Maritimer Ben Johnson sticks fork in Cape Breton; CIS Final 8 opens with a bracket-buster

Down east, everybody knows everybody.

Lakehead Thunderwolves guard Ben Johnson was the epitome to the deadeye shooter Friday, scoring 25 points and hitting 7-of-10 three-pointers to help the CIS Final 8 tip off with a bracket-buster as the 7 seed won 74-61 to send the second-seeded Cape Breton Capers and their Orange Army.

The early arrivals at Scotiabank Place came primed to see the Capers' Jimmy Dorsey go off. Instead, the Capers star was lured three first-half offensive fouls and was hassled endlessly by lockdown defender Greg Carter on his way to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

Meantime, Pictou, N.S.'s Johnson's aim was true. The brother of Bucknell Bisons standout Bryson Johnson kept Lakehead level with his shooting while his teammates were ice-cold, In the fourth quarter, the Thunderwolves tapped into their tournament experience in the fourth quarter, whereupon he hit pocket threes from each corner during an 8-0 run that put the game away.

"My brother and I, we're shooters," said Johnson, whose Thunderwolves came in having lost three consecutive 2 vs. 7 quarter-finals at the Final 8. "Every time we shoot it, we think it’s going in, even when it's not going in. My teammates got me looks in great spots today and I had time to get my feet set."

But to the inevitable question of whether someone who grew up in Pictou steeped in the Maritimes' passion of university basketball enjoy sticking the dagger in CBU? Well, that wouldn't be very nice or Maritimes-ish.

"Not really," Ben Johnson said. "My [older] brother used to be an assistant coach with [Capers coach] Matt Skinn. In my mind, I think he’s coach of the year in the country. I was hoping he would get a win here. I definitely know CBU and their rivalry with St. FX. I grew up going to Halifax to watch CBU, Acadia, Saint Mary’s, watched St. FX win [national] championships [back-to-back in 2000 and '01].

Cape Breton, under first-year skipper Skinn, went 21-1 overall while winning the AUS. But just like 2010, when then-coach Jim Charters' crew crashed out in the first round after earning the 2 seed, they never got untracked. Dorsey took two fouls before the first media timeout and played just 10 minutes in the first half, forcing the Capers to rely on scoring by committee. By the end of the game, Dorsey's shot selection seem dictated by an angry teenager playing NBA Live.

I took it pretty personally. He’s all-Canadian and a player of the year. He’s a talented player. I guess I came out on top today.

"That was our game plan, make the other guys be scorers and chase him around," said Carter, who has been named top defender in the OUA West division for four consecutive seasons.

Meantime, the arguably less talented Thunderwolves' big starts to each half — 11-2 off the opening tip, 13-4 after recess — kept them in a 48-48 tie through three. Coach Scott Morrison went to a smaller lineup. Over a span early in the quarter, guards Carter (nine points) and Dwayne Harvey (16 points on 6-of-10 from the floor) each got to the rim twice for tough layups. That opened up chances for Johnson and British freshman Joe Hart to hit some deflating outside shots.

"That's our game," Johnson said. "It’s really inside out. We were able to get more post touches, more paint touches, and they started to open up the three-point line. Once we found that they started to hug [the perimeter], it completely opened up the penetration. Greg made a tough, tough layup where they hit the ball and tipped it in. From there it just kind of fuelled us."

Lakehead will face the Ottawa-McGill victor in Saturday's early semifinal (5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, The Score).

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.