Knights top Lambton in hoops
Men’s, women’s teams both beat Lions, while women’s volleyball team looks to end skid
Go ahead, call the Niagara College men’s basketball team the “Lion tamers.”
They certainly did enough at both ends of the court to earn the compliment. In addition to outscoring the Lambton Lions 95-75, the Knights outrebounded their visitors from Sarnia 54-33.
Niagara, which beat Lambton 100-93 in the opening game of the home-and-home on Nov. 30, returned to the win column improving to 12-4 with four games remaining in the regular season.
The outcome in Sunday afternoon’s game at the Athletic Centre in Welland was never in doubt. Niagara led 34-16 after one quarter of play and took a 53-35 lead into halftime.
“We started strong and focused and continued that pace throughout the game,” head coach Phil Mosley said.
Jordon McDonald, 21 points, 17 rebounds; and Van Hutchinson, 22 points, 22 rebounds; each recorded a double-double for the Knights. Fellow starters Rahim Bardi and Alex Elliott added 24 and 14 points, respectively.
Mosley said the four were key contributors to the win.
“Van and Jordon gave us a
strong presence on the boards defensively, and Alex Elliott and Rahim Bardi provided strong scoring from the outside,” the coach said.
Niagara visits Humber Thursday night in Toronto hoping to earn a split in the season series versus the undefeated Hawks.
Humber scored a 94-81 victory in the Knights’ annual Blue and White Game Nov. 1 in Welland in the series opener.
Back in the win column
A good defence trumped a so-so offence when Niagara renewed its Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) West Division rivalry with Lambton in women’s basketball.
The Lions drained only 23.9 per cent of their attempts from the floor, 16-of-67, in a 59-49 loss to the Knights.
Sunday’s home-court win gave Niagara a split in the season series after dropping a 55-46 decision in the opener Nov. 16 in Sarnia.
“It was a good to win today, especially because we were not scoring as we have been,” head coach Mike Beccaria said. “We are pleased that for the most part, our defensive effort was there this afternoon.”
Bridget Atkinson, 17 points, 12 rebounds; Rysa Delmundo, 14 points; Hannah Baker, 11 points; and Tia Stys, 12 rebounds; were standouts for the Knights.
Niagara, 9-7, visits Humber, 14-2, Thursday night in Toronto.
Humber tipped off the homeand-home with a 73-28 win on the road.
V-BALL SEASON WRAPS UP
Niagara’s varsity volleyball teams find themselves on the opposite ends of streaks heading into the final two games of the regular season.
While the Knights men’s team visits Humber on Wednesday night with an 11-5 record and winners of two in a row, the Niagara women have lost three in a row to fall to 9-7.
Elijah Bugiardini, nine kills, service ace; and Tristan Swinden, six kills, three service aces, stuff block; scored 10 points apiece as the Knights swept visiting St. Clair — 25-9, 25-12, 25-17 — in men’s action Saturday in Welland.
Niagara’s second straight-set victory in as many games gave them a sweep on the season series versus the Saints. The Knights won the opener 3-1 Dec. 1 in Windsor.
Niagara’s top scorers in a sweep of Mohawk — 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 — were Bugiardini, 12 kills, stuff block; and Swinden, four kills, two service aces, three stuff blocks.
“Our service game, which has been very up-and-down for us, was brilliant, and I felt our setter, Ben Fillmore, did a great job at distributing the ball and getting everyone involved,” head coach Tommy Sloan said after the win over St. Clair.
The Knights didn’t take Saturday’s game lightly despite injuries that have affected the Saints.
“We wanted to make sure that we still went out there with the right mindset and kept working on good habits,” Sloan said.
Head coach Natasha Spaling’s women’s team followed up a 3-1 setback to Mohawk — 22-25, 2520, 24-26, 19-25 — with a 3-2 loss to St. Clair — 15-25, 25-16, 25-22, 21-25, 15-11.
Jordan Koslowski, 18 kills, two service aces; Natasha Desjardins, 16 kills, service ace, stuff block; and Olivia Burnie, nine kills, stuff block; scored in double digits for Niagara in the loss to Mohawk.
Koslowski, 15 kills, two service aces; Burnie, 10 kills, four service aces; and Desjardins, nine kills, stuff block; were standouts for the home side in the St. Clair game.