ID Camp - Thunder Women's Basketball - 2012
The Thunder Women's Basketball Program will be holding its 2012 ID Camp on Friday, April 13th from 5 to 8PM at the Ralph King Athletic Centre.
Thunder Women's Basketball Athletic Awards Recipients Named
April 4, 2012
The recipients of this season Athletic Awards were named last night at the annual banquet held in the Teglar Centre. This year's winners include:
- Meghan Allison - Most Improved Athlete
- Allissa Leakvold - Most Dedicated Athlete
- Stephanie Balog, Cara Zamburek - Most Valuable Athletes
- Jie-Yung Sim - Outstanding Scholastic Athlete
- Cara Zamburek - ACAC All-Conference Selectee
- Meghan Allison - Graduate
Congratulations to all our award winners!
Thunder Women's Basketball Athlete Cara Zamburek Named to All-Conference Team
March 1, 2012
The Concordia Thunder's 2nd year Guard Cara Zamburek has been selected to the 2nd Team North on the ACAC's 2011-12 All-Conference team. Congratulations Cara on a great season and for this achieving this honour!
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| Cara Zamburek |
Thunder Women's Basketball Win Wild Card Thriller; Succumb to #1 Nationally Ranked MacEwan
February 27, 2012
In one of the most exciting games ever played by the Concordia Thunder Women's Basketball team, the ACAC North's 4th place Thunder kicked off the post season on Wednesday night at MacEwan when they faced off against the King's Eagles. In what turned out to be one of the most physical games of the season, the Thunder came out battling with the first half a back and forth contest of lead changes. The Thunder played good defense vs the inside presence of the post players from King's but struggled to find their scoring touch, with layups rolling off the rim and normally easy shots just not dropping. The second half saw more of the same tight defensive play with the game going into the final minute. "With a minute left, we were down by four and I kept telling the girls that a minute is a very long time," said Coach Ashley MacSporran. The Thunder found themselves down by 5 with 25 seconds to go. A time out moved the ball to half court and the Thunder set up a play to get Kaylie Mattiussi the ball on the baseline for a 3pt shot. Kaylie knocked down the three to put the Thunder within 2 with 22 seconds to go. A free throw point put the Eagles up by three. "Down three with an inbound to Steph Balog, Cara Zamburek and Meghan Allison set two high ball screens for Steph who - with the most confidence I have seen all year - stepped back and knocked down a 3 to tie the game," enthused MacSporran. A misguided pass from Kings resulted in the Thunder getting the ball back for an inbounds play. The Thunder executed their plan perfectly with Meghan Allison driving to the rim and getting fouled. Meghan went to the foul line and steadily knocked down the 2 free throws to win the game. "I cannot think of any time in my life where - down (by) that many with such little time left - a team emerged victorious! I couldn't have been more proud of the grit and never-quit mentality of the girls. Hitting big shots, executing everything, the confidence we showed, we really have come a long way this year. Meghan Allison was sensational and received the Player of the Game award. What a way to win and continue on in playoffs! That is what the end of the season is all about," concluded MacSporran.
With the win over King's, the CUCA Women found themselves propelled into a 3 game, quarter final series vs the #1 team in the country in the MacEwan Griffins. Hoping that the Thunder would carry the momentum from the big game Wednesday night, Concordia came out strong in the first game on Thursday. The Thunder were still struggling to score but the defensive effort was sensational. At the end of the first quarter the score was 8-8. The offensive drought would continue for Concordia, as shot after shot bounced out. Fortunately for the Thunder, the Griffins experienced the same scoring drought themselves. "It was a game of defense. The score at half was 19-17; not an exciting game of basketball but it seemed whoever started to hit shots would be the team to win," said MacSporran. MacEwan started to pull away in the 3rd quarter, opening a 6 point gap and continued to pull away to an eventual 17 point win. "We were gassed by the end and had nothing left to fight with. Allissa Leakvold was Player of tha Game and is truly fearless. She guarded the best Post in the league and pushed her around. She attacked the rim when she could. She was instrumental in putting us in a place to win that game."
On Friday night, the Thunder hosted game 2 at Concordia. In what was a blow out from the start, the Thunder once again could not score and MacEwan finally found their stride. "All I could do was smile and encourage the girls. We had come so far from a 3-7 record to start the season." The Thunder were down 30 points most of the game but the Thunder never quit and made it a 20 point loss. "Proud isn't a big enough word to describe the end of the season. Not often do you see a team end their season with smiles on their faces. That King's game felt to all of us, like a Championship game," concluded Coach MacSporran.
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| Photos by | Colton Eastcott |
Thunder Women's Basketball Win Two on Their Way to the Playoffs
February 22, 2012
The Thunder hosted Grande Prairie this past weekend and were looking to finish their season off with a pair of wins. Showing a bit of rust after having a bye the week before, the Thunder came out slow on Friday. Kaylie Mattiussi kept the Thunder in the game in the first half, getting to the foul line and shooting the ball very well. Up by a few points at half, the Thunder Women did what they do best and took over the second half of the game. Steph Balog once again showed her sharp shooting skills, hitting some big shots that gave the Thunder momentum in the 3rd quarter, but it was Marie Hacking - coming off the bench - that really impressed MacSporran. "Marie showed what she is capable of tonight. With 15 points and 4 rebounds, she really brought a spark the Thunder needed. Marie has stuggled a bit, as most rookies do in their first year, but has chosen the best of times to contribute and help the team." The Thunder went on to defeat the Wolves 77-53.
On Saturday, the Thunder knew that Grande Prairie would come out and compete in the second game. They had tight second games with #2 Lakeland and NAIT this past month and once again, the Thunder found themselves a bit slow out of the gate. "You have to give credit to the Grande Prairie team. It was their last game of the season and they kept on fighting. Their post gave us plenty of difficulty with her shot blocking skills," said MacSporran. As was the case the night before, the Thunder found their stride in the 3rd quarter, led by 4th year veteran Steph Balog. "Steph's performance all second semester is why we found success. She is a true competitor." Allissa Leakvold had a great game off the bench. Allissa had 7 points and 6 rebounds in some very tough play action. "Allissa is our workhorse in practice. She works harder then anyone and finally has seen some success with it. I am so proud of Allissa and Marie for stepping up this weekend. (I) couldn't have asked for a better time of the year to get bench contribution!"
With the two wins, the Thunder women were in a 3-way tie with NAIT and Kings for fourth place in the north. The tie break points for and against went to the Thunder, who narrowly beat out NAIT for fourth place. In their first playoff test, the Thunder are gearing up to play King's College @ MacEwan tonight (Wednesday, February 22nd) at 7pm.
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Thunder Women's Basketball Split Final Road Games of the Regular Season
February 6, 2012
The Thunder Women's Basketball team hit the road for final time before playoffs this past weekend. After enduring two tough games vs MacEwan the week before, the Thunder knew they would have to grind out two forty minute games. The Thunder arrived in Lethbridge on Friday with a laser focus on the task at hand. "We struggled vs their 1-2-2 pressure in the first half. They do a good job trapping and we had too many turnovers," offered Head Coach Ashley MacSporran. "Lethbridge has some quick shots that gave them the lead going into half. I knew we were not playing great basketball. We went down 16 at one point in first half and were down 11 by 2nd quarter." The Thunder really re-grouped at half time and in what seemed like a new team emerging in the third, the Thunder controlled the defensive glass and attacked on offense. The game was quickly tied and the ladies never looked back on their way to the 67-58 victory. Cara Zamburek was sensational, hitting 10 of 11 field goals and 27 points overall. "Cara was a fierce presence for the Thunder. Meagan McIntosh stepped up huge off the bench with ten pts. Meagan was a spark when we really needed her to be, I was so proud of her. It was a huge win for the Thunder...a huge character win for the team."
On Saturday - sporting a short bench - the Thunder headed up to Calgary to play the #1 team in the ACAC's South Division in the Mount Royal Cougars. Mount Royal's shooters really got hot and rolling fast. "We looked like we were on our heels defensively for most of the game," said MacSporran. The Thunder struggled to hit shots and the Cougars led by 20 points by the half. "Kaylie (Mattiussi) got us going in the second quarter, getting to the line, but it wasn't enough offensively." The plan at half was to execute, get a good look each possession and control the defensive boards. The Cougars continued to poor in the buckets and the gap grew to 25. Steph Balog found the hot hand and hit 7 3-pointers to close the gap to just 9pts. "Steph was on fire, hitting tough deep threes and really sparked us. Unfortunately, we had just run out of gas," concluded MacSporran. The game grew to a 15 point difference once again and the Thunder couldn't find another burst to close the gap, falling to the Cougars 61 to 85. The Thunder welcome a bye weekend next weekend and hope the weekend off will rejuvenate the team for the final league games vs Grand Prairie and a possible playoff appearance.
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Thunder Women's Basketball Lose Close One to Top Ranked, Undefeated MacEwan
January 30, 2012
After a big weekend vs the King's University College on January 20-21, the Thunder Women turned their focus to the #1 ranked team in the country in the MacEwan Griffins. "I wanted the girls to believe and compete for 40min and compete they did," said Head Coach Ashley MacSporran. The Thunder came out strong in the first quarter, executing on offense and taking care of the ball. However as the first half wound down, Concordia let MacEwan get too many offensive rebounds, which lead to points. By the end of the half, Concordia was down 11. The third quarter proved to be a tough one and the Thunder were unable to cut into the MacEwan lead. With some sharp shooting by Kaylie Mattiussi, the Thunder brought the game to within 8pts with 3 minutes to go. Execution and defense were key, as the Thunder Women hit big shots and got to the rim. With 50 seconds to go, the Thunder found themselves down by just 3 points. "We made a late push and really gave ourselves a chance to win that game." Mattiussi lead the team with 22pts. "I was most pleased as we had four players in double figures (Mattiussi along with Steph Balog, Meghan Allison and Cara Zamburek). We really are playing as a team and that's what put us in a position to almost get that win Friday," concluded MacSporran.
On Saturday, the action shifted downtown to the Christiansen Family Centre at MacEwan. "I knew the girls were tired after putting forth the effort we did Friday night. With a limited bench, we needed to shoot the ball well in order to compete on Saturday," commented MacSporran. Once again the Thunder had a great first quarter. Going into the 2nd frame, Concordia was only down 3. However, the team began struggling to score in the 2nd and that would be the beginning of a big scoring drought. "We went down 15 and could never really crack that lead like we did on Friday". Steph Balog shone for the Thunder recording 22pts and a 5/10 3pt shooting night in the 75-52 loss. "Steph really has a never quit mentality and fought to the end of that game." Once again, Kaylie Mattiussi and Cara Zamburek helped with scoring. "We need to have more contribution off the bench in order to continue to be successful," opined MacSporran. "I am very pleased with the transformation in the team. We are a team that competes hard for 40min, something we have been striving for since October. After a tough weekend, we have to focus hard on getting wins down at Lethbridge and Mount Royal." The Thunder will head down south for their final regular season road trip, playing the Kodiaks on Friday night (February 3rd) before traveling back up to Calgary to face the Cougars on Saturday, the 4th. Both games go at 6PM.
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| Photos by | Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Earn Twin Victories
January 23, 2012
The Thunder Women's Basketball team got their first 2 win weekend this season when they faced off against the King's University College Eagles. The Eagles came into the weekend with a 7-5 record and so these were crucial games for the Thunder if they were to keep their playoff hopes alive. On Friday night at Kings, the Thunder came out and got after it right from the tip off. The girls did an excellent job finding ways to get to the foul line and get some of King's main players in foul trouble. Converting from the free throw line was another story, as the Thunder women shot just 35% from the line in the first half. Down 5 at half time, Concordia was right where they needed to be to compete in the second half. Cara Zamburek shot 13-20 free throws and Meghan Allison was amazing, putting up a big double-double 10pts, 10 rebounds vs the first real post threat the Thunder have seen this season. In the fourth quarter, Kaylie Mattiussi and Steph Balog both hit BIG TIME 3's to get the Thunder the lead and hold it there for a big 75-71 win. "It was the first time we really played together as a team and focused on the game plan for 40 minutes," said Coach Ashley MacSporran, post game.
On Saturday - in what was another very physical game - the Thunder hosted the Eagles at the Ralph King Centre. The Thunder Women once again attacked Kings inside and were able to get good looks at the rim and more trips to the foul line. In the third quarter, the team really got after it taking a 22pt lead into the 4th. "In action from last weekend, we saw Kings come from a big deficit vs Lethbridge to make it an 8pt game with 3 minutes to go. We knew they would make a run and needed to focus on holding them off on the defensive end," commented MacSporran. The lid seemed to be on the basket, as shots rolled off in the fourth quarter for the Thunder, but with determination on defense the Thunder were able to come up with another big win over Kings and win their 5th game in the last 7 outings. Steph Balog led the scoring effort with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Meghan Allison once again had a HUGE double-double 12pts and 12 rebounds. Kaylie (Mattiussi) and Cara (Zamburek) were excellent as well. Coach MacSporran concluded, "I was most pleased with the bench effort this weekend. We got some BIG defensive minutes from Alyssa Leakvold, who really is fearless when she is on the court. All nine girls really made this a successful weekend. I couldn't be more proud of the grit and determination we showed, to make sure we got two wins this weekend." The Thunder will face a stern test when they square off against the undefeated MacEwan Griffins this coming weekend. They host the Griffins on Friday (January 27th) at 6PM before heading over to MacEwan for the rematch on Saturday, the 28th. Tip off is once again at 6PM.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Off to a Good Start in 2012
January 16, 2012
The Concordia Women's Basketball team had a great start to the second semester as they hosted Briercrest on Friday night. The Thunder had the first quarter start that Coach Ashley MacSporran has been looking for. "We got after it in a full court press and caused several quick Briercrest turnovers. I was disappointed in the amount of fouls we committed, we didn't move our feet on defense in the first half and gave them too many looks from the free throw line." In spite of that, the Thunder went into the half with a definitive 20pt lead. "The emphasis at half was that the score was zero - zero and we needed to have a second half of good execution and smart play." Steph Balog was on fire Friday, going 7 for 13 from the 3pt line. Cara Zamburek had a solid night with 18pts and Meghan Allison was wonderful inside and really stepped up since the last weekend in November vs NAIT, leading the Thunder to a 72-34 victory.
On Saturday, the Medicine Hat Rattlers came to town sporting a 6-5 record and just two points out of 2nd place in the ACAC South. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. Once again, the Thunder struggled breaking the press and had too many turnovers that resulted in points for the Rattlers in the first quarter," said MacSporran. The Thunder regained their composure and executed offensively, getting a lot of quality shots to get themselves back into the game and into the lead. The rest of the game was a see-saw affair with the lead changing hands over a dozen times. But in the end, the Rattlers prevailed, just edging out the Thunder 65-60. Coach MacSporran summed up the game with these words: "Defensively we gave up too many rebounds and (gave them) second chance opportunities. We lost the game in the last few minutes by allowing Medicine Hat to get second looks." Once again, Steph Balog had a great game with 20pts and Meghan Allison also had another great game and gave the Thunder strong minutes inside with 12pts. The Thunder now turn their focus to the upcoming home and home series with the King's University College and will host the Eagles on Saturday, January 21st at 6PM.
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Thunder Women's Basketball Finish First Half of Season in Split with NAIT
November 28, 2011
The Thunder Women's Basketball team closed out their first semester schedule on the weekend, splitting a pair of games with the NAIT Ooks. Looking to build momentum after their win over Red Deer from the week before, the Thunder "had a good week of practice and prep for NAIT." Concordia came out with a great defensive effort in the first quarter Friday but once again struggled to score. Down 9 points going into the second quarter, team Captain Steph Balog helped spur the offence and combined with tough, tenacious defense, the Thunder found themselves down by only 2 at the half. The second stanza proved to be all Thunder. With Steph Balog knocking down tough shots and Cara Zamburek scoring inside, the Thunder got the lead and never looked back, securing their second consecutive win, 63-61. "This was a huge win for the girls, as we finally put 4 quarters together," said Coach Ashley MacSporran. "The girls followed the game plan and really toughed this one out. Rai Hooper and Cara were instrumental to the win, playing tough defense. Steph had 22 points and 10 defensive rebounds." On Saturday, the action shifted to the gym at NAIT, with Concordia looking to continue the success from the night before. Kaylie Mattiussi was on fire in first half, scoring 17 points. "NAIT really focused on Steph from the night before and Kaylie played with great confidence Saturday," commented MacSporran. In an up and down game, both teams were hitting big shots and the lead changed hands several times. Although the Thunder women 'left it all on the court', unfortunately they came up just short on the scoreboard falling to the Ooks 60 to 54. Meghan Allison was a spark off the bench and really contributed big minutes on both offense and defense. "I was so happy to see that spark in Meghan in both games. (It was) a tough game to lose, but plenty to work on in December to make a push in January." The Thunder's first action in the second semester will be a two game home stand on January 13th and 14th when they host the Briercrest Clippers and the Medicine Hat Rattlers.
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Thunder Women's Basketball Earn a 'W' in Red Deer
November 21, 2011
The Thunder Women's Basketball team traveled down to Red Deer on Saturday and returned to Edmonton victorious. After a difficult start to the season for the young team, the Thunder look to be righting the ship. In the first half, the Thunder were tenacious on defense, pressuring Red deer in the back court and forcing the Queens to turn the ball over. At times, Concordia found it difficult to score and missed some easy looks. Nonetheless, the ladies went into half time up by 11 points. The second half proved to be quite the physical battle. "The refs let the teams play, which I was very happy to see," stated Head Coach Ashley MacSporran. "The girls were tough and battled through; this game really challenged character". Red Deer battled their way back into the game and were up one going into the fourth quarter. The Thunder had an answer every time the Queens scored, which "is something the team had been lacking in past games. The girls competed for 40 minutes," said MacSporran. In a game that came down to the wire, Cara Zamburek and Sasha Warmington were the top scorers for the Thunder. Marie Hacking was also a great presence on the floor. With 1:15 left in the fourth quarter and Concordia down by 1, Marie knocked down a 3-pointer - the Thunder's first 3 of the game - and it couldn't have come at a better time. "I had just told the team, nothing but a look at the rim, Marie was wide open, took her time and knocked it down. I was proud of the whole team for being tough and staying in the game mentally," MacSporran concluded. Next up, the Thunder will face their crosstown rivals the NAIT Ooks to close out the first half of the season. Tip off time is 6:00 PM on Friday the 25th at Concordia with the rematch going Saturday evening at 6:00 at NAIT.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Drop a Single to SAIT
November 14, 2011
On Saturday evening, the Thunder Women's Basketball team faced the ACAC South Division's 3rd place SAIT Trojans at the Ralph King Athletic Centre. The weekend's lone game was tight in the first half, as both teams struggled to make any separation in the score. "We did a better job of getting good possessions on offense, getting to the rim and to the foul line," said Coach Ashley MacSporran. In the second half, the Thunder pressed the Trojans and tried to close a progressively wider gap in the score but with several starting players in foul trouble, they were unable to find the points and eventually fell 78-62. Once again, turnovers were costly as the Thunder were unable to handle the pressure from SAIT in the full court. In her first year with the Thunder, Guard Jessie Newton was a big presence off the bench, taking care of the ball and making good decisions on offense. "It was nice to see Jessie come out and have a big game for us," said MacSporran." Sasha Warmington led the Thunder with 14 points. The Thunder will have another single game weekend when they travel to Red Deer this Saturday to face the Queens. Tip off time is 6:00 PM.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Still Looking for the Right Formula
November 7, 2011
The Thunder Women's Basketball team had a disappointing weekend as they struggled to find their scoring touch against the Vikings from Augustana. Friday night's home game turned into a real dog fight, as the girls struggled to score early on and turned the ball over too many times in the first half. The Thunder re-grouped at the half and made a big run in the fourth quarter to bring the game within two but regrettably, were unable to finish off the game with a W, falling 60 to 55. Third year veteran Kaylie Mattiussi had another strong outing hitting 2 big 3-pointers's in the 4th quarter. 1st year guard Marie Hacking also had a great game, leading the drive that brought the game back into reach for Concordia. Saturday's game back in Camrose was more of same as the Thunder struggled to score and turned the ball over too often in the 65-46 loss. Once again Marie Hacking was a spark to the team and had a great game. Another 1st year player, Karolina Wieczorek, came off the bench and contributed some great minutes to the team as well. Coach MacSporran "was disappointed with the effort in both games this weekend. (However), with a young team, it is nice to have different players have big games. Once we put it together, we will be a force. It is a long season and we need to re-group as a team and find a way to pull out some games." The Thunder will get a little breather as they only play one game on each of the next two weekends starting with a home game against the ACAC South's 2nd place SAIT Trojans on Saturday, November 12th starting at 6 PM.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Drop Two to Lakeland
October 31, 2011
The Thunder Women's Basketball Team came out of the gate gunning in their home opener on Friday night at the Ralph King Athletic Centre. The Thunder got good looks inside from Sasha Warmington and veteran Kaylie Mattiussi added three 3-pointers in the first quarter. The team as a whole had great intensity and had a strong defensive quarter. The girls continued their strong defense and smart play and ended the half up by 4. The second half was a back and forth battle that saw Lakeland and Concordia trading baskets. In the dying seconds of regulation time, the Thunder got a crucial defensive stop to put the game into overtime. In the overtime period, the Thunder just ran out of steam and managed only 1 pt to Lakeland's 10 and wound up on the short end of the 83-74 final score. "The girls did a great job defending their shooters, but we sent them to the foul line 35 times; it was a tough loss," lamented Head Coach Ashley MacSporran. On Saturday, the team took the trip to Lloydminster and the game proved to be the dog fight Coach MacSporran thought it would be. "We were able to answer every 3 they knocked down and they went 3 possessions in a row hitting 3s. That can suck the life out of a team, but the girls battled back and took a one point lead at half". Cara Zamburek was tenacious on both offense and defense and was a big spark to the game. Meghan Allison and Jenica Brown also came off the bench in the second half to give the Thunder new light on offense. Nevertheless, the Rustlers won the day once more, topping the Thunder by an 8 point margin, 72-64. "Going down the stretch we once again couldn't get a score. It was a dog fight to the end and the girls competed right until the end." The Thunder's next action will be this Friday, November 4th when they will host the Augustana Vikings. Tip off time is 6:00 PM.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Earn Split on Opening Weekend
October 24, 2011
The Thunder Women's Basketball team kicked off the 2011-12 ACAC regular season on the road where they split a pair of games with the hometown Huskies of Keyano College. On Friday night, the Huskies came out very strong. "They were ready to win the game and that had us (back) on our heels the whole night," said Head Coach Ashley MacSporran, coaching in her first ACAC game. With over 30 turnovers and plenty of missed easy looks, the Thunder found themselves trying to dig out of a hole again. "The girls continued to compete and had a much better third quarter. However we were still missing easy looks that we needed to hit to get back in the game." Concordia had 14 offensive rebounds in the second half but couldn't convert that effort into points and bowed to the Huskies 57-52. Cara Zamburek was the leading scorer for the Thunder with 15 points followed by Sasha Warmington with 12. "I was disappointed with our effort to start the game," said MacSporran. "(However) I was pleased with the fight in the girls and pleased with the shot opportunities we did get." On Saturday, the Thunder had a great shoot around before the 1:00 PM game which really helped them get loose and focused. "We finally started a game strong, being a force inside and finishing shots. It gave us the lead and we never looked back," said Coach MacSporran. Sasha Warmington led the way with 18 points in the first half and Marie Hacking hit some big three-pointers for the Thunder. Overall, Concordia played tenacious defense in the second half and controlled the glass defensively. Marie Hacking again went 3 for 4 from the 3-point line and Sasha Warmington ran her point total to 24 to finish the game and give the Thunder their first victory with a score of 68-41."With a young team, we will have ups and downs. Being able to play through and fight for 40 minutes every night is how we will win games this year," concluded Coach MacSporran. The Thunder home opener is this coming Friday, October 28th when they will host the Lakeland College Rustlers. Tip off time is 6:00 PM.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Concordia Women's Basketball Co-host Inaugural Thunder Basketball Fall Classic
October 11, 2011
The Thunder Women's Basketball team - along with the Men's team - co-hosted the first annual Thunder Basketball Fall Classic this past weekend. The action kicked off on Thursday night with a tilt between the Thunder and the MacEwan Griffins. The Thunder came out flat and dug themselves a huge hole to climb out of to start the game. With turnovers, an inability to handle pressure and missed shot opportunities, the Thunder Women were down double digits early on in first quarter. After the half, the team showed great character and determination to cut the 20 point deficit. "I was disappointed with the lack of urgency in the first half and was pleased to see a different team return to the floor after half time. We still missed shots, but took care of the ball and had a spark on defense. Steph Balog proved she was a true leader and pulled her team within 14 points with big shots and great decision making," commented Coach Ashley MacSporran after the contest. The action continued Friday when the Thunder came out running vs Keyano, taking an early lead. "The girls executed, which was a goal of ours - to get good shot attempts," said Coach MacSporran. Sasha Warmington had 8 straight to start the game and fuelled the team with an energy that was missing on Thursday. Rookie Rai Hooper also had an exceptional game exhibiting an amazing defensive effort, getting steals and causing turnovers. "Besides a drop in intensity in the 3rd quarter, I was pleased by the overall effort," said MacSporran. "As a young team in pre-season, we are still learning to play together and play consistently for 4 quarters." Sasha Warmington led the team with 23 points. On Saturday afternoon, the Thunder wrapped up the tournament with a tilt against the ACAL's St. Mary's Lightning. In what was a solid team effort overall, each player brought 'something good to the floor' and Coach MacSporran was happy to see some different people step up. "Jenica Brown made her debut on the floor with 8 points off the bench, making good decisions. Once again Steph and Sasha lead the team in scoring. I was pleased with the way the girls came together after a very chippy second half. The girls played through frustrations with calls and continued to play the way I want the Thunder team to play; competitive (until) the end." The 70-44 victory ended the pre-season on a high note and the Thunder Women are looking forward to the start of league play when they travel up to Keyano for a pair of games against the Huskies on October 21st and 22nd.
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| Photo by Jacob Bos |
Thunder Women's Basketball Work Out the Kinks in Pre-season Action
September 26, 2011
The Concordia Thunder Women's Basketball team saw their first action this weekend as they travelled to Augustana for a three game tourney. The Thunder faced off against the host Augustana Vikings on Thursday and as 'first games of seasons go', this one was to be expected. Playing just two weeks after starting the season's practice schedule, made for some mistakes on the floor. "We proved we can score and put up 68 points. The girls continued to battle back into the game several times, as Augustana would go on runs," said new Head Coach Ashley MacSporran. "We were always able to get it back within 8 or so until the last 3 minutes, where an 8 point game became a 20 point game. I was disappointed we gave up 90 points defensively; that was not a good enough effort." Coach MacSporran was impressed with the girls' ability to adapt on offense and all four returning veterans Kaylie Mattiusi, Stephanie Balog, Cara Zamburek and Meghan Allison showed great leadership on the floor and each contributed significantly to the effort. On Friday, the Thunder matched up against the Red Deer Queens and held them to just 18 points in the first half; the lowest first half point production that Red Deer had all weekend. Coach MacSporran was very pleased with the defensive effort and was also please to see the potential in some of her new recruits. "Sasha (Warmington) had a turn around game, scoring 8 straight to start and was a big presence inside offensively and defensively. Steph and Kaylie once again lead the team in scoring. Rai Hooper and Megan McIntosh contributed solid minutes off the bench and were a spark on defense." The Thunder won the contest 73-47. On Saturday, the Thunder 'went CIS' when they faced the Pronghorns from the University of Lethbridge, duelling them to a 74-62 loss. The Pronghorns made a run early in the second quarter and we were able to hold it defensively without fouling. Later in the quarter, the Thunder were finally able to get to the foul line and knock them down. Jessie Newton came off the bench to 4 free throws to get Concordia to within one before the half. Unfortunately, foul trouble with 8 minutes to go saw Stephanie Balog leave the game with 18 points which hurt the Thunder in the late going. "Steph hit some big shots to get us within 6 points," said Coach MacSporran. "Kaylie was unstoppable getting to the rim and going to the line, she had 21 points. Unfortunately, like Thursday night, we couldn't finish the game off. I was pleased with their efforts versus a bigger CIS team." The Thunder's next action will be on October 7th and 8th when they and the Thunder Men's team co-host a Thankgiving weekend tournament.
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| Photos by | Jacob Bos |
