The Brock Badgers’ women’s basketball team earned their third and fourth win of the new year, defeating the Algoma Thunderbirds 77-37 before a tightly contested 63-58 win over the Guelph Gryphons.
In Friday’s matchup against Algoma, the Badgers began the game on fire swiftly moving the basketball to find open shooters leading to a 12-0 run, and they never looked back.
Shailah Adams, a rookie guard from Welland, made two of Brock’s four three-pointers in the first quarter, attributing to the Badgers shooting 61.5 per cent from the field compared to Algoma’s 5.9 per cent, leading to a massive 24-2 lead after one.
Brookelyn Keltos, the younger sister of Badgers basketball alumnus Samantha Keltos, continued Brock’s shooting dominance early in the second. The St. Catharines native nailed two of her game-high four three-pointers in quick succession as the rookie finished the game with career-highs in nearly every statistical category including points with 14.
Keltos’ shooting proficiency led the Badgers to a commanding 44-13 halftime lead, as the Brock bombardment continued in the third.
Madalyn Weinert, the OUA leading scorer, opened the frame on her own 7-0 run as the 2022 OUA Second-Team All-Star finished the game with a game-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals.
However, the Thunderbirds elevated their game offensively in the third, scoring 16 points, their only quarter scoring double-digit points.
Kaila Fong, guard for Algoma, scored seven of her team-high 11 points in the third which helped prevent the Badger lead from soaring even more as Brock had the 63-29 advantage through three quarters of play.
The fourth quarter was a bit of a different story as it featured both teams struggling to find their shooting stroke. The teams combined for only nine made field goals – three for Algoma and six for Brock – while shooting a combined 27.3 per cent from the field.
With the flurry of misses, it meant a great deal of rebounding opportunities, and the Badgers took advantage of the situation. Centre Madison McInnis grabbed nine of her game-high 14 rebounds in the fourth as the Badgers controlled the glass throughout the game, securing 48 rebounds compared to Algoma’s 35.
The great rebounding, shooting and bench production led to the massive 77-37 victory, which got the weekend started on the right foot for the Badgers before they faced the OUA West-leading Guelph Gryphons the following day.
Saturday’s contest versus Guelph began eerily similar to Friday’s game with the Badgers getting out to an early 6-2 lead. Brock’s lead eventually grew to 11-4, before the Gryphons cut it back down to four as the first quarter ended 15-11 for Brock.
In the second, both teams experienced shooting woes as they combined to shoot a dreadful 27.6 per cent, making only four field goals apiece. The bulk of the scoring in the quarter came at the free throw line. The Badgers made four of their six free throws, two by Weinert and two by Angeline Campbell, while the Gryphons made six.
The first half ended 27-25 in favour of the Badgers, but the Gryphons regained control in the third.
Guelph shot impressively well from behind the arc in the third, making three of four three-point attempts, while the Badgers only made one three-pointer and shot 35.7 per cent from the field.
The Gryphons ended the quarter on a 7-3 run to take the four-point lead entering the fourth when the Badgers miraculously found their shooting form.
Weinert was the leading force for the Badgers in the quarter, scoring 15 of her game-high 30 points on a perfect five-for-five shooting, including two three-pointers.
Campbell, Brock’s leader in three-pointers made, added two more threes in the frame, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Defensively, the Badgers did a great job at contesting shooters, limiting the Gryphons to a deficient 25 per cent shooting from the field.
The combo of timely defence and efficient shooting for the Badgers in the fourth quarter led to the comeback victory which now puts the Badgers only two games behind the TMU Bold for first in the OUA Central and tied for fifth in the entire OUA with a 9-4 record.
Next for the Badgers is a visit to York to take on the Lions this Friday. For a complete list of games, head to gobadgers.ca.