Women’s basketball Hawks finish season strong
Laurier hosts 1600 fans during second-annual school day game
The Wilfrid Laurier women’s basketball team can certainly hold their heads high after beating the Waterloo Warriors at home, 72-53, on Feb. 25 for their last home game of the season.
The Hawks dominated right from tip off, going on an early 9-0 run in 3:06. By the second quarter, the Hawks eventually had the Warriors trailing by as much as 30 points.
Despite the loss` of injured forwards Melissa Pare and Alex Spadaro, the women’s basketball team was authoritative on all aspects of the court. While head coach Paul Falco was worried about racking up points in the paint following their three-game loss streak in which the Hawks struggled, Laurier was able to out-rebound the Warriors both offensively and defensively, at home Thursday morning.
“You want to try and get easy buckets and points in the paint,” Falco said.
Fifth-year guard Courtney Bruce wanted to finish the season on a high note, having a remarkable performance, logging 15 points, six rebounds and shooting three-for-five from the three-point line in just 26 minutes.
According to Bruce, the Battle of Waterloo between the two rivalry schools seems to always get both teams going. She said on top of scrimmaging with the Warriors in the summer, the Hawks like to turn up the heat a bit against their rivals, especially with the crowd at the Athletic Complex.
The heat was certainly turned up as teammates Nicole Morrison, Lauren Jamieson and Sarah Dillon all broke for double-digit points with 12, 10 and 11 points respectively.After the game, Falco expressed how important it is to use the time before the first round of the playoffs to get ready for their playoff opponent. With the defending championships, the Windsor Lancers, in the headlights, the Hawks will have to make the appropriate adjustments.
“We’ll get back to work on Sunday, prepare for Wednesday. That’s nice we have that time,” he explained after Thursdays game. “We’re going to look at how we did against [Windsor], and look at what adjustments we want to make.”
While Pare and Spadaro await clearance for their injuries, the Hawks continue on the road with a small-ball presence. The Hawks have had some regular season trouble against Windsor, dropping both of their games despite drawing within three points in their last regular season meeting, dropping the decision 72-69.
Ranked 10th in the Ontario University Athletics conference headed to the playoffs, Bruce anticipates plenty, alongside the predominately rookie squad.
“I think that we’re going to surprise a lot of people. We’re the underdogs and I think that’s exciting,” she said.
The Hawks will take on the Lancers on March 2 in Windsor at the St. Denis Centre. Tip off is at 6:00 p.m.