By: Teru Ikeda

Scarborough, ON - The first half of the Lady Colts 2018-19 season was one of growth and development. They finished the first half 1-8, and are still searching for their first home win at the AWC.

Despite their poor first half record, there have been highlights in losing games, especially against the Seneca Sting and OCAA East's second-ranked George Brown Huskies. Against the Sting, the Lady Colts were up 53-46 at the end of the third quarter. Seneca was as far down as 18 points in the third quarter, but the Colts' failure to close out the game led to a devastating two-point loss at home. Nonetheless, four Colts scored in double digits: Cori Browne and Judy Ta led with 12 points apiece, Lauren Barker had 11 and MaryAnn Blake 10. Browne also had seven assists and Ta made three triples.

Against the Huskies, the Lady Colts were neck-and-neck throughout the first, second and fourth quarters, but a poor shooting performance in the third quarter, ultimately, led to a tough 10-point loss. At the end of the fourth quarter, Centennial went on a 16-3 run, led by Michelle Beloso's eight points (game total: 12 points). Overall, the Colts shot 5-for-14 (35.7%) from behind the arc, outrebounded the opponent 61-57, and Judy Ta led the team with 15 points.


Video Credit: Leo Solorsano


TOP MOMENT: LADY COLTS DROWN VIKINGS ON THEIR COURT

The Lady Colts' lone victory came against the St. Lawrence Vikings, defeating them 49-40 on their home court. Codi Browne had a season-high 19 points, shooting 8-for-19 from the field. The Colts displayed precision from the charity stripe as well, shooting 12-for-15, and outrebounded the Vikings 52-41.


ROOKIE WATCH

There are six rookies on this squad, and though the team has struggled with slow starts, consistency will come with experience. Telia Campbell, Christianna Crooks, Asia Brown and Cherrie Reymond are learning from the plays of star guard Codi Browne. Both MaryAnn Blake and Lauren Barker have both proven their tenacity on the floor, the latter showing mid-range flashes and the rebounding tenacity of senior forward Olivia Thomson.

Against Algonquin, four rookies (Telia Campbell, MaryAnn Blake, Lauren Barker and Cherrie Reymond) were part of a fourth quarter lineup that scored 20 points on 54.5% shooting. They all penetrated the paint, forcing the defense to collapse, which gave Maryem Serradilla-Sonmez open looks, who scored a season-high 19 points.

The four rookies were spark plugs off the bench according to Justin Bobb, Head Coach. "I thought the rookies did a good job being aggressive," he said. "We went to our spread sets and they did a good job of penetrating the key."

In their home opener against Seneca, Bobb praised Barker's aggressiveness and Blake's effort. "Lauren rebounded the ball well and was aggressive getting to the rim (while) MaryAnn gives you 100 per cent effort at all times."


VETERAN PRESENCE

The Lady Colts' first half struggles will pay off in the near future as these rookies only continue to improve.

Rookie guards look to Cori Browne, who is 13th in the OCAA in assists per game (3.3). She averaged over 11 points per game, scoring in double digits in seven of nine games.

Three-point sharpshooter Judy Ta is the second scoring option, and has hit 14 triples so far. "I thought Judy brought a lot of us as an outside shooter," Bobb said after their game against Seneca.. "She gives us the ability to get into some different actions on offence and space the floor a little bit. Her teammates have the belief in her to be an impact player in this league."

Forward Olivia Thomson is showing rookies the importance of cleaning the glass (averaged 7.2 rebounds per game). She had three consecutive games with double-digit rebounds: 10 against George Brown, 12 against St. Lawrence and Loyalist College.

Maryem Serradilla-Sonmez has scored in double-digits in four games. Her shooting ability was on full display in the final quarter against Algonquin, scoring 13 of her total 19 points. That game, she went 5-for-8 from the field, shot 40% from three-point range and snagged six boards.

Forwards Kayla Pereira and Michelle Beloso, who averaged 1.1 steals per game, have been valuable role players; they grabbed rebounds and interrupted passing lanes to create scoring options for the Colts. Beloso scored in double-digits in three consecutive games: 11 against St. Lawrence, 13 against Georgian and 12 against George Brown.


LEADING STATS

PPG: Cori Browne (11.2)

RPG: Olivia Thomson (7.2)

APG: Cori Browne (3.3)

BPG: Lauren Barker (0.7)

SPG: Judy Ta (1.5)

FG%: Michelle Beloso (37.9)

FT%: Cori Browne (84.6)

3PT%: Asia Brown (42.9)