Carleton Ravens seniors Marlee Ball and Alyssa Cerino both celebrated their seniors night on Feb. 15 against McMaster University Marauders. Cerino was out with illness, but Ball had a notable impact in the team’s victory.
The Ravens women’s basketball team snapped their four-game losing streak with victories over the Marauders and Brock University Badgers. Ball played a key role with a team-high 18 points against McMaster and 18 points again against Brock.
Against McMaster, the team fell behind early, trailing by eight points at halftime. However, they improved their defensive performance in the second half, coming back to win 66-55. This included stopping McMaster’s transition game.
“Honestly, I think it was just focus,” Ball said. “We work on transition quite a bit so I think once we just calm down and focus, I think that’s really what helped us.”
Ball herself shot four-for-five from the three-point line and grabbed five rebounds. Late in the game, her shots helped Carleton keep their lead. She’s been working on her shooting all season.
“Honestly, I got in the gym more, trying to build my confidence,” Ball said. “Honestly, I didn’t think when I shot a lot of the times. I’ve been thinking a lot and I think it kind of messes with my game.”
The following night, the team honoured both Cerino and Ball with framed jerseys. The players posed for pictures with Ravens head coach Brian Cheng, and family and teammates decorated their locker room stalls for the occasion. After the game, Cheng talked about both of them in a reception.
Ball once again played a key role in the 65-49 win thanks to her shooting (six-for-15 from the field) and rebounds (nine).
Meanwhile, outside of the stat sheet, Cheng and her teammates reflected on her impact since coming to Carleton in 2018. Most notably, they talked about her passion.
“Just a special individual,” Cheng said. “When she says something to you, she means it. She’s as good as her word. Everything’s on her heart sleeve, her emotions, her heart. Everything’s there.”
Ravens guard Tatyanna Burke also talked about her hustle and how she helps teammates.
“I screw something up and Marlee will come to me and be like, ‘next time just do this, next time just do that. It’s okay, take your time,’” Burke said.
“When Marlee plays, it’s almost like I feel like I’m watching an NBA player play … because she’s so good at basketball and you just kind of stand there and are like ‘wow.’”
Carleton guard Emma Huff said Ball raises the bar with her competitive drive and toughness. “She makes people better around her because you see how hard she competes. Everybody feeds on that.”
“Fun, fun person to be around. Love her to death. We’re going to miss her in the team room for sure.”
Ball is graduating this year – hence her seniors night – but she said she’s probably coming back to continue school. She has one more year of basketball eligibility left. “We’ll see,” Huff said. “Fingers crossed.”
The Ravens host the York University Lions in the first round of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs on Feb. 19.
Feature image by Tim Austen.
