SARNIA – Redemption in The Den.
On what was a snowy and chilly day outside of the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex, the Lambton Women’s Basketball Program came out of the gates on fire on Friday night. They used an 11-0 run to seize all the momentum early, and they never trailed in the game as they picked up a 76-54 win over the nationally ranked Mohawk Mountaineers.
With the win, the Lions improve their record to 10-2. The loss drops Mohawk to 9-2 on the season. The Lions also exacted some revenge on the Mountaineers for a first semester loss. Mohawk picked up a four-point win back in December, 58-54.
From the opening tip, the Lions were in control of this one. After the Mountaineers missed their first shot of the game, the Lions proceeded to make their first three shots, with Breanna Pretty (Sarnia, Ont.) scoring the first four points of the evening. A three from Maddy Bishop (Windsor, Ont.) capped off an 11-0 run for the Lions to start the game, prompting the visitors to call an early timeout to try and steady the ship.
Pretty finished the night with a team-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals. She was one of five Lions to record at least 10 points in the win, a feat that the group has achieved in back-to-back games.
Mohawk would get on the scoreboard at the 6:16 mark of the first frame, and while they attempted to cut into the Lions’ lead, the home side never relinquished their advantage. The Mountaineers got to within five in the closing minutes, but four straight points from Legacie Blackbird (Wallaceburg, Ont.) pushed the lead back to seven, at 22-15.
The Mountaineers kept pushing in the second frame, but the Lions had an answer at every turn. The lead was cut down to as little as four late in the first half, but a quick three from Avery Bathe-Minard (Sarnia, Ont.) pushed the lead right back to seven, at 38-31.
In the second half, the Lions started to put some separation between themselves and the Mountaineers on the scoreboard. The Lions outscored Mohawk by a 24-14 margin in the third quarter, and their defensive pressure generated some frustrations for the visitors. Then, in the fourth, the Lions pulled away for good, limiting the Mountaineers to just seven points.
In what was a highly anticipated rematch, and in a game that was the CCAA’s Marquee Matchup for Women’s Basketball, it was the Lions who came out on top with a statement win, 76-54.
Offensively, the Lions used a balance attack. In addition to Pretty’s team-high 19 points, four others reached double-figures. Bathe-Minard scored a season-high 13 points off the bench, Bishop chipped in with 11 points, and Blackbird added 10 of her own. Forward Brett Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Lions came into the game as the OCAA’s top rebounding team, and they once again used that to their advantage. They out-rebounded Mohawk by a 53-38 margin, and they turned their 26 offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points.
Now, the Lions turn their attention to the Humber Hawks and their rematch with the 2023 OCAA Gold Medalists. The Lions head to Etobicoke on Saturday, January 27th for a 1:00 p.m. contest with the Hawks.