It was a quick turnaround for the Lambton Lions women’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon, having played the night prior. The Lions were down to just eight players on the bench, and were dealt a blow late in the third quarter with an untimely injury to one of their stars, but the end result was the same.
One day after their convincing win over the Niagara College Knights to open the season, the Lions picked up a 71-58 win over the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers.
“I am really proud of the girls for grinding out a win when it’s ugly,“ said Head Coach Kendel Ross. “To start the game, we looked tired and you never like to see that. You like to see a team brining energy.”
“That one was a grind out from top to bottom.”
Lambton improves to 2-0 with the win, while the Mountaineers drop their second straight contest to open the season after dropping their opener against St. Clair on Friday night.
With both teams having played the night before, the first quarter was slow moving on both sides. The Lions were held without a point for close to three minutes, but Mohawk wasn’t able to capitalize. Lambton clawed their way back and took a slim one-point lead after the opening 10 minutes.
The second half was more of the same, as the teams traded baskets with neither side able to gain any sort of sustained momentum.
It was in the third quarter where the Lions were able to build a head of steam and put some distance between themselves and the Mountaineers. Lambton outscored Mohawk by a 17-3 margin in the third frame to take a 54-38 lead into the final frame.
“It’s really good because the third quarter is always the hardest to keep up in,” said guard Morgan Wagg on the Lions’ third quarter run. “I think having that was good to keep us going and improve our mentality as a team.”
Wagg led all scorers on the afternoon with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. First year guard Breanna Pretty posted 12 points and 12 rebounds for the first double-double of her collegiate career.
The third quarter wasn’t all good for the Lions, as their roster was dealt another blow. Guard Ashleigh Pettit went down with a hand injury and did not return to the lineup. It’s unclear as to the extent of her injury or if she will miss any time.
Lambton will now have a week off before their next two games. The Lions welcome the Sault Cougars to town for a pair of games on the weekend of October 26-27. Saturday’s game will tip off at 6 p.m., and will follow the completion of the men’s contest, which begins at 4 p.m.