the other press Sports Section Editor: Jordan Cripps dcsportseditor@yahoo.ca Men Suffer Letdown Against Langara and Capilano Jordan Cripps Sports Editor Coming off a thrilling weekend that saw them climb into the top spot of the BCCAA Men’s Basketball Standings, the Royals hopéd to increase the distance between them- selves and the rest of the league with victories against Langara and Capilano. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell them that they weren't supposed to win as both vis- iting teams walked out of New Westminster Gym 96-90 winners. Both games saw the Royals lose their composure at times as Royals players picked up three technical fouls over the weekend, including Jim Martin's two “Ts” against the Falcons, making him ineligible for the Capilano game. The 66” forward would certainly have impacted the outcome of the game against the smaller Blues squad. Coming off the loss to Langara, the Royals hoped to bounce back against Capilano, getting off to a pretty quick start, thanks to a layup by Bryce MacDonald and a jumper by Ian Hogan, pacing the Royals to an early 4-2 lead. The early part of the game was a seesaw affair, as the teams traded baskets. After lan Hogan picked up a technical foul and was taken off the floor by Coach Munro, the Blues began to use their speed and shooting to their advantage and pulled away from the Royals, tak- ing a 17-8 lead. Interestingly, the Royals defense was able to create a number of turnovers, which led to fast- break opportunities, but also allowed the Blues a number of good looks at the basket. The Blues were able to capitalize on these opportuni- ties, knocking down nine three-point shots during the opening half, accounting for nearly half of their points during the first half. As it was, the Royals simply allowed too many points during the first half and were unable to match this output. They wound up the half trailing 57-47. The second half began much better for the Royals who were able to make an early dent in the Blues’ lead as reduced their deficit to 3, 63-60, on a pair of free-throws by John Orimaco. Unfortunately for the Royals, this would be as close as they would get until the midway point of the half when Bryce MacDonald evened the score for the first time since early in the game, 81-81. The comeback was short-lived, though, as the Royals watched the Blues begin to pull away once again, this time for good, taking the game 96-90. The Royals actually outplayed the Blues in a few areas, especially turnovers. Throughout the game, the Royals created a number of offensive chances for themselves as they intercepted passes by the Blues and went on the fast break. Unfortunately, this seemed to be one of those nights where the ball just didn’t want to go in, as they were not able to convert on a number of these chances. Despite Improved Play, Women Still Looking for First Win Jordan Cripps Sports Editor Going into play last weekend, the Douglas College Women’s Basketball Team was certainly showing some signs of development. Certainly the Royals had improved their offensive play considerably, averaging over 65 points per game the previous weekend against Malaspina and Camosun. Unfortunately, the offensive surge didn’t translate into wins for the team as they still sought their first victory of the season. Games against two of the top three teams in the BCCAA would prove to be another huge test and learn- ing experience for the Royals as they faced Langara and Capilano in New Westminster. Unfortunately for the Royals, there would be no end to their losing streak as each team limited the Royals to just 40 points while Langara was able to get 91 points and Capilano scored 80 against the Royals. Despite the outcome of both games, the Royals did continue to show some signs of improve- ment although the scoreboard didn’t really reflect this. As well, Stephanie Hibbert, showed up as the team’s offen- sive catalyst, scoring in double figures both games. Facing the Capilano Blues on Saturday, the Royals gave an early indication that they wanted to put an end to the streak as they matched the Blues for the first ten minutes, keeping the score knotted at 17. At that point, though, the Royals shooting went cold and, despite some strong defensive hustle on the part of the Royals, Capilano began to pull away. By half-time, the Royals trailed 36-23. The 13-point lead seemed to demoralize the Royals as they allowed the first six points of the second half and trailed 44—23, a lead they would never overcome. It was- nt as though the Royals didn’t have their chances, though. They had a number of good opportunities at the basket but just couldn't coax the ball into the net. Throughout the entire second half, the Royals scored just 17 points. Certainly, Capilano had something to say about the outcome of the game as their defence stymied the Royals for much of the game and caused havoc as the Royals attempted to set up their offence. The Royals offence was led by Stephanie Hibbert’s 14 points while Jessy Knight chipped in 8 of her own to take Player of the Game honours. There are some signs that the Royals are improving with each game. In their previous meeting against Capilano, the Royals scored only 35 points while giving up 100. Beyond the statistics, there is a sense that the February 19, 2003 When it comes right down to it, the big difference in the game was that the Royals weren't able to effectively stop the offensive players on the Blues, while the Royals offen- sive keys were contained by the Capilano defense. Bryce MacDonald, in one of his strongest games of the season, led the Royals offense with 21 points while Ian Hogan contributed 19 of his own. The losses, coupled with wins by UCC, drop the Royals back into a four-way tie for second place with a record of 9-6. Royals Scoring: Vs. Langara Greg Jackson 29 Jim Martin 16 Taylor Cherris-Wilding 16 lan Hogan 14 John Orimaco 13 Vs. Capilano Bryce MacDonald 21 lan Hogan 19 Taylor Cherris-Wildin 18 John Orimaco 15 Greg Jackson 12 team is more confident about what they need to do on the court. During the early stages of the game against Capilano, they were able to control the tempo and keep the Blues from getting too many points off turnovers and were able to get a few defensive stops of their own. All of these are signs that the team is learning from each game and is putting this knowledge to use. Royals Scoring: Vs. Langara Stephanie Hibbert 13 Jessica Mui 8 Megan Hall 6 Jennifer Dalrymple 6 Jessy Knight D Vs. Capilano Stephanie Hibbert 14 Jessy Knight 8 Megan Hall 7 Jessica Mui 5 Jennifer Dalrymple 4 page 19 ©