Hi Folks,
We have just returned from Vancouver where we played 3
games. We opened on Thursday with a loss
to UBC (50-58), then travelled to Abbottsford to beat Fraser Valley (75-61) and
then to Langley to beat Trinity Western (74-70). Game reports to follow. The trip also included an excursion to the
Capilano Suspension Bridge, Tree Top Walk and Cliff Walk, producing many great
photos and lots of fun (check out our facebook page). Other highlights included the great
hospitality of Abby Dixon’s family (parents and grandparents) providing great
pre-game meals and slide shows.
Queen’s 50 – UBC 58
It is possible that travelling from Kingston to Toronto by
bus, then flying to Vancouver and playing the same evening, had an impact on
our performance – at least at the start of the game. Five minutes in, we were trailing by 14 and
had failed to find the bottom of the net.
For the next 35 minutes we outscored UBC, 50-44. We had good looks early, but failed to
convert. At the same time we did
struggle with UBC’s size, as they had an inch or two at every position. Robyn Pearson finished with a double-double,
13 points and 13 rebounds, while Jenny Wright had 14 points.
Queen’s 75 – Fraser
Valley 61
We struggled again in the first quarter of this one and
ending up trailing 13-19 at the quarter.
Our defense picked up, forcing a number of turnovers and allowing us to
score a few more points in transition.
We outscored UFV 26-15 to lead, 39-34 at the half. We opened an even larger lead with a good
start to the third quarter, but Fraser Valley battled back with an aggressive,
attacking offense that led to many Q’s fouls.
Despite losing the lead at one point in the third, we responded to
regain the lead before the end of the quarter.
Continuing to wear Fraser Valley down, our largest lead came at the end
of the game, 75-61. Liz Boag topped all
scorers with 18, while Emily Hazlett added 14.
Queen’s 74 – Trinity Western
70
Our third game in 3 days (against a fresh opponent) was a
great test for our team depth and conditioning (especially with Gemma Bullard,
Jenny Wright & Sarah Saftich all sidelined with injuries). Trinity Western took it to us early, using
their team speed (fastest we’ve seen this year) to outrun us in transition and
score early and often. We started to
make adjustments and pulled back to within one at the quarter 20-21. However, Trinity Western was able to keep up
the pace and increased their lead to 40-43 by half. A great start to the second half saw us erase
the deficit and grab our first lead of the game, going up by as many as 9
points. It was short-lived however, as
TWU regained the lead 54-55 by the end of the 3rd quarter. It wasn’t until late in the fourth that we
recaptured the lead. Up 71-70 with just
under 20 seconds to go, we made a defensive stop and were fouled. With a time out, we advanced the ball to
front court and ran a play for Abby Dixon (North Vancouver). She quickly scored (much to the delight of
the many family and friends on hand) to put us up 73-70. TWU advanced the ball with a time out and ran
an inbound play for their best 3-point shooter (and much to the dismay of me,
they had a good look), but it bounced out and Liz Boag secured the rebound, was
fouled, and finished the game hitting one of two foul shots to finish with the
74-70 win. We don’t have complete stats
from the game (technical difficulties), but Liz had a monster game, draining at
least 4 3-pointers, and numerous drives.
Emily Hazlett had a very solid game with her usual defensive toughness
and some great slashing drives to the hoop.
Robyn Pearson continued her stellar play around the rim and dropping 3
15-footers.
All in all, it was a great playing experience on the coast:
3 very different style teams gave us everything we could handle. I am quite
pleased at how our team is playing at the moment.
A reminder, we will be holding our annual ID/Training Camp on Saturday, November 29, 2014. This is an ideal
opportunity for anyone in Grades 11 or 12 to display their talents and receive
instruction from the Queen’s coaching staff. The day’s schedule is as
follows:
9:30-11:45am On-court session
11:45-12:15pm Lunch break (on own)
12:15-12:45pm Facility Tour (parent’s welcome)
12:45-1:30pm Q&A session with Q’s coaches (parent’s welcome)
1:30-3:30pm On-court session
There is no cost for the ID/Training Camp – just let me know so that I can
prepare for the numbers.
Up Next on the Road:
@ Carleton Tournament*
Friday, October 24 vs. Memorial 6pm
Saturday, October 25 vs. UQAM 6pm
Sunday, October 26 vs. Carleton 2pm
*Note: with the new league structure, these are our only
games in Ottawa this season
Up Next at Home:
Saturday, November 1 vs. Ottawa 6pm
Have a great week!
Dave.
