The Brock women’s basketball season opened with a bang as the Badgers defeated the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 72-67.
Right out of the gate, the Bob Davis Gymnasium was rocking as Badger fans made their presence known from tip-off. The Badgers have had their way with the Varsity Blues in past years, winning their last 10 matchups dating back to 2018.
Throughout the first half, the story remained the same. The Badgers held control, leading 17-12 after the first frame. Everyone was chipping in for Head Coach Shae Dheensaw’s team, including an early three-pointer from Ava Stranges and some paint points from Vienna Vercesi. It was all Badgers for most of that quarter until the Varsity Blues were able to chip away near the closing minutes.
The second quarter had a similar outcome, however, the Badgers’ defence turned it up a few notches, holding the University of Toronto to only nine points in the frame. Fans were patiently waiting for an inevitable explosion from Madalyn Weinert, as up until that point, she hadn’t displayed her typical M.V.P. performance. Fortunately for Brock, she would begin to heat up, dominating on defence as well as the offensive glass. Weinert was outstanding on the defensive end that night. Aside from a couple of silly fouls, the all-star had a flawless showing, creating havoc for the opposing side with her intimidating presence around the rim and knack for intercepting passes. She finished the game with a jarring 16 rebounds, six steals and five blocks. Although those types of numbers aren’t anything new for her, Weinert continues to cement herself as one of the best players in OUA women’s basketball history.
Despite Weinert’s individual dominance, the team was putting in a shift on the defensive end. Dheensaw implemented a full-court press, pushing the Badgers’ defence up the court, allowing them to pressure the Varsity Blue’s ball handlers. This worked to perfection as players like Jamie Addy and Shailah Adams thrive in full-court traps with their pesky hands and ability to read the floor. Adams would finish the game with three steals of her own as the Badgers team would rack up an impressive 16 steals as a team. If there was anything to critique for the Badgers’ defence, it would be their lack of awareness when fouling. There were some occasions late in the shot clock when players would commit useless fouls, leading to a Varsity Blues possession or free throw.
At halftime, the Badgers would hold on to a 32-21 lead.
In the second half, the Varsity Blues were the ones who came out swinging. Zi Wang would punish the Badgers on the glass, helping Toronto cut the lead down to five at the quarter’s end.
Toronto was having its way with the Badgers on offence. What they lacked on offence in the first half was clicking in the second. Despite shooting a dreadful 1-13 from three-point land in the game, the Varsity Blues got their offence flowing with some transition and paint points.
For the fourth quarter, it became apparent that it was Weinert and Adam’s time to shine. Before midway through the fourth, the Badgers had gone away from what was working on offence, getting it to their M.V.P. down low for a paint touch. Weinert was bullying the Varsity Blues for the whole game, and when they went back to that game plan, it was all but over. Weinert tallied a game-high 30 points, highlighted by several clutch buckets down the stretch to seal the game.
Her running mate, Adams, had a fourth quarter of her own, nailing a dagger three-pointer to extend the Badgers’ lead late. When that shot went in, Bob Davis Gymnasium erupted, filling with roars along with some emotion from Adams herself.
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When the final buzzer sounded, the Badgers were able to breathe, shrugging off the Varsity Blues in a contest that became closer than they had hoped for. Despite being early in the season, the Brock looked poised in their home opener. If they can build on this performance and string some wins together, Brock could be among the most dangerous teams in the OUA.