As our team bus passed the northern city limits of Calgary on our return trip from Edmonton, we all realized this was the close of our season.

Losing in playoffs is never easy, and it seems sad to be saying good-bye to a team. Having formed in the summer and early fall, and gone through so much together, it was disappointing to have it come to such a sudden stop. The rhythms of practice, preparation, game rituals, travel, and, of course , the excitement of competition end now for this team of players and coaches.

I know I speak for Dan and Matt when I thank the players for their hard work and commitment to our program. Dinos fans should give a special tribute to Chris Wright, who played the last game of a brilliant CIS career today. ‘CW’ gave his heart and the rest of his body to this team for 5 years, and his enthusiasm, grit, and leadership will be an example for all who follow. Chris showed up every game and he fought with everything he had for the Dinos.

Thanks to all you Dinos fans and supporters. We have the best home crowd in the league, and I know the guys appreciate your cheering at home games. Thanks to the stalwarts who travel across Canada to follow the team; you are bright lights among Dinos fans! Thanks for your encouragement by e-mail as well … it’s always nice to get a supportive word or two.

We will give you news of basketball happenings around the team this spring. Thanks for a memorable season.

Alberta Golden Bears 87 Calgary Dinos 65

In the third and deciding game of the semi-final, the Dinos came up cold and the Golden Bears were just the opposite. Alberta was 54% from the field and the Dinos only 40%. Alberta stunned Calgary with a late run in the first half to take a 48 - 33 lead at the break.

Josh Feist led the Dinos with 20 points including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The next best were Ross Bekkering with 11 points and 8 rebounds, and Chris Wright in his final game as a Dino had 11 points and grabbed 6 boards.

That ends the Dino’s season. The Bears go on to face the Huskies in the Divisional final next weekend in Saskatoon.

Calgary Dinos 70 Alberta Golden Bears 67

The Dinos were up 37 - 35 at the half. The game turned into a foul shooting contest in the last 5 minutes. The teams traded the lead in the last 8 minutes with the biggest lead 3 points.

Alberta was up by one with 10 seconds left when Josh Feist went the length of the floor and drove the hoop to score the winning basket with 2.5 seconds left on the clock.

Ross Bekkering led the scoring with 20 points and 10 rebounds; Chris Wright had 16 points; Josh Feist added 12 points along with 11 assists; and Robbie Sihota contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Calgary out shot Alberta 44% - 43% and both teams were 65% from the free throw line.

This ties the best of 3 division semi-finals at one game apiece. The deciding game is Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in Edmonton.

Alberta Golden Bears 75 Calgary Dinos 74

The Dinos lost a heartbreaker of the first game of playoff action against the Bears 75 - 74 on a buzzer beating 3 point shot. The Dinos had overcome a 42-34 half time deficit and were nursing a 4 point lead with 3 seconds left. The Bears hit 2 free throws to take it to one. The Dinos hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.5 seconds to put the lead at 2 leading to a last second desperation shot which fell for the Bears.

Chris Wright led the Dinos with 22 points and 8 rebounds while Ross Bekkering added 11 points and 11 rebounds.