BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
The Laurentian University women's basketball
team is staring down a trip to the Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) Championships game.
The only thing standing in their way is the
University of Ottawa Gee Gees squad, the same team that stopped
the Lady Vees' express last year in the OUA East semi-final
game.
Laurentian plays Ottawa Sunday in the
nation's capital at 2 pm.
This year, however, Laurentian is looking for
a different result, especially since no less than five Lady
Vees (Tierney Hoo, Brianne Henry, Kate Walker, Caitlin
Blackadder and Symone Wilson) will graduate after the
season.
The Lady Vees are ready to go.
"We're excited to play," said head coach Mike
Clarke. "The girls are anxious to get another chance. Other
than last year's playoff loss to Ottawa, we have always been
quite successful against them. We have won our league game in
Ottawa the last three years, so we feel comfortable paying
there. We have stumbled in the past, but our team dynamics are
different and the two playoff wins already have been a great
confidence booster.
There's just a different feeling this
year."
Defence will be critical for success.
"They have two or three outstanding scorers,
and we have to be very smart in how we guard them," said
Clarke. "Rebounding wise, Ottawa is a team we can out-rebound
so, we have to do that. We have been doing well lately with not
turning over the ball, and we need that to continue."
Clarke hopes the trend of girls stepping up
at the right times will continue.
"We have been getting great play out of
Tierney Hoo and Cassandra Carpenter, but every game lately,
someone else has stepped up, like Brianne Henry, who scored 18
points against Toronto in an earlier playoff game."
Laurentian will have their eye on Gee Gees
star Moriah Trowell, who averaged 23.5 points per game in the
two regular season games between the two clubs.
Both teams split the series with one win
each.
Trowell also torched the Lady Vees for 21
points in last year's playoff loss.
"She's a tough player, but she's had injuries
problems and we're going to try and wear her out." said
Clarke.
The Lady Vees are licking their chops at the
prospect of facing Ottawa again.
"Our focus is different this year," said
Blackadder. "We are focused a lot more on ourselves. We know
that as long as we do what we do best, then we will end up on
top. I think before we worried too much about our competition.
Morale is high and we have been playing well."
"We have to be the more aggressive team and
play tough defence," said Henry "We have to do the little
things that we were missing in the past. I
feel we have done all the hard work and now
we just have to get it done."