Another big-name matchup is lingering as the Carleton University Ravens and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees battle out for the 2020 Capital Hoops title at TD Place on Feb. 7.
The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team is looking to get back in the win column and sharpen up for nationals, after losing four of their last five games in the midst of a tough second-half schedule filled with nationally ranked opponents. Carleton lost to Queen’s, Ryerson, Windsor and Western–all ranked in the U Sports Top 10, and still have to play Ottawa (Feb. 7) and Brock (Feb. 15) before playoffs.
“I think we’re in that category of good teams but our good team has to show up for us to have a chance,” Ravens head coach Brian Cheng noted. He pointed to an improvement in the team’s performance against Windsor compared to the previous night against Western on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
“I thought we competed more consistently,” he said. “I thought we took less possessions off. We have less mental gaps within the team play. I thought we executed our game plan closer to what we wanted it to be.”
For Cheng and the Ravens, the focus has been on sharpening up for nationals–in which Carleton gets an automatic berth as the host. He called it a privilege and a burden.
“The tougher the better,” Cheng said of the team’s schedule as it helps them prepare for playoffs and nationals. He said the key is to improve and prepare to be “on the right side of the ledger” in terms of wins.
“The funny thing is that we’ve improved, just not at the rate with the teams that we’re competing with in terms of we’re talking about bottom line,” Cheng said.
The “one more” concept–getting one more defensive stop or rebound–is key to getting those wins against fellow top teams. “We’ve got to be humble and hungry about getting to the one more,” Cheng said.
“At the end of the day, as long as we keep improving, for us in the short term, the ledger only impacts our ability to see ourselves in playoffs,” he added.
The team’s mindset is to play as if they’re not guaranteed a berth at nationals. He calls the tough games and playoffs a simulation for what’s ahead. Instead of ending their season with a playoff loss, they still have a spot at nationals, no matter what.
“The luxury we have is we have a Buddhist revival,” Cheng said with a laugh. “We have a rebirth, but the rebirth itself doesn’t mean anything if we’re just doomed to repeat some of the errors if we don’t fix them.”
Injuries are part of the challenge in getting to the right side of the ledger.
Second-year forwards Mallory Katz and Deanna Hinds have been sidelined all season as well as fourth-year guard Karyne Jolicoeur. Second-year forward Navneet Sandhu returned to the lineup in early January after missing the first half of the season.
Third-year point guard Madison Reid missed a stretch of games. Then, upon her return to action on Jan. 24 against Toronto, fellow third-year forward Emma Kiesekamp suffered an ankle injury and has been out ever since.
In spite of the injuries, numerous players have stepped up into key roles. Fifth-year forward Alyssa Cerino is among the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) scoring leaders (16.4 points-per-game) and leads the nation in box score production (9.2).
Reid and fourth-year guard Marlee Ball have been responsible for running the offence and providing a deep threat from outside. Rookie guards Kali Pocrnic and Tatyanna Burke have seen notable minutes and have had an impact, as has rookie forward Dorcas Buisa.
In comparison, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s basketball coach Andy Sparks has experienced plenty of success in his 12 seasons as the team’s head coach. However, this season’s squad is “arguably the most talented” of them all, according to him.
On paper, the Gee-Gees have it all. They’re the only team in U Sports with five fifth-year players. They have a U Sports and Ontario University Athletics (OUA) all-star in point guard Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus, as well as fellow OUA all-star forward Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu.
Chemistry has been a challenge given the injuries and the process of fitting fifth-year transfers Katherine Follis (from Ryerson) and Tyra Blizzard (Windsor) into the system.
“Everybody looks at it and says, ‘Oh, they’ve got all the pieces,’” Sparks noted. “But believe me, it is never easy fitting those pieces into place in one year. They are coming from completely different systems.”
Regardless, Sparks said the Gee-Gees are considered the favourites heading into the game. Yet he considers the Ravens a very good team with great players. “I think they’re an outstanding representative for Ontario as the wild card [nationals host],” he said.
Cheng said while the Gee-Gees have more experience, the Ravens have to push them to a point of inexperience to negate that advantage. It’s about pushing them to a point where they don’t have a backup plan anymore.
“You got to take them deep into their psychological, how they’re going to respond [to adversity],” he said. “Usually, you need a lot of experience and a lot of mental toughness for that to occur.”
“They’re damn good,” Cheng said of the Gee-Gees. “Since then, I’ve seen them play other teams, they’re even better than I thought they were.”
In the bigger picture, the game also serves as preparation for nationals and a learning opportunity for his team. It’s going to be a good one, see you at TD Place.
Feature image from file.
