By: Teru Ikeda
SCARBOROUGH, ONT. - The Durham Lords beat the Lady Colts by 30 points, 80-50, this past Friday night at the AWC.
The Lords commanded a 27-9 first quarter lead, starting the game on a 9-0 run. Michelle Beloso, Colts forward (team-high 13 points and nine rebounds), hit a free throw, and the Colts forced a Lords turnover mid-first quarter. The Colts started to show life as Lauren Barker, Colts forward, hit consecutive baskets; first hitting a triple, then following with a long two.
Despite the slow start, the Lady Colts started to show life. In the second quarter, the Colts continued to capitalize on the change in momentum, winning 22-16 over the Lords. Less than three minutes in, Durham was in foul trouble and Centennial in the bonus.
The Lady Colts got to the charity stripe 10 times and hit nine free throws. Due to team injuries, the reserves' roles increased; Telia Campbell, reserve guard, got to the free throw line and also hit a beautiful finger roll off her drive. Judy Ta, Colts sharpshooting guard, beat her defender off the drive as well and laid the ball in, forcing a Lords timeout. An entry pass by Maryem Serradilla-Sonmez to a trailing Christianna Crooks narrowed the Durham lead to seven points.
"We would like to keep the offensive pace we had in the second quarter on Friday night (against Durham College)," reflected Justin Bobb, Colts Head Coach. "The pace gave us opportunities to find advantages and the players did a great job of attacking the paint. The overall energy and effort of the quarter is something we hope to build upon."
After halftime, the Lords came out with a renewed mindset, reasserting their dominance in the third and fourth quarter, outscoring Centennial, 17-7 and 20-12, respectively.
LEADING SCORERS
Four players scored in double figures for Durham, led by Emily Glendinning's game high 17 points and seven assists. Emily Chamberlain had 15 while Marie Stasiuk and Dekota Kirby each added 13.
For Centennial, Beloso led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds.
INTANGIBLES
- Stasiuk showed off her all-around game with a game high 11 rebounds and six assists as she consistently found cutters to the hoop from the high post.
- Durham had 24 assists on 32 made field goals, showcasing their incredible ball movement. They shot 60 per cent for 27 points in the first quarter and scored 16 points off of Centennial's 19 turnovers.
- The Lords held a 48-18 edge in points in the paint and outrebounded Centennial, 49-41.
- Centennial beat Durham in second chance points (15-11) as well as bench points (19-13) but were frigid from the field, shooting 23.9 per cent overall.
- Barker and Beloso tied for the team high in rebounds with nine while Ta dished out four assists.
- Victoria Brody, Durham guard (seven points and five rebounds), finished with an amazing eurostep drive that even had Colts fans in awe.
HOW THINGS STAND FOR CENTENNIAL
Conference Record: 1-11
Overall Record: 2-19
CATCH OUR NEXT GAME
The Lady Colts look to assert themselves against the St. Lawrence Vikings on Saturday, January 26th at the AWC; their lone win came against these same Vikings. Tip off is set for 1:00pm.