It was finally time for the much anticipated rematch of the 2024 OCAA championship game between the Lambton Lions and the #1 ranked Algonquin Wolves. With the Lions ending the Wolves season the last two years, Algonquin knew it was going to be a battle.
Wolves fans filled the ARC west side stands and brought the energy from the jump. Lambton however seemed unphased. This Lions team has a lot of veterans that have played in big moments before, winning OCAA gold and CCAA silver in 2024. The Lions threw the 1st punch and seemed to have the Wolves off balance early leading to a 15-8 Lambton advantage after the 1st quarter. OCAA West 1st team All-Star and 2024 OCAA Player of the Year Breanna Pretty seemed to be sedeling into the game with 4 points in the opening quarter.
Have you heard the name Dasia McDonald yet? If you haven't you must not be following OCAA women's basketball. With the Lions holding all of the momentum, McDonald proved why she is a 3x CCAA All-Canadian, 3x East Player of the Year and 3x East Defensive Player of the year. She put her team on her back scoring 14 points in the 2nd quarter fueling a Wolves a 22 to 10 run and a 30-25 lead going into halftime. The Napean, Ontario native capped off her brilliant quarter by grabbing a defensive rebound with just over 5 seconds left and went coast to coast for the hoop and the harm to put her team up 5. She led the way with 18 points at the half.
With McDonald dominating the 2nd quarter, the Lions switched their defensive strategy to try and get the ball out of her hands in the 3rd. That strategy seemed to work as the Wolves got a lot of good looks but struggled to score. Lambton would end up taking a 31-30 lead when Breanna Pretty went 2 for 2 from the line with 4:04 to go. The Wolves would finally break the seal on the following possession, when Piper Hatherall knocked down a jumper from just inside the arc to regain a 1 point lead. This was a sign of things to come as Hatherall began to heat up. Overall the Wolves had a difficult offensive quarter, shooting just 12.5% from the field and 0/7 from 3. On the bright side, their defense was able to hold Lambton to 18.2% from the field, allowing Algonquin to maintain a 3 point lead going into the final period.
The Wolves finally found some offensive rhythm in the 4th quarter, opening up on a 8-0 run to take a 10 point lead. Algonquin would have an answer for every Lions push as they maintained their advantage throughout the quarter and eventually pushed the lead to 16. This one was a defensive battle. Lambton was held to 24.5% shooting, while the Wolves shot 27.1%. Depth played a big factor. Algonquin went 9 deep while Lambton only had 7 players see the floor. The Wolves were able to wear down the Lions and were the better team down the stretch. The Wolves' size inside also played a big role with them coming up with 17 offensive rebounds to Lambtons 8.
Dasia McDonald had a monster game. She finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. She was a major factor in the Wolves weathering the storm early. Piper Hatherall scored 10 of her 14 points in the 2nd half and came up with 8 rebounds. Libby Hirst grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 7 points, 5 of which came in the 4th. Kate Dahmer had a strong game defensively. She also scored 7 points and hit a big 3 in the 4th to help put the game away. Jessica De Haan made the most of her 11 minutes on the floor scoring 4 points, grabbing 2 rebounds and putting pressure on the Lambton defense by running the floor. Wolves fans also deserve a big shoutout for packing the stands and cheering on the squad from start to finish. The atmosphere was electric and the team fed off the energy all game.
The win confirmed that Algonquin will be the host of the 2025 OCAA Women's Basketball Final 4 on February 28th and March 1st. Keep an eye on AlgonquinWolves.com for details to come!
See you in the stands!
