“The Gee-Gees can’t find the space, can’t find the rhythm, and are struggling to find momentum”
In the first quarter, the Gee-Gees appeared not to hear the whistle. The Ravens scored 21 points more than the Ottawa team, resulting in a score of 27-6 by the end of the first 10 minutes of play.
Carleton remained dominant in the second quarter, grabbing every rebound and basket they could not allowing Ottawa to catch a breath. With 14 points for Carleton coming solely from turnovers, the Gee-Gees seemed to have entered the game too confidently after their previous win over the previously undefeated Ravens.
With three minutes left in the quarter, Ottawa had not yet adjusted to Carleton’s fast-paced game. With the Ravens 24 points ahead, the Garnet and Grey seem to have lost their saddle and control over the game, looking nothing like the team fans saw on Thursday afternoon.
Ottawa stepped up their defence, hoping to apply pressure and see the Ravens fail. However, right now, for the Gee-Gees, the best defence would be offence, lacking the points on the scoreboard.
Gee-Gees forward Enora Touloute understood the needed effort, putting in the drive and the speed with four points in the last minutes and a fast defence, which helped kickstart the Gee-Gees’ plays.
The first half of the game lacked a second team, with Ottawa barely having possession and points to show. The Ravens forced 18 turnovers and limited the Gees to just two fast-break points in comparison to their own 12, showing the result of their pressure, attitude, and drive regarding getting to the final, making the score 46-19 in favour of Carleton.
Coming back from halftime, the Gee-Gees seemed to keep their heads high, yet with no points being scored and Carleton fighting every single possession, it was a hard match for the Garnet and Grey.
The Gee-Gees can’t find the space, can’t find the rhythm, and are struggling to find momentum. However, a quick change of energy from forward Emily Payne shows an attempt from Ottawa to finally join the game. Payne scores back-to-back buckets, giving the Gee-Gees nine consecutive points, but with the Ravens’ lead, Ottawa needs more than one player to step up.
The Gee-Gees started climbing their way up, with forward Allie McCarthy showing Payne that she is also there and getting two back-to-back threes. This lowered the points gap between teams to 14 points.
The fourth quarter began with Carleton leading 59-45, and Ottawa appears determined to maintain their press. However, it wasn’t enough. The Ravens seemed to find every corner of the court and fill them with deep threes, costing the Gee-Gees numerous points before they managed to score.
After an OUA championship just last week, Ottawa couldn’t find their rhythm and didn’t show up throughout the game. Turnover after turnover and empty possessions cost the Gee-Gees their ticket to the finals. With an 84-60 score, Carleton’s go-forward and driven attitude obtained that pass to fight against Saskatchewan for gold.
However, the Gee-Gees still have one fight in them Sunday, at 3 p.m., against the UBC Thunderbirds. Make sure to catch the Gee-Gees’ final game on the CBC Sports YouTube channel or CBC Gem
