WINDSOR, Ont. - The Sheridan Bruins women's basketball team (16-8, 10-3 OCAA) split their second half-opening road swing through southwestern Ontario, dropping a 67-56 decision to Lambton before bouncing back with a 79-68 victory over St. Clair.
"It was an okay road trip. We stumbled a bit out of the gates against Lambton and couldn't really find our legs or the focus to win that game," head coach Sean Douglas said. "Our girls need to understand that the OCAA West is a grind and you don't get to the gym and win games just because you defeated that team in the first semester. You must show up and perform every night.
"The girls seemed like they got the message and we were able to get a gritty win against a tough and well-coached St. Clair team. I think we know we're a very deep and talented bunch, but we get blinded by our athletic ability and forget about the little things like fundamentals and defensive principles. It's my job to prepare them and even if some things may seem basic and boring, they all need to buy-in and realize that it's needed in order to maximize our productivity on the court."
Against Lambton, the Bruins fell into an early hole, as the home side connected on nine of their 16 first quarter attempts from the floor to lead 21-12. A renewed effort defensively allowed Sheridan to flip the narrative in the second, trimming their deficit to one, 31-30, at the break.
Nearing the end of the third quarter Lambton was able to stretch out to the nine-point advantage, and the Double Blue didn't shoot a high enough percentage in the final frame to make serious run.
Three Sheridan players scored in double figures, led by Theresa Brown (13), and followed by Sydney Charvis (12) and Courtni Martin (10).
For as much didn't go well against Lambton, that trend reversed against St. Clair, as the Bruins shot 43.5 per cent from the field, converted more than 80 per cent of their free throws for the third time this season, and held the home side to under 30 per cent shooting.
It was relatively comfortable win that could have been secured much sooner had they prevented St. Clair from having a hot night from the perimeter (12-38 from 3-point range).
Brown (25) and Charvis (18) led the attack once again, while Corrine Fotopoulos was also in double figures with 11.
The club will have time to work out some of their kinks, playing only once in the next 15 days when they host Conestoga on Jan. 19 (4pm). Following that they will kick off a busy 18-day stretch where they will play their final six games with a vist from Niagara on Jan. 29.
Blue notes: After scoring 38 points in the two games, Theresa Brown moved past Samantha Lovat and into third place on the team's all-time scoring list with 688.