BY SCOTT
HADDOW
The Lasalle Lancers senior girls' basketball team is like a
family, and their dedication to one another has produced
amazing results on the court this year.
The squad marched through the regular season, going 8-0 and
then won the city and NOSSA Championships.
The team is now hoping one more celebration is in order as they
take on the best AAA teams in the province at the 2006 OFSAA
basketball championships in Stratford this weekend. (The event
started Thursday and the final game goes Saturday at 6 pm.)
Lasalle is ranked No. 2 for the tournament and they want to be
No. 1.
Lasalle has made it to the last seven OFSAA Championships and
won two bronze medals in that span.
"We're going there to compete, not participate," said guard
Alyssa Ferreira. "Winning NOSSA was our golden ticket to OFSAA.
We earned the right to be there."
In past years, Lasalle has had tall players and relied on the
height to get possession. It's different this time around.
"We're a lot smaller this year compared to last," said
Ferreira. "We're quicker though. It really helps with our
defence, which is the key to our team. We're small in the post,
so we focus on the defence to get our steals and score from
those opportunities."
With so many trips to OFSAA over the past few years, the
pressure is on the girls, but they deal with it just fine.
"There's always pressure," said Ferreira. "We try not to think
about it. It will come down to who wants it the most...and
every girl on this team wants it."
Winning at the provincial level is the benchmark.
"Every game...we have to work hard," said point guard Kristine
Lalonde. "We've really came together this season.
Our defence is one of the best in the province. We want to prove we're one of the best teams in Ontario."
The Lancers have travelled a long road already.
"Our expectations are to win gold," said co-coach Mary
Collinson. "How far we've come this year, keeping everybody
healthy and having some luck...that's the goal we've set and
it's obtainable. "
Lasalle has to keep it simple to put it all together.
"They have to stay focused the whole time," said Collinson.
"We're not going to change our game plan. We will make
adjustments as we go."
The team will lean on their vast OFSAA experience as many
players have been there multiple times.
"The experience helps a lot," said the coach. "It's important.
It helps others not feel the pressure. The experience gives us
confidence."
The NOSSA win was huge.
"The final game was good because we played hard from start to
finish," said Collinson. "We executed and everyone contributed
to the win...they did what they were supposed to do. We know we
have a lot of support from Sudbury and all the north. It's nice
to know everyone is backing us and wants us to do well. We're
going with the attitude to win."
Win or lose, the OFSAA experience is a boon for the
players.
"It's great," said forward Laura Furchner. "It prepares you for
bigger and better things...and it's a fun time."
