Saints force 31 turnovers, win fourth straight

By Justin Prince

The St. Clair College Saints women’s basketball team forced 31 turnovers which resulted in 33 points to win 90-55 over the Lambton College Lions Nov. 8 to move to 4-1 on the season.

In the first quarter the Saints played well defensively, blocking three shots.  Saints starter Shannon Kennedy woke up the crowd after she blocked a shot down the baseline and saved the ball from going out of bounds. The ball landed in the hands of a Lions player before Kennedy and a few of her teammates stripped the ball from the Lions player’s hands to force a Saints jump ball.

The Saints also forced 10 turnovers and had 15 more shots than the Lions in the first quarter, but both teams combined to shoot 17 per cent to keep the Lions within six.

In the second quarter the Saints began to pull away as their shooting improved as a team.  Kennedy scored five points in the quarter while Jaide Lyons scored six.

Throughout the first half both teams were playing physical, combining for 21 personal fouls.

Saints head coach Andy Kiss said there’s always a physical element when playing basketball.  Kiss said he knew Lambton was a physical team coming into the game.

“I know their coach.  He’s a very good coach and they play that type of a style,” said Kiss.  “But once we got running and playing ball like we can, I thought we were the superior team.”

Riley Williams, who came into the game fourth in the OCAA in scoring for the Lions with 19.2 points per game, had 13 points and four rebounds, but the rest of her team made four shots in the first half.  The Saints held a 38-25 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Lions continued to struggle.  The Saints recorded seven steals and forced 11 turnovers for the Lions in the half.  Williams was the Lions’ main source of offense for the rest of the game scoring 11 points in the second half.  Jamie Kolkman was the next closest scorer with 11 points for the entire game.

The Saints had four players with double-digit points and two players close to having double-doubles.  The Saints went on a 15-0 run at the end of the game to win by 35.

Kiss said his team played better near the end of the game because his players were in better physical shape.

“They were able to finish the game strong and were able to just keep running up and down strong,” said Kiss.  “Lambton didn’t really use their bench that much.  They came here with nine players and we used our bench very liberally … It was a good win for us.”

Kiss said he wanted his team to remain positive no matter what for the rest of the season.

“We’re going to emphasize the positive and a lot of good things are happening with this team,” said Kiss.  “Our goal is to be 8-1 by the Christmas break so we’re halfway there.”

Jessica Gordon, a usual starter for the Saints, missed the first quarter to attend the Windsor Lancers’ CIS ring ceremony before arriving to the game.  Gordon started for the Lancers for four seasons before playing for the Saints this year.  Gordon finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal.  She said she felt her team played well in her absence in the first quarter.

“I felt with my absence they took care of business,” said Gordon.  “I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”