Gee-Gees reclaim their came with weekend wins
Katherine DeClerq & Sofia Hashi| Fulcrum Staff
AFTER AN INTENSE evening of cross-town rivalry fun at the Capital Hoops Classic, the basketball teams were ready to return to their regular season games with new determination. The women’s basketball team was able to continue their winning streak, adding another two wins to their Capital Hoops title. The men’s team also brought home two consecutive wins, though they seemed affected by their loss to Carleton during the Classic.
Winning weekend
Women’s basketball team keeps up their streak
When we last left the women’s basketball team, head coach Andy Sparks had called the Capital Hoops victory a “bittersweet win.” But after continuing their streak with another winning weekend, Sparks is a little happier with how the Garnet and Grey are using the court.
“I mean, it was a completely different feeling,” said Sparks after the game. “We won that one against a really strong team down the stretch.”
Currently sitting in seventh place in the Ontario University Athletics standings, the Gees made easy work of the Royal Military College Paladins (0-12) on Jan. 20. Within the first few minutes, fourth-year forward Jenna Gilbert sunk three three-pointers and second-year guard Laura-Émilie Cyr drove in three smooth shots from within the key.
By halftime, the Gees rotated in rookies Ariane Lachance-Scantland and Maddie Stephen, who succeeded in taking two shots of her own. The Gees left the court feeling good with a score of 40-16.
“I think we started OK,” said Sparks. “Our usual scorers weren’t producing that much early, but that does show our depth—that other girls can pick it up. Stephen was solid all the way through.”
The third quarter saw the Garnet and Grey speed back and forth across the court, acting on the many rebounds given to them by the Paladins. Lachance-Scantland continued to prove herself, scoring a three-pointer from left of the arc. Shots by Gilbert, Stephen, and Lachance-Scantland brought the final tally to 80-25 for the Gees.
Ottawa took the court again on Jan. 21 against Queen’s University Golden Gaels (7-7), gaining their 13th consecutive win of the season. Fifth years Hannah Sunley-Paisley and Elizabeth Lennox scored 16 and 15 points respectively, bringing the final score to 73-51.
The Gees will host Laurentian University Voyageurs (3-12) on Jan. 27 and York University Lions (6-9) on Jan. 28 in hopes of continuing their winning streak.
—Katherine DeClerq
Coming back stronger
The Gee-Gees regroup and secure two wins after Capital Hoops loss
All eyes were on the Gee-Gees men’s basketball team (10-5) in Montpetit Hall last Friday night. The Garnet and Grey went up against Royal Military College’s (RMC) Paladins (0-14) and secured a comfortable 97-34 win against the visiting team. While the win was needed to bounce back after a devastating loss at Capital Hoops last week, the Gee-Gees believed their performance wasn’t up to their usual standards.
“I think they scored a little too much on us,” said second-year guard Michael L’Africain. “Our defence wasn’t that tough, but they hit some tough shots obviously. I just felt like today was more of a, ‘Let’s work our offence and try to bounce back from a tough loss on Wednesday.’”
Despite their efforts, head coach James Derouin thinks the team wasn’t playing at its best, feeling the lingering effects from their loss to Carleton University at Capital Hoops.
“I thought our execution was less of a concern than just our effort following that tough loss,” said Derouin. “It would be nice if I could say they just could turn around and bounce back, but it looks like the wound is still deep. It’s going to [take] a little bit better effort.”
The game against the Paladins brought a full-bench effort, and the Gee-Gees played solidly in almost all four quarters. Halftime showed the Gee-Gees take a commanding lead, scoring 27 and 26 points in the first and second quarter. RMC responded with their own 7-1 run in the following 10 minutes.
The opening minutes of the final period saw back-to-back shots between second-year forwards Christopher Anderson and Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue of the Gees, which only cemented the crushing win.
The Garnet and Grey’s winning streak didn’t stop with RMC. The team returned to the court the following night to face off against Queen’s University Golden Gaels (0-14) and managed an impressive 87-58 win, with Johnny Berhanemeskel finishing with his season’s best performance of 31 points and four rebounds.
The Gee-Gees will return to Montpetit Hall on Jan. 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. to host Laurentian University Voyageurs (7-8) and York University Lions (3-12), respectively.
—Sofia Hashi
