WINDSOR/SARNIA, ON: The Niagara Knights women's basketball team (2-9) fell short in both their road games this weekend as they lost to the St. Clair Saints (7-4) on Friday evening with a final score of 75-58. They then travelled to Sarnia to take on the 4 and 7 Lambton Lions and despite a 4th quarter comeback effort, they dropped that one 57-55.
The Knights stayed in this one for the first half, losing each quarter by no more than 5 points. However, a dominant 3rd quarter by the Saints put this one out of reach for the Knights. The Saints struggled with foul trouble in the first half, tallying 10 fouls compared to the Knights' 4, but the Knights shot less than 65% from the free throw line and could not take advantage of their trips to the free throw line. The Knights were able to turn things around and shot closer to 75% from the free throw line in the second half. Their low field goal shooting percentage would be the main concern in the second half of this game.
2nd year guard, Lyric Shallow led the team in this game, contributing 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. 1st year guard Keira Teske also scored in the double digits, adding 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while also going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Game 2 of the weekend was held at the Lambton College Campus in Sarnia, and the Knights went into this one looking to avenge Friday night's loss. This game started off back and forth with each time going on a few small runs before the Lions took control late in the 2nd quarter to take a 28-19 lead into halftime.
Lambton came back from the halftime break looking like they had something to prove as they outscored the Knights by 5 in the 3rd frame to build their lead to 14 points with 1 quarter remaining.
The Lions scored the 1st 5 points of the 4th quarter to build their largest lead of the game, but the Knights were not ready to give up. They outscored the Lions 21 to 4 in the last 9 minutes of the game to tie it up with 33 seconds remaining. A Niagara foul with 10 seconds left in the game sent Lambton to the free throw line where they made both shots to take a 2-point lead. The Knights had 7 seconds left to try to either tie or take the lead in this game. They were able to get a 3-point shot off in an attempt to take the win, but could not get it to fall, ultimately losing 57-55.
3 different Knights scored in the double-digits in this game with all 5 starters playing 33 minutes or more. 2nd year guard Lyric Shallow had a team-high 17 points for the 2nd consecutive game, adding 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. 5th year guard Aisja Strachan added 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. 2nd year guard Alyah Pereira contributed 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
When asked to reflect on the weekend, head coach Allie Columbus had this to say: "Unfortunately we're coming home this weekend without a win, but there were some good takeaways that we can carry into the next matchup." She went on to add "our group played together and overcame setbacks and deficits through cohesive team efforts. Younger players are starting to gain confidence and take on larger roles, and that has been great to see".
The Knights have to forget about this weekend's road swing quickly, as they focus on their next game, scheduled for Wednesday, January 21st at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre in Welland. Tipoff is scheduled for 6pm, but if you can't join us live, you can still catch all the action at OCAALIVE.
For more information on the Knights' teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca
