By Caio Miari, Marcus Rebelo, and Emmanuel Mvovi
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP
A catastrophic first quarter set up the fifth straight loss for the Centennial Colts women's basketball team, 83-56, against the Durham Lords Wednesday evening at the Progress Campus Athletic and Wellness Centre (AWC).
The Colts (1-6) scored just 10 points during the first period, shooting 0-for-11 from the three-point line.
Centennial's only lead throughout the evening happened in the first two minutes of action, a 2-0 advantage after the very first basket of the game.
"We didn't do a good job executing our sets and getting to our spot," said head coach Justin Bobb, in his post-game availability. "Credit to Durham for doing a really good job of keeping us out of the key, which is our strength. They also did a really good job of finding their shooters and knocking down shots."
The Lords (4-2) finished 31-of-83 from the field (37.3%), outshooting the Colts' 19-of-72 (26.4%).
Additionally, the visitors were 13-of-29 from the three-point line (44.8%), while the home side struggled with 6-of-34 (17.6%).
"We had a lack of effort and Durham did a really good job getting out in transition and getting to theirs spots to making a lot of shots," said Bobb.
Following a subpar first quarter, the Colts had a bounce-back moment. They won the second quarter (20-19) and started the third on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to 10 points.
But the home side wasn't able to keep the momentum going as Andrea Zulich's three three-pointers in the quarter melted down the Colts' reaction.
The Lords ended up winning the third period (19-16), extending their dominance in the fourth.
"We just didn't do a good job executing our close outs, which were a little bit slow," Bobb said.
Zulich finished with a game-high 24 points.
She was the major part of Durham's trio that outscored the entire Colts: Zulich, Emily Glendinning (21), and Kendra Oliver (19) combined for 64 points.
Oliver was the only player with a double-double, as she grabbed 14 rebounds.
On the other side, Christianna Crooks led Centennial in scoring with 15. Cooks also added a team-high four assists.
Cori Browne (12) and Keyanna Hyatt (10) were other Colt in double-figures.
Jaylah Joseph added eight rebounds for Centennial coming off the bench.
"Effort," coach Bobb said about the biggest lesson before next week's game following a 27-point defeat. "We must commit to the little things and compete on every possession."
The Colts will try to snap their five-game losing streak at home again, this time against the Georgian Grizzlies on Wednesday, November 27 at 6 p.m.
MEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP
The Centennial Colts men's basketball team took the lead early in the second quarter against the Durham Lords Wednesday evening, and never looked back with a 84-71 win to remain a perfect 4-0 at home.
Although he didn't start for the Colts (5-4), it was Walshak Yusuf's 11-point performance (5-for-5 FG, 1-for-1 FT) in eight minutes which propelled his team to victory at the Progress Campus Athletic and Wellness Centre (AWC).
After the Lords (3-5) went on a 10-0 run, Yusuf scored the next seven points in the contest and had the Colts down by three.
"When I came out of the game Walshak provided that spark," said Henlin, post-game. "He kept that energy and that intensity, he was fighting. He had five fouls [fouled out] so you could tell he was trying to play hard."
The Colts carried that momentum into the half with a 21-7 run to close out the first 20 minutes.
All 13 Colts got on the scoreboard scoring at least one point and were led by Kyrin Henlin who had 15 points and was perfect from the free throw (9-for-9) despite shooting 23 percent from the field (3-for-13).
"It means a lot, these guys work hard in practice. We're happy when everyone scores but that comes from the defensive pressure and pace of the game and flow," said head coach Trevor Challenger, in his post-game availability.
"It all goes back to just having good positive energy. When everybody is happy and everyone's getting into the game, it is contagious and everyone did extremely well."
Additionally, the Colts had been averaged 11 assists per game but exploded for 20 on Wednesday led by point guard Josh Sales with eight.
"I feel like if we play fast and we keep sharing the ball, we'll be a better team," Henlin added.
The visitors had eight scorers and were led by Romareo Stephenson and Fioti Mabanza, who both had a game-high 18 points.
Dieumerci Betoukoumessou (game-high 13) and Henlin (12) helped the Colts to dominate on the boards as they out-rebounded the Lords 47-33.
The Colts will try to continue their undefeated run at home, against the Georgian Grizzlies on Wednesday, November 27 at 8 p.m.
MOVEMBER
Every Centennial Colts' player wore a Movember t-shirt, supporting the cause regarding men's health.
Centennial's Motivation: Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men's health, and this Movember the Centennial Colts are joining the cause. Together we can make a difference for men's health – in prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Help us stop men dying too young.
We encourage you to be a prime example and contribute to our Movember fund (link below)!
https://mobro.co/14229531?mc=1