The #1 ranked women's basketball team in the country began their quest for OCAA Gold against the Sheridan Bruins in their OCAA Qualifying Game. The Wolves ran the table against the OCAA East Division and were now taking on their first West Division opponent of the season in front of an electric crowd.
Dasia McDonald got the crowd going early by draining a corner three to begin the game. Even with the crowd on their side, it became clear early on that the Bruins were not going to go down without a fight. The Bruins quickly answered with a transition layup, and then began to lock in defensively and didn't give the Wolves any easy looks. The Bruins were able to keep the Wolves scoreless for close to 5 minutes, until Sydney Moore drained another three to tie the game at 6 with just under five minutes left in the quarter. Even though the Wolves controlled time of possession, Sheridan was able to make the most of their chances on offense, shooting 63% from the field in the opening quarter. Algonquin was able to head into the second quarter tied at 15 thanks to another corner 3 by Cianah Miller, which was the Wolves third 3 of the quarter.
It was the Wolves turn to turn up the pressure defensively, as Dasia came up with one her game high 4 steals to start the second quarter, which led to a fast-break lay-up. Sheridan once again were hitting highly contested shots in the quarter to keep the game close at the half-way point of the quarter. With the score tied at 21 Dasia once again came up with a steal and transition bucket, which was followed up shortly by another three pointer from Sydney Moore to give the Wolves their largest lead of the game. Libby Hirst began to make her presence known under the basket, grabbing 4 rebounds in the quarter and scoring 5 points to help the Wolves go into half-time with the 30-23 lead.
The third quarter was much like the second with both teams playing tough defense. Algonquin held the Bruins to just 7 points on 3-12 shooting in the quarter. Not to be outdone, the Bruins held the Wolves to just 2 made field goals in the quarter. The difference maker for Algonquin was their free-throw shooting, as the Wolves went 7-8 from the charity stripe to help them take the 42-30 lead into the final quarter. Both teams were once again making it difficult for one another to score in the fourth, but the Wolves were able to control most of the quarter by dominating the glass and out rebounding Sheridan 13-3 in the quarter. The Wolves were able to hold off the Bruins, and take the game 57-43. Dasia McDonald led the Wolves on both ends of the court, finishing with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Sydney Moore added 9 points, 2 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, Libby Hirst and Piper Hatherall both added 7 points and 7 rebounds, while Cianah Miller chipped in 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
With the win, the Wolves will move on to the OCAA quarterfinals where they will host the Lambton Lions. The Wolves will be looking for some redemption as the Lions are the only team to defeat the Wolves in the last calendar year, beating team in last year's OCAA Final. The game is set for Saturday, February 22, at the ARC at 1:00 PM!
