With a loss to St. Clair College in the 2014-15 OCAA bronze quarter-final game, the Niagara College women's basketball season is now complete.
Closely-decided contests were the theme for the Knights this season, as 10 of their 18 regular season matches were decided by 10 points or less, leading Niagara to an 11-7 overall record on the year.
At the half-way mark of the season, the Knights were 4-5 and searching for answers. It was the presence of captains Miranda Ross (St. Catharines) and Alyssa McCabe (Niagara Falls) playing key leadership roles that helped Niagara start a season-high five game win streak.
"One of our biggest strengths was the leadership from our captains," said Mike Beccaria, who just completed his second season as head coach. "They helped get the team together for the entire season."
By defeating the Loyalist Lancers 64-49 in the OCAA crossover match, the Knights advanced to the OCAA championship for the first time in five seasons.
Individually, Niagara was led by standout rookie forward Courtney McPherson (Welland). As a rookie, the early childhood education major put together one of the best regular seasons by a Knights rookie, leading the program in five statistical categories: point per game (12.9), total points (233), rebounds (187), rebounds per game (10.4), and field goal percentage (49.2).
McPherson finished the season ranked 13th in the province in points-per-game, and third in rebounds-per-game. More impressively, her 10.4 rebounds per game were good enough for seventh best in the entire Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
After finishing the 2013-14 season ranked third in the OCAA with 4.6 assists-per-game, former Niagara College female rookie of the year award recipient Alyssa McCabe led the OCAA with a career-best 5.6 assists-per-game. The five-foot-five floor general became only the second player in OCAA history to record 100 or more assists in a regular season.
Fellow captain Miranda Ross led the OCAA with an incredible 2.1 blocks-per-game. Since the OCAA began keeping track of blocks as a statistical category in 2007-08, Ross is the first Niagara College Knight to lead the province in blocks-per-game and total blocks.
Off the hardwood, Ross was very active in getting the Knights involved throughout the community. As an active member in the Knights Chivalry program, Ross helped organize a fundraiser by teaming up with the Hope Centre of Welland and by organizing basketball clinics for local youth programs.
Along with McCabe, McPherson and Ross, second year guard's Mary Ingribelli (St. Catharines), Anna Jaworowicz (Midland), and fourth year forward Kaitlyn McPherson (Welland) played in all 18 games this season.
Both Ingribelli and Jaworowicz finished the year setting new career best numbers. Ingribelli finished with 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds-per-game. Her 27.8 three point shot percentage ranked first on the team.
Jaworowicz set career-highs with 4.5 points and 2.8 rebounds-per-game. Shooting 70 percent from the free throw line ranked her second on the team.
