SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Leashja Grant is making a pretty good case to be the OUA women’s basketball first-half most valuable player.
The first-year Lakehead Thunderwolves forward leads the league in scoring and rebounds and was at it again on Saturday in a dominating road performance against the Algoma Thunderbirds.
Grant, a former NCAA starter, scored 27 points and added 12 rebounds, completing her sixth straight double-double to lead LU to an 84-52 win.
The Bahamian native’s feat was that much more impressive given that she only spent 20 minutes on the court, coach Jon Kreiner choosing to rest all of his starters for much of the match, knowing he’s got No. 4 Carleton and Ottawa headed to the Thunderdome next weekend.
The victory helped the Wolves keep pace with Windsor atop the OUA West standings, both teams checking in at 5-1.
“It was a good weekend for us. We’ve put together a nice five-game win streak and had a chance to get Rachel (Webber) and Tiffany (Reynolds) back into the flow after a long absence from the game,” said Lakehead coach Jon Kreiner, in a release issued by the team.
Both players missed time in the pre-season and early stages of the OUA schedule battling injuries. Webber collected seven points, while Reynolds had four points, four boards and three assists coming off the bench.
Nikki Ylagan had 13 for LU, second to Grant’s total in the matinee contest.
Marlee Ball and Karina Cole had 12 points apiece for Algoma (0-8).
