THUNDER BAY – It’s hard to believe there were 10 lead changes in the opening half as Lakehead hosted Brock on the penultimate night of the OUA women’s basketball regular season.
Deadlocked at 18 after one, the No. 8 Thunderwolves pulled away in the second quarter to lead by nine at the half and thoroughly dominated the final 20 minutes and went on to a 90-53 win that saw all but one LU player light up the scoreboard at least once.
It was all about building on and maintaining momentum into the OUA playoffs, set to get under way next week.
“These games are important, but it’s also good because it’s preparing us for the next level that we have to go to. So we’re working on our defence now and our offence. We’ve got to make it clean and sharp for the next team,” said second-year guard Tiffany Reynolds, who chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds, one of four players in double digits for the home side.
Fellow guard Nikki Ylagan, a long-distance weapon the Wolves will need to find her range when their playoff run kicks off next Saturday at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse, helped break open a one-point game in the second with her second of three three-pointers and matched Reynolds with 13.
Ylagan, a junior, said with no chance to move up or down in the standings, the second-place Thunderwolves, who have a first-round bye, want to avoid getting into bad habits and perfect their play before hitting the court against a yet-to-be-determined playoff opponent.
“I think it was really good practice to help us get ready for next weekend. Brock is a very physical and fast team – and they’re very strong,” Ylagan said.
“I think it’s going to help us get that physicality and get ready for playoffs.”
It was a back-and-forth affair for the first 15 minutes or so, the Wolves unable to contain Brock’s all-star guard Melissa Tatti, the third-leading scorer in the OUA who also leads the league with 4.3 steals a night.
Tatti scored nine in the first quarter, then hit a couple deep threes, the second of which gave the Badgers a 27-24 advantage.
That’s when the Thundrewolves clamped down.
Tatti did not find the basket again in the contest and not coincidentally, Lakehead began to build its lead.
“We shut her down after that,” said veteran LU coach Jon Kreiner, in his 16th season behind the Thunderwolves bench.
Kreiner said he would have liked a smoother start, but admitted he liked the way his squad kept its composure, but not once did anyone press the panic button.
“I think what we are doing well right now is we’re coming out ready to play the game. We have a good game plan and we’re not scoreboard watching. We’re ready to play,” Kreiner said. “I was a little disappointed with a couple of things that happened in the first quarter. I think we could have held Brock down a little bit.”
Leashja Grant was her usual workhorse self for Lakehead (19-4), putting up 19 points and 14 boards for the double-double, while Karissa Kajorinne had 18. The Wolves, who out-rebounded the Badgers 44 to 26, will wrap up regular-season play on Saturday evening against Brock (11-12), celebrating senior’s night.
