Women’s Basketball
This weekend UKC women hosted the Mount Allison Mounties for the final game of the first semester. Originally scheduled for earlier in the term, the make-up game was a one-sided affair from the first quarter onward, with the visiting Mounties outscoring their hosts 19-6 in the first 10 minutes of play. The second quarter was equally frustrating with the Blue Devils entering halftime trailing 15-42. King’s was more productive in the second half, however the final score still settled convincingly for the Mounties with a 48-85 win. Alex Soyko led the Blue Devils in scoring notching a team high of 11; the only King’s player to hit double figures. For the Mounties, Maddie Greatorex put in a monster performance, amassing 26 points to lead all scorers.
Despite this loss, and a relatively fruitless first semester, the UKC women are showing a more clearly-defined playing identity. In the loss to MTA, King’s drew 26 total fouls from their opponents; consistently beating their defenders and drawing contact on drives to the basket. Poor free throw shooting (19-37 on the day) had a nullifying effect; but the volume of fouls and trips to the line demonstrate the Blue Devils’ capacity to attack and disrupt opposition defences. The UKC women’s defence has become more refined recently; forcing 27 turnovers from the Mounties. The MTA game was the first of the season, barring the home win against UNBSJ, where the Blue Devils forced more turnovers than they conceded; indicating improvement both on defence and ball handling.
The midseason break is coming at a good time for the UKC women, providing an opportunity to reflect and reassess ahead of the business end of the season. A healthy recovery period through the end of December will give the Blue Devils ample rest before a tune-up game on January 7th against Thetford in Halifax and the recommencement of the ACAA regular season on January 13th against MSVU at home.
Results:
vs. MTA 48-85 Loss
Next Games:
vs. Thetford, January 7th 2pm
vs. MSVU, January 13th 6pm
Men’s Basketball
This was an empty game week for the Kingsmen, who sit in sixth place heading into the winter break. While it hasn’t been a dream start to the season for Luc Stevenson’s squad, the fall has not been without positivity. Rookies Caleb Rennie, Brenden Morris, and Andrew Dogurga have all started games in the season’s first phase as they accustom themselves to the speed and physicality of the ACAA. Senior captain Ethan Merlin has posted back-to-back double figure games ahead of the midseason break and sophomore guard Alp Ozgoren has shown moments of brilliance, including a career-high 12-point performance against Mount Allison. While the Blue Devils will be without the services of Xavier Buckley for the season restart against MSVU due to his suspension for one game, the coaching staff will celebrate the return of Sandrais Clayton to the active roster. Clayton was among the top three-point shooters in the ACAA 2021-22 season, shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. Clayton’s calmness and leadership on the court, along with his ability to shoot from distance, will fortify the Blue Devils arsenal entering the season’s second half.
Next Games:
vs. Thetford, January 7th 4pm
vs. MSVU, January 13th 8pm
