SARNIA, Ont. – 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 p.m. inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex. The Knights will play for the OCAA bronze medal at 2:30 p.m.
ALGONQUIN 73, ST. CLAIR 58
The undefeated season for the Wolves continues.
On Saturday night inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex, the Algonquin Wolves kept their undefeated season going with a 73-58 win over the St. Clair Saints in the OCAA semi-finals.
With the win, the Algonquin Wolves will play for the provincial championship on Sunday afternoon, where they will also look to take an unblemished record with them to nationals. The Saints will take to the court in the bronze medal game on Sunday.
Forward Libby Hirst (White Lake, Ont.) was named the Player of the Game for the Wolves. Hirst was one of two Wolves to finish with a double-double, recording a team-high 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds and two steals.
Guard Kaitlyn Overeem (Brantford, Ont.) was named the Player of the Game for the Saints. The OCAA's leading scorer in the regular season had a team-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
The first 20-minutes was a back-and-forth affair between the Wolves and Saints, as neither team was able to gain much separation from the other on the scoreboard. The Wolves took an early 14-9 lead on a layup from Kate Dahmer (Whitefish, Ont.) with 4:15 to play in the first quarter, but baskets from Lauren Overeem (Brantford, Ont.) and Lily Collins (Windsor, Ont.) on consecutive possessions brought the Saints right back to even.
Algonquin led by one after the first quarter, at 18-17, and the seesaw game continued in the second frame. This time, the Saints took a four-point lead of their own midway through the quarter, only to see the Wolves storm back and take a five-point lead of their own ahead of the break.
Algonquin led 39-34 at the break, and they wouldn't trail again.
The Wolves opened the second half on a 9-0 run, capped off by a Cianah Miller (Mississauga, Ont.) three-pointer, stretching their lead to 14 and seizing all of the momentum. Their lead would reach as many as 18 in the third quarter, and they continued to ride that wave of momentum down to the final buzzer.
As a team, Algonquin grabbed 63 rebounds, and they held the Saints to 16.7 per cent shooting from beyond the arc. The Wolves picked up the 73-58 win to secure their spot in Sunday's gold medal game.
Dasia McDonald (Nepean, Ont.) had 12 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and five steals in the win. For the Saints, Janae Smith (Warren, Mich.) had 17 points and five rebounds of her own in the loss.
Algonquin will now take on Lambton in a battle of the regular season division winners in Sunday's championship game. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex.
The Saints will take on a familiar foe in the Knights in the bronze medal game at 2:30 p.m.
Source: Lambton Lions
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/wbb
Live Webcast: www.ocaalive.com
Saturday, March 2
Semi-Finals
S-F #1: Lambton def. Niagara 65-50
S-F #2: Algonquin def. St. Clair 73-58
Sunday, March 3
Bronze Medal Game
Niagara vs. St. Clair - 2:30 p.m.
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Game
Algonquin vs. Lambton - 5 p.m.
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
- OCAA -
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