Mounties walk over Blue Devils to advance in women's play at ACAA

By RYAN COOKE
March 2, 2012

Sloppy play and missed opportunities led the University of King’s College Blue Devils to fall to the Mount Allison Mounties 62-45.
After solid play by both teams through the first quarter and a half, things fell apart for the Blue Devils. They dug a hole they couldn’t climb out of, despite stellar play by starting guard Bhreagh Moore.
Blue Devils coach Jennifer Bennett attributed their stumble to their youth and inexperience.
“Being a really young group with two freshmen in the starting lineup, the defensive pressure rattled us a little bit.”
Moore, who was at times the most dominant player on the court, will head home with her head held high.
“It’s definitely frustrating to lose, but at the same time I love my team and I’m proud of them.”
The first quarter saw the two teams trade baskets at either end.
Moore led the way with eight points as the Blue Devils went up 17-16 on the Mounties.
The teams were evenly matched right down to fouls, racking up five each in the first.
Discipline picked up midway second quarter, with teams focusing more on offence.
The second quarter saw an offensive stalemate for the first five minutes, with both teams missing opportune shots at either end.
A huge three-pointer by Mount Allison’s Kayla Robichaud midway through the quarter put the Mounties ahead 21-19, and led to an end-to-end offensive explosion.
Moore answered back quickly with her tenth point of the game after a huge block by teammate Brittany Francis at the other end.
The teams exchanged baskets once more to keep the game knotted up at 23 apiece, before Mount Allison coach Al Hart called a timeout.
The Mounties came out of the timeout and immediately took control of the game, going on an 8-0 run to end the half, marked by the Mountie’s Megan Plummer putting up five points in the final three minutes.
The third quarter saw the Blue Devils miss opportunity after opportunity. They continuously put themselves in good position only to miss shots from in tight.
On the other side of the ball, the Mounties played strong offensively and got clutch shots from Sara McKellar to put them ahead by 13 after 30 minutes.
The sloppy play would continue for the Blue Devils throughout the fourth, with the only sign of a spark coming from Moore, who would finish with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds and be named the Blue Devils player of the game.
After the game opened up with an evenly matched 15 minutes of play, Hart said the turning point came during the timeout he called with five minutes to go in the second.
“We switched to a zone defence and it cut them down. They didn’t score much after that.”
He said the key to their success was the solid effort put in by all 10 players he put on the court, in particular a 15-point effort from freshman Sara McKellar.
“Sara was a little demon out there on the floor.
“Tonight she got her scoring touch back and that helped a lot.”
McKellar, the Stittsville, Ont., native, said she felt the pressure going into the game, but found a way to fight off the nerves and produce for her team.
“There were some jitterbugs, but once I got shooting and running they went away.”
The Mounties will slot up against Mount Saint Vincent in tomorrow’s semi-final. They’ve lost three times to the Mystics this season, but Hart likes their chances heading in to the matchup.
“If we shoot fine I think it will be a close game, but if we don’t then they’re a very good team and you can’t make mistakes against them.”

After the game opened up with an evenly matched 15 minutes of play, Hart said the turning point came during the timeout he called with five minutes to go in the second.
“We switched to a zone defence and it cut them down. They didn’t score much after that.”
He said the key to their success was the solid effort put in by all 10 players he put on the court, in particular a 15-point effort from freshman Sara McKellar.
“Sara was a little demon out there on the floor. Tonight she got her scoring touch back and that helped a lot.”
McKellar, the Stittsville, Ont., native, said she felt the pressure going into the game, but found a way to fight off the nerves and produce for her team.
“There were some jitterbugs, but once I got shooting and running they went away.”
The Mounties will slot up against Mount Saint Vincent in tomorrow’s semi-final. They’ve lost three times to the Mystics this season, but Hart likes their chances heading in to the matchup.
“If we shoot fine I think it will be a close game, but if we don’t then they’re a very good team and you can’t make mistakes against them.”

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