The frustration from the Humber women’s basketball team coaches was palpable as they watched their players’ mistakes turn into easy baskets for the Conestoga Condors.
In just minutes, they were up by four leaving the home crowd uneasy.
Kia Watt, a Humber women’s basketball shooting guard said this is why she never allows herself to underestimate a team regardless of their ranking.
The Hawks are 12-2 this season, placing them into the number one spot of the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) west division and 15th nationally. The Condors are 2-11 after today’s game, and rank eighth in the west division.
To get Humber back into the game, Watt ran down the hardwood and shot with an easy three-pointer to get them on the board.
From there, number 15, Sarah Baptie, would help finish the quarter with a tight score of 16-20, putting the Hawks up by four.
To start the second, Watt got the momentum going once again. This time, it was nothing but net as she shot a long one from just outside the three-point line.
The Hawks soared and finished the half on a high note with a 12-point lead with a score of 35-23.
Going into the third, the Condors were back on the attack, adding 13 more to their total in the first five minutes.
Humber was quick to respond, leading by ten, going into the fourth.
The Hawks would win it at the final buzzer, beating Conestoga 71-55, and remain undefeated at home.
Humber heads to Ancaster, Ont. next Friday where they face the Redeemer Royals (3-9).
In a post-game interview Watt said, “I think we did okay, we did come out with the win which is obviously amazing, but I think there are some points in this game where we could have done better as a team.”
Regardless of the path it took to get to the result, she says she is happy they won.
Ceejay Nofuente, head coach of Humber women’s basketball, said she credits the girls for their effort.
“We are still learning each other’s tendencies, strengths, weaknesses.” Nofuente said.
“We are still figuring stuff out on the defensive end, but the effort was there today,” Nofuente said.
“A lot of teams have great bigs, and I challenge our bigs but also our guards to limit their touches, limit their opportunities, limit their rebounds, and you know they stepped up to the challenge,” she said.
Nofuente, also a former player for the navy and gold also stresses that doing the “early work” is just as important.
“You can hear us calling ‘early, early’, that just means stepping up and guarding the next pass,” she said.
The Hawks would win it at the final buzzer, beating Conestoga 71-55.
Nofuente’s hope for their game against Redeemer (3-9) next Friday is to get sealed down low and avoid letting through the easy passes.
