The Men's basketball team completed the 1st half of the OCAA regular season on Friday December 3rd with a home win over crosstown rival La Cité. Let's take a look back at the first semester for the Wolves.
Algonquin got off to a hot start in pre-season, winning 3 of their 4 games leading up to regular season play. They managed to carry the momentum into the season opener and took down the St. Lawrence Surge 70-59 in front of their home crowd at the arc. The Wolves dropped a close game the next day 75-71 to the Loyalist Lancers. Unfortunately this sparked a 6 game losing skid for the Wolves. The team managed to bounce back at the end of the semester, knocking off the Fleming Knights and the La Cité Coyotes to finish the semester with a 3-6 record going into the break. The team currently sit in 7th in the OCAA East standings.
The Wolves have relied heavily on the performances of veterans, Ted Braden, Carter Normand and Nathan Garcia.
Braden, the transfer from Saint Thomas University, leads the Wolves in scoring with 12.7 points per game. The 3rd year forward has also been a force on the board averaging 10.8 rebounds per game for the double double.
2nd year guard Carter Normand has played a big role offensively for the Wolves, averaging 11 points per game. The St. Joseph high school graduate had a career night on November 18th against Georgian when he poured in 32 points on 10 for 15 from the field and 8 for 11 from the 3 point line. The performance earned him OCAA star of the week and CCAA male athlete of the week honours.
2nd year guard Nathan Garcia has had a solid sophomore campaign averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. The point guard has brought a lot of energy and leadership to the young Wolves group.
Towards the end of the semester Algonquin got significant offensive contributions from 1st year guard Topaz Kana. The Ottawa native is averaging 20.3 points in the last 3 games of the semester, including a 26 point performance against La Cité.
The team will be looking to have a stronger 2nd semester in order to put themselves in the best possible position leading up to the crossover game in late February. The Wolves hope to qualify for the OCAA final 8 hosted by the St. Clair Saints from March 3rd to 5th.
Algonquin will be back in action on January 11th when they take the short trip east to take on La Cité. You can catch them at home on January 28th when they host the Centennial Colts at 6:00 PM.