The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team started their season with two wins this weekend against the Nipissing Lakers, taking Friday’s game 80-49 and Saturday’s 70-42.
After COVID-19 kept the team off the court for 19 months, the players were grateful to finally have their friends and family back in the stands.
“The biggest thing is the people watching,” Carleton guard Madison Reid said. “We’ve had some preseason games and it’s good that we had that under our belt, but the audience definitely brings some type of intensity.”
Head coach Dani Sinclair also made her first regular season appearance behind the bench for Carleton. Sinclair was named head coach of the Ravens in March 2020, but her first year was interrupted by the pandemic.
“I’m just really happy to be here and I’m really happy for the athletes to have a chance to play again,” Sinclair said. “Our job as coaches is to help prepare them and then on game nights, it’s their time to shine.”
The Ravens were looking to start off their regular season strong after winning six straight games in the preseason.
Carleton’s offence was the key to success in the first half of the game, with guards Tatyanna Burke and Reid sinking baskets early in the first quarter. The Ravens used strategic passing and strong breakaway strategy to score against Nipissing.
“This is my final year [of eligibility] so it’s definitely a memorable last first game,” Reid said. “It’s good to get the new girls on the court to really show them what it’s like in a regular season.”
After winning Friday, Sinclair started the same lineup on Saturday and the players brought the same energy to the court as they had the previous day.
“We were prepared for [the Lakers] to be really aggressive coming out the gate today and I thought they were,” Sinclair said. “Our girls did a good job of knowing that that was what happened and once we settled in it almost felt like one big, long game.”
Guard Kali Pocrnic had a particularly strong day offensively Saturday, leading the Ravens with 17 points. Pocrnic used a crossover dribble several times to score on the Lakers and her endurance throughout the game played a large role in the Ravens’ offensive success.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Ravens will face the same team two nights in a row for the rest of the season. That will require adaptation, Pocrnic said.
“It’s really different compared to a regular season,” she said. “There’s a lot of heat when you come against the same team again … Obviously, the other team makes adjustments to how they’re guarding you, so you also have to adjust to that.”
Throughout both games, the Ravens used a player-to-player defensive strategy, which was most effective at the end of Friday’s game and beginning of Saturday’s. At the beginning of Friday’s game, Carleton spent more of its energy on offence and let defence slide, while the end of Saturday’s game saw the Ravens tire and allow Nipissing to break through.
“Every team that you play against has its own challenges,” Sinclair said. “We try not to look too far ahead and just deal with what’s in front of us.”
After a week off, the Ravens will return to action at the Ravens’ Nest with two games against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Nov. 19 and 20.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
