EDMONTON — Inspiring the Laval Rouge et Or with her 25-point performance, guard Léa-Sophie Verret led her team to a 76-62 bronze-medal victory over the Queen’s Gaels in the U Sports Championship at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
Laval achieved their first top-three finish at the Final 8 since losing to the McMaster Marauders in the 2019 championship final.
Running off to a hot 11-2 start, the Gaels, with forward Julia Chadwick contributing nine first-quarter points, showcased offensive and defensive dominance in the paint.
Just as they experienced the previous night against the Carleton Ravens in the championship semifinal, the Gaels’ saw their early lead quickly evaporate.
Verret spearheaded an 11-point run for Laval to lead 18-17 by the end of the quarter.
She also opened the second quarter with a three to kickstart a 15-0 second-quarter run, leaving Queen’s in the dust.
Failing to appear on the scoresheet for more than half the quarter, the Gaels contributed to the Rouge et Or’s 41-24 lead going into the half.
Accessing the paint proved to be too great a challenge for the Gaels, and when they managed to do so, they didn’t fare well. In the first half, Laval shot an efficient 55.2 per cent from the field compared to the Gaels’ 31 per cent.
Throughout the third quarter, the Rouge et Or kept their foot on the gas, maintaining their 17-point lead. Chadwick received little support as the Gaels’ shooting remained abysmal across all categories. In the fourth quarter, shooting efficiency continued to widen the gap between the teams. Laval maintained a higher level of polish in their game that the Gaels’ hadn’t found since the quarterfinals.
Laval showcased impressive shooting with a 47.3 per cent success rate from the field, notably with Brinly Holt and Frédérique Beaudry-Blais shooting 71.4 and 60 per cent, respectively.
The final minutes saw no urgency as the Rouge et Or held a double-digit lead throughout, solidifying their impressive showing in the Final 8 tournament.
Featured image by Owen Spillios-Hunter/The Charlatan.
