Wolves men’s basketball team finds optimism after close loss to Georgian College

The Algonquin Wolves men’s basketball team is still seeking its first win at home after losing to the Georgian College Grizzlies 84-78 on Nov. 15 in the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.

The Wolves, now 1-5 to start the season, have had a shaky opening after going 12-6 in the previous 2024-2025 season. Defensively, the team could not create a firm stop and allow themselves to take the lead they needed to win. However, they remain hopeful about the future of the team.

“We were in the game the whole way, but inexperience showed at the end,” said head coach Trevor Costello.

“Lack of running our offence properly, we needed leadership, and we didn’t have leadership,” he said.

Most notably, the Georgian offence brought with them a three-point attack that the Wolves could not stop. Sean Marseille came off the Georgian bench to go 7-for-9 from the field and find holes to get open, going 4-for-5, draining threes behind the line.

“We knew they were shooters. We had a couple of defensive lapses in this game,” said Wolves forward Haven Holder.

Holder had an efficient yet unproductive game. He made six buckets on only seven shot attempts, all coming from inside the paint as he muscled his way to the rim, while going 3-for-6 on the charity line. Holder finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and one steal.

“As the two option on the team, I’ve got to do more to get to the basket, shooting a little more, contributing a little more on the offensive end,” said Holder.

They may have lost, but the Wolves walked away with a new outlook on their season after proving they could hang with the one-loss Georgian Grizzlies.

“We played a decent game and turned a corner. We’ve just got to tighten up,” said Holder.

Albert Opena, the starting guard for the Wolves, shared the same positive outlook on the season after the loss.

“Even though it’s a loss, I think we can take a lot of positives from that game, especially after how poorly we played as a team the weekend before,” said Opena.

“I think everybody played the right way, helping get easier shots. It’s a team effort for sure,” he said.

Opena was the lead scorer in the game, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. While having a fairly attractive game on the scoresheet, Opena realized there were issues in his own game and needed to tighten up his defensive energy.

With the team playing as well as it ever has together, the Wolves kept themselves in a game against a clear favourite in Georgian College. They have more than enough hope to rally, come back and get the next one.

“We can battle with these guys, and you know what? The guys are optimistic,” said Costello.

The Wolves’ next game on Nov. 22 is in Toronto against George Brown.