The Durham Lords nine-game winning streak in women’s basketball has come to an end.
In a game billed as a battle for first place in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) East, the Lords lost to rival Algonquin Thunder 68-60 Friday night in the Durham gym.
The Thunder have now swept the season series against Durham and have secured first place in the East with a 13-1 record.
The Lords fall to 12-3 with one game remaining in the regular season.
The Lords were up by as many as 10 points but fell apart in the fourth quarter. The Thunder outscored the Lords 28-10 in the fourth.
“I’m mad that we lost – it’s just little things that made us lose but that’s just basketball,” says forward Kendra Oliver, who finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and seven steals for her 11th double-double of the season.
She says she wasn’t too pleased with how the game ended but remains positive.
Oliver says the Lords got in trouble with fouling and putting Algonquin in the bonus.
“They were just more mature than us – with us being mostly a first-year team we had trouble doing all that little stuff,” she says.
She says the refs don’t give her a fair whistle and felt she got fouled a lot during the game.
“The refs call me for everything. They fouled me so much, when I would go for a rebound I was getting pushed in my back and the refs wouldn’t call it,” she adds.
She says the Lords’ offence wasn’t at its best against the Thunder.
“I think our team just didn’t run our offence properly. Our defence was good but like offensively we we’re just rushing stuff and not fully communicating,” says Oliver, adding the team needs to improve communication on the court.
“Talk to each other more. Let everybody know what to do, always say if you’re switching on another player so we are all on the same page,” she says.
She says the Lords have to keep their head up and stay positive.
“Play as a team and stay focused. Losses always bring a team closer,” says Oliver.
Oliver says she needs to improve around the rim, stay calm and stay out of foul trouble.
“Make my darn layups! Not get angry as much and I need to stop fouling,” is how she assesses her own performance.
She says the vibe around the team is positive despite the loss.
“We’re mad but like a loss is a loss – we’ve got to move on from that and put it behind us,” says Oliver.
The Lords will face the 10-4 University of Toronto-Mississauga Eagles Sunday, Feb. 23.
Durham will need to win this game in order to secure second place in the OCAA East.
