Niagara Juel teams split in London
The Niagara Juel girls basketball team rebounded from an opening loss in London to record a victory against one of the top three teams in the league.
Niagara opened with a 61-42 loss to the Tri-County Soldiers before defeating the host London Ramblers 70-66.
“We had a very disappointing start to our weekend but ended on a very positive note. We were looking forward to this weekend after having some real good practices,” Niagara head coach Si Khounviseth said. “Losing the first game in the way we lost it was such a letdown. It was a three-point ball game with about eight minutes left in the game and we just completely fell apart.”
He felt his team’s start was indicative of how the game ended.
“We got down early and just really hurt ourselves with unforced errors and turnovers. We still stayed within striking distance but you just can’t continue to play casual and expect to come back all the time and win.”
Leading the way for Niagara against Tri-County were: Lita Sutor (Blessed Trinity) with eight points; Vendittelli (A.N. Myer) with five points and five rebounds; and, Reese Bolibruck (West Niagara) and Ava Briggs (Notre Dame) with five points each.
Against London, Niagara faced quarter deficits of 22-11, 42-30 and 51-48 before rallying for the victory.
“The second game started out the same but we completely turned it around after the first quarter. I thought we were just outstanding for the last three quarters. It was a complete team win by executing our game plan, competing and playing hard,” Khounviseth said. “The players played their roles and did their jobs.”
Top performers for Niagara were: Vendittelli with 23 points and six rebounds; Sutor with 15 points; Shania Hintenberger (Lakeshore Catholic) and Grace MacDonald (St. John Henry Newman) with nine points; and, Kate DeVries (Eden) with six points and six rebounds.
Niagara has a 5-7 record heading into games next weekend in Kingston
“It is halfway through the season and it is now about accepting what the team needs from you and putting the team first. We beat a top three team in the league and we have been seeing progress so it was very encouraging to get this win,” he said. “We want to continue to build on this and the players will have to continue to get better as we continue to work towards the league championships. Our defence was the difference and we made our shots.”
JUEL PREP
Niagara Juel Prep squad went 1-1 in games last weekend in London, defeating the Tri-County Soldiers 61-51 and falling 55-50 to the London Ramblers.
“The girls played two physical games this weekend. We had some trouble scoring but we were able to win our first game despite being down by 11 at half,” Niagara head coach Chris Moscato said. “Our second game was also difficult and we fell short in the end. We are looking forward to our remaining games this season.”
Leading the way for Niagara against Tri-County were: Camilla Moscato (Notre Dame) with 23 points and 11 rebounds; Kate Kolbinson (Port Colborne) with 11 points and eight boards; Talia Hultink (Smithville Christian) with six points and six rebounds; and, Ava Walker (A.N. Myer) and Kate Ferras (Assumption College) with five points each.
Topping the stat sheet versus London were: Walker with 10 points; Kolbinson with nine points and nine rebounds; Hultink with nine points; Moscato with six points and seven boards; and, Ferras with six points and five rebounds.
Niagara is in second place in the league with an 11-2 record and trails only London (13-2).
