The Ravens women’s basketball team’s season came up to an end with a 73-58 loss to the eventual Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champion McMaster Marauders on Mar. 1 in the semi-finals.
“I just think we had trouble matching up with them defensively,” Ravens head coach Taffe Charles said.
“I think that was the first issue—dealing with all their matchups. That was the one that was glaring to me. They had three really good players, and it was tough containing all three of them.”
The three players were OUA all-stars Hilary Hanaka, Sarah Gates and Linnaea Harper, who all chipped in as McMaster pulled away from Carleton early in the second quarter with a 20-point lead.
“We were really feeding off each other’s energy on the court,” Marauders guard Erin Burns said. “We were very cohesive as a team, both on and off the court. We just had so much energy, so much momentum so as soon as we’re doing the little things, it ended up building a momentum in our favour and helped us get that run.”
Harper was day-to-day with a lower-body injury but she noted how the extra day of rest—the game was pushed back one day because of a snowstorm—made a big difference for her recovery. She collected 16 points and six rebounds.
“It’s an huge impact,” Burns said. “Linnaea is a wonderful basketball player and does so much for our team on and off the court. Having her on the court is just an extra energy. She came out so well, I was so happy for her.”
Experience was another key difference. Charles said how “the tables had turned” compared to last year’s final versus McMaster, when Carleton was the more experienced team.
“You’re hoping your players can respond but a lot of them, when we went to our bench, they just don’t have that experience.” Charles added.
The Ravens couldn’t mount a comeback despite Alyssa Cerino’s team-high 13 points.
The Marauders were motivated by previous playoff losses to Carleton, according to Burns.
“We had a real fire in our bellies because we’ve been here multiple times before facing Carleton,” she said. “This year was like ‘nope, this is our year, this is our time to shine.’”
As the buzzer sounded, the Marauders mobbed each other on the court. It marked the last home game for Burns, Hanaka, Harper and Evie Streight.
“I think it really hit me during our warmup,” Burns said. “I was like ‘oh, this is my last time warming up and this could potentially be my last game of my career so it was a little bit emotional during warmup. It was such a great memory to have.”
It was also the last Ravens game for Cynthia Dupont, Nicole Gilmore, and Alexandra Trivieri.
“When the buzzer went off, it kind of hit me for a little second, and it was hard to realize that this was it, and I’m not going to compete again on the court with the amazing teammates we have . . . It was pretty shocking, and it was pretty devastating,” Dupont said.
Charles said he was “proud” of the players for the season. In the change room afterwards, disappointment turned into reflection.
“One person started saying one thing and everyone just kind of broke down a little bit,” Dupont said.
“It’s just crazy, as much as we were so upset about the loss, it was crazy seeing all the accomplishments we’ve done over the past years, how much we’ve built as a team, how much we’ve grown as people and it’s just amazing I’ve had the opportunity to share that with them and be a part of their journey as well.” Dupont added.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Photo provided
