The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team got off to strong starts against the Laurentian University Voyageurs and Nipissing University Lakers but are still sharpening their focus ahead of a match up against their cross-town rivals, the University of Ottawa in their next game.
On Nov. 29, the Ravens went off to an 11-0 start against Laurentian before winning 79-58. Alyssa Cerino (21 points) and Kali Pocrnic (16) led the way in scoring for the Ravens.
“Coach said we hit them with the fist,” Pocrnic said. “We played together so it was a good team win.”
In the past, the team had gotten off to numerous slow starts before which had lead to some close games. “We realized these games shouldn’t be as close as they were,” Pocrnic said.
Ravens head coach Brian Cheng said defence was the centre of the team’s strong start against Laurentian.
“It was one of our best starts but then I thought we put the pedal to the metal and then took it off,” he said.
He added the team’s mindset was good but they lost it in two-to-three minute spurts as Laurentian made runs offensively. There’s many reasons why players lose focus, according to Cheng, including fatigue and the other team’s performance.
“That separates the good ones from the great ones, the ones that can keep focusing unconditionally,” Cheng added.
“If it’s raining, we put on a rain jacket. If it’s sunny, we put on sun lotion. We’re not conditional players. We’ve got to persevere with mental toughness.” – Brian Cheng, women’s basketball coach
Cheng added the team is “on our way but not there yet” in terms of achieving constant mental focus.
There are methods the team uses during games and practices to maintain focus. Late in their 78-47 win over Nipissing, led by Emma Huff’s double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds), Cheng told his players to play as if they were down by five points. He called it a mental game the team plays with themselves to keep their focus.
In practice, the emphasis is on defensive communication and rotations to help with the strong starts, according to rookie guard Dorcas Buisa.
“We started with a lot of intensity so that’s something we’ve been practicing, is to start sharp,” Buisa said. The first-year forward scored six points against Laurentian and three against Nipissing.
“It really forced me to be disciplined on defence and offence,” she said of the practices. “I’m starting to be disciplined but there’s still a long way to go.”
Third-year forward Emma Kiesekamp said watching the starters open the game with intensity motivates the bench. She added that during games, the team stays focus by constantly reminding each other of what they have to do.
“It’s tough for younger players, even me too,” Kiesekamp noted. “You have a solid four or five possessions then something slips.”
“It felt pretty good,” Reynolds said. “We’ve been working since July so to finally put the ball in the basket in a real game meant a lot to me.”
Cheng said the team’s goal was to limit their opponents to single-digit scoring in each quarter. Against Laurentian, they came close but didn’t accomplish that goal. Against Nipissing, they did so in the third quarter, holding the Lakers to eight points.
Additional practice drills such as getting three stops in three minutes or three stops in a row help strengthen the Ravens’ grip on the game. Defending for all 24 seconds of the shot clock is a focus, according to Cheng.
“You can play really good 20 seconds of defence, 23 seconds of defence but if you don’t get the box out, or you give up the shot last second, it devalues all the work that’s gone before,” he said. “We got to keep putting value to our work.”
Ravens guard Marlee Ball said their culture of defence in practice helps them focus. “Once fatigue hits, it is hard to stay focused but it’s just about trusting your teammates and just pushing that aside and trying to tell yourself you’re not tired,” Ball said.
Looking ahead, the first matchup against rivals the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees will be on Dec. 4, and Ball said she is looking forward to playing having redshirted last year.
“I saw my teammates really wanting to win that game,” Ball said. “For me, I didn’t really understand it because I’m not from Ottawa. I don’t know about the rivalry, but it’ll definitely be a lot of fun. It’s going to take a lot of focus.”
Feature image by Spencer Colby. With files by Jeff Pelletier.
