Women's Basketball (11-0)
The Wolves hit the road this past weekend to take on the Seneca Sting (5-6) on Friday night before a highly anticipated matchup with the 2nd seed in the East, Georgian Grizzlies on Saturday. Safe to say it was a successful road trip as coach Jamie McLean's team moved to 11-0.
On Friday against Seneca the Wolves cruised to a comfortable 81-42 win. Dasia McDonald had her best game of the season finishing with 28 points and 6 assists. The 2 time All-Canadian had one of the most efficient games the OCAA has seen this year going 10 for 11 from the field and 3 for 4 from the charity stripe. The Wolves also got large contributions from Mallory Katz who finished with 10 points, Cianah Miller and Piper Hatherall who each finished with 9 points and combined for 10 boards, and Meaghan McNamara who finished with 8 points.
Saturday was a highly anticipated matchup as the undefeated Wolves took on the 8-2 Georgian Grizzlies. Georgian gave the Wolves all they could handle in the first matchup with Algonquin coming away with a 47-42 win.
It was a competitive first quarter with 5 lead changes but the Wolves ultimately came out on top 18-16. The Wolves would gain momentum in the 2nd quarter and built a 9 point lead going into the half. The Grizzlies went on a run to start the 2nd half to close the gap to 2 with 6:05 left to play, but the Wolves would answer back with a run of their own to push their lead to 19 going into the 4th. Algonquin flexed their defensive muscle in the final frame to take the game 73-44.
Dasia McDonald had another stellar night finishing with 20 points, 7 steals, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Cianah Miller had a big game offensively with 19 points and 8 boards. It was good to see 3rd year guard Chloe Lapointe back on the court. She contributed with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
The Wolves are now 11-0 and maintain their top spot in the OCAA East.
The Wolves are back in action next Friday for their final home game of the regular season against the George Brown Huskies. Make sure to come out to the ARC and help us honour our graduating seniors!
Men's Basketball (9-6)
Our men's team was also in action against the Seneca Sting on Friday and Georgian Grizzlies on Saturday. It was a big weekend for the Wolves as they hope to maintain a top 4 spot in the OCAA East and guarantee a home playoff game.
On Friday against Seneca, the 1st half was neck and neck with the score tied at 16 after the 1st quarter and the Wolves holding a slim 32-31 lead going into halftime. Unfortunately the Wolves went cold in the 2nd half shooting just 33% from the field. The Sting took advantage and gained some distance, eventually coming away with a 72-60 win.
Tesloch Luk led the way offensively for the Wolves finishing with a 19 point, 10 board double-double. Albert Opena had one of his best offensive games with 16 points and 4 boards. Jansen Balmaceda had 11 points. Simon Desta was the last Wolves player in double figures with 10. The loss dropped their record to 9-5 going into a big game against Georgian (12-2) on Saturday.
The Wolves were hoping to bounce back on Saturday but unfortunately came out of the gate sluggish shooting just over 29% in the 1st quarter and turning the ball over 7 times to dig themselves a 10 point hole. They found their footing towards the end of the half and were able to close the gap to 5 going into the locker room. The 3rd quarter was back and forth. Georgian held a narrow 1 point lead going into the final frame. Unfortunately for Algonquin, the Grizzlies had their best offensive quarter to close it out shooting over 56% from the field and 50% from 3 to come away with a 86-78 win.
Despite the losses this weekend, 2nd year guard Albert Opena was a bright spot for the Wolves. He followed up his 16 point performance against Seneca with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Ted Braden had an efficient 15 points and 8 boards. Jansen Balmaceda and Simon Desta had 13 each. Tesloch Luk was the last Wolf in double figures with 10.
Next up for Algonquin is a date with the George Brown Huskies on Friday January 31st at the ARC. Join us as we celebrate our graduating seniors who will be playing their final regular season home game in an Algonquin uniform. Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm.
Women's Volleyball (11-5)
Our women's volleyball team played their final two home games of the regular season this past weekend as they hosted the Seneca Sting (16-0) on Friday and the Georgian Grizzlies (2-14) on Saturday.
The Wolves were in tough Friday night, as Seneca came into the game undefeated, holding the top spot in the OCAA East standings, and the 3rd spot in the OCAA overall rankings. The Wolves started off slow in the first set going down 8-2, and forcing head coach Everton Senior to call a time-out. When play resumed, the Wolves dialed in on defence and began to chip away at Seneca's lead, and found themselves tied 22-22. The Sting's high-flying offense took over from that point, and Algonquin fell just short of the comeback. The Wolves seemed to have momentum entering the 2nd set, and got out to an early 8-7 lead thanks to some strong serving from Grace Pate, and a pair of back-to-back kills fromIsabella Tourangeau. The Sting once again turned up the heat on offense, and went on a quick 5-point run to take the 12-8 lead. Seneca wouldn't look back from there and took the set 25-16. Seneca kept their foot on the gas and the Wolves were never able to get settled in the 3rd, and ultimately lost the set 25-17 and the match 3-0. Despite the tough outing there were still some positives to take from the match. 1st year left side Cambria Alford had a strong performance, leading the Wolves with 12 points on 9 kills and 3 aces.
On Saturday against Georgian the Wolves bounced back in a big way, sweeping the Grizzlies in straight sets 25-8, 25-18, 25-23. The Wolves were once again led offensively by 2nd year right side Grace Pate, who continues to have a strong second half of the season. Pate finished the match with 11 kills, 5 aces, 2 blocks, and 15 digs. Natasha Lauzon added 11 kills and 3 aces, while Isabella Tourangeau had 7 kills and 3 blocks. The Wolves improved to 11-5 on the season.
With the win, the Wolves have now clinched a home crossover match. The Wolves will close out the season on the road next weekend against the Fleming Phoenix (0-16) on Saturday at 4:00 pm and the Durham Lords (13-3) on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Men's Volleyball (7-9)
The Wolves hosted Seneca on Friday and Georgian on Saturday in their final home games of the regular season.
In a game that had massive implications on playoff seeding, the men's volleyball team took on Seneca on Friday night at the ARC. After a thrilling comeback victory over the Centennial Colts in their last match, the Wolves carried that momentum against the Seneca Sting in a dominant 3-0 sweep. The Wolves were firing on all cylinders on offense and defense for the entire match. As a team the Wolves outscored the Sting 66-23, and had a .430 attack efficiency. It was a career night for 2nd year middle Ethan Fisher, as he had 10 kills, 3 aces and 1 block for 14 points. Fisher also finished the match with a 100% hitting percentage. Several Wolves had stand out performances: Mateo Nunez Kruus had 7 kills and 4 blocks, Nick Gauthier Barber had 9 kills and 2 blocks, Mahmoud Abdelaziz had 9 kills and 2 aces, and Liam Arnold-Paquette chipped in with 8 kills and 2 aces.
In their final home game of the season, the Wolves were looking to knock off their 2nd top 5 opponent, as they hosted the 13-1 Georgian Grizzlies. The Wolves were able to push the Grizzlies to 5 sets in their first meeting of the season, and were playing with a new-found confidence heading into this match. Algonquin came out on fire taking the first 2 sets and had match point in the 3rd. However, the Grizzlies demonstrated why they are the top team in the East, and took the set 27-25. Ultimately, the Wolves ran out of gas, and lost the next 2 sets, and the match 3-2. In what would be his final game in the ARC, Mahmoud Abdelaziz had a memorable performance, finishing with 14 kills and 1 ace. Liam Arnold-Paquette has been on fire since rejoining the team at the start of the semester, and put on another show in this match leading the Wolves with 19 kills, 1 ace and 1 block. The Wolves now sit at 7-9.
Despite the loss, the team looks to be peaking at just the right time, and will look to finish the season strong next weekend as they travel on the road to take on Fleming on Saturday at 6:00 pm, and Durham on Sunday at 3:00 pm.
Saturday's game was Senior Night for Mahmoud Abdelaziz, Malcolm Spence and Ryan Lincoln. The Algonquin SA Athletics Department would like to take the time to thank them for their valuable contributions to our men's volleyball program.
The regular season is winding down and all 4 of our teams are getting ready for a playoff push. Make sure to stay tuned to AlgonquinWolves.com to keep up to date!