Hi Folks,
We just returned from St. John’s, Nfld, having played three very tough games with Memorial University (MUN). It was a “1, 2, 3” weekend in the sense that we played 1 good quarter in the first game in a losing effort (54-44), 2 good quarters in the second game (losing 67-59) and 3 good quarters in the third game (winning 68-60).
The first game was a sloppy affair, as we had difficulty finding the hoop (26% shooting) and adjusting to Memorial’s match-up zone. Memorial jumped out to a 16-6 first quarter lead. Our “1” good quarter came in the second as we outscored MUN 18-9. Sydney Kernahan (Calgary, AB) was named Player of the Game for Q’s as she scored 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Equally important was the work she did on defense to limit MUN’s 6-2 and 6-1 post players. Meaghan MacDougall (Martintown, ON) also had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
Game 2 was played in Pacentia, Nfld (about 100km west of St. John’s) at a brand new Laval High School. The first half proved to be our best “2” quarters, as we jumped out to an 18-11 first quarter lead. The second quarter was pretty even, but we managed to stretch the lead to 9 and go into half time with a 35-26 lead. The wheels fell off in the third as we were outscored 18-7 and outscored again in the fourth, 23-17. Succumbing to the varying types of pressure applied and poor execution, led to the huge momentum shift. On a more positive note, some adjustments made to our offense (at a team meeting) were well executed during the game despite not having an opportunity to test them in practice. No one hit double digits in this game with Meaghan MacDougall, Rachael Urosevic (Waterloo, ON), and Lisa Minutillo (Brantford, ON) all dropping 9 points.
Game 3 was played in downtown St. John’s to a packed house. Again, we got off to a great start, applying significant pressure to MUN’s backcourt, opening a 23-16 first quarter lead. We continued to execute well and stretched the lead to 15 by half, 45-30. I really have to re-evaluate my half time speech, as the third quarter was nothing short of a disaster. We were outscored 20-4 and relinquished our lead. The start of the fourth quarter saw the slide balloon to a 7 point deficit, before a 3-pointer by Liz Boag (Kingston, ON), followed by a defense stop and a Gemma Bullard (Guelph, ON) attack resulting in a two-shot foul turned the tide. Over the next four minutes, what had been a 22 point slide, was turned into a 15 point run for us to finish with an 8 point win, 68-60. Rachael Urosevic led the way with 13 points, including four 3-pointers. Paige Robinson (Calgary, AB) and Liz Boag each added 11.
Overall, it was a very successful weekend. I thought we improved each game against a very tough, aggressive team. We only had 10 (mostly) healthy bodies for each game – 7 rookies, 2 second years and 1 fifth year. The games really helped us mature as a team. In addition, we had time for a cultural excursion to Signal Hill and be exposed to some outstanding hospitality, especially at Laval High School in Placentia.
Up Next on the Road:
Laval Tournament – Quebec City
Friday, October 22 6:30pm vs Montreal Sr. Women
Saturday, October 23 2:00pm vs St. Francis Xavier U.
Sunday, October 24 1:00pm vs Laval U.
Up Next at Home:
Tindall Tournament – Queen’s University
Friday, October 29 6:00pm vs Ottawa U.
Saturday, October 30 12:00n vs Guelph U.
Sunday, October 31 2:00pm vs University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM)
Have a great week.
Dave.
