The Concordia women’s basketball team came up short against Bishop’s by a score of 81-64 in what was a must-win game for the team two Friday’s ago.
The third consecutive loss put the Stingers in a tough position – needing wins in their final two games, one of which was against top seeded Laval.
“It was two hard losses in a row, and we know we’ve got to win the next two games. We’re really focused,” co-captain Stephanie Ramonas said.
The fast-paced game favoured Concordia’s small size and quickness, however the team was unable to stop Bishop’s smooth-shooting guards and tough-post players.
In fact, while the Gaiters’ offence worked like a well-oiled machine, the Stingers all but forgot to play defence or contest easy shots and lay-ups.
Still, the score was tight heading into the second half, and Concordia managed to surmount a ten-point deficit to tie the game with eight minutes left to play.
“We did what we wanted: we got the turnovers, we put the points up and everyone was focused. But then we became unfocused because we were up,” Ramonas explained.
The Stingers returned to their regular habits of inconsistent basketball, and watched as their opponents ran circles around them on both ends of the court.
“We are very talented and very athletic, but until [the Stingers] learn how to be under control and disciplined, this is going to be the result. We cannot beat good teams by playing undisciplined basketball,” said head coach Keith Pruden. And in a league where a mere six points separate second from last place, concentration and consistency are at the top of everyone’s priority list.
“We were trying to win to put ourselves in position to finish in second,” said Bishop’s head coach Rod Gilpin. “But we knew that Concordia was fighting for their lives. We knew it was going to be a battle, and it was.”
Gilpin explained that while his team has an obvious size advantage, Concordia’s speed was a major concern throughout the season.
“We’re diametrically opposite in a lot of ways, but you’ve got to be able to play against different types of teams,” he said.
Pruden agreed, explaining that while the Stingers took the Lady Gaiters’ size into account, it wasn’t a factor Concordia couldn’t overcome.
“Victoria beat the number one ranked team in the country in the first round of their playoffs, and Victoria’s bigger than Bishop’s. And we beat Victoria [in the Concordia NIKE Tournament].”
Pruden explained however that against Victoria, Concordia played a highly disciplined game, and that was not the case against Bishop’s.
“I’m perfectly happy by how hard we played. And we had people who were trying to take control of the game because they want to win. They’re just going about it the wrong way.”
see B-BALL cont’d p. 23
