for the mid-range jumper, increasing the Tommies' lead. In a tightly contested battle between the top two seeds in the conference, it would be a narrow 18-15 lead for the Tommies after the completion of the first quarter.

As the game resumed after the break, the Mystics would call on Mehki Paris (Truro, NS) and Adam Callaghan (Sydney, NS) as they would drive deep into the lane and finished strong over the defence to retake the lead. The Tommies answered immediately as Scholten would knock down an uncontested three to put them back up two. The Tommies would continue to extend their lead as Evan Valanne would score in transition with a driving floater to put the Tommies up eight. With over six minutes remaining, Scholten would be a key contributor as he jumped the lane and intercepted the Mystics' outlet pass, where Valanne would take the ball strong to the net, scoring to put the Tommies up 29-19. Midway through the quarter, the Tommies were efficient in their three-point offence as Wilson and Valanne would knock down consecutive threes to maintain their ten-point advantage. The lead continued to stretch when Scholten and Wilson would knock down another two more threes as they led 41-28. The Tommies would maintain control of the quarter and took a 43-30 lead into the half-time break.

Out of the half-time break, the Mystics looked to Callaghan as his steal led to a transition three but the Tommies would respond instantly when Lyttleton would match with his own three on the following possession. Lyttleton would continue to be an x-factor for the two-seed as he would knock down his next two jumpers. In transition, the Mystics looked to spark a run as Tynes would rise up over the defender for a dunk which ignited the home crowd. After a Cromwell-Wright mid-range jumper and a pair of free throws by Callaghan, the Mystics were able to cut the lead to ten with over five minutes to play in the quarter. The momentum shifted back to the Tommies when Lanz drained a corner three to put them back up by 12. The Tommies' constant pressure forced Mystics players into contested shot attempts and turnovers which led to transition baskets, as Lanz would be score in transition to put them up 14 with over a minute remaining. Heading into the final quarter of the championship matchup, the Tommies held a 67-54 lead over the host Mystics.

When play resumed, the Mystics used their first possession to attack the Tommies' defence as Tynes found a driving lane to score a lay-up over the defenders. The Tommies responded when Lyttleton and Wilson drained consecutive threes to put the two-seed up by 16. It would be the story of the game as the Tommies would continue to stay hot from three after Hanson shook off his defender and rose up for another three. Midway through the quarter, the Tommies would extend their lead when Wilson found a lane to attack and laid the ball up over his defender as they led 82-63. With three minutes remaining, the Tommies called on Lyttleton again as his fadeaway jumper in the lane extending their lead to 22. As the game clock crept close to zero, the Tommies were able to close out the hosts to capture the ACAA title. The Tommies would use their 17/36 (47.2%) performance from long-range to upset the top seed Mystics 91-73.

Cleve's Source for Sports Player of the Game:

Evan Valanne (St. Thomas Tommies)
Adam Callaghan (Mount Saint Vincent Mystics)

The St. Thomas Tommies will travel to Vancouver to compete in the CCAA Basketball National Championship, hosted by Vancouver Island University. The tournament will take place from March 18-21.