Thunderwolves finally ascend into CIS top 10

It’s been a long-hard climb for Jon Kreiner and the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

But the longtime women’s basketball coach isn’t about to let his team rest on its laurels, despite finally jumping into the CIS top 10, landing in the 10th spot this week after a winning their fourth straight contest to start the second half.

Still, he’ll celebrate the achievement, a first for the program, for a few seconds before setting his sights on the 0-11 Algoma Thunderbirds, who arrive at the Thunderdome on Friday night.

“It’s a great feeling,” Kreiner said Tuesday in a phone interview with CKPR Radio.

“I mean we knew in our hearts all along that we were a top 10 team, but it’s nice to officially get that recognition. We’ve been kind of hanging on to 11th for a lot of the year this year, but I think it’s overall mentally a little different when you’re ranked, actually.”

Getting there is one thing. Staying there is something completely different.

The Wolves ascended into to the top 10 rankings – as chosen by CIS coaches – at the expense of the Winnipeg Wesmen, who in turn earned their first berth in Week 3, when Concordia fell from grace.

In total 14 teams have been listed since the season began, led each week by the three-time reigning national champion Windsor Lancers.

Kreiner knows there’s a big target on the team’s back now.

He’s seen it with his own players over the years.

“The girls get up a little more to play a top 10 team. So with that bigger target comes a bigger responsibility to be more prepared, to be more ready and to live up to that coach’s vote,” Kreiner said.

The Thunderwolves are led by senior guard Jylisa Williams, who leads the nation in scoring. But even when teams slow her down, a rare feat this season, someone else has stepped up to answer the call.

Last Friday it was Thunder Bay’s own Katie Ulakovic, who dropped eight three-pointers as the Wolves rallied to edge the host Ottawa Gee Gees, a team that managed to hold Williams to a season-low 13 points.

If Ulakovic isn’t on, Essa Jacobsen and Katelyn Andrea have stepped in, while the return of fifth-year guard Corina Bruni – from Algoma ironically enough – has done wonders at both ends of the court.
Tenth place is nice, Kreiner said.

But the team has much loftier goals, especially with Williams and Ulakovic making their OUA curtain calls in 2014-15.

“We definitely feel the OUA is wide open. Laurier proved that with their win over Windsor. We have five teams in the top 10 in the OUA this year. It’s open, but maybe it’s at a higher level than it has been lately,” Kreiner said.

“I think our league will prepare any team for whoever makes it out of here to have a good run at nationals.”

Kreiner would love to follow in the footsteps of the men’s team, which made four consecutive trips to nationals from 2010 to 2013, finishing runner-up to Carleton in 2013.

“Certainly we’d love to finish in the top four of the OUA power ranking and give ourselves a bye and a chance to host a playoff game, which then gives us a better opportunity to do what we’re set up to do, which is to give ourselves the best chance to win an OUA championship.”

The OUA has two berths at nationals, slated for Laval, Que. in March. There is also a wild-card spot up for grabs.