The Ontario College basketball season tips off on Friday night at the St. Lawrence Gymnasium in Kingston. The Lady Vikings open up against the Durham Lords from Oshawa. The ladies play at 6 p.m. with the men’s game to follow.
“I’m excited to see what we can do this season,” said third-year guard Rachel Steer.
The veteran playmaker from Markham says they’re at a disadvantage to start the season with only eight players on the roster.
“It’s not an ideal situation,” added Steer.
“What it does do, is gives us more floor time and brings us closer together as a team. We may be small in numbers but we work extremely hard in practice and will do the same come game time.”
Another third-year player expected to make a difference this season is six-foot centre Mikaela Appelby. With a short bench, head coach Reme Simpson believes Appleby has what it takes to lead the team offensively.
“I look forward to a leadership role,” said Appelby, a graduate of Arnprior District High School.
“We have a new philosophy this year in the way we play. We will focus more on a transition game because we have a lot of talented three-point shooters. We plan to focus on shooting a lot of threes. Hopefully, we’ll have a high percentage of success in that area.
A new athletic complex and gymnasium is currently under construction at St. Lawrence College in Kingston. The grand opening is scheduled for late November.
The Vikings look forward to playing in their new home and hosting the Ontario championship tournament in 2019.
The Humber Hawks from Toronto have dominated women’s college basketball. They have won the OCAA title, four years in a row.
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