Monday, December 2, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Our fall season has come to a close with a 21 point win over York, 68-47. We finish with a 6-3 record, good for a tie for first place in the East, along with Carleton and Ottawa. In the second semester we will play all the East schools, home and away (York at home on January 4th) to complete our 22 game league schedule.

Queen’s 68 – York 47
We opened the game quite well, seemingly confident in our shooting, building an 18-10 lead by the end of the quarter. In the second quarter our defense struggled to keep York’s quick guards in check, surrendering 16 points to our 14. The score went back and forth in the third, before we went on a run to close with a 17-8 quarter and a 49-34 lead. We stretched the lead in the fourth outscoring York 19-13 for the 69-47 final. Jenny Wright led the way with 25 points and 6 boards, while Robyn Pearson had another double-double with 13 points and 14 boards.

Box score: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131129_2g2y.xml

For the second week in a row, a women’s basketball player has been named Athlete of the Week at Queen’s: Jenny Wright this week and Gemma Bullard last week. Gemma was also named the OUA Player of the Week last week and garnered attention overseas as she is a member of the Great Britain National Team. See: http://women.hoopsfix.com/brits-abroad/brits-college-week-3-recap/

Junior Elite League (JUEL)
We are very pleased to announce that we have won the bid to host the JUEL Championships at Queen’s, coming in May, 2014. Held last year in London, ON, and the previous two years in Waterloo, ON, this is the fourth year of the 14-team league which features the best basketball players in the province. In addition, a new JUEL-Prep league is being established this year which will include 18 teams, composed primarily of Gr. 9 & 10 athletes. Their Championship will be held at Queen’s in conjunction with the JUEL Championship on the May 9-11, 2014 weekend.

New OUA Basketball League Structure set for 2014-15 season
With the addition of Nipissing University in both men’s and women’s basketball into the OUA beginning with the 2014-15 season, the OUA set out to create a new league structure for the 17 schools. The final model looks like this: 4 Divisions (3 divisions with 4 teams, 1 division with 5 teams). Each team will play home & home within their division and a single game against every other team in the other divisions.
The divisions (yet to be named), listed with their partner school are:

1. Queen’s/York, Ryerson/Toronto
2. Ottawa/Carleton, Laurentian/Nipissing
3. Brock/McMaster, Guelph/Lakehead
4. Laurier/Waterloo, Western/Windsor, Algoma (no playing partner)

This means that we will have a 19 game league schedule, playing all other 16 teams in the Province. The multi-year schedule will see us travel to certain schools in one season and have them travel to us in the next season. The playoff structure is still under negotiation.

ID/Training Camp
We completed a very successful ID/Training Camp yesterday with a total of 24 athletes participating (including the Kingston Impact JUEL team) with a mix of Gr 11s and Gr.12s. Thanks to all those who attended – it was an exciting day.

Up Next on the Road:

Concordia Tournament (Montreal)
Saturday, December 28 vs. Laval 6pm
Sunday, December 29 vs. Concordia 8pm
Monday, December 30 vs. Bishop’s 1pm

Up Next at Home:
Saturday, January 4 vs. York 6pm

Not sure if I will have another Newsletter out before Christmas, so in case I don’t, please have yourself and safe and enjoyable holiday season, and thanks for your continued support.

All the best.

Dave.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

A pretty solid weekend for us as we knocked off #11 McMaster, and #10 Brock, to remain undefeated in the ARC this season. Our league record improves to 5-3 tied for 2nd place in the East (with Carleton) and 1 game behind Ottawa. It was nice to see our shooting return to a more appropriate level this weekend, in particular our foul shooting.

Queen’s 79 - McMaster 72
We started the game very well opening up a 7 point lead by the end of the first quarter with a 20 point effort. McMaster, however, erased that margin in the second quarter outscoring us 26-16 in the frame to go up 36-39 at half. A tight third quarter saw McMaster increase their lead by 2, outscoring us 15-13 in the third. We dominated the fourth putting up 30 points to Mac’s 18 for the final 79-72. In a true team effort, all 5 starters hit double figures in scoring. Liz Boag led the way with 18 points and 6 assists. Robyn Pearson had 17 points to go along with her 7 boards, while Jenny Wright kept pace with 16 points and 5 boards. Gemma Bullard added 11 points and Andrea Priamo dropped 10. Emily Hazlett had another outstanding game on the defensive end, frustrating the opposition’s ball handlers all evening.

Box score: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131122_a3yx.xml

Queen’s 69 – Brock 65 OT
This proved to be a tight game throughout – neither team able to create a big run. Three of the quarters saw only a difference of one point, while the fourth was tied. By quarter: 12-11, 15-14, 16-16, 14-16, leaving us tied at 57 after regulation. It wasn’t until the overtime that any separation occurred in the game as we built a 6 point lead, before hanging on to the 4 point win. 12-8 was the overtime score. Foul shooting proved to be critical as we shot 11-13 in the game (84.6%) including 5 of 6 in the overtime. Gemma Bullard was virtually unstoppable as she drained 25 points, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc, and 6 of our 12 overtime points. Emily Hazlett dropped 11 points including 2 for 2 from 3pt. range, while Liz Boag had a solid all-round game with 10 points, 6 boards and 4 assists.

Box score: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131123_fjxb.xml

ID/Training Camp – Sunday, December 1. (for Gr. 11 & 12s that may be interested in Q’s)
9:30-11:45am On-court session
11:45-12:15 Lunch (on own)
12:15-1:30pm Facility tour followed by a Question & Answer Session (parent’s welcome)
1:30-3:30pm On-court session

There is no charge for the Camp, but please let me know if you are attending, so that I may prepare for the numbers.

Academic All-Canadians
I am very pleased to announce that 4 of our players from last season were recently recognized as Academic All-Canadians (over 80% average while on a varsity team) at a reception at Queen’s. Sydney Kernahan, Liz Boag, Maria Gill and Nicole Morse all achieved this amazing accomplishment. Also, of note, we actually had two other players fall less than 1% point of reaching the 80% mark.

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 30 @ York 6pm

Concordia Tournament (Montreal)
Saturday, December 28 vs. Laval 6pm
Sunday, December 29 vs. Concordia 8pm
Monday, December 30 vs. Bishop’s 1pm

Have a great week.

Dave.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Not quite the weekend we were looking for, as we split games, losing to Laurier 62-66 and beating Waterloo 60-43. Our biggest concern is still a lack of consistency in the scoring department. It would appear that we are consistently manufacturing good scoring opportunities – just having difficulty finishing off the play. Our foul shooting is an example of our lack of consistency going 8-15 on Friday, and 13-15 on Saturday. On the positive side, we have done a pretty good job taking care of the basketball and rebounding.

Queen’s 62 – Laurier 66
We did not get off to a good start in this one, as Laurier rattled off 9 straight points before we found the inside of the mesh. Our defense was very suspect as we surrendered 22 first quarter points, while managing 14. We turned the tables in the second quarter with much better defense, outscoring Laurier 19 to 9 to go into half up 33-31. The third quarter was deadlocked at 16. We executed fairly well in the early going of the fourth quarter, grabbing a 6 point lead (largest of the game for us) with 4 minutes to go. Unfortunately, after that point, a lid went on the basket. Our missed shots led to run outs by Laurier --- particularly frustrating because our quarter court defense had been shutting them down. A 12 point swing ensued, giving them a 6 point lead late in the game. Battling hard, we could not get closer than 3, ending in a 62-66 loss. Liz Boag led all scorers with 17 points, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. Emily Hazlett had another strong game with 9 rebounds to go along with her 8 points.

Boxscore: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131115_rcw0.xml

Queen’s 60 – Waterloo 43
The final score may look like we controlled this game, but in the first quarter, we dug ourselves a big hole. Waterloo came out on fire (pumped by their win over York on Thursday evening). Once again we were down 9 before hitting a foul shot. Waterloo continued to dominate and held an 8-19 lead after the first quarter. We settled down a bit in the second and outscored Waterloo 15-13, but still trailed 22-32 at the break – still only shooting 19% from the floor. With an emphasis on increasing the pressure and tempo of the game, we produced our best quarter of the season, dominating the Warriors with a 27-6 performance. It was exciting to see the shots we produced in our offense were finding the bottom of the mesh. In the fourth, our shooting percentage dropped again, but our defense held strong, outscoring Waterloo 10-5, for the 60-43 win. Robyn Pearson has an outstanding game recording a double-double with 16 points and 16 boards. Gemma Bullard chipped in with 14 points, while Jenny Wright had 10 points and 9 boards.

Boxscore: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131116_g04c.xml

December 1 ID/Training Camp
We have a number of registrants for our December 1 Camp, which is open to Gr. 11 & 12s interested in Queen’s. The outline for the day is as follows:

9:30-11:45am On-court session – Main Gym
11:45-12:15pm Break for Lunch (on your own)
12:15-1:30pm Facility Tour followed by a Q & A session (parent’s welcome)
1:30-3:30pm On-court session – Main Gym*

*Kingston Impact JUEL team will be joining our afternoon session
There is no cost to register for the camp – just drop me an email so I can prepare for the numbers.

Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 22 vs. McMaster 6pm
Saturday, November 23 vs. Brock 6pm

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 29 @ York 6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Some OUTSTANDING news to report. Following the OneMatch program run at Queen’s just over a week ago, Mackenzie has found a donor! She will be undergoing the life-saving, bone marrow transplant at the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto shortly. Thanks to all those who registered and helped bring in potential donors, especially Coach Bambury for his efforts to get the program off the ground at Queen’s. Best of luck to Mackenzie – we are all cheering for her.

On the basketball front, we did not fare so well this weekend, with losses to both Western and Windsor. Friday’s loss was particularly disappointing because we shot the ball poorly……again. I remember talking to the father of a potential recruit back in early October. He asked me how I would characterize our team. I responded by saying, “we shoot the ball pretty well.” I’m starting to feel like that is coming back to haunt me. I would say our offensive execution is improving (still lots of work to do) and our defence is getting better (again lots more improvement needed) so we are on the right track……………just need to solve our shooting issues – particularly our foul shooting!

Queen’s 60 - Western 69
This was a close contest for the entire first half, with never more than 4 points separating the teams. Stats were almost identical after the 1st quarter, except Western hit 2 more shots than us and led 13-16 after one. After shooting 25% in the first quarter, we improved almost 53% in the second to outscore Western 20 -16 and go into the half with a 1 point lead, 33-32. Our shooting woes would return, however in the second half and drop to 27%, losing the third quarter 10-16 and the fourth 17-21 to end up on the wrong side of the 10 point swing, 60-69. Of particular concern is the 11 points we failed to collect on the foul line, as we shot only 5 of 16 from the charity stripe. Liz Boag finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds, with Robyn Pearson the only other player to reach double digits, 11 points and 8 boards.
Box Score: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131108_hg39.xml


Queen’s 56 – Windsor 82
We got off to a very solid start in this game, able to control the tempo, by controlling the defensive boards. We managed to hold a 15-11 lead after the first quarter. That lead was quickly erased in the second quarter as Windsor applied a little more pressure with their two guards. No question, any mistake you make, Windsor is quick to capitalize. With 9 turnovers in the quarter, Windsor outscored us 11-23 to take 26-34 half time lead. We handled the pressure better in the third quarter, but with 6 turnovers, Windsor padded their lead with another 6 points (17-23 in the quarter) to lead 43-57 after three. Between their quickness at the guard position and the dominant play of their post player Clemencon, Windsor dominated the fourth quarter to win 56-82. Despite the score, however, I was pleased with a number of aspects of our game – including winning the battle on the boards. Although our shooting wasn’t great, it was better than the night before, including connecting on 7 of 9 of our free throws. Jenny Wright finished with 14 points, with Gemma Bullard adding 13.
Box Score: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131109_ndca.xml

Open ID/Training Camp:
Sunday, December 1
On-Court: 9:30-12n, 1:30-3:30pm
Facility Tour + Q&A 12:15-1:30pm

Have an opportunity to meet and work with the Queen’s Coaches in a competitive environment. Open to all Gr. 11 & 12s that may be interested in Queen’s.
Registration is free – please contact me by email so that I can plan for the numbers.

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 15 @ Laurier 6pm
Saturday, November 16 @ Waterloo 6pm

Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 22 vs. McMaster 6pm
Saturday, November 23 vs. Brock 6pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We opened league play with back to back 6 point wins over Lakehead and Guelph. While it is great to have the wins, it is clear that our precision on offense needs much work. On a more positive note, however, our execution during special situations (after time outs, at the end of games) was pretty solid. Our conditioning also seemed to serve us well late in games. It was nice to have a full roster of 12 dressed for the game, although Meaghan MacDougall and Nicole Barnard remain sidelined with injuries.

Queen’s 58 – Lakehead 52
This was a closely contested game from the outset, trading baskets for the first 10 minutes. We held a 14-13 lead at the end of the quarter and were able to stretch that to 31-24 at the half. Our shooting was the main difference as we approached 50% in the second quarter. Lakehead battled back in the third quarter outscoring us 14-12 to cut the lead to 5. The fourth quarter was much like the first – teams trading baskets. Key to our win was our ability to take care of the ball in the second half (only 6 turnovers), which gave us a few more shots than Lakehead. Fortunately, this was enough to overcome the points we left on the table, shooting only 8-16 from the foul line. Liz Boag led the way with 14 points, while Abby Dixon had 12 and Robyn Pearson had 10 to go along with her 8 boards. Andrea Priamo was in double digits also, grabbing 12 boards to lead all in that category.

Queen’s 61 – Guelph 55
A significant (more than 4 point) lead by either team was never established until the fourth quarter in this back and forth affair. We managed to end the quarter with a 1 point lead (15-14) and would carry that through to the end of the third quarter. (Q2 = 14-14, Q3 = 12-12) Midway through the fourth quarter, Guelph managed a 4 point lead, but it was short-lived as we responded with a run of our own and establish a 6 point lead. Guelph continued to battle cutting lead to 2 within the final minute, but some good execution down the stretch allowed us to pull back ahead and hold on to the 6 point win. Gemma Bullard had a terrific evening with 19 points and 6 boards, while Emily Hazlett added 14 points and 5 boards from her point guard position.

Annual ID/Training Camp
We will be hosting our ID/Training Camp again this year, on Sunday, December 1. We will be on the court from 9:30-12:00noon and again from 1:30-3:30pm. In between will be a tour of the Athletics & Recreation Centre and a Question & Answer session with me (parents are welcome). The camp is designed for those currently in Grade 11 (and 12) who may be interested in Queen’s in the future. It is a great opportunity to show case your talents, while working with the Q’s coaching staff. There is no cost for the camp, but please send me an email so I can prepare for the numbers.

OneMatch (bone marrow program)
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Queen’s Coach, James Bambury was a driving force behind the University’s Health Unit hosting a recruitment session for potential bone marrow donors. A relatively simple procedure of providing a cheek swab and providing the proper information, resulted in the largest collection of participants in the university’s history – more than doubling their previous best. Our team participated, not only in providing a swab, but in the promotion of the event and the recruitment of potential donors – motivated in part by a local basketball-playing teenager who is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Ideal donor candidates are males between the ages of 17 & 35.

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 8 @ Western 6pm
Saturday, November 9 @ Windsor 6pm

Friday, November 15 @ Laurier 6pm
Saturday, November 16 @ Waterloo 6pm


Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 22 vs. McMaster
Saturday, November 23 vs. Brock

Have a great week!

Dave.





Monday, October 28, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Just one game to report on from the weekend (our last before league play begins), as we were in Montreal for a re-match with UQAM. With a number of players resting nagging injuries in preparation for league play, we only dressed 9 players. The expectation is that we will have a more bountiful roster on Friday when we host Lakehead.

Queen’s 58 - UQAM 64
The first quarter was a relatively high scoring, back and forth affair with UQAM holding a one point lead at the quarter, 15-16. We dominated the second quarter, putting up 23 points to their 9. Our shooting percentage returned to appropriate levels after a dismal weekend last weekend. We shot 42% from the floor, and 40% from the 3pt. line. UQAM came out in the second half with full court pressure that caused us numerous problems. After turning the ball over only 6 times in the first half, we coughed it up 15 times in the second half, many of which led to easy layups for the opposition. We were outscored 22-10 in the third and 17-10 in the fourth as UQAM completed the comeback. Jenny Wright finished with 21 points and 8 boards, while Liz Boag (in her first game back after her ankle injury) dropped 19 points. Abby Dixon added 10 points and 5 boards.

Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 1 vs. Lakehead 6pm
Saturday, November 2 vs. Guelph 6pm

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 8 @ Western 6pm
Saturday, November 9 @ Windsor 6pm

Note: All our home games this season will be web cast live. Please go to www.queensbasketball.net to see the schedule and link.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Queen’s Women’s Basketball team will be participating in the “OneMatch Program”(Stem Cell and Marrow Network) to support a local high school basketball player, Mackenzie, who is in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Mackenzie is a fun loving 16 year old high school student. She enjoys many sports including basketball and hurdles. Her positive energy and cheerful personality have always shone through, both while competing and during everyday activities.

In August, Mackenzie was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and now requires a bone marrow transplant. With no family match, Mackenzie is relying on someone she does not know to be her donor...to be her hero!

By registering with OneMatch, you could be a hero for Mackenzie or one of the other 700+ Canadian patients like her who require a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. It only takes a few minutes to gather a cheek swab. Sites on the Queen’s Campus include:

Tuesday, October 29th
Queen's Centre (ARC) 9am-4pm
Biosciences Atrium 9am-5pm
Victoria Hall 6pm-9pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Not the results we were looking for this weekend going 1 – 2 with a very close comeback win over York, but two blowout losses to Saskatchewan and Laval. We also sustained a couple of injuries as Meaghan MacDougall went down on Saturday with a knee injury, and Emily Hazlett sustained further injury to her shoulder. Liz Boag missed the entire weekend rehabbing her ankle, but is expected to return to play this coming weekend. We rested Gemma Bullard on Saturday as she continues her journey of rehab, and limited minutes for Nicole Morse all weekend to help protect her knees. Of course, this did provide us the opportunity to provide extended minutes to our healthy players – a practise that will help develop our team’s depth.

Queen’s 33 – Saskatchewan 68
We got off to a very slow start against Saskatchewan, having difficulty with the heavy pressure they exerted on defense. We trailed 6-18 after the first. We settled down and played better defense in the second, ending in a low scoring 10-11 quarter. We struggled the first couple of minutes in the third and trailed by as much as 17 before we started to make a run. By the 3 minute mark we had cut the lead to 9, but that was as close as we would come. Turnovers, from the increased Saskatchewan’s pressure, led to many run outs and lay ups that just would not stop. Combined with the inability to generate good shots, the rout was on. Emily Hazlett led us in scoring, but couldn’t crack double digits with 9 point.
Box Score: http://www.ryersonrams.ca//pdf9/2555097.pdf?SPSID=109841&SPID=13630&DB_OEM_ID=22300


Queen’s 57 – York 53
The first quarter was a back and forth affair until the last 3 minutes when we pulled ahead by 5, 12-7. The second quarter was very different, as our shooting went ice-cold (9% on 2 for 21) and York shot a very solid 8 for 17 (47%) as our defence was unable to contain their ball handlers. York amassed 23 points to our 5, go into half with a 30-17 lead. The third quarter saw both teams find the hoop a little better, compiling 32, of which 18 went up on our side of the board. We had cut the deficit to 9. The fourth quarter was a steady climb for us, as our defence did a much better job of containing their ball handlers, and controlling the boards. We took our first lead with about 3 minutes to go and never relinquished it. Robyn Pearson had a very solid game with 14 points and 10 boards. Abby Dixon added 12 points, 7 boards and 4 assists in her 29 minutes of play.
Box Score: http://www.ryersonrams.ca//pdf9/2555989.pdf?SPSID=109841&SPID=13630&DB_OEM_ID=22300

Queen’s 48 – Laval 78
The first quarter was our best of the game, but still could not overcome Laval’s scoring touch. We trailed 20-17 after one. They went on to dominate the next 3 quarters, 18-6, 19-14, and 21-11. Our shooting percentages stayed below 30% for the third straight game, while Laval’s topped the 50% mark (a combination of great shooting by them, but a lack of defensive execution on our part). Robyn Pearson had another solid outing with 14 points on 2-12 shooting. Jenny Wright, battling a chest cold, managed to drop 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds.
Box Score: http://www.ryersonrams.ca//pdf9/2556485.pdf?SPSID=109841&SPID=13630&DB_OEM_ID=22300

Up Next On the Road:
Friday, October 25 @ UQAM 6pm

Up Next at Home (League openers):
Friday, November 1 vs. Lakehead 6pm
Saturday, November 2 vs. Guelph 6pm

Have a great week.

Dave.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We enjoyed a very successful Homecoming Weekend……on a number of fronts. We had a great turn out for our Alumni vs. Alumni game, and an even better turnout for our Reception honouring the team members from the 1985-86 to 1989-90 teams. Leslie Aldcorn and Julie Farquahar spoke (and had a slide show presentation) on behalf of those teams, drawing many comparisons between then and now. Certainly there were many differences (how we travelled, uniforms, hair styles), but there were many commonalities as well (toughness, hard work, team work). In addition to Julie & Leslie, on hand to receive a Queen’s Basketball Hoodie was Kim Acres, Teena Bedard, Nancy Coke, Dani Hawkins, and long-time coach, Tim Orpin.

Hosting the Tindall tournament over the weekend, our current team remains undefeated this season, stretching our winning streak to 5 games.

Queen’s 58 - UPEI 50
On Friday, despite a very poor shooting performance, we managed to come from behind and defeat UPEI, 58-50. UPEI got off to a quick start with back to back to back 3 pointers before we knew what had hit us. They went on to score 19 first quarter points to our 15. We closed the gap to 1 by half, 26-27. UPEI opened a 6 point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but showed signs of fatigue as we outscored them 22-8 in the final frame to win 58-50. It was not a very pretty game, shooting less than 30% from the floor, 8% from the 3 and 48% from the foul line. Robyn Pearson led the way with 14 points and 9 boards. Liz Boag added 12 points, while Jenny Wright chipped in with 11. Rookie post, Andrea Priamo hit double digits with 10 boards to go along with her 7 points.

Queen’s 65 – Lethbridge 47
Saturday we faced Lethbridge (complete with former Gael standout, Claire Meadows as the lead assistant coach). While our shooting did not improve, we got off to a better start dropping 19 first quarter points to Lethbridge’s 10. Our defense forced 8 turnovers in the quarter, giving us 7 more shots than our opponent. Lethbridge was able to turn that around, however, in the second quarter outscoring us by 3 to trail 28-20 at the half. Liz Boag went down in that quarter re-injuring the ankle that kept her out of action for 3 weeks last season. Our pressure defense allowed us to dominate the third quarter as we outscored Lethbridge 22-12 to take control of the game. We closed out the fourth 15-13 to finish with the 65-47 win (but still only shooting 33% from the floor). Jenny Wright finished with 15 points, while Gemma Bullard added 11. Rookie post Andrea Priamo finished with 10 points and 8 boards, while Liz Boag put up 10 points in her 13 minutes of play before injury.

Queen’s 75 – Concordia 60
Despite a very poor start to the game, we played our best basketball on Sunday. Concordia came out on fire and looked like they would run away with the game from the outset. Only 4 minutes into the game, they had opened a double digit lead. Following a time out, we began to settle down and managed to close the gap to 4 by the end of the first quarter, 17-21. The second quarter was a much more controlled affair as we pulled to within 3, 30-33. The second half was a very different story for us as we came out with greater intensity, which seem to wear Concordia down. We outscored our opposition 24-17 in the third and 21-10 in the fourth for the 75-60 win. Our shooting percentages moved back to where we would like them, shooting 47% from the floor, 36% from the 3 point line and 93% from the foul line. Jenny Wright led all scorers with 20 points and 5 assists. Rookie point guard Abby Dixon had 12 points and 7 boards, while Gemma Bullard had 11 points for the second straight game. Robyn Pearson also chipped in with 10 points and 5 boards.
New Queen’s Basketball Video
Check out our new basketball video on-line at: www.queensbasketball.net
You can also get the SID game reports from the weekend.

After this week’s practise, we will take a well-deserved break over the Thanksgiving Weekend.

Up Next on the Road:

Ryerson Tournament
Friday, October 18
12noon vs. Saskatchewan

Saturday, October 19
1 or 5pm TBD vs. York or Concordia

Sunday, October 20
TBD

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dave.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We managed to squeak out a win against the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), 57-54. It was a tight game throughout – the largest lead by either team was 7. They are a very quick and physical (particularly on the ball) team. Their pressure caused us a number of problems, leading to 27 turnovers in the game. Rebounding was another concern as UQAM grabbed 21 rebounds off our glass. On the positive side, we managed to weather-the-storm as UQAM took the lead with only 2 minutes to go in the game, but we were able to make a couple of adjustments to regain the lead and hang on.

We had 4 players in double digits (which is encouraging), with Jenny Wright leading the way with 19 points and 8 boards. Robyn Pearson dropped 12 points to go with her 6 boards, while Liz Boag added 11 points and Maria Gill went an impressive 5 for 5 to record her 10 points.

Friday/Saturday also marked our 28th Annual Tricolour Basketball Tournament for High School Senior Girls. Our players organize and run the tournament and did a fine job. Congratulations to North Park (Brantford) for capturing the Gold medal with 42-27 win over Waterloo-Oxford. Regi (Kingston) captured the Bronze medal with a 50-30 win over St. Theresa (Belleville).

Up Next at Home:
Tindall Tournament – Homecoming Weekend
Friday, October 4
2:00pm Concordia vs. Lethbridge (Main Gym)
6:00pm Queen’s vs. UPEI (Main Gym)

Saturday, October 5
2:00pm UPEI vs. Concordia (Main Gym)
3:00pm Alumni vs. Alumni (Bartlett Gym)
6:00pm Queen’s vs. Lethbridge (Main Gym)
7:30pm Reception/Silent Auction (The Underground {formerly Alfie’s})

Sunday, October 6
10:00am Lethbridge vs. UPEI (Main Gym)
2:00pm Queen’s vs. Concordia (Main Gym)

Up Next on the Road:
Ryerson Tournament
Friday, October 18
12:00n Queen’s vs. Saskatchewan

Saturday, October 19
Tbd (1 or 5pm)

Sunday, October 20
Tbd

Have a great week!

Dave.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

We now have one game under our belts courtesy of our cross-town rivals St. Lawrence College. We finished with a 78-48 win despite only dressing 9 players, as 6 were sidelined with various injuries. Fourth year guard, Liz Boag led all scorers with 23 points including 3/7 from beyond the (now longer) 3pt. arc and 6/6 from the foul line. Three other players hit double digits including third year wing, Jenny Wright with 14 points, second year guard, Emily Hazlett with 11 and rookie guard, Abby Dixon also with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

All nine active players were on the scoresheet with both points and rebounds. Of note, our foul shooting was much better than last season, going 18/22 (81.8%). It would be a big bonus if we continue that shooting percentage moving forward. We also out-rebounded St. Lawrence 45-37.

We will be hosting our annual Tricolour Tournament (for High School Sr. Girls) this Friday and Saturday. We have 16 teams from across the province (as far south as London, north – Sudbury, east – Ottawa & Cornwall) attending. It should be a very competitive tournament.

We will follow the HS tourney with our exhibition home-opener on Sunday at 2:00pm against the University of Quebec at Montreal.

Registration for our Alumni Reception & Silent Auction continues to grow – looks like it may be our best turnout ever. If you are planning on attending and have not registered, please do so to help us plan for the numbers: https://advevents.queensu.ca/cgi/page.cgi?_id=3&action=viewdetail&event_id=1331

Up Next at Home:
Sunday, September 29 vs. UQAM 2:00pm

Tindall Tournament
Friday, October 4 vs. UPEI 6:00pm
Saturday, October 5 vs. Lethbridge 6:00pm
Sunday, October 6 vs. Concordia 2:00pm

Also Saturday, October 5th Alumni vs. Alumni Game 3:00pm Bartlett Gym

Have a great week.

Dave.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Here we go………………Classes have started, the team is set, and we are ready for our first exhibition game this weekend against St. Lawrence College. We had an excellent ID/Training Camp in late August that featured most of our current roster and a number of Ontario’s best high school basketball players. It was both exciting and a real pleasure working with everyone.

Our active roster has been finalized with the addition of Nicole Barnard, a 5-11 wing player from Southwood SS in Cambridge. “Barney” played for KW Lightning at both the OBA and JUEL levels and brings a wealth of athleticism along with a great wingspan. She is a clever passer with good court vision and is comfortable shooting the long ball.

We have also added a late addition transfer to our roster (in a red-shirt capacity): Gia Spiropoulos. Gia hails from Belleville and was a long time recruit for us, but opted to go to Waterloo for their pharmacy program. She had a very good first year with the Warriors, giving her plenty of game experience. The 6-2 post enters the Con-Ed Science program at Queen’s, and by transfer rule, must sit out the 2013-14 season. She will, however, train with the team to keep her skills up.

I am very pleased to announce that Abby Dixon of North Vancouver is the recipient of the prestigious Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith Memorial Award this year.

Established in March 2007 by Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. of Raleigh, North Carolina, in memory of his mother Catherine Gertrude (Milliken) Smith, B.A. 1924, who, while attending Queen's, played for and managed the varsity women's basketball team. Awarded to recognize academic achievement and athletic excellence to student-athletes entering the first year of a direct-entry undergraduate degree program at Queen's University and who is on the competition roster of the Gaels interuniversity women's basketball team.

Abby follows in the footsteps of previous recipients, Nicole Morse, Jenny Wright, Liz Boag, Hanna Koposhynska, Richelle Gaudet, and Alaina Porter.

Alumni Weekend is shaping up very nicely with over 10 confirmed Alumni returning for a friendly game, and a few others willing to cheer from the sidelines. The group being honoured this year (1985-86 to 1989-90) should be well represented. To register for the event (garnering free event tickets, access to the Reception & Silent Auction) please go to: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

Up Next On the Road:
Sunday, September 22 @ St. Lawrence College 2:00pm

Up Next at Home:
Sunday, September 29 vs. UQAM 2:00pm

Tindall Tournament
Friday, October 4 vs. UPEI 6:00pm
Saturday, October 5 vs. Lethbridge 6:00pm
Sunday, October 6 vs. Concordia 2:00pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

We have started our countdown to training camp, as our players are set to hit the floor on August 26th – I’m very excited to have our group back together. They have been working very hard over the summer to hit the ground running this fall.

Also, exciting news on our Alumni front: Leslie Aldcorn 1985-90, and Julie Farquhar 1987-1991, will be on hand for our Alumni weekend and will be speaking on behalf of the teams we are honouring (1985-86 to 1989-90). Leslie is flying in from Lethbridge, while Julie makes the flight from Calgary. Both served as Captain for the Gaels, forming the core of teams that gained respect across the country for their toughness and tenacity. Please check out our website for details and to register for the weekend: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2011/8/19/WBB_0819114220.aspx?path=wbball

Alumni, Brittany Moore (2007-2012) is continuing her professional basketball career, this time in Kelter, Germany (in the south near Stuttgart). A very successful coach in the German pro league prompted Britt to make the move to southern Germany. She heads over at the end of August.

Queen’s Basketball Camp (Gr. 2-5) begins on Monday, August 19, with the Queen’s Basketball Academy (Gr. 6-8) beginning the following week (August 26). We finish off our summer camp season with a Junior Girls Team Camp on Saturday, September 7th. Spaces are still available, but limited. Our Elite Training Camp, now finished, sold out. You can register on-line at: http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2013/8/2/CAMPS-KIDS_0802132609.aspx?tab=summercamps
or contact me for the Jr. Girls Team Camp.

Please check out the “new-look” Gaels web site: www.gogaelsgo.com and be sure to click on our link to see our upcoming games and other news.

That’s it for now. With a game in 5 weeks, I will be in touch then.

Cheers,

Dave.




Friday, June 28, 2013

Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

Lots to catch up on now that summer has officially arrived. We held a very successful training camp on the first weekend in June, giving us our first glimpse of what our team will look like this fall--very exciting.

We are pleased to announce three new recruits: Kingston native, Amy Cotton, Andrea Priamo from Guelph, and Sarah Saftich from Markham. Please see our press release for details: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/mobile/index.aspx?path=wbball

Kingston native, and former Kingston Impact player, Jenny Wright was the key note speaker at their year-end banquet, and by all accounts she spoke quite eloquently.

James Bambury just returned from a Professional Development trip to Kansas University to meet with their Basketball Strength & Conditioning Coach.

Comments James, “Getting the opportunity to go to the University of Kansas and work with Andrea Hudy, a world-class strength and conditioning coach, was an experience of a lifetime. We were getting incredible access to both the facilities and the athletes which allowed us to observe both their student athletes as well as former student athletes who have now moved onto professional careers in their sport. Their level of passion and enthusiasm towards being the best that they can be and their professional approach will certainly be something we will aspire to at Queen’s. On a personal note, having the opportunity to spend hours in the hallowed halls of Phog Allen Fieldhouse was surreal and has ensured that the Kansas Jayhawks will be my 2nd favourite NCAA team come 2013, behind of course my beloved Duke Blue Devils.”

Our exhibition schedule continues to fill in, adding two games in September (22nd & 29th) and an adjustment to our UQAM game in Montreal (from Saturday to Friday, October 25th). These are now available on-line at: www.queensbasketball.net

Homecoming 2013 is building much momentum. Now paired with our annual Tindall Tournament, Alumni game, Reception & Silent Auction, this becomes our most important fundraising event of the year. We are making arrangements for on-line registration for the weekend that will include a game pass to ALL Q’s home events (except football), plus access to our facilities (if you would like to come in for a workout or two), and access to Alfie’s for our reception & silent auction (including complimentary hors d’oeuvres & beverage ticket). At the Reception, we will be honouring team members from the 1985-86 to 1989-90 teams. It’s going to be a great weekend – October 4-6 (just hard to find hotels, so book early).

Summer camps are off to a great start, having sold out our Elite Training & Scrimmage. Our kids Half Basketball, Half Volleyball camp starts next week, while our Basketball Camp and Basketball Academy are scheduled for the last couple of weeks in August. Check out our website for details.

That’s it for now.

Cheers.

Dave.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

RESULTS AND REFLECTION

At last posting, I believe we were half way through the season, sitting at 6 & 3.  Things were going well for our young squad, considering our lack of experience in tough matches, as a group.

I made the decision to give the guys two full weeks off, as we had gone hard all fall, had met our goals thus far, and it had been about a decade since our program took a real break in December.   I think enough time had past that I had forgotten how much regression happens, when you take that long a break.   Needless to say, I was quickly reminded!

We went into the York invitational, with 3 practices under our belts in 2 weeks, and high expectations.    Those aspirations were quickly dashed as our rhythm was off and we looked rusty to say the least.   We finished sixth.  The positive from that tournament is, I think we played our way back to full synch and came home match ready.

Our opening weekend was pretty positive, with another 3-0 win over Guelph and a close 3-2 loss to Waterloo; which was a much closer performance than we had against them in the fall.

We then headed into our longest road trip of the year, which is always difficult.   We opened up at Western and went down badly in 3 sets.   At Windsor the next day, things still weren't where I would have liked them to be, but we showed tremendous character and resolve in coming back from being 2 sets down to take the match 3-2.    Mike Tomlinson went on a tear in that match, earning 31 of the team's 63 kills, good for 51%.

We followed that up with 3-0 wins over RMC and York, before dropping a 4 setter to McMaster.  The final weekend of the regular season needed one win to lock our hold on 4th place, and a home playoff berth in the quarter finals.   We secured that with a 3-1 win over Toronto, and then really didn't focus the way we needed to, losing an early morning match to Ryerson, to finish the regular season at 11 & 7.

We had a good week of training leading into the playoffs.  Confidence was high, given that we had beaten York on both outings in the regular league.   Things started out according to plan. We got up 2 sets to one.   We seemed to entirely lose our focus in the 4th and York's outside hitters got on a roll.  Despite that, we had 2 match points in the 5th, before dropping the closer 18-16.  Two points!  Two points, doesn't define a season; but it can terminate a season.  First time in 9 years we were not in the final four of the OUA.

Incredibly painful.   To have it in your grasp and to let it slip away.  Hard to swallow, for sure.  Yet, when I reflect back, I realize that this team came a long way.   All we can do now is take away the lessons learned, train hard and come back stronger.

I have always said that things go in cycles.  This was the opening of a new cycle for the most part.  Of course our leader, Jackson Dakin, was in his final year and we will miss his leadership, expereince and quarterbacking skills, absolutely!   He is to be congratulated on his much deserved OUA All-Star, Dale Iwanoczko Award, and Jenkins Trophy.

With all other players banking this experience, and poised to return; and the addition of a few exceptional recruits, the squad will look to better this year's finish - and both return to the OUA final 4 and challenge for a CIS berth.  

Stephen Holmes and Matt Bonshor earned team Most Improved Honours, and Ivo Dramov was recognized as both the Team Rookie of the Year and a member of the OUA All-Rookie Team.

The OUA is getting stronger every year, and this year was a milestone for the conference, with two teams in the CIS top 4, and a silver medal finish.   That brings an extra berth to the conference next season, and the competition to win one of those two spots will be exciting.

For the Gaels, it will be a matter of out working our opponents, it will be about using this experience to advantage and it will be about making sure that we keep moving forward during all periods of the calendar, and it will be about excellence in everything thing tricolour!

I am excited for what the future holds and I want to thank our support and administrative staff and all of our boosters, fans, parents and sponsors for all your support this year.   You were fantastic!

Go Gaels Go!


Monday, April 22, 2013

2013 Spring Invitational Standings

U16 Boys


Team
Wins
Losses
Goals For
Goals Against
Points
Cataraqui Clippers
      0
      2
      0
      7
        0
OSU
Force
      2
      0
      4
      0
        6
NSSC
Elite
      2
      1
      5
      1
        6
Mnt. Hamilton Avalanche
      1
     2
      3
      4
       3


U17/18 Boys


Team
Wins
Losses
Goals For
Goals Against
Points
N. Toronto Nitros
       2
      1
      9
      3
      6
Waterloo United
      3
      0
       4
       1
       9
Ancaster Titans
       1
      2
      4
       8
      3
Aurora Stingers
       0
       3
       2
       7
       0
Oshawa Turul FC
      1
      2
      4
      9
     3
Gloucester Hornets
      2
       1
       8
      4
      3
Cumberland Cobras
      1
      2
      3
    3
     3
Pickering Power
       2
       1
       6
      5
      6