Women's Basketball - Update

Hi Folks,

I thought I would send out a Newsletter as a number of things are on the horizon and a quick look back at the season.

Highlights of the 2015-16 season

August

* Trip to Barcelona, Spain in August – played 2 games against professional teams – spent 9 days touring the city

September

*Weekend Team Retreat at a cottage in the Thousand Islands – great team building

October

*Won the Tindall Tournament beating Carleton, Memorial and UQAM

November

*Went 6-1 in League Play

December

*Held a team training camp with Canadian Olympic Coaches, Allison & Mike McNeill

February

*Raised almost $6,000 for Breast Cancer Research (Shoot for the Cure game)

*Participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto – beating Windsor 60-41

OUA All-Stars Announced

I am very pleased to announce that Jenny Wright and Robyn Pearson were selected as 1^st Team OUA All-Stars, and that Myriam Fontaine was selected to the OUA All-Rookie Team.  This is Jenny’s third consecutive selection to the 1^st Team All-Stars, after being select to the All-Rookie team in her first year.  Robyn finished the season leading the country in rebounding.  Myriam’s game grew dramatically over the course of the year, increasing her minutes from 7/game in the fall to over 15/game in the second half of the season.

Speaking of All-Stars, Queen’s standout, Gemma Bullard (2013-14 OUA All-Star), will be making her return to the team for the 2016-17 season.  Having successfully navigated surgery on her wrist this past season, she is already working hard in the weight room and anxious to get back on the court.  Her talent and maturity will have an instant positive impact on the team.

Stayed tuned for another exciting player announcement coming shortly.  Just need to get the (i)s dotted and the (t)s crossed.

Spring/Summer Camps

We will be offering our usual array of basketball camps again this summer as follows:

Elite Training & Scrimmage (for girls entering Gr. 9, 10, 11, 12 in September)

May 26 – July 28 (Thursday evenings from 7 – 9pm)

½ Basketball ½ Volleyball Camp (for girls & boys entering Gr. 2, 3, 4, 5)

July 4 – 8 (Week 1) (8:30-4:30 daily)

July 18 – 22 (Week 2) (8:30-4:30 daily)

Basketball Camp (for girls & boys entering Gr. 2, 3, 4, 5)

August 15 – 19 (8:30-4:30 daily)

Basketball Academy (for girls & boys {separate} entering Gr. 6, 7, 8)

August 22-26 (8:30-4:30 daily)

For details on these camps and how to register, please visit:

http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/sports/2016/2/23/SummerCamp2016.aspx

We will also be holding our Junior Girls Team Camp on Saturday, September 10^th.  Interested teams should contact me directly.

Cheers,

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

My least favourite newsletter of the year – meaning our season has come to a close with a loss to McMaster, 55-65.  They will move on to the Final Four against Ottawa, while Ryerson will play Windsor.  The games will be held at Ottawa U. this Friday and Saturday.

Queen’s 55 – McMaster 65

This game started pretty much as we expected – a tough grind at both ends of the floor.  Despite good scoring opportunities (for both teams), the ball was not falling resulting in a 10-12 point quarter in favour of McMaster.  The game “loosened up” a little in the second quarter, but shooting percentage favoured Mac as they outscored us 15-20 to take a 25-32 lead into the half.  The game became a grind again in the third quarter as we only managed 9 points (to Mac’s 13) as our shooting percentage dropped below the 20% mark.  We trailed 34-45 heading into the final quarter.  Things got worse before getting better as Mac built a 15 point lead by the 6 minute mark.  We were then able to turn up the heat and go on a run for the first time in the game and closed the score all the way down to 3 points with 57 seconds left in the game.  Unable to convert on our next possession we were forced to foul – eventually increasing the deficit back to 10.  Jenny Wright finished off her CIS career with a double-double, 14 points, 12 boards and 3 steals.  Robyn Pearson had another excellent game with 16 points, 15 boards and 3 blocked shots.

So our season has come to a close.  While this is the last Game Report of the season, I will be sending out another Newsletter in the not-too-distant future with a season re-cap, All-Star selections and other exciting news.

Thanks to all for such great support, in the gyms, via email, and especially to our families who welcomed us into their homes (and sometimes at the gyms) for team meals.  We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have such a caring, loyal and supportive fan base.

Cheers,

Dave.