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Vees looking for win against Gee Gees

BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW [email protected] The Laurentian University women's basketball team is staring down a trip to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships game.
BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW

The Laurentian University women's basketball team is staring down a trip to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships game.

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Brianne Henry (front) Ashley MacSporran (middle) and Cassandra Carpenter look forward to Sunday's game in Ottawa.
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."




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