THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Thunderwolves beat the teams they’re expected to beat.
They’ve got tey hat down pat.
It’s a different story when they’re playing teams ahead of them in the standings.
Despite a furious second- and third-quarter comeback on Friday night that saw the Wolves erase a 26-11 deficit, they fell flat in the fourth and fell 74-62 to the No. 6 McMaster Marauders at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse. It was Lakehead's third straight defeat and McMaster's ninth straight win.
It’s something the Wolves have to overcome if they want their playoff run to last longer than a game or two. They’ve got to find a way to beat teams like McMaster, Windsor, Carleton and Queen’s.
“I think it comes from the double team,” said forward Leasjha Grant, a leading candidate for OUA most valuable player who contributed 26 points and 15 rebounds on the night, her 18th double-double in 19 games.
However, the Bahamian import was held off the score sheet in the crucial fourth, McMaster turning a two-point lead into a 12-point triumph.
“I think when we pass it out, we’re not ready to shoot. Or we stumble a lot when they get surprised and I pass the ball. We’ve just got to be ready on that end. When the double team comes, everybody panics.”
Coach Jon Kreiner agreed his Wolves have had a tough go of it against top 10 competition in 2017-18.
He’s hoping to correct that in Saturday night’s rematch, LU’s annual Think Pink contest in support of breast-cancer research.
“We have one more chance before playoffs, tomorrow, so we’ve got to see what we can do to change that,” he said.
While the Marauders had a tough time containing Grant for most of the night – other than forcing a couple of quick fouls in the first that sent her to the sidelines for the final six minutes of the period – they had little else to worry about, especially when the Thunderwolves fired away from beyond the arc.
Lakehead (12-7) only managed to hit three of 20 three-pointers, while McMaster (15-4) made good on 11.
Down 17 early in the second, the Wolves slowly began to claw their way back into the contest, closing the gap to nine by the half. A quick 8-0 run early in the third made it 42-38, Grant later pulling the two -teams even 46-46, stealing the ball back after her own basket and laying it in for the equalizer.
LU trailed by two after the third, but McMaster pulled away early, thanks to threes by Lexie Spadafora and Jelena Mamic, who tied for the team lead with 13 points.
A 10-0 run pushed the lead to 13 and it stayed in double digits the rest of the way.
The fourth quarter also provided the feel-good story of the night. Homegrown star Katelyn Andrea, who missed all of last season with a broken foot and then was sidelined since September with what was originally deemed a season-ending knee injury, made a triumphant return to the court. She scored her first regular-season basket in nearly two years early in the final quarter and was all smiles afterward.
“It feels really, really good,” Andrea said. “It’s something I worked really hard to try to accomplish. I didn’t want to push myself too hard trying to come back. If it wasn’t going happen, I wouldn’t be here. I’m giving it all I’ve got right now and hopefully I can help my team with their playoff run.”
Lily Gruber-Schulz had eight points and 11 rebounds for Lakehead. Olivia Wilson had 13 points and 10 rebounds for McMaster.
