Gabriel Gadala-Maria
The Silhouette
The 2013 season is underway and the McMaster Marauders wrestling team has hit the ground running, but not without some challenges. Coming off a successful season where the men’s and women’s team placed sixth and 11th respectively at the CIS Championships, the stakes are high for the Marauder team this year.
When asked about what the team aspires to this season, head coach Chris Fraser said, “Last year with the guys we were one or two points out of first, so obviously we would like to win the OUA’s this year. The CIS is what we’re really looking at; it’s more of a measuring stick. With the girls we placed eleventh and as a women’s coach I would like to see us climb that ladder.”
The season started with two tournaments on the weekend of Nov. 2, with some team members wrestling at home at the McMaster Invitational tournament, while others headed to Surrey, B.C. for the Simon Fraser Invitational.
It was a rough start, however, at Simon Fraser, as the team experienced some major setbacks at the tournament.
“Some of the athletes were at SFU to get some tougher competition and face different opponents. That tournament is a tough one though; when some of our guys came back they were injured,” said the head coach.
Following those two invitational events, the team headed to London, Ont. the weekend of Nov. 16, to wrestle at the Western duals. Results were much better this time around, as two members of the men’s team took first place.
One of them was the 2011 CIS Rookie of the Year, Jason Buckle. Buckle is a member of Team Canada and is the Mac’s top contender for a gold medal at the CIS Championships. He has high hopes for the season and has confidence that the team’s future is bright.
As for his goals for the season, Buckle said: “Hopefully we do well as a team; we have some younger guys since a lot of our older guys graduated the last two years. We want to do as well as we can at the national level.”
Fraser echoed Buckle’s sentiment when looking at the team’s performance. “We want to get more of our athletes at the next level so that they get the opportunity to compete internationally,” Fraser said.
A successful season will only help the chances of being noticed by Team Canada.
The season continued the weekend of Nov. 23 with the Provincial Senior Championships in Sudbury, Ont. where Jason Buckle and Nicole Roach both won their respective categories.
Next up on the calendar is the last event of 2013, which will be held at York University on Nov 30. Competitions then restart in 2014 and end with the OUA Championships being held in February, followed by the CIS Championship in March.
As the season progresses, the team is relying on a successful conclusion to the year in order to gather momentum heading into the OUA and CIS Championships.
With a roster that combines experienced wrestlers with promising prospects, the season is sure to be an exciting one for the Marauders.
Tobi Abdul
Staff Reporter
The McMaster women’s volleyball team has seen a very inconsistent season so far and have had difficulty maintaining a winning streak.
This pattern continued this past weekend as the Marauders added both a win and a loss to their record.
Despite only winning one of two games, McMaster played some of their cleanest volleyball thus far in the season.
McMaster travelled to North Bay to take on the Nipissing Lakers Nov. 22, winning the match 3-1. After the win on Friday, McMaster saw a jump in their record, temporarily however, as they succumbed 3-0 to the number one York Lions in a match they knew would be tough.
“To be among the best, you must behave like the best,” said head coach Tim Louks.
Marauders proved that they could behave like the best in the match against Nipissing.
They played a strong game and achieved cohesiveness on the court that McMaster had been working on all season.
The team started extremely strong in the first set, overpowering the Lakers offensively and playing very precise volleyball.
The Marauders dominated all set with a set total of two errors and 11 kills while Nipissing had ten errors and nine kills. This accuracy led to a win margin of 10 points as McMaster taking the set 25-15.
McMaster continued to play strong offense, but were a little weaker than they had been in the first set and Nipissing was trailing close behind.
The Lakers managed to slide ahead at the technical timeout leading 16-14.
McMaster came out of the timeout looking like a new team and outscoring Nipissing 11-2 and winning the set 25-18.
McMaster took the early lead of the third set but was unable to hold on to it as Nipissing slid ahead to a 16-14 at the technical timeout.
Playing their best set of the match, Nipissing continued to take the lead and McMaster was unable to catch up.
Long point streaks would allow Nipissing to increase their margin to 21-15 and despite the Marauders outscoring Nipissing 5-4, the Lakers eventually took the set 25-20.
A lack of momentum has been a constant issue facing the Marauders all season.
“To keep momentum through the match, I think we need to continue finding ways to keep each other engaged as well as recognize opportunities where we can gain a string of points and stop our opponents from getting on a scoring run,” said setter Kayla Ng.
The Marauders gained their momentum back in the fourth set and it was McMaster’s best performance as they managed a kill percentage of 33 per cent with three errors and 12 kills.
McMaster played an impressive eight-point streak bringing them to 16-9 at the technical timeout.
The Lakers would only get 4 more points in the match as McMaster took the set 25-13 and the match 3-1.
The Marauders were playing extremely well as a team and each player was playing a great offensive game.
Six players had a kill percentage of over 30 per cent but the two standouts were outside hitter Lauren Mastroluisi with 16 digs, 18 points, and 14 kills and middle Taylor Brisebois with 12 points, nine hits, and a kill percentage of 37.5 per cent.
The team’s success largely came from their ability to work as a team and make good use of their setter, Kayla Ng, to make the connection from accurate pass to the perfect kill.
“To ensure cohesiveness, everyone needs to know what’s going on in the game. I try to stay level-headed and calm after every point, regardless of the outcome, to keep the team focused in the right direction,” said Ng.
Ng had a total of 23 assists in the game, after being inserted halfway through the second set.
As a grad student, Ng has had experience playing with different teams and this experience is an asset on the court.
“I’ve had the opportunity to play with a wide variety of players, adjust to various playing styles and fulfill different roles on the team as needed,” said Ng.
“We as a team need a shared vision and common goals anchored by a continuous, consistent, and authentic communication of information,” said Louks.
The vision is making the playoffs, a goal that McMaster is working towards through daily practice and learning from each game and fixing their mistakes.
“We’re focusing on performing well in each game and with each good performance, we’ll be one step closer to finishing first in the west,” said Ng.
Finishing first may be the ultimate goal but it is not the end all according to Coach Louks.
“Standings don’t make all the difference but they must factor into the equation. You must take care of the elements to success and the wins will come. Playing with a sense of urgency regardless of opposition is a learned trait,” said Louks.
McMaster will attempt to enter the holiday season with a win as they take on the Waterloo Warriors at Burridge Gym Nov. 29 in the last game of 2013.
It was no surprise to the Marauder coaching staff when the Queen’s Gaels were able to catch up to them in the first set, and tie the score 20-20.
“It’s what we fully expected,” said head coach Dave Preston.
What was surprising to the men’s volleyball team was when they were able to dominate the second set, and come out of it a dominating score.
“The second set when we beat them 25-12, we didn’t expect that. We thought we were going to be in a dog fight most of the day. They’re very talented and very well coached, so we expected to have that tight scenario and it is kind of what we are looking for too,” added Preston.
When the Gaels pressured the Marauders in the first set, Preston saw this as a good thing. It is always good when the pressured situations require the team to step up to the plate, and to play to the best of their abilities.
“If we are capable of blowing a team out, that’s fine, and we did in the second set. But, I want to know that we can play in pressured situations, so it was good that they were tied at 20. As a coach, I can’t script that stuff, but it is good for us to know that we can play in a variety of scenarios.”
In this particular scenario, the Marauders were able to come out with a win in three sets – which is a statement of their dominance, and their overall skill level that has pushed them to be the No.1 team in the country.
Preston believes that the Marauders offense is part of what has made them so successful, especially in the game against Queen’s, with Austin Campion-Smith and Jayson McCarthy stepping up, along with the middles.
“I thought our offence was really good again, Austin Campion-Smith was really efficient and Jayson McCarthy was good on the opposite as well. Our middles are quietly punishing teams,” said Preston.
Preston was also able to rotate some fresh legs into the match, with Shayne Herbert and rookie Brandon Koppers being put into the mix to give some of the regulars like Danny Demanyenko, Tyson Alexander and Alex Elliot a bit of a break.
These two athletes were given some valuable minutes that will only benefit them for their future.
“We really work on trying to develop our entire roster because you are going to need it come playoff time. The matches get so condensed in January and February; things happen so fast. Rarely can you go through the meaty part of your season with seven guys, so we need that depth. And if we don’t get those guys the good experience, the meaningful minutes now, then we are not going to have that down the stretch,” said Preston.
Koppers and Herbert did a great job against the Gaels, and stepped up to fill the role of some of the more experienced players on the team
“The matches that were taken care of in November are going to pay dividends in February. Those are investments to get guys like Koppers in, especially in his first year against a solid top ten calibre team and playing those meaningful minutes so that when he is in there in February he is very much used to it. Same thing with Shayne Herbert, who has come in every single match and has done a tremendous job for us,” added Preston.
Along with the talented second string players, Preston also credits the Marauders Austin Campion-Smith, who won Big Mac Player of the game for his 35 assists against Queen’s.
Preston says that Campion-Smith stays composed and collected on the court, which is part of what makes him such a valuable team player.
“He just has such calming demeanour. We play the game very passionately, it is exciting. He’s the calm, and composed guy. As the guys are going off around him, he’s the tether. Although you can’t see that all the time, that is what kind of keeps us level. The guys could go off, Austin doesn’t let that occur.”
Preston also refers to him as “the brain” behind the Marauders, as he sees everything on the court, and knows exactly what to do in dire situations
“When other guys are playing checkers, he is playing chess. He is two or three moves ahead. He knows what he did on that last ball, but he knows what he is going to do with the next two or three balls already. He is that much more intuitive of what is going on. He is our brain. We’ve got muscle, and we’ve got heart and he is our brain”
Preston also credits the 6-0 run to the balance of the Marauders, and their ability to distribute the talent evenly amongst each other.
“We are not really reliant on a guy. We have had a number of guys who had stepped up in all six of those matches and our non-conference matches before. Steve Maar has been a guy who at times has just carried us, Danny Demyanenko, Alex [Elliot] and Tyson [Alexander]. We’ve spread it all around and so our depth and our balance is what has allowed us to be where we are at”
Where the Marauders are at now is the number one spot in the entire country, which is huge for the undefeated team that has surpassed the Alberta Golden Bears in the CIS top ten rankings.
The Alberta Golden Bears were able to pull off a win against the Marauders in preseason action, but have now found themselves in rough territory, with a 3-3 record.
The Maroon and Grey will look to keep up their 6-0 record, and keep their No. 1 ranking this weekend, when they will take on the Nipissing Lakers and York Lions on the road.
Tobi Abdul
Staff Reporter
The McMaster women’s volleyball team travelled to Guelph to face the Gryphons this past Saturday, Nov. 16 in an attempt to continue their two game winning streak but were met with a heartbreaking loss of 3-1.
Nov. 17 saw them return home to Burridge Gym to face the Brock Badgers where the team seemed to get their rhythm back, taking the game in four sets.
“Against Brock we were better in most aspects of the game,” said head coach Tim Louks.
“We just created a slightly higher level of consistency and our gymnasium is a little bit friendlier for sure.”
McMaster came onto the court prepared to take the win and even out their record after their loss to Guelph.
Brock took the early lead with a 6-3 score, but was not given a chance to push forward as great offense and strategic defence soon gave McMaster the lead by two with a 16-14 score.
The Marauders were able to increase the gap to 22-14, due to amazing serving from Sophie Bukovec who served for seven straight points. McMaster could start to cruise slightly, leaving Brock to try and catch up. McMaster would eventually take the set 25-21.
The second set saw an even battle, with McMaster leading but not by a huge margin. At the technical timeout, the Marauders were leading 16-15.
The Marauders were playing well, with 13 successful kills in the set but Brock was playing their best set allmatch. Brock took the lead 22-20 and it looked as though they may take the set, but stellar defence, accurate passing, and consistent serving from the Marauders allowed them to take the set 25-22 and lead the match 2-0.
The third set was McMaster’s weakest offensively as they only had 9 successful kills and a kill percentage of 3.8 per cent. Brock came out with an 8-2 lead, a large part due to McMaster’s subpar offense.
McMaster continued to struggle offensively causing Brock to lead 16-8 at the technical timeout. Brock’s offense gained some momentum and the gap widened to 24-10, with Brock eventually taking the set 25-13.
Despite Brock taking the third set, it would seem as if the set was highly dictated by McMaster who had 18 unforced errors in the game out of 25 points. “Those 18 unforced errors are specific to outcomes,” said Louks.
“When we’re hitting a ball or if we’re touching a net or any of those kinds of things, we’re in charge of those things. You need to take care of that ball better. Don’t try and do too much or score every point.”
The McMaster team was back in full swing in the fourth set and they took the early lead of 9-3. The offense that awarded them the first two sets was back and their momentum continued to a lead of 16-8 at the technical timeout. Brock tried to regain control and started to close the gap, eventually reaching 21-15, however McMaster’s offense allowed them to take the set 25-19 and the match 3-1.
It was the rookies who had the best showing during the game as the two leading scorers were Player of the Game Bukovec with 18 points, and fellow rookie Maicee Sorenson with 12.5 points.
With five players being in their first year, the Marauders had to account for the adjustment period.
“There are things every first year player has to go through, balancing an academic work load, being away from home for most of them, and all the things that go with that, practicing every day, a new set of teammates, all of that is a process that they have to stay attached to,” said Louks.
These first years seem to have found their stride and are adjusting to playing with a new team with extreme ease, playing as if they have been a Marauder for years.
“This team has made the adjustment to university as easy as it would’ve been for me. Being here has actually improved my own game because I work so much harder to play well when my family is in the crowd, I don’t get to see them as often, so I need to be on my game impressing them when they are here,” said first-year player Maicee Sorenson.
“All the players on your team are there to win, everyone around you is so committed to being successful, this raises the level of intensity forcing you to keep up and push yourself as hard as the rest of the team is pushing themselves.”
“The best thing with our team is their support, not only in volleyball but with life,” said another first year all-star Sophie Bukovec.
“The cohesiveness required to be successful can only be accomplished with the love and support by everyone on the team.”
McMaster’s record is even at 4-4, but the team seems to have found a rhythm that works for them both on and off the court.
For future games the Marauders need to improve consistency and control the rally.
“It’s continuing to be better,” said Louks.
“Our peaks and valleys are a bit large at times and we need to control that.”
“If we can replicate some of the pieces that are helping our performance then that will start to steady out a little bit.”
The Marauders will travel to Nipissing University to take on the Lakers Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. and will then travel to Toronto to play the undefeated York Lions on Nov. 24 in a match that will arguably be their biggest challengethus far this season.
Taylor Black is the quintessential poster boy of Hamilton hoops. Growing up in Winona, Ont., a small town wedged between Stoney Creek and Grimsby, Black has played basketball in Hamilton at every level and is now, while donning Marauder maroon, one of the best players in the Steel City.
The fourth-year kinesiology student plays a style that makes the game look easy, but his ascent was anything but. Black played for the Blessed Sacrament basketball program – a Hamilton club that has produced many CIS, NCAA and Canadian national team players – while growing up.
He went to Orchard Park Secondary School, but didn’t cruise his way onto the junior team.
“In grade nine, I made the team luckily. I wasn’t a star player – I barely even played. There were guys ahead of me who were very talented, so I really had to work my way into the rotation,” said Black.
But by grade 12, he shot up ten inches and carved out his slashing forward playing style. He credits Orchard Park teammates like former Marauder Satar Wahidi for being able to go to battle every day in practice and making him a better player.
Universities in both Canada and the U.S. took notice of Black’s talents and showed recruiting interest, including Old Dominion, St. Bonaventure and Cornell. Despite the high-profile looks, heading anywhere but McMaster was not even a consideration.
“Canada is what made me who I am, and more specifically Hamilton, Ont. I don’t regret anything I’ve done so far,” said Black.
As a kid, he grew up watching Mac basketball and remembers seeing now-assistant coach Justin Gunter and his team play in the Burridge Gym.
Hopes were high as he entered his first year as McMaster athlete, and he was off to a good start until a blowout game against the Brock Badgers.
“We were up twenty or something. I had what I thought was a wide-open dunk and I went up and just got taken out. It was a flagrant foul and I tried hanging on the rim but slid off. I first dislocated my knee and then my shoulder came out,” Black said.
“I spent probably five minutes on the ground in pain while they tried to put my shoulder back in place. My knee just felt like it was in shock – I didn’t really know it was out or anything like that. But as I stood up, luckily gravity pulled the humeral head (the top of the humerus bone) back in. Usually that doesn’t happen.”
Black would have to go to the hospital, but remembers being humbled by having two prominent alumni in David Braley and Ron Foxcroft looking over the shoulder of the medical staff to ensure that he was getting proper care.
The left shoulder injury would require surgery that took place over the summer, eliminating the opportunity for Black to do any training during the offseason. Missed practice time put some rust on his game, and Black admits to having a poor start to his sophomore season.
But with Adam Presutti, Nathan McCarthy, Joe Rocca, Brett Sanders and Aaron Redpath – or the “Fab Five” as Black called them – joining the team, the home-grown product had to show that he was a big part of the team despite early struggles.
Fast-forward to third year, where Black rode roughshod over the OUA and earned an All-Star nod. He averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 50 per cent and grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game. Black would also finish fourth in the conference in Player Efficiency Rating, a sabremetric statistic that attempts to boil down a player’s value into one number.
He has the opportunity and tools to be a CIS All-Canadian, something Black pointed out as a goal of is, but only truly recognized his potential within the past calendar year.
“Immediately after the [playoff] game against Lakehead, the coaches said to me ‘Taylor, that is something you need to bring every game’, and that is what really woke me up during the summer, to be training so I can perform like that every day,” said Black.
The next step for the fourth-year player is to continue to establish himself as what he describes as the “go-to guy” late in games and grow as a leader both on and off the court. He looks to Nathan Pelech to show him how to excel in the role, saying that Pelech is a “bigger leader than I am”.
Head coach Amos Connolly said that his would be Black’s program to lead one day. After a shortened rookie campaign and injury-hampered second season, it was unclear when that time would come, if at all.
But that day is here, and McMaster is on the verge of something big. Just how big that “something” becomes is up to Black. A Hamilton kid bringing a CIS championship banner to McMaster for the first time would be a storybook ending to a turbulent tale.
It’s all on his shoulders, but Taylor Black seems up to the task.
McMaster’s men’s basketball team took both the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country to the wire, but watched the game balloon out of hand with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Ottawa went on a 17-2 run to close out the game and Carleton put Mac away with a 15-8 run.
The Marauders were in a position to win both games, only down one to the Gee-Gees in the fourth quarter and tied with the reigning CIS champions Ravens in the final stanza. But ultimately, a lack of consistency cost McMaster two wins.
It would be easy to walk away with a sense of accomplishment after hanging with two of the best opponents in the country.
But not getting a win is leaving the Marauders wanting more.
“We’ve proven that we can play the best teams in the country tough, what we haven’t proven is that we can beat them. We beat Ryerson – that’s the only thing we can hang our hat on. Coming close to Carleton? Coming close to Ottawa? You can take it is a positive, but that’s not a statement,” said head coach Amos Connolly. “We’re not at the level we need to be.”
In both games, the opponent’s best scorer went nova.
Carleton’s Phil Scrubb put together a jaw-dropping performance for the big crowd, scoring 44 points on 18-29 shooting, along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Scrubb did his damage from deep (five made threes on nine attempts) and getting to the paint and knocking down impossible-to-guard step-back jump shots from fourteen feet.
He scored or assisted on five of Carleton’s seven scores in the 15-8 fourth quarter run.
Connolly said it was the best individual performance he’s seen in the Burridge Gym.
The following night, Johnny Berhanemeskel shot 14-21 for 38 points in 36 minutes of play.
His teammates joined him in the hot shooting performance, as the Gee-Gees shot 57.1 per cent on the game. Connolly said it was less of Ottawa’s talent and more of Mac’s failure.
“We gave a team 100 points. You score 85 points in a CIS game and you can’t win it? There’s a problem there. Obviously, our defence is porous,” said Connolly. In the last minutes, Mac also turned the ball over five times.
For the second week in a row, “intensity” was the buzzword tossed around by both players and coaches at post-practice interviews.
“We need to bring the highest intensity possible. In the first quarter against Ryerson, that was one of the best quarters we’ve played. We need to play with that every game, every quarter,” said forward Taylor Black.
The fourth-year did put some blame on himself, saying that he needs to step up as the “go-to guy” in final quarters and become a better leader on the court.
While the losses are disheartening, there is some optimism in the Maroon camp.
The competition level was the highest both of McMaster’s opponents have faced so far this season.
Although critical of his team’s performance against Ottawa, Connolly offered a light take on the weekend’s losses.
“Are we close or are we far? I can’t figure that out yet. I suppose, if you’re wondering, you must be close. But I couldn’t answer that question definitively right now,” said Connolly.
OUA interlock play wraps up on this weekend against the Queen’s Gaels and the York Lions.
Should Mac win both – which is not expected to be an easy task – they’ll sit at 5-3. Outside of Windsor, the rest of the OUA West is floundering with two wins between the bottom five teams.
But Mac has consistency issues of their own to figure out before being capable of considering themselves streets ahead of anyone else.
The Marauders swim team broke records and reached the podium numerous times at the Tihanyi Division Championships on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 at Ivor Wynne Centre.
The team finished second overall, just behind the Toronto Varsity Blues, and had several strong finishes and performances across the board.
One of the most notable finishes on the men’s team was from Eric Anderson – who managed to reach the podium a total of four times on the weekend, with three gold medal finishes and one silver medal.
Anderson also managed to break his own record that he set over a month ago at the OUA Sprint Invitational in the 50m backstroke. At last weekend’s championship meet, he raced to a time of 25.97 seconds.
He also won the 100m butterfly, only four events later.
On the Sunday, Anderson also won gold in a team event, joining up with Konrad Bald, Mo Eldah, and Matt Vogelzang to break a Marauder team record, and win gold in the 200m medley relay.
Anderson’s last events of the meet included the 200m butterfly, where he won silver, and then the 100m backstroke event, where he won yet another gold medal, and broke another McMaster record.
Other than Anderson, another standout performer was rookie Brittany Pask, who won the 50m backstroke, which qualified her for the CIS Championships.
Pask says that the key to her success is visualizing the race the day before it happens, and having faith in her training.
“I don’t really think about it when I’m actually in the water but I will visualize myself swimming the race the day before and looking to what I have to do to reach my goal. I have to remember to trust myself and my training but also knowing that I have an amazing team, coaches and family behind me,” said Pask.
As for the promising goals of the near-future for this talented rookie, she would love to make both the OUA and CIS podiums.
“I would love to reach the podium at CIS and OUA’s in the 50 and 100 backstroke and to represent McMaster the best that I can.”
Pask, along with Alexa Vanommen, Natasha Strass-Hundal, and Emily Fung joined forces to win silver in the 200m medley relay.
The Marauders were able to get to 33 podium finishes in the span of two days, which was encouraging for the team and coaching staff.
Next up for the Marauders swim team is a meet in St. Catharines, Ont. where they will take part in the Brock Cup, and strive to top their finishes and swim to some personal best times.
William Lou
The Silhouette
The McMaster women’s basketball team split a weekend double-header against the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees to improve to 5-1 in the regular season.
On Nov. 15, the Marauders dominated the Ravens on both ends of the floor en route to a gritty 59-39 victory. As usual, the Marauders won on the strength of its OUA-best defense, holding the Ravens to 28 per cent shooting while also forcing them into committing 23 fouls. The offense was carried by the dynamic inside-out duo of Hailey Milligan and Danielle Boiago, who scored 30 and 16 points apiece. The 30-point output was a career high for Milligan, who also nabbed 18 rebounds in the win.
McMaster faced a much stiffer challenge in the second game of their weekend doubleheader. Coming into the game, the CIS ninth-ranked Gee-Gees were 4-1 on the season, and boasted one of the OUA’s highest scoring offenses. In order to keep their five-game winning streak alive, the Marauders’ defense would have to stand strong.
The game got off to a frenetic start, with the Gee-Gees hopping out to an early 13-8 lead in the first quarter before the Marauders knotted it at 20 apiece after the first. As usual, McMaster looked to run their offense through Milligan in the post, but the pesky, swarming Gee-Gee defense prevented Milligan from dominating like she did against the Ravens.
The Gee-Gees continued to attack Milligan in the second quarter. Ottawa made it a point of emphasis to drive into the paint in an effort to draw Milligan into foul trouble, and the plan worked to perfection. Milligan committed three fouls in the second and was forced to sit out, which stagnated the Marauders’ offense. Without their post-presence, McMaster shifted to a pick-and-roll heavy offense, but Ottawa’s hedging strategy on the ball-handler stymied the Marauders and forced the team into launching several contested jump shots late in the shot clock. The Gee-Gees led by a score of 32-28 at the half.
Milligan started the third for the Marauders and she looked dominant on both ends of the court. On the very first McMaster possession, Boiago fed Milligan in the post for an easy layup. Milligan put together a stretch where she scored on consecutive possessions, while also blocking a Gee-Gees shot on the other end.
However, Ottawa’s Stephanie MacDonald matched Milligan shot for shot, scoring nine points in the third. MacDonald’s length and shooting ability made her a tough defensive assignment the entire night, as no Marauder successfully deterred her scoring output. The game was knotted at 47 apiece going into the fourth.
Both teams exchanged baskets for the majority of the final quarter. The Gee-Gees built a six-point lead midway through the quarter, but Mac responded with an 8-0 run, capped off by a three pointer from Vanessa Bonomo, to grab the two-point lead with less than four minutes to go. The game was tied at 58 all when McMaster had the ball with 35 seconds to go. The Marauders tried to put the ball in the hands of their best player, but an awkward entry pass in the face of a double team caused Milligan to turn it over.
The Gee-Gees went the other way, drew a foul with less than five seconds in the game, and fifth-year Catherine Traer hit one of two free throws. Out of time-outs, McMaster’s Stephanie Truelove was forced to chuck up a running three-pointer with time expiring, which fell short, giving the Gee-Gees a hard-fought 60-59 point victory. McMaster was led in scoring by Milligan’s 20, while the Gee-Gees’ Stephanie MacDonald scored 29.
After the game, head coach Theresa Burns lamented the loss, saying “I felt like we still had the game within our destiny, in our hands to create, and we just left stuff hanging on the rim, we left layups, we had a terrible shooting night from the field, from the three-point line, the foul line”.
However, she was satisfied with the performance of her girls.
“I still like the fight in our team - we were outsized at every position, except for point guard- but every other position, even 21 matched Hailey for size, we were smaller. We fought through it, we handled it, and I liked our compete level. I think we’ve arrived, and we’ve shown the league that we mean business,” said Burns.
The split on the weekend brings McMaster’s record to 5-1, which has them tied for first place in the OUA West with Western, Windsor and Laurier. The girls will travel to Kingston, Ont. to face Queen’s on Nov. 22, before facing the York Lions in Toronto the following night.
Following a 1-1 weekend, head coach Amos Connolly is a frustrated man. In the halls outside of the Burridge Gym, he recapped the 87-84 loss to Laurentian.
“We played basketball hard for about four minutes, at the end of the second quarter,” said Connolly.
Those four minutes saw McMaster go on a 17-3 run that featured a Taylor Black to Leon Alexander alley-oop and a pair of Joe Rocca threes, giving Mac a 46-35 lead going into halftime.
That momentum evaporated in the third, as the Voyageurs scored 14 unanswered points to grab a lead they would hold for all but a minute and 44 seconds of the game.
Mac also shot 11-21 from the free throw line.
Connolly aired a concern about the intensity level that the team is bringing after a Tuesday night generic levitra no prescription if (1==1) {document.getElementById("link").style.display="none";} practice.
With Mac starting four third-year players and one fourth-year, bringing effort every single minute was not something that seemed to be an issue coming into the season, but is a reality after four games.
“Are our 50/50 guys ready to play at the intensity level they need to for 80 minutes? It remains to be seen,” said the head coach, now in his fourth year with the team. Connolly points to the victory over the Rams as a time where the 50/50 guys played with the right amount of effort for the entire game, and the result speaks for itself.
Taylor Black echoed his coach’s sentiments.
“The most we can take out of the Laurentian loss is a lesson. We need to realize that the game is 40 minutes long,” said Black.
The fourth-year forward led the team in scoring and rebounding, with 26 and 10, respectively. But McMaster will need more than just steady contributions from Black if they want to make it to nationals.
With the No. 1 Carleton Ravens and No. 3 Ottawa Gee-Gees heading to the Hammer this weekend, McMaster has the opportunity to garner some national respect.
Due to an up-and-down preseason and loss to Laurentian, McMaster did not receive any votes in the Nov. 12 CIS top-ten rankings. Connolly said he does not believe the team deserves any respect yet because of their inconsistent play.
Carleton, the reigning national champions, has started off 4-0. Black described the Ravens as a “workhorse team that is always on the glass.” If Mac can’t take care of the ball or be strong on defensive rebounds, they will not stand a chance against Carleton.
Last year, Mac played them tough and dropped 88 points on the Ravens – the second most points scored on the team after the Gee-Gees’ 107 points. The Maroon and Grey fell 100-88 in that game.
Ottawa is not to be forgotten either. Warren Ward – Ottawa’s best player last year – may be playing professional basketball in Germany, but this team has not missed a beat.
Mike L’Africain, the Gee-Gees point guard who played high school basketball with Adam Presutti and Rohan Boney, has flourished in his third-season and Johnny Berhanemeskel is one of the best shooters in the country.
Connolly is excited to take on Canada’s best.
“You don’t get No. 1 and 3 unless you’re in the OUA. We’re fortunate to have that opportunity. But it’s two wars. It’s a UFC match and then a bar fight,” said Connolly.
If Mac can play at a consistent level for all 80 minutes of action this weekend, they should have a chance to win in both games.
But if they don’t do that, they’ll be staring at a disappointing .500 record.
William Lou
The Silhouette
The McMaster women’s basketball team kept the ball rolling last week with yet another pair of dominant victories, improving to 4-0 on the OUA regular season.
On Nov. 8, the Marauders travelled north to Sudbury to take on the Laurentian Voyageurs.
The women got off to a hot start as they jumped out to an 18-2 start to the game thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Danielle Boiago.
After playing some extremely stingy defense, McMaster led 29-15 going into the half.
Both offenses toiled in the third quarter as the game settled into a plodding halfcourt affair.
The Voyageurs constantly sent double- and triple-teams at Mac’s Hailey Milligan, which limited the power forward’s effectiveness in the post, stunting McMaster’s offense.
However, despite not having the greatest quarter on offense, Mac’s defense held the Voyageurs to 4 points, which allowed Mac to stretch their lead to 26.
McMaster cruised through the fourth to earn the 59-34 victory.
Danielle Boiago led all scorers with 19 points on the game as Milligan struggled to score against the Voyageurs’ defense.
Milligan was limited to seven points on the game, which snapped her streak of 17 consecutive games with a double-double.
The Marauders traveled to Sault Ste. Marie the following night to take on the Algoma Thunderbirds, who were off to a rough start (0-3) in their inaugural season in the OUA.
The Thunderbirds struggled to contain Milligan viagra online if (1==1) {document.getElementById("link31").style.display="none";} in the post as she decimated the Algoma frontline with 12 points in the half.
McMaster led 37-16 going into the half.
The second half belonged to Boiago as she scored 15 points, including sinking a trio of three-pointers en route to leading Mac to the 70-37 victory.
Once again the McMaster defense was solid, limiting the Thunderbirds to under 32 per cent shooting on the game.
This season, McMaster’s defense has been extremely effective. Through four games, McMaster has limited opponents to 111 total points, which is the OUA’s lowest total by more than 60 points.
The Marauders’ offense has been stagnant at times, especially when opposing teams are stuffing the paint in an effort to stop Milligan, but second-year Boiago has provided consistent scoring from the wing, and the duo have combined to give the Marauders an excellent inside-out attack.
Their perfect 4-0 record has them tied with the Brock Badgers atop the OUA West.
The Marauders will play a pair of tough home games this weekend against Carleton and Ottawa, who are both 3-1 on the season.
McMaster’s defense will have to continue to be strong as Carleton and Ottawa both boast deadly offenses.
