By Caio Miari and Marcus Rebelo
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RECAP
Judy Ta scored a game-high 19 points to help the Centennial Colts clinch a one-sided victory over the St. Lawrence Vikings, 80-65, on Friday evening at the Athletic and Wellness Centre (AWC).
Ta shot 7-of-10 from the field (5-for-6 from the three-point line). She also added two steals and one assist.
The guard was happy to kick off 2020 with a strong game after going 0-for-5 from downtown in the final game of 2019.
“It was a good performance for me after the George Brown game where I shot poorly,” she said, post-game. “The team supported me tonight.”
Head coach Justin Bobb praised his veteran’s solid performance.
“Judy Ta shot the ball incredibly for us,” he said. “I’m not surprised. She’s an incredible player, fifth-year starter, team captain, and puts in her work every single day.”
Christianna Crooks contributed with 16 points for the Colts (3-7), while Janai Menzes put up 15.
Centennial’s starting five combined for 68 points, which for coach Bobb had an impact “setting the tone” for the rest of the night.
Kylie Moyer led the Vikings (3-6) with 15, shooting 6-of-14 from the field. Moyer played through a second-quarter ankle injury and also added six rebounds.
St. Lawrence had two other players in double-digits - Shannon Brown and Kassie DeWolfe - with 13 points each.
Overall, Centennial outshot St. Lawrence 28/77(36.4%)-29/73(39.7%). The home team, who had the lead after each quarter, also prevailed from the three-point line, finishing the game 8-of-23 while limiting the visitors to only three shots beyond the arc in the same amount of attempts.
“It’s important for us,” Bobb said, after his team held its opponent to under 70 points for the second time in the past three contests. “The players are locking into the concepts and schemes we are giving them. Credit to our coaches as well for their scouting and our players understanding that.”
Ta knows where the defensive success comes from.
“We are working really hard on our defence everyday in practice,” she said.
The Colts, who have won two of their past three games, will now go on the road to visit the Algonquin Thunder on Saturday, Jan. 25 (4 p.m.).
MEN’S BASKETBALL RECAP
Quentin Herbert converted the go-ahead three-point shot with 58 seconds remaining to help the Centennial Colts en route to a 70-64 victory over the St. Lawrence Vikings on Friday night at the Athletic and Wellness Centre (AWC).
The Colts (7-5) had the ball with a two-point lead and 1:18 remaining in the game. After calling the play, Tyrese McCarty delivered a perfect pass to Herbert, who crossed his defender to make a beautiful jump shot from downtown to make it a 65-60 game with less than a minute left.
“I just believed in my shot and shot it with confidence,” Herbert said after the game. “We just had to look inside, to adjust throughout the game.”
Head coach Trevor Challenger praised his second-year shooting guard after the clutch basket.
“Quentin has been shooting like that for the last two years,” he said. “He’s been a third or fourth option the last few years but during the break I told him I wanted him to be more aggressive and look for his shot as the first and second option.
“As a shooter you have to be aggressive. You have to be confident. He’s been a class act. He’s been doing what it takes to be a student athlete.”
Herbert finished the game with a team-high 14 points. He also added three assists for the home side.
Dieu Merci Betoukoumessou (13) and Walshak Yusef (10) were other Colts to reach double-figures.
Coming from the bench, Tyrese McCarty put up a team-leading five assists over 12 minutes played.
Tyrell Taylor topped the Vikings (4-7) in scoring - and the game - with 21. Kyle Mongroo contributed with 13 points and eight rebounds for the visitors.
Centennial and St. Lawrence proved to be an even matchup.
Both teams finished the first quarter tied 14-14. The visitors put up a slight edge in the second quarter, going to the locker room up 31-30. But the Colts made it a tie game again despite the Vikings’ four third-quarters three-pointers to enter the fourth period all squared at 50.
In the final quarter, powered by Herbert’s clutch play, Centennial set up a late run to get away with the victory.
“I thought we could’ve played better in the first half,” Challenger said. “We had more effort and energy in the second half … I called a timeout and then told them we needed more urgency, and to play better defence. Making sure our defensive schemes are on point.”
Centennial entered the contest third in the OCAA in points allowed per game (74.4), and the school delivered a strong defensive performance again.
“I think our team defence takes after our coaching staff,” the coach said. “We push for everybody to be really gritty. Making sure we are disciplined. In this league, you have to make get stops to win. I love offence but that’s the case.”
Winners of three of their past four contests, the Colts will seek back-to-back wins as they travel to Algonquin to face the Thunder on Saturday, Jan. 25 (6 p.m.).