Tuesday, November 29th saw the Niagara Knights women's basketball program extend their winning streak to five games with an impressive 82-74 road victory over the Sheridan Bruins. The win moves the Knights to 6-2 on the season and into fourth place in the OCAA West Division.
"Sheridan is a young talented team, and they are very athletic" said Niagara Knights women's basketball head coach Mike Beccaria. "We are very pleased to come out with a victory tonight."
The Knights elected to utilize a smaller lineup to combat the athleticism of the Bruins roster. Beccaria continued "we were very happy with the way our younger players responded, particularly Lauren Frasca and Hannah Baker."
Frasca, a dual sport athlete out Notre Dame in Welland, joined the Knights after the completion of the OCAA soccer season. She finished with six points and three rebounds. Baker (Thorold), meanwhile has seen her role with the Knights expand as the season has progressed, she played a season high 29 minutes against the Bruins and is averaging four points, three rebounds, and two assists per game this season.
Leading the way offensively for Niagara was veteran forward Mary Ingribelli (St. Catharines) who finished with a career high 28 points. This marks the second time in three games that the former Governor Simcoe standout has recorded a career best performance. Ingribelli is enjoying a sensational 2017-18 season, averaging better than 18 points per game. She was also named last week's OCAA women's basketball athlete of the week.
Fifth year point guard Courtney Kilyk (Fonthill) recorded her second double-double of the season finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Leah Bracken (St. Catharines) finished with 16 points, and Hope Brown (Monomills) rounded out the double digit scorers with 11.
The Knights are currently ranked No. 6 in the OCAA weekly rankings. The team has two crucial games remaining before heading into the mid-season break. Niagara will host the undefeated Humber Hawks on December 8th and the Fanshawe Falcons on December 13th. Tip-off for both games is set for 6:00pm.
