Women’s basketball: Wolves book spot in quarter-finals after win over Sheridan
The Algonquin Wolves women’s basketball team fought off a tough challenge to advance to the second round of the playoffs with a 57-43 win over the Sheridan Bruins on Feb. 15 at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.
The Bruins made it clear early they weren’t going down without a fight. After an early three-pointer from Dasia McDonald, the Wolves went five minutes without scoring in a quiet first quarter.
After the slow start, the Wolves began to assert their dominance defensively as McDonald came up with one of her game-high four steals on the defensive end for a layup that brought fans back to their feet.
“We locked in defensively and made sure that even though we weren’t shooting well, we were still going to get the win,” said Wolves head coach Jaime McLean.
The Wolves held the Bruins to just 28 points on 32 per cent shooting over the final three quarters, forcing 13 turnovers and scoring 15 points off those turnovers.
McDonald led the way offensively with a game-high of 16 points, while Sydney Moore added nine. Though the team struggled to score for much of the game, their defensive intensity remained high.
“Our defence is the main point of our game,” said McDonald. “Just keeping them under eight points in the third quarter — we like keeping that standard. If we’re not hitting shots, as long as our defence is there, that’s going to keep us in the game.”
Free-throw shooting was a key factor in the win. The Wolves made 12 of 16 from the line overall, including 7 of 8 in the third quarter, where they took complete control of the game.
The Bruins maintained their intensity throughout the game, giving the Wolves a tough test in their playoff opener.
“Everybody’s going to try to take away our No. 1 rank in Canada, right?” said McLean. “We’ve just got to stay strong, make sure we’ve got a point to prove, and be able to match them physically like we did today.”
With the win over Sheridan, the Wolves now face a tougher challenge against the fourth-seeded Lambton Lions, who are coming off a first-round win over Durham College.
The Wolves and Lions will face off in the quarterfinals on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.
