Ben Orr
Silhouette Staff
The 2011-12 season didn’t start easily for the McMaster Marauders, with arguably the two toughest opponents of the first semester crossover schedule heading to the Burridge Gym to take on the Marauders on Nov. 11 and 12.
But if the weekend was a sign of things to come, it looks like the Marauders will be able to handle whatever their OUA East opponents throw their way. The Marauders split a weekend set with the No. 3 Carleton Ravens and the Ottawa Gee-gees, losing to the Ravens 81-69 but topping the Gee-gees 66-64 in overtime.
Travelling to Hamilton first were the Carleton Ravens, who came into the game ranked third in the CIS top-ten.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Marauders would lead 18-17 on the heels of a Taylor Chariot three-pointer. The see-saw battle would continue into the second, as the Maroon and Grey would flirt with the lead right up to the half, eventually tying the game at 36. However, the Ravens’ shooters would reclaim the advantage, sinking a trey just before the half, taking a three-point lead into the break.
McMaster would have a more difficult time keeping up with Carleton in the second half. Led by Alyson Bush, who would score 22 points, the Ravens expanded their lead by controlling the lane, scoring in the paint seemingly at will. They would take a six-point lead into the final quarter.
The Marauders would get to the line in the fourth and climb within three, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling 81-69. Chariot led her team with a double double in the form of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Alyksa Lukan added 11 points and six assists and Jackie Nimec would go three for four from beyond the arc, adding a team-high 12 points of her own.
The second game of the weekend double-header would also be an Ottawa-Hamilton affair, as the ninth ranked Gee-gees came to town.
The Marauders would escape a sloppy first quarter with a 18-15, as both teams struggled shooting the ball. Lukan would convert from the three point line mid-way through the second, giving Mac a commanding 26-19 lead. Still, Ottawa would claw back towards the end of the period, scoring two quick baskets to go into the half down by a mere three points.
The Marauder women would relinquish their lead in the third quarter thanks to a three-point play from star Gee-gee forward Hannah Sunley-Paisley. Not to be outdone, McMaster's Isabel Ormond would sink a three late in the third, tying the game at 48.
The chess game would continue into the fourth, as neither team seemed able to pull away from the other. The teams would battle to a 63-63 stalemate, the Marauders riding the strong play of Chariot and Nimec.
In overtime, Lukan would take over, scoring the go-ahead basket and converting on a free throw to put the nail in the Gee-gees’ coffin. The Marauders would escape the evening with a 66-64 win, and would escape the weekend with a 1-1 OUA record.
The Marauders will continue conference play this weekend, going on the road to take on the York Lions and the Laurentian Voyageurs.
Tyler Hayward
Fraser Caldwell
Sports Editor
It may take them a little while to show it, but the Marauders fully intend to compete with the best in the OUA this season.
A young McMaster lineup will see its first conference action on Nov. 11 and 12 as they welcome the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees to the Burridge Gym to open the OUA basketball season.
After a difficult preseason slate saw the largely untested Maroon and Grey drop six of eight exhibition contests, the squad will find itself back at square one to begin the competitive schedule.
While their early endeavours rarely ended in victory, McMaster coach Theresa Burns argues that the trials of exhibition play were beneficial for her inexperienced charges.
“We purposefully planned a tough preseason,” said Burns. “That was all planned in order to get a lot of young players some tough experience up front. Nine of our 15 players are in first or second year, so we’re still a very young team and we needed to get those players up to speed as quickly as we could.
“We saw great minutes from some people and a lot of players contributed.”
After a 2010 campaign that saw catastrophic injury concerns for the Marauders, the team is looking to be a much healthier unit this year and will enter competition on the weekend with 14 of its 15 competitors fit to play.
The notable exception will be veteran guard Liz Burns, who remains sidelined with a nagging ankle injury.
With the sheer number of young players in the lineup, the Maroon and Grey expect some growing pains as they begin their 2011 journey. Coach Burns indicates that her team may struggle early, but will look to do its damage when it counts most.
“We’re going to be very process-oriented this year,” said the coach pragmatically. “Obviously we would love to win games – that’s what we’re in this to do. But what we really want is to be ready when it’s playoff time. We’re going to take the ups and downs as the season goes on.”
Helping the squad through the inevitable adversity of the OUA season will be its core of veteran leaders, including fifth-year post Taylor Chiarot and forwards Alyska Lukan and Jackie Nimec.
Burns singled out Chiarot for particular praise at this early stage, and indicated that fellow veteran Vanessa Bonomo has assumed an encouraging role as well.
“Taylor has been a workhorse for us so far,” said the coach. “In our last three games she put up twenty-plus points in each. She’s playing the way you would expect a fifth-year player to play. Vanessa Bonomo is doing a fantastic job at the point position for us.
“She might be our most improved player over the last 12 months.”
With the preseason behind them, the Marauders waste no time in launching into the deep end of the OUA pool, as their opening opponents on the season both debut inside the CIS top-ten.
Despite the difficulty of the task ahead, McMaster’s bench boss indicates that her squad will not shrink in the face of the Ravens or Gee-Gees.
“We have to try to make those teams uncomfortable,” said Burns. “They’re both veteran teams and Carleton is ranked third in the country right now. Any time you face a team like that you have to respect them but not overdo it.
“I think what happens sometimes with a top team like that is that people lie back a little bit and play scared and defensively. You have to attack those teams and put your best game on the floor and go after them.”
Burns and her club will hope that such an assertive attitude pays dividends on Nov. 11 and 12. Both games will tip off at the Burridge Gym at 6 p.m.
Richard Zazulak
