Waterloo Ont. – The Golden Hawks took on the Brock Badgers this past Saturday for their last game of the 2023 calendar year. Manager of women's basketball operations and head coach Paul Falco summed up the game easily, saying "it was a big defensive battle." The Golden Hawks were able to lock down defensively and win 61-60.
The Golden Hawks started the game with confidence and were very quick to open the scorning with a beautiful layup from veteran player Miranda Campbell. Brittyn Graves and Martina Errazo both also found their way to the net in the quarter. Though the Golden Hawks dominated play at the beginning of the quarter the Badgers battled for possession, while the Golden Hawks found themselves in foul trouble. This led to a score of 17-11 for Brock at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter the Golden Hawks began to fall behind as Brock banked basket after basket. Around the midway point of the quarter, Falco called a time out and when the Golden Hawks stepped back onto the court they were a more composed team. Third-year forward Janet Enge hit back to back three-point shots while Cassidy Hirtle, Kate White, Brittyn Graves, and Martina Errazo all also put points on the board.
The Golden Hawks continued this momentum as they stepped on the court for the third quarter. Enge put up a third three while Hirtle, Graves, and White also scored, helping to grow the Golden Hawks lead. One major cause for the Golden Hawks growing lead would be their well executed free throws, which they had ample opportunities to practice within the quarter.
The fourth and final quarter of the game showed the true defensive battle that Coach Falco predicted. Each team got 10 points within the quarter, five of which for Laurier were from free throws made by Cassidy Hirtle. Coach Falco was seen telling the Golden Hawks to "slow down" throughout the quarter, this proved to be beneficial when the Golden Hawks basically ran the clock at the end of the quarter and captured a 61-60 victory over the Badgers.
TOP PERFORMERS
Laurier Golden Hawks
#11 - Janet Enge
Enge was a spark plug for her team throughout the game. The third year player was able to put up multiple big shots when her team needed it most while also playing strong defence all game long. When asked about Janet Enge's game Coach Falco said "She had to guard some top players a lot and did a great job not getting down when things weren't going our way." Enge had a team-high 14 points off the bench and added three rebounds and a steal.
Brock Badgers
#12 - Madalyn Weinert
When asked about Weinert's performance, Falco said "she's a handful because she can score so many different ways, she rebounds extremely well and she's athletic and tough." Weinert was a pillar for her team through a very back and fourth game. She was able to put up 23 points in the game and grabbed 9 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks will be taking some time off from the court as we enter the 2023 exam season. Catch the Golden Hawks on January 5Â for their first game of 2024 when they face off against the Western Mustangs in London at 6:00pm. Stream the game live on OUA.tv.
