Oct. 30 Niagara College report: Basketball, volleyball; AOTW; ReuKnighted
The Niagara College Knights women’s basketball team improved to 2-1 in Ontario Colleges Athletic Association action with a 59-33 victory over Sheridan.
Leading the way for Niagara were: Taryn Mitchell with 12 points and seven boards; Molly Taylor with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists; and, Lexxus Bell with eight points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Earlier in the week, Niagara dropped a 66-54 decision to Humber.
Topping the stat sheet for Niagara were: Mitchell with 12 points and seven rebounds; Janee Harrison with 10 points and seven rebounds; Jamira Rousseau with eight points; and, Kate Roth, Bell and Wily Coyishakiye with six points apiece.
“The team competed hard in both games. We still have a lot of growing to do as a team and a program,” Niagara head coach Chris Rao said. “We have the right people and we have the talent, we need to be more consistent in our fundamentals of the game on both ends of the floor. We will clean it up and be better moving forward. Overall, I’m pleased with where we are at currently and want to see us continue to improve with a really tough test in Lambton at the end of the week.”
Niagara hosts Lambton Friday at 6 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Niagara’s men’s basketball squad (2-1) had a perfect week, knocking off Humber 91-82 and Sheridan 98-94.
Against Humber: Kenneth Reckley Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds; Raheem Dennis had 19 points and five steals; and, Reggie Williams, Ethan Alino Dela Cruz and Khayden Stewart each scored 10 points.
“A big win in a very tough environment. Our guys finished a very tightly contested game with great effort and solid decision making,” Niagara head coach Phil Mosley said.
Performing well against Sheridan were: Simon Ricketts Ewen with 21 points and 11 rebounds; Dennis with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists; Reckley Jr. with 12 points and six rebounds; Alino Dela Cruz with 11 points; Riley Bleich with eight points and three rebounds in nine minutes of playing time.
“A very solid road win against a perennial tough opponent. We are finding ways to pull out wins in close games and building confidence in our systems,” he said.
Niagara hosts Lambton Friday at 8 p.m.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Niagara’s women’s volleyball team (3-0) remained perfect in OCAA action with a 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-18 and 25-23) of Boreal and a 3-2 victory over Cambrian.
Leading the way for Niagara were: Hope Nicholson with 13 kills and 14 points; Emma Gmoser with 11 points, 13 digs and five kills; Sam Cormier with 10 kills and 10 points; Montanna Taylor with 16 assists; and, Kyrah Cameron wit 12 digs.
“I’m very pleased with the way the team performed this weekend. We came out strong and were consistent against Boreal winning three straight sets. First-year Emmah Gmoser had a huge impact on our success with her consistent passing and getting five kills to start her college career off with,” Niagara head coach Elaine Pilgrim-Susi said. “The whole team played well together and it was great to see our team implementing our game plan so effectively.”
There was no boxscore available for the Cambrian game. “We started with great intensity and focus against Cambrian in the first set, however, we had a few struggles in our second and third sets and were unable to close the door when we had the lead,” she said. “We added first-year middle Sam Cormier to the lineup in Set 4, who dominated the front row and brought a new energy to the court. Montanna Taylor lead the team with five solo blocks and got us some key points when we needed them most. Overall, we know what we need to work on to prepare for Conestoga this weekend, but I’m very happy to come out with two wins from the north.”
Niagara hosts Conestoga Saturday at 1 p.m.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Niagara’s men’s volleyball team (3-0) continued to roll with a 3-1 win (25-17, 25-15, 23-25 and 25-21) over Boreal and a 3-2 shading of Cambrian.
Top performers for Niagara against Boreal were: Mitch Churipuy with 16 points, 10 kills and seven digs; Elijah Bugiardini with 15 points and 10 kills; Matthew Perron with 27 assists; and, Jordan Schroeder with 14 digs.
“Ultimate team win this weekend. Everyone contributed to the success of the team in both Boreal and Cambrian matches,” Niagara head coach Steve Stone said. “It’s nice coming away from a doubleheader weekend 2-0.”
Niagara hosts Conestoga Saturday at 3 p.m.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Named Niagara’s athletes of the week were Gmoser and Reckley.
“Emmah had an influencing weekend against Boreal and Cambrian. She played seven of eight sets between the two games and dominated against Boreal with five kills and perfect passes. She continued her strong performance against Cambrian coming off the bench in the second set. She was able to showcase her great serves, accurate hits and consistent passing,” Pilgrim-Susi said.
Reckley had a great week.
“Kenneth was a dominant force on the court in both games this week. He led the team against Humber with 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. He went 5-8 from the three-point line and 3-4 from the free-throw line. He followed this strong performance up with another great game on Saturday against the Bruins. After a tough start with a couple of sloppy fouls against him, he came off the bench in the second half with 12 points, six rebounds and a block,” Mosley said.
REUKNIGHTED
Former Niagara College athletes and members of the college’s alumni community are invited to attend ReuKnighted 2023 Nov. 3-4 at the Welland Campus.
The event launches with an exclusive tailgate party on Nov. 3 in which those gathered will reminisce, reconnect, sample delicious food, snap photos and win fantastic prizes.
Following the tailgate party, a lineup of athletic events will be held in the gym as well as campus tours and post-game festivities.
Tickets are $10 and youth (12 and under) are free. The first 100 alumni to register will receive a special gift and those who purchase tickets before Friday, Oct. 20 will be entered into a draw for a Knights-themed gift basket valued at $250. Tickets are available via Eventbrite here.
