No manna from heaven

[attach]983[/attach]Eastern Commerce played shorthanded, but not without tenacity as they pushed Northern to the last minutes of their Tier 1 South Region final for senior girls basketball.

Losing 46-40 to the Red Knights Nov. 10, Eastern coach Barry Benjamin said it was an energizing game, and his charges played well considering they were facing an undefeated squad.

“It was a good, fun game — too bad we didn’t win,” he said. “But somebody had to lose.”

Taking to the reins for the Saints were starters Sasha Thomas and Samantha Hill, who was playing on a sore ankle.

They’re key play resulted in a tight first quarter, ending in an 8-5 lead for the host Red Knights.

But the second quarter proved tough, as Northern went on a 7-0 run led by grade 9 Mackenzie Sigurdson, with Zoe Layne crashing the boards for the Red Knights. They moved the ball up court to point Emily Gilbert.

With Eastern Commerce confused, Benjamin called a timeout halfway through the quarter. A limited bench forced him to be creative.

“We played with only eight girls because some of them weren’t eligible attendance wise — they weren’t allowed to play,” he said. “We were kind of a man down.”

Hill and Tammara James Francis combined to get the Saints on the score sheet before the half, but not without further damage from Northern.

Heading into the half, the Saints were behind 22-11.

Though they managed to outscore Northern 15-11 in the third quarter, undisciplined play sent the Red Knights to the line far too often.

Sophie Beutel and Emily Gilbert both made more like Dirk Nowitzkis than Shaquille O’Neals at the free throw line, as Northern made use of their free shots en route to victory.

They’re coach, Wendy Luck, could not have been happier.

“I’ve been here for nine years and Eastern Commerce has been our nemesis for years,” she said. “To win this game, it means more than going to OFSAA.”

Northern’s discipline helped them to avoid confrontation with a more assertive Saints defence. The result was Eastern Commerce spending a good portion of the quarter in the penalty.

“(My players) are usually very level-headed,” Luck said. “So we just wanted to keep in the game with big passes and involving everyone in on the play.”

Still, a steal by Thomas and ensuing layup was a highlight, Benjamin said.

“She was our starter and she stepped it up in the second half,” he said.

By no means does the loss spell the end of the season for the Saints. The city qualifiers are up next and then it’s OFSAA.

The same path is being followed by Northern, and Luck is optimistic they can do some damage.

“I just think this group of eight kids — they’ve really all come to play and they’ve really gelled together,” she said. “I think because they’re a small team there’s no in-fighting and they get along well together on and off the court.”