Lady Bruins end Hawks undefeated run

STORY BY JEANYLYN LOPEZ
PHOTOS BY FRANK BUTTY

Shylanda Saunders’ 35 points led the Lady Bruins basketball team to a 58-51 victory over Sheridan’s rivals and the previously undefeated Humber Hawks on Nov. 19.

“[Saunders] was hot on the threes, she was our engine for the team,” said Willie Delas, head coach of Sheridan’s women’s basketball team. “The players, give them a lot of credit, they felt really confident with a little tweak in the offense.

“We did some great things defensively. We boxed out, we rebounded strong.”

The Hawks led the Bruins 8-7 near the end of the first quarter. Sheridan was up 11-9 by the end of the first, and held on to the lead for the rest of the game.

In the second quarter the Bruins went on a 9-2 run, giving Double-Blue a 27-20 lead at the half.

The Bruins increased their advantage to 11 points going into the third, but the Hawks went on a 9-2 run of their own, cutting Sheridan’s lead to five. Thanks to a few shots behind the arc from Saunders, Double Blue pushed the lead to 13 points, and led 47-34 at the end of the third.

Although the Hawks outscored the Bruins 17-11 in the fourth quarter, Double Blue took the victory at home.

“After I hit a couple of threes I got in the zone,” said point guard Saunders, who was 6-11 behind the arc and pulled down nine boards.

Sabrina Brathwaite, a 5-foot-7 guard, contributed 9 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to the team. Guard Samantha Lovat had 12 points and 4 rebounds. Forward Merika Azar had 8 rebounds.

Going into the game, Humber averaged 36.5 per cent from the field, but the Bruins held the Hawks to 23.5 per cent shooting, only making 19 of 81 shots. The Bruins also held the Hawks to 8.3 per cent shooting behind the arc, making only 2 of 24 threes, despite Humber averaging 27.1 per cent from downtown so far this season.

The Lady Bruins now have a 4-3 record in OCAA while the Hawks are now 7-1.

“A win against a No. 1 team, you know it’s huge,” said Delas. “It rallies the team, gives them a lot of boost, gives them a lot of confidence, so we go into the next game with that in mind.”

The Lady Bruins play Redeemer Royals on the road on Nov. 29. For results, head to the Bruins site.