Thunderwolves open Halifax tournament with lopsided victory

HALIFAX -- It was holiday magic in Halifax for Jon Kreiner’s Lakehead Thunderwolves.

The Wolves, led by Jylisa Williams’ 23 – in just three quarters of action nonetheless – rolled to a lopsided 92-48 women’s basketball win over Calgary's Mount Royal Cougars on Sunday to open the Thunder Selects Holiday Classic at Saint Mary’s University’s Homburg Centre.

Williams, the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 30 points a game, was by no means the only weapon unveiled by Lakehead, who got 13 from Blair McNaughton and a dozen from homegrown talent Katelyn Andrea.

The Wolves scored in spurts, with four runs of nine or more points in the victory, which earned LU a Monday date with Brock in the tournament semifinal, a team they'll open the second half against on Jan. 9 at the Thunderdome. Brock downed Dalhousie 86-67 in Game 2.

It was a great way to shake the rust off said the second-year McNaughton, a Kitchener, Ont. native.

“It was just a really good team effort. We just played really well,” McNaughton said, after scoring all 13 of her points in the second half, including a trio of three-pointers.

“We just kept at it and I thought it was an overall good win for us.”

Her success was music to Kreiner’s ears.

His team, which posted a 4-3 record in an OUA first half that saw them ranked as high as 11th in the country, struggled mightily from long distance all season long.

He’s hoping the likes of McNaughton and fifth-year guard Katie Ulakovic, who hit a pair of three-pointers of her own in Sunday’s win, can help relieve some of the offensive pressure on Williams, the team’s clear go-to player.

“(Blair) has the potential to be our best three-point shooter. She worked hard over Christmas. We told her what we wanted her to do and we needed her to get in shape. She was looking good out there,” Kreiner said.

“She was one of our best players at practice a couple of nights ago in Thunder Bay and we need her going.”

The 12th-year coach was also impressed with the play of rookie August Ricketts, who scored all nine of her points in the first half, hauling in a dozen rebounds.

So too was Williams.

The Atlanta native, who scored four straight hoops to start the second quarter and push the LU lead to 20 points, said it’s important for the bench to contribute like they did against the Cougars.

“That’s a plus right there,” Williams. “August is a freshman and just showed her potential right there. Obviously I’m always in her ear trying to build her confidence. I know her potential. She’s a great player and she has a lot to come.” 

In fact, with Williams on the bench for the entire fourth quarter, the Wolves were able to increase their lead.

McNaughton said the Thunderwolves aim is to re-establish themselves in the national championship conversation.
The tournament is a great stepping stone, she said.  

“I said to the girls, I really, really wanted to prove something coming here,” McNaughton said. “We want to prove ourselves and this was a good win for that.”

The one-sided victory spoiled the Halifax homecoming of a trio of Citadel High School freshmen, who joined the Cougars en masse to start the season.

The Wolves held rookie guard Jayla Verney to just seven points, the first time this season she’s failed to crack double digits.

Tyleigha Nelson was held off the score sheet altogether, while Desiree Oakley managed just six points. Together the three players led Citadel to a 100-0 record over three high-school seasons, capturing three Nova Scotia provincial crowns.

Beyond the arc: The Wolves played without centre Essa Jacobsen, though she is expected back after the Christmas break … Lakehead made 22 turnovers, a number Kreiner would like to see decrease on Monday … Every player on the LU roster scored at least two points in the win.