Close, But No Sting-ar

Women’s Basketball Team Falls in Reebok Championship Despite Good Showing

SportsRichie Daly — Published January 10, 2012

Concordia’s women’s basketball team suffered a disappointing end to the annual Shoot for the Cure Reebok tournament, bowing out to the University of Alberta Pandas in the championship game after defeating the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds and Carleton Ravens.

The tournament, which was hosted by Concordia saw nationally ranked talent descend on the Loyola Gym, with part of the proceeds being donated to Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and other cancer-related charities.

Aside from the philanthropic benefits, the tournament allowed for the Stingers to maintain their form over the winter break, as well as preparing them both physically and mentally for the more hectic league schedule ahead of them.

On the first day of competition, the Stingers dominated the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds 77-56, with three players scoring in the double digits. The win meant the Stingers would advance to face Carleton.

That game was their best of the tournament as the Stingers triumphed 67-56 over the Carleton Ravens thanks to a strong outing by rookie Natasha Raposo, who scored a game-high 18 points. Kaylah Barrett and Magalie Beaulieu both contributed as well, with 12 and 14 points respectively.

“Winning against Carleton let us know we can compete with the best teams if we do all the right things at the right level. It let our players know that they are capable of successfully competing nationally,” said Stingers head Coach Keith Pruden.

Unfortunately, the Stingers could not continue their winning momentum, falling 71-60 to the University of Alberta Pandas in spite of a spectacular offensive performance from Barrett, who scored a game-high 23 points to go along with her seven rebounds and three steals.

“Overall, the tournament was very good. I grade our performance a B. Playing against teams like Carleton and winning gives us the opportunity to be ranked nationally. Everybody stepped up and we played good basketball in all three games.” said Pruden.

Despite their second-place finish, Kaylah Barrett was named to the Tournament All-Star Team. Barrett scored in double figures in all three games in addition to her many rebounds. Pruden considers the honour well-deserved, noting that, “Kaylah is our best offensive and defensive player. She plays with such a great intensity that it spills over to her teammates. She is just phenomenally competitive.”

The Stingers are still without a loss in league play after beating UQAM on Jan. 5. They face them again at home on this Saturday. Tipoff is at 4:00 p.m.