Brock tips off women’s hoops playoffs at home

SPECIAL TO POSTMEDIA NETWORK

Head coach Ashley MacSporran is tired of hearing people say this was a rebuilding year for the Brock women’s basketball team.

Proof that isn’t the case will come tonight when the Badgers host the first women’s basketball playoff game at Bob Davis Gymnasium in three years.

“When you have girls who buy in and believe, some great things happen. I believed in them all along. We’re very talented,” MacSporran said Tuesday after her team’s final practice before hosting the Lakehead Thunderwolves for the at 7 p.m. tipoff

The first-round matchup is the first in a pair of Ontario University Athletics playoff home games for the St. Catharines university. The men earned a first-round bye, but will host a quarter-final contest against a yet-to-be-determined opponent Saturday at 2 p.m.

MacSporran is hoping for a loud home crowd when the visitors from Thunder Bay roll into town.

Both games come during Brock’s reading week, when most students are off campus, but minor basketball players from across Niagara have been invited to watch the games.

Brock and Lakehead both posted 8-11 records this season. They split their two head-to-head matchups, Brock winning 92-84 on Jan. 13 and Lakehead winning the next night 71-47.

“Our first game against them up there we played really well,” MacSporran said. “The second night their zone was a big problem for us. We struggled to score and became very stationary.

“(But) we needed a loss like that for us to come back and refocus. We became tougher in that moment and we’re excited to redeem that game, especially against Lakehead.”

Wednesday’s winner will advance to the OUA quarter-finals Saturday night. The Critelli Cup women’s basketball championship tournament, named after assistant Brock athletic director Chris Critelli, will be held March 3-4.

The men’s OUA final four championship will also be held that weekend. To get there, the Brock Badgers must win their quarterfinal game at home this Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Brock men, ranked fourth in the country with a 15-4 record, earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of the first-round matchup between fifth-ranked Toronto (11-8) and 12th-ranked Lakehead (6-13).

Saturday will be Brock’s first quarter-final at home since 2008, which was the last time they won the national crown.

Head coach Charles Kissi said his team has been preparing for either opponent.

“We’re still continuing to focus on us. We have a lot to improve without having to worry about someone else right now,” said Kissi, whose team beat Toronto and split its twogame series against Lakehead this season.

Because of the reading week break, the Badgers are able to spend more time practising than usual.

“We’re encouraging our guys to stay caught up (with school) and not completely shut down, but it helps in terms of practice. If anything, reading week helps them be more dialed in,” Kissi said.

Carleton, Ottawa and Ryerson — the first-, third- and fifth-ranked teams in the country — are hosting the other quarter-final playoff games Saturday.

The 2017 men’s national championships will be held March 9-12 in Halifax, where the Brock Badgers won their first national title 25 years ago.

Tickets for both Badgers basketball home playoff games are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and nonBrock students. Tickets are free for Brock students and can be picked up at the Walker Complex welcome desk in advance.

Free parking will be provided at Brock University for both games in Parking Lots B and S.