On Oct. 24 the Gryphons took on the Queen’s Gaels in their final preseason game of the year. Coming off of a decisive win against the Bishop’s Gaiters earlier in the month, the Gryphons were looking to continue their success Saturday evening.
The beginning of the game saw the Gryphons taking an early lead. Through defensive control and a couple of forced turnovers, the Gryphons were able to capitalize and score quickly down the floor. As the Gryphons maintained their early lead throughout the first half, the Gaels defence began to buckle down and stop the surging Gryphons offence. Nearing the end of the half, the Gryphons were unable to penetrate the Gaels defence and found themselves down by seven points.
While the Gryphons were still trying to find their offensive groove, the Gaels showed an incredible range of scoring and teamwork. The Gaels began exposing weaknesses in the Gryphons defence, and in the second half of play continued to build on their lead. Even with the Gaels pressing defensive intensity, the Gryphons still fought and played with incredible effort throughout the game. Ultimately, the Gaels held on to the lead throughout the second half and defeated the Gryphons 78-62.
Fifth-year player Dana Von Balkom, who scored 16 points on the night for the Gryphons, also managed to shoot a perfect 12 for 12 from the free-throw line through hard-earned fouls and consistent drives to the basket. Kate MacTavish, another fifth-year player, led the Gryphons in scoring with 19 points. MacTavish, who averaged 16.5 points per game last season, has continued to improve her game throughout the last couple of seasons for the Gryphons. MacTavish also helped the Gryphons become the top offensive rebounding team in the OUA last season while averaging 10.6 rebounds per game.
This year, the Gryphons have a tremendous amount of talent and are looking to further develop the skills of players like Megan Brenkel and Bridget Atkinson, the upcoming season looks promising for the young team. Atkinson is coming off of a stellar rookie season averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 67.3 per cent from the field. Earlier this year, Atkinson was named CIS Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Gryphons player to ever receive a major CIS award.
The Gryphons are now looking ahead towards their OUA season opener against the Lakehead Thunderwolves, with two games taking place on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.