After a semi-final win over the Saint-Clair Saints, the Wolves women's basketball team were set to take on the host Lambton Lions in the OCAA final in front of a capacity crowd at the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex.
The game got off to a rocky start for the Wolves as the Lions rode the energy of the hometown crowd to start the game off on a 14-4 run forcing an early Algonquin timeout. The Wolves began to settle in but still trailed 26-13 after the first quarter. 3rd year guard Cianah Miller was a bright spot for the Wolves finishing the period with 9 points.
Unfortunately, the 2nd quarter was not friendly to Algonquin. They were held to just 6 points on 11.8% from the field. To make matters worse, Lambton remained hot shooting 53.3% from the field. You need to give credit where it's due, the hometown Lions were lights out in the first half, shooting over 50% from the field, including 7/14 from 3-point range. The Wolves trailed 50-19 going into the break.
The Wolves play picked up in the second half outscoring the Lions 37-28, but the first half hole was too large to dig out of. Lambton took the game and the gold with a 78-56 final score.
Cianah Miller was a force all game for Algonquin. She finished with a game high 22 points and 7 rebounds earning her player of the game honours. Dasia McDonald finished with 15 points, 6 steals and 5 boards. Leah Hirst was the final player in double figures for Algonquin with 10 points off the bench.
Dasia McDonald and Cianah Miller were named to the tournament All-Star team.
(Photo Credit: Lambton Lions)
Algonquin earns OCAA silver, finishing 1 spot higher than last season. With most of the roster set to return for the 2024-25 season, the future looks bright for the program.