November 23, 2024
SARNIA/WINDSOR, ON: The Knights women's basketball team travelled to Sarnia on Friday and Windsor on Saturday for a two-game matchup against the Lambton Lions and the St. Clair Saints. The Knights brought their a-game on Friday evening, beating last year's OCAA gold medalists 66-46 in their home gym then taking down the Saints the next day with a final score of 47-39.
The starting five for the Knights combined for 58 of the team's 66 points putting on an offensive clinic in the second and third quarters. The Knights started the game strong holding the Lions to a mere 6 points in the 1st quarter while doubling the total for themselves. Niagara took the lead with the first basket of the game and never looked back, winning each of the quarters.
Janee Harrison had yet another strong game tallying 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block for her second double-double of the season. Destiny Paquin made a huge impact with her second start of the season for the Knights, adding 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
The Knights had a quick turnaround as they hopped on the bus and travelled to Windsor to prepare for a game against the St. Clair Saints the following afternoon. The exhaustion from a long road trip showed in this game, as the Knights relied on their bench much more heavily with 9 different Knights counting at least one basket.
The Knights once again held the home team to a mere 6 points in the 1st quarter, as St. Clair struggled to find the basket shooting 12.5% in the 1st quarter, compared to the Knights' 42.1%. The Saints came out of the half time break with some ice in their veins, winning both the 3rd and 4th quarters by 2 points each, however the Knight's lead in the first half was just too much for the Saints to overcome.
Jamira Rousseau was a strong leader in this game, running the offence and creating scoring chances when the shot clock dwindled down to the dying seconds. She had a very balanced stat line of 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Griffin Lack-Shane came off the bench to play 18 minutes, contributing 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.
The Knights are now 6-1 on the season, tied with the Humber Hawks for the top spot in the OCAA West division standings. They will look to continue their win streak when they travel to Ancaster on Wednesday evening to play the Redeemer Royals. Tipoff is scheduled for 8pm at the Redeemer Athletic Centre Gymnasium.
