SARNIA – The Lions will be looking for a better result this time around in the OCAA gold medal game.

On Saturday afternoon in front of a capacity crowd inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex, the Lambton Women’s Basketball Program never trailed in the game, coming away with the 65-50 win over the Niagara Knights.

With the win, the Lions will play for an OCAA Gold Medal for the second consecutive season. The loss sends the Knights to the Bronze Medal Game.

Breanna Pretty (Sarnia, Ont.) was named the Player of the Game for the Lions. The OCAA Player of the Year recorded a game-high 19 points to go along with nine rebounds, two assists, and four steals.

Forward Janee Harrison (St. Catharines, Ont.) was named the Player of the Game for the Knights after putting up 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

The Lions came out of the gates strong on both ends of the floor. They opened the game on a 15-2 run, a run that stretched more than five minutes, leading to a Knights timeout. Emily Van Hooft (Sarnia, Ont.) scored four straight points for the Lions to close the run.

Niagara cut the deficit down to 10 before the end of the first quarter, as a layup from Taryn Mitchell (Port Colborne, Ont.) got the Knights to within 22-12. The visitor would try to build some momentum in the second quarter, but the Lions had an answer time and time again. Their lead got cut to seven early in the quarter, but the Lions quickly restored their double-digit lead on their ensuing possessions.

A jumper from Avery Bathe-Minard (Sarnia, Ont.) in the closing seconds gave the Lions a 17-point lead at the break, 42-25.

Despite their double-digit deficit, the Knights continued to fight down to the final whistle. In the fourth quarter, a layup from Mitchell got them to within 15, but that was as close as they would come in a game that felt much closer than the score indicated throughout.

The Lions came away with a hard-fought 65-50 win over the Knights, punching their ticket to the OCAA Championship Game on Sunday afternoon.

Offensively, the Lions had four players score in double-figures. Bathe-Minard (13 points, six rebounds) and Van Hooft (10 points, five rebounds) gave the Lions strong contributions off the bench, while Maddy Bishop (Windsor, Ont.) had 11 points and seven assists in the win.

For the Knights, Destiny Osadebamwen (Toronto, Ont.) finished one point shy of a double-double off the bench. She finished with nine points and 16 rebounds in 34 minutes.

The Lions will now play for the OCAA Gold Medal on Sunday afternoon, with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m. inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex. The Knights will play for the OCAA Bronze Medal at 2:30 p.m.