Lady Lancers crush York in hoops home opener.
Three-time CIS champions receive rings
WINDSOR 82 YORK 29
The night began with a ringing endorsement of what the Windsor Lancers have accomplished on the basketball court.
Before Friday’s OUA home opener at the St. Denis Centre against the York Lions, the Lancer women were feted and presented with their 2012-13 CIS championship rings.
As three-time defending national champions, there’s much for this team to feel proud about.
“I’m always hungry,” Windsor coach Chantal Vallee said after the Lancers drubbed York 82-29. “I’m happy that I’m made this way.
“I love winning, but honestly, I don’t love winning as much as I absolutely hate losing.”
Last season, Windsor rolled through the entire OUA slate, regular-season and playoffs, as well as the CIS tournament, without tasting defeat.
This season, the Lancers started 0-1, humbled in their opener last week at Carleton.
As they took to the hardwood Friday, the Lancers found themselves in an unfamiliar position – looking up at other teams in the standings. They didn’t like it one bit. “We’ve had our one loss for the season, hopefully,” firstyear guard Emily Prevost said.
“Unfortunately we lost, but we’ve got to bounce back.
“There’s no room for any more mistakes. We want to prove that we’re still No. 1 (in the country) and get back our ranking.”
Fifth-year forward Jessica Clemencon, who scored a game-high 14 points along with fellow co-captain Miah Langlois, described the setback as a “good wake-up call.”
“I think now everyone is aware that everybody’s going to be ready for us every game,” Clemencon said.
“That’s exciting, knowing that every single team is going to give us a good game. It’s going to make us better.”
Already, Windsor’s fortitude has been tested this season. Discipline issues led to Vallee benching five players for a preseason series in Quebec.
The loss to Carleton gave the Lancers another dose of adversity.
Some coaches will tell you that they look forward to that first test of their team’s mettle, because it identifies exactly what they possess in terms of character.
Vallee does not subscribe to this school of thought.
“I don’t look for opportunities to lose or to bench players,” Vallee said. “I would go undefeated if I could.
“When it happens, we try to make the best out of it and find ways to turn it to our advantage.
“We lose to Carleton, so now I have the players’ attention a little more. This is what’s happened. It’s a fact and this is how we react to it.”
With a spot secured in the CIS tournament as host team, Vallee recognizes that keeping her players interested could prove a challenge at times.
“It’s forced me as a coach to come up with better motivating strategies and a different focus, different plans,” Vallee said.
“We’ve put the onus on them. We’ve challenged them about this and we think they’re going to get much better.”
Prevost, who scored nine points in her home debut, was one of three newcomers who stood and watched their teammates collect championship baubles.
She certainly requires no cause to ignite her passion.
“It’s a lot to look forward to this year,” Prevost said. “It was exciting to see.
Like the rest of her team, she’s ready to go for more.
“We have championships to defend,” Prevost said. “That’s our motivation.”
Pride of accomplishment is an element that the Lancers prefer to put on the back burner. It’s pride of ownership that they intend to utilize as their driving force.