Badgers earn first-round bye
It continues to be Home Sweet Home for the Brock Badgers women’s basketball team.
With an 82-66 victory over the visiting Nipissing Lakers (3-19) Saturday night, the Badgers concluded the Ontario University Athletics regular season with a perfect 11-0 record at the Bob (Bob Davis Gymnasium). More importantly, with the win, Brock (17-5) clinched first place in the OUA Central Division and earned a first-round playoff bye.
As is the case almost every Brock game, OUA-leading scorer Madalyn Weinert was the star of the game with 29 points. 10 assists, seven rebounds and six blocks but the contributions Friday night of Madison MacInnis didn’t go unnoticed.
Off to a sluggish start and trailing Nipissing 25-24 in the second quarter, MacInnis contributed an assist, two defensive rebounds and a block in a three-minute stretch to help Brock grab a 35-25 lead. Her play contributed to Brock going on an 18-0 run which effectively decided the game no matter how one-sided the reffing was against the Badgers.
The third-year forward from Kingston finished with four rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists in 19 minutes of playing time.
“I needed her for 40 minutes. She is a great player,” Brock head coach Mike Rao said. “She did a bunch of good things and she does all that. If it wasn’t for her, we were in trouble tonight.”
MacInnis’ playing time can go to 30 minutes from five minutes a game but she always gives the Badgers valuable minutes.
“She gives us rebounding, leadership, defensive play, just everything.”
Rao likes how her game is evolving.
“She is progressing really well and I would like to see the rest of us catch up to her a little bit.”
The 21-year-old MacInnis is ready to contribute in any way she can.
“I try to keep team morale up, I am trying to be everybody’s friend and I am trying to make everybody enjoy coming to practice every day,” the teacher education major said. “I might not get the most minutes on the floor but I am grinding every day in practice and trying to keep everybody up.”
She knows she has to be ready to play a little or a lot.
“I know I am a role player. I am going to play a role on defence and if my team needs me to do that, that is my role. I am going to get four minutes some nights based on the lineup of the other team and I take that role with pride. I play hard defence and Rao puts me in a position to succeed.”
Her role requires zero ego and she can’t sulk and think she deserves more playing time.
“I don’t think I do to be honest,” she said, with a laugh. “If he calls my name, I am going to go out and get boards and work on defence. The baskets will come if they come. And if they don’t, they don’t.”
She feels her game has evolved over time.
“I think I am not afraid to score. Growing up I was always a defensive player and I was afraid to score and shoot in practice and in games.”
MacInnis has a simple explanation for the Badgers’ success.
“We literally love each other so much and I have never been on a team like this. Everyone comes to practice and wants to be with each other every single day even outside of practice.”
Rao was happy to clinch first in the division although he wasn’t thrilled with how it happened.
“We didn’t play very well tonight. It was kind of an ugly game.”
He isn’t sure why his team plays so well at home.
“We seem to pull it out here. Do we play our best here? No but we seem to play OK here.”
MacInnis has an explanation for the home-court dominance.
“We love the energy. Our fans bring a lot of energy and we have a lot of parents who travel to come watch us play.”
STATS PACK
Badgers 82 Lakers 66
BPSN Player of the Game: Brock Madalyn Weinert with 29 points and a plethora of other stats.
For the Brock Badgers: Weinert 29; Tito Akinnusi 14; Angeline Campbell 10; Keren Tshinyama Kasonga 7.
For the Nipissing Lakers: Chantal Piche 18; Megan McCarter 18.
Game stats: Shooting percentage: Brock 51.5, Nipissing 29. Free throws: Brock 7-11, Nipissing 21-24. Rebounds: Brock 32, Nipissing 33. Turnovers: Brock 13, Nipissing 18.
Up next: Brock (17-5) gets first-round playoff bye and hosts Windsor or Toronto Metropolitan next Saturday at 2 p.m. in the OUA quarter-finals.
