LLOYDMINSTER, Alta. – The Lions have a Geant opportunity in front of them on Thursday night.
The Lambton Women's Basketball Program, the 2024 OCAA Gold Medalists, will take on the Geants de Saint-Jean, the 2024 RSEQ Silver Medalists, in the semifinals at the 2024 CCAA Women's Basketball National Championship in Lloydminster, Alberta on Thursday.
During the regular season, the Lions posted a record of 14-2 overall, and they won the program's first-ever OCAA Championship in Women's Basketball back on Sunday, March 3rd. This is the first time that the Lambton Women's Basketball Program has competed in the National Tournament, and they enter as the top-ranked team on their side of the bracket.
On the other side, the Geants are coming off a RSEQ Silver Medal after finishing atop the RSEQ Division B with a 12-6 record in the regular season. Saint-Jean won the 2023 CCAA Silver Medal at last year's National Championship in Hamilton, Ontario.
Tipoff on Thursday night is set for 6:00 p.m. MST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The game can be streamed online through Vidflex here.
How They Got Here
The Lions have yet to lose in the 2024 calendar year, and they are riding a 12-game winning streak into the National Championships. In their National debut on Wednesday afternoon, the Lions overcame a slow start to pick up a 76-67 win over The King's University Eagles to advance to the semifinals. The Lions were outrebounded by the Eagles, 46-25, but they forced the Eagles into 28 turnovers, which led to 25 points on offense.
Breanna Pretty (Sarnia, Ont.) and Avery Bathe-Minard (Sarnia, Ont.) combined for 48 points in the win for the Lions.
Nationally, the Lions were ranked eighth in the final instalment of the CCAA National Rankings, which were released prior to the conference championships. The Lions were placed in the A1 spot at the National Championships to sit atop their half of the bracket. They were one of just two teams ranked inside the top 10 to win their respective conference championship (Lakeland; 1st).
The Geants come into Thursday's semi-final on the heels of a 13-point win over the Douglas College Royals in their quarter-final contest on Wednesday afternoon. Saint-Jean led by 14 after the first quarter, 26-12, and they rode that momentum to the 67-54 win.
How They Stack Up
Here’s a look at how the teams stack up against one another in terms of statistics from the regular season:
| Lambton Lions | Geants de Saint-Jean | |
|---|---|---|
| 73.3 | PTS/GM (OFF) | 63.9 |
| 48.9 | PTS/GM (DEF) | 56.1 |
| 37.6 | FG % | 33.7 |
| 28.0 | 3PT % | 28.6 |
| 73.5 | FT % | 67.9 |
| 50.3 | REB/GM | 35.8 |
| 18.1 | AST/GM | 12.0 |
| 16.0 | STL/GM | 11.0 |
Players To Watch
Lambton Lions: Breanna Pretty (28 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl; 44.4% FG, 80.0% FT in CCAA Quarterfinals vs. TKU)
Pretty, who was named a 2023-24 CCAA All-Canadian this season, had herself quite the debut on the national stage Wednesday against the Eagles. The 2023-24 OCAA Player of the Year went for a game-high 28 points, on 44.4% shooting from the field, to help guide the Lions to the nine-point win over TKU to punch their ticket to Thursday's semifinals.
In the regular season, Pretty led the Lions in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per contest while shooting 45.0% from the field. She was one of six Lions to average at least 6.3 points per game in the regular season. Over five post-season games, four in the OCAA playoffs and one game at Nationals, Pretty is averaging 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. An impact player on both ends of the floor, Pretty has proven time and time again why she's one of the country's top players.
Geants de Saint-Jean: Deborah Damoah (11 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl; 41.7% FG in CCAA Quarterfinals vs. Douglas College)
Damoah was named the RSEQ Rookie of the Year this season for a Geants team that features several new faces on their roster after last year's CCAA Silver Medal finish. Damoah had 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists on Wednesday afternoon in her CCAA National Championship debut, helping the Geants to the 67-54 win over the Royals.
In the regular season, Damoah led the Geants in scoring, averaging 9.6 points per game. She was one of eight players for Saint-Jean with at least 6.2 points per game. Damoah led the Geants with 47 assists and 38 steals. The physical point guard will look to use her size to her advantage against the backcourt rotation of the Lions.
Last Meeting
This marks the first-ever meeting between the Lions and Geants.
For more information, or for any media inquiries within Lambton College Athletics, please contact:
Tyler Bennett
Lambton College Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator
tyler.bennett@lambtoncollege.ca