Gryphon basketball women take two from Algoma
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons remained undefeated in 2022 as they scored a pair of one-sided victories over the Algoma Thunderbirds in OUA women’s basketball play at the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre on the weekend.
The Gryphs claimed a 93-45 victory Friday night and followed that up with an 83-41 win Saturday afternoon.
Guelph Gryphons 93 Algoma 45 (Fri)
Guelph Gryphons 83 Algoma 41 (Sat)
Most of Algoma’s points Friday came from a third quarter in which the Thunderbirds outscored the Gryphs 23-18. The visitors were held to less than 10 points in each of the other three quarters.
The hosts had run to a 28-6 lead by the end of the first quarter and extended it to 50-14 at halftime.
Six players hit double digits in scoring for the Gryphs who substituted five players for five midway through each quarter during the weekend’s pair of games.
MacKeely Shantz led the locals Friday with 15 points while Burke Bechard had 14, Natalie Vigna had 12, Lucy Tesseyman had 11 and Skyla Minaker and Trinity Papamandjaris had 10. Renee Armstrong grabbed eight rebounds while Tesseyman had seven and Shantz had six. Shantz also had five assists and four steals and Papamandjaris had a block.
Thais Matte collected 16 points for Algoma while Megan Looney had 15. Looney brought down a game-high 16 rebounds while Matte had three steals.
The Gryphs shot 47 per cent on field goals, 31 per cent on three-pointers and 85 per cent on free throws and also grabbed a total of 41 rebounds and 14 steals.
Algoma shot 32 per cent on both field goals and three-pointers and 75 per cent on free throws and had 28 rebounds and seven steals.
It was much of the same Saturday as the Gryphs ran to a 27-8 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 43-20 at halftime. Again the third quarter was the best for Algoma, but the Thunderbirds didn’t outscore the Gryphs this time as the hosts added four points to the gap, leaving the advantage at 61-34 at the end of the third quarter.
On a day when the Gryphs honoured their three graduating seniors – Bechard, Reece Mungar and Minaker – those three combined for 53 points. Bechard led the hosts with 24 while Mungar had 17 and Minaker collected five. Shantz had 12 and Armstrong nine.
Shantz also had eight rebounds while Julia Colavecchia had seven and Tesseyman blocked a pair of shots. Minaker and Armstrong each had three steals.
Stephanie Marin had 12 points for Algoma while Matte and Looney each had 11. Looney also latched onto nine rebounds while Matte and Darryn Lindquist had seven apiece. Matte and Gracie Batongbakual each had three assists and Lindquist had two steals.
The Gryphs didn’t shoot as well Saturday as they hit 38 per cent on field goals, 36 per cent on three-pointers and 80 per cent on free throws. They also had 43 rebounds and 14 steals.
The Thunderbirds shot 31 per cent on field goals, 36 per cent on three-pointers and 33 per cent on free throws. They also had 31 rebounds and five steals.
The results leave the Gryphs third in the nine-team West Division at 7-3 and Algoma ninth at 1-11.
The Gryphs have four games left on their regular season, two against the sixth-place Laurier Golden Hawks (4-8) and two against the second-place Western Mustangs (11-1).
They’re to host Laurier Wednesday at 6 p.m. and play at Laurier Friday at 6 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal