The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team has finished their undefeated season with a record of 23-0 and now has their eyes on their second straight Critelli Cup and first-ever national championship win.
The Ravens are first in the U Sports rankings as well as in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) as they head into their Critelli Cup playoff quarterfinals on Feb. 24 against the Ryerson Rams.
The team’s end goal is to win a national championship, according to forward Alyssa Cerino—something that motivates them every day. First however, the Ravens must get to the OUA finals to be guaranteed a spot at nationals; a bronze medal would also likely land them a wild card place given their regular season record.
The Ravens are riding a 45-game winning streak against OUA competition (in regular season and post-season play), starting against the Windsor Lancers after their opening night loss against the Algoma Thunderbirds in November 2016.
“That Algoma game was probably one of the best things that ever happened to us because we can just lose to anybody,” Ravens centre and leading scorer Heather Lindsay said. “So, now we definitely take each game like an individual and not really planning ahead for future games.”
Despite the streak, the Ravens have also faced adversity this season. The number two ranked Regina Cougars came to Carleton and beat them 80-65 on Oct. 1 in exhibition play. Head coach Taffe Charles stated after the game his team was “out-toughed” and that “we think we’re pretty good but we’re not.”
Charles also criticized the team’s work ethic afterwards and called for the team’s leaders to fix that.
“We don’t play as hard as we need to in practice, so whenever there’s a game now, we don’t play the same level, the same intensity, we don’t practice how we’re supposed to play and that’s probably the biggest problem we got right now,” he added.
The team has responded with only one loss since then (an exhibition game against the Alberta Pandas on Oct. 6) and has recorded the program’s first-ever perfect regular season.
Charles said the attitude “absolutely” changed after a pre-season victory over the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves on Oct. 21.
“You know, that’s what pre-season’s for,” he noted. “We know we needed to change up, needed to figure out who’s feeling good.”
The team’s self-stated goal of improving offensively has worked as they end the season ranked number one in the OUA in points-per-game (72.4), assists-per-game (16.6) and are second (behind Ryerson) in field goal percentage (40.3).
The improvements have come from a focus on catching the ball “dynamically” (knowing what to do before you get it), pushing the pace in transition (with their quick 14-second full-court drills) and attacking the basket more directly, according to Charles and the players.
The Ravens’ defence is as strong as ever, leading the OUA (or near the top) in almost all categories, including a league-low 45.9 points-allowed-per-game.
The team has also been relatively healthy—something Charles attributed to a deep bench—until a few minor injuries recently.
Catherine Traer missed two road games against the Nipissing Lakers and Laurentian Voyageurs for precautionary reasons. Point guard Jenjen Abella sat out the season finale against the Queen’s Gaels and Cerino left with a hand injury during the game.
With a veteran group, many of the players have also come a long way to get to this point.
Abella wasn’t recruited and actually contacted Charles personally about playing at Carleton when she was at Mohawk College in 2016. Cerino has found her place with the Ravens after transferring from the Windsor Lancers, where she missed the last half of the 2016-17 season.
“As the year went on, you kind of get a feel for how things are going, and I just didn’t feel like I was the player that I should be and didn’t feel as comfortable,” Cerino said.
Two of the Ottawa-area seniors, Traer and Lindsay, have also endured hardships. Traer missed over a year with injuries while at the University of Ottawa (U of O). Lindsay has had to earn her star status—she is now Carleton’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots.
“When I was growing up, I was never the star of the team. I was never the best player but I worked really hard and I just stuck with it and I have coaches that believe in me and that’s all you need and just believe in yourself and keep working hard as long as you stick with it, you can do anything,” she said.
None of the players have won a national title. For the graduating players—Traer, Lindsay, Abella and Stephanie Carr—it’s their last chance. For the rest of the team, it’s arguably their best.
“We have a really good chance this year and we have to take it,” Ravens third-year guard Cynthia Dupont said. “We have really talented players and I think we can win it all this year.”
Cerino said a national title would be “a really great story” and they would “make history.”
Traer pointed out this is the first time she’s gone into the playoffs with an undefeated and top-ranked team in Canada, having lost at nationals three times before (twice with the U of O).
“It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. “Obviously [the] work’s not done yet. Playoffs: teams will kick it up a notch and we got to be ready for that but no better way to start playoffs than with an undefeated season.”
After the win at Capital Hoops over her former school, Traer proclaimed this is the best team she’s ever been on and said she realizes it’s her last shot at a national title.
“I just think ‘this is the year.’ It has to be the year,” she said. “If it’s not, I have no choice. It has to be my championship year but I think we’re just all really hoping it will be. We’ve matured and we’ve flourished at just the perfect time.”
