Feb. 10 Niagara College Sports Report
A bronze medal in mixed doubles curling at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championships earned Julia Markle and Noah LeBrun Niagara College Female and Male Athlete of the Week honours.
The pair finished fourth in round-robin action with a record of 4-3, lost to Sault 1 in the quarter-finals and then beat Mohawk in the bronze medal game.
Niagara’s other mixed doubles team, made up of Will Mitchell and Victoria Pedro, finished round-robin action in eighth place with a record of 0-7.
Niagara’s men’s team, made up of Carter Chopin, Joshua Custers, Aidan Luk and Tyler Ramos, completed round-robin action in sixth place with a record of 2-5 and didn’t qualify for playoffs.
The women’s squad, which included Alexa Desrochers, Briana Szigeto-Jonasson, Paige Taylor, Julia Reichelt and Carmen Warboys, finished fourth in round-robin play with a 2-3 record and then lost to Fanshawe in the quarter-finals and Mohawk in the bronze medal game.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The host Niagara Knights women’s volleyball team advanced to the OCAA quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory (18-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20 and 15-12) over the Canadore Panthers.
“What a thrilling game for the fans to watch and a little different for the individuals involved. I’m so proud of the girls, they showed incredible grit and belief in themselves knowing they were more than capable,” Niagara head coach Steve Stone said. “We look forward to being able to host again and we’ll prepare this week and be ready.”
Leading the way for Niagara were: Abbey Gooder with 11 points on 10 kills, 14 digs, one block and an assist; Montanna Taylor with 14 points on nine kills, 20 assists, 18 digs, three service aces and two blocks; and, Natalie Little with 10 points on eight kills, 13 digs, two assists, a service ace and a block.
The Knights host the Redeemer Royals Saturday at 8 p.m.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Niagara’s men’s volleyball team punched its ticket to the OCAA quarter-finals with a 3-0 win (25-19, 25-20 and 25-23) over the Durham Lords.
“So proud of the guys for coming prepared and ready to execute when it mattered. Their composure and engagement, with an emphasis on ball control, were excellent and it’s nice to advance in the playoffs, one step closer to our goal of a Final Four appearance,” head coach Stone said.
Top performers for Niagara were: Mitch Churipuy with 11 points on nine kills, two digs, two service aces and a assist; Wizdom Smith with 12 points on 11 kills, a block and an assist; and, Matthew Perron with six points on two kills, 31 assists, two service aces, two digs and two blocks.
Niagara is at the Humber Hawks Saturday at 3 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Knights women’s basketball team (14-2) clinched first place in the OCAA West Division with a 67-49 victory over the Redeemer Royals.
The number of regular season wins is a school record for the women’s basketball team.
“Very proud of the girls continued focus and effort in closing out the season,” head coach Kimbal Mackenzie said. “We are thrilled to be 14-2, but have bigger goals ahead.”
Topping the stat sheet for the Knights were: Janee Harrison with 16 points, three rebounds, one assist, three steals and a block in 22 minutes; Taryn Mitchell with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block in 25 minutes; and, Destiny Paquin with nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 17 minutes.
“We went into the game with the right mindset and got the dub. Obviously it was an emotional night for the seniors but I think that pumped us up even more,” said Niagara player of the game Emma Laszlok. “This was a good game for us. It was a good opportunity for us to work on our game and try new things going into playoffs. I think I can speak for all of us and say we are all pumped for playoffs.”
Niagara hosts the St. Lawrence Surge Saturday at 2 p.m. in qualifying action.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The fifth-place men’s basketball team (10-8) concluded the regular season with an 88-66 victory over Redeemer and a 85-73 triumph versus the Canadore Panthers.
“We capped off our regular season with a solid road win up north. We were able to play a lot of guys and had some first-year guys step up in the win,” Niagara head coach Lequan Hylton said. “Our post-season starts this week. We will watch a lot of film, practise hard and be prepared for Algonquin.”
Leading the way for Niagara against Redeemer were: Kadin Moore with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in 20 minutes; Mark Taylor with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and a block in 16 minutes; and, Raheem Dennis with 13 points, four rebounds, one steal and a block in 12 minutes.
Performing well versus Canadore were: Khayden Stewart with 13 points, four rebounds and nine assists in 30 minutes; Ryan Darkwah with 14 points, three rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in 18 minutes; and, Coltin Elwell with 14 points and an assist in 16 minutes.
Niagara is at Algonquin Saturday at 3 p.m.
