Beth Minielly attacks on offense / Brayden Swire
Posted: Mar 10, 2022
By: Jarrett Matthews
Reporter
Mountaineers women's basketball held their composure late in the game to defeat the Sheridan Bruins 74-65 in the OCAA Qualifying Round.
Mohawk started strong in the first half outscoring Sheridan 37-28, including 24 points off of three pointers.
In the second half, the Bruins made multiple pushes to try and take the lead but were answered by the Mountaineers each time. The team effort from Mohawk allowed them to stay focused and not get phased when the game got close.
"The biggest factor in our win was keeping our composure down the stretch, said head coach Hali Burns, who picked up her first career playoff victory in the OCAA.
Burns credited her team for battling for a full 40 minutes, along with managing the clock while being up.
Veteran guard Beth Minielly (London, ON) led the Mountaineers in scoring with 16 points and added seven rebounds.
"Beth was phenomenal today off the bench," Burns said. "She boxed out and rebounded extremely well and hit some really big shots for us."
First-year Celina Chung (Oakville, ON) continued to fill the box score with 10 points, 15 rebounds and four assists, while Tianna Stys (St. Catharines, ON) also contributed a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Donna-Marie Borja (Calgary, AB) played over 37 minutes and recorded 10 points and five assists for the Mountaineers. Borja and Brooke Turner (Blenheim, ON) were key late in the game making big baskets and key free throws.
Mohawk moved the ball exceptionally well for most of the game with 23 assists compared to Sheridan's 14.
The Mountaineers outrebounded the Bruins 62-54 and played great perimeter defence all night.
With the victory the Mountaineers advance to the OCAA Quarterfinals. They will travel to Etobicoke on Mar. 12 to play the Humber Hawks. Start time for the game is still to be determined.
