news // 6

Eagles grounded

» Douglas College men’s basketball team walks away victorious

Michael Sopow
Sports Reporter

: game. Douglas’ improved
: offensive pressure allowed them
: to generate a great number

: of fouls while driving for the

n November 15, the men’s

basketball team faced off
against the Kwantlen Eagles.
The Royals, coming off a two-
game win streak, were looking
to continue their momentum
by picking upa third win for the :
season.

The game started off with
Kwantlen taking an early lead.
Douglas appeared to struggle
offensively and the Eagles were
able to capitalize on their own
offensive chances, giving them
a slight edge on the scoreboard. :
However, the game remained a
back-and-forth competition due :
to Douglas’ tenacious defensive
efforts and their persistent ball
movement. The Royals were
able to keep the leading score
within reach, eventually pulling :
back close to even by the end
of the first quarter, leaving the
score at 22-18 for Kwantlen.

In the second quarter the
game remained close, but
Douglas began to pick up the
pieces and demonstrated the
effort that was required to
contend for the lead in the

: basket, leading to multiple

: free-throw opportunities.

: Uncontested shots from the

: free-throw line were a welcome

: sight for the team. By the end of
: the second quarter, the Royals

were leading by five points and

: looking as confident as ever on
: the court.

After halftime, the game

: remained in reach for Kwantlen.
: Both teams offences were

: looking consistent and well-

: matched, with the game going

: from one end of the court to

: the other. At the end of the day,

what eventually led Douglas

: College to break away from

: the Eagles and an otherwise

: close game was their relentless
: offence combined with the

Kwanlen’s turnover rate, a

: product of the Royals’ defence.

The Eagles attempted a

: zone defence within the last

: minutes of the fourth quarter,
: but even that defensive effort

: was broken down and turned

: around by Douglas College,

: leaving the final score at 79-67
: in Douglas’ favour.

F

theotherpress.ca

 

By Eric Wilkins

 

Bearcats domesticated!

» Women’s basketball with a huge victory

Michael Sopow
Sports Reporter

: and had moments where they
: looked as though they were
: going to turn the game around.

: Douglas struggled offensively

n November 14, the

Douglas College Royals
women’s basketball team
kicked off their fourth reg-
ular season game against
the Columbia Bible College
(CBC) Bearcats. The Royals,
entering the game undefeated
in league play, were looking
to extend their win streak
by staying committed to
their defensive tactics.

The game began with
Douglas making crucial
defensive stops early and capi-
talizing onthe momentumand :
possession gained asa result,
having them take an early lead
right offthe bat. Throughout
the first quarter, the Bearcats:
struggled to penetrate Douglas’ :
solid defence, which led to
CBC having multiple offensive
turnovers. This gave the Royals :
the opportunity to hone in
on their own offensive tactics
and take a noticeable 22-8
lead by the end of the first.

In the second, Columbia
regained their composure

: and the Bearcats were able
: to gain back some leverage
: onthe scoreboard, ending
: the second quarter at a more
: respectable 30-19. Douglas
: College was still leading, but :
: the game felt as ifit now had the :
: potential to go any team’s way.

“Our second quarter was

: terrible, especially offensively...” :
: said Courtney Gerwing, head

: coach of the Douglas women’s

: basketball team, after the

: game. “There was no flow to our
: offence, it was sort of ‘hesitate

and then shoot.’ We got it

: into the post and we got kind

: of swarmed, and we tried to

: throw up shots instead of ‘read
: and react. I thinkin the third

quarter we started to change

: that, and the score showed it,
: and that was our most potent

offensive output of the quarter,

: probably yet this year, so it
: was good to see that switch
: happen through halftime.”

After halftime, moments

into the third quarter, the
: Royals’ offence exploded.

After halftime,
moments into the
third quarter, the
Royals’ offence
exploded.

: It was point after point in
: favour of Douglas, while

Columbia’s offence seemed

: to vanish completely.

Early into the fourth quar-

: ter, the Royals led 62-27, and

: the game looked as though it

: was over already. The Bearcats

: were nowhere to be seen. The

: game ended 76-37. This gave

: the women their fourth straight
: victory of the season anda

: definite confidence boost after

: their fantastic performance.

“We kind of just try to do

: one game ata time,” Gerwing
: stated. “We're learning and

: getting better each game,

: and each day so that’s kind of
: where were going and what

: our goals are. Whether it’s a

: winora loss, it just happens

: to be going well right now.”