The George Brown women's basketball team (1-6) closed out the first half of their season, falling to the Georgian Grizzlies (2-5) on Friday night (Dec 2) at the Casa Loma Athletic Centre in Toronto, ON.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After dropping a close one to the Centennial Colts in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter a week ago, the Huskies were looking to bounce back and secure their second win of the season. The Grizzlies entered this contest hungry for their second win as well, after defeating the Loyalist Lancers in their previous game.
The Grizzlies got out to an early 24-5 lead after the first quarter. Leading the way for Georgian was Barrie native Kory Hook who scored 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor and picked up two steals and two rebounds. Huskies guard Minori Fukushi (1st Year) led the way collecting all five points for George Brown.
In the second quarter, Huskies guard Jaycelyn Valencia (2nd Year) and Ajax native Jordyn Dawkins (1st Year) combined for nine points, three steals and five rebounds. Grizzlies second year guard Kyanna Thompson and Hook both combined for 11 points and three rebounds as Georgian entered halftime with a 37-16 lead.
In the third quarter, the Huskies came out with fierce intensity out rebounding the Grizzlies 16-10 including 13 defensive rebounds. Kiara Graham (1st year) would be the spark for the home side, collecting four points on 2 of 3 shooting from the field, but the Grizzlies still entered the fourth quarter with a 43-22 lead.
In the final frame, the Grizzlies outscored the Huskies 13-11 led again by the offense of Hook who scored nine points, including shooting 40% from the three-point line. The Huskies once again out rebounded the Grizzlies 11-10, including five offensive rebounds but it would prove not to be enough on this night as the Grizzlies would take the game by a final score of 56-33.
Despite the tough start, Head Coach Omari Wiltshire is proud of the resilience the team has displayed for the first half of the season. "All season long they have been a team who are willing to do the extra and they are willing to do things all the way through." He continued, "In practice, in film, in games they try to give their best effort at all times and one thing I know for sure with this team, it has the heart to keep going."
Reflecting on the positives from the first half of the season, Wiltshire explained "Our two captains, Minori Fukushi and Jaycelyn Valencia are leading the team with their energy trying to get everyone on the same page. They are growing in their leadership roles and they are willing to be uncomfortable in situations, especially in today's game where it was a game that we could have gotten but things weren't falling our side. They still remained positive pushing through."
UP NEXT: George Brown will return to action in the new year when they open up the second half of the season travelling to Barrie, Ontario to play the Georgian Grizzles (2-5) on Friday January 13, 2023 with tip-off scheduled for 6 pm. Can't make it in person? Make sure to watch all the action live on our Huskies Livestream Channel!
