Olds College's junior varsity basketball teams had mixed results on Jan. 23, despite each team playing in close games.
The men hung on for a 95-91 victory over the Canadian University College Aurora from Lacombe in Alberta Colleges Athletic League play, while the women put up a valiant effort in a 41-39 loss to the squad from Lacombe. This was the second game of the season for both Broncos teams. The men are now 2-0 in the 2014 season, with the women sporting a 1-1 record.
The men had three players ñ Matt Zukowski, Ibrahim Aden and Matt Dengó all scoring more than 15 points each, but the team still had to fight hard in the dying minutes of the game. The Broncos set the pace from the opening tipoff, taking an 18-14 lead after the first quarter. Late in the second, both teams traded points several times as the game increased in speed and they scored points from fast breaks, with the Broncos increasing their lead to 46-36 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Broncos increased the lead to 75-62, before the Aurora made a game of it in the dying minutes, cutting the lead down to two points at 89-87, before the Broncos closed it out. Zukowski was named the player of the game for the Broncos, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Following the game, the men's team's coach, Stephen Anthony, said while the team managed a victory, the players need to be better defensively.
ìWe can't allow teams to score 90 points and win too many games,î he said, noting the balanced attack was welcome.
Anthony said while he was happy with the team's up-tempo game in the second quarter, the Broncos gave up too many turnovers and allowed the Aurora too many points. The Broncos gave up the ball 29 times during the game.
ìWe've got to be better with the basketball. It's a little bit of not knowing each other right now, it's a little bit of guys wanting to do too much and wanting to go out of our systems. When we go out of systems, it's like improvisation theatre; sometimes it can end up good but you never know where it's headed,î he said.
Meanwhile, the women were down 11-6 after the first quarter while they trailed 23-15 at the half. After falling into a 39-21 hole after three quarters of play, the Broncos closed the gap in the fourth quarter to lose by only two points. Joelle Burnstad, who was the Broncos' female player of the game, had 24 points and 17 rebounds.
Coach Thom Gillespie said the team lacked aggressiveness over the first three quarters, but was more into the game in the fourth.
ìOur energy picked up in the fourth quarter and some good results followed,î he said.
Gillepsie said while Burnstad has been away from basketball for a while, her aggressiveness and natural talent show.
ìShe finishes well around the basket. She has confidence and that's been important for us in our first two games and when she plays well with that energy and confidence, you notice that the other girls do as well, so she's clearly established herself as our team leader,î he said.
Gillepsie said many of the women on the team haven't played competitive basketball in several years, so there are a lot of fundamentals he will be assisting them with over the course of the season.
ìYou can go right down the list from shooting to passing, dribbling, rebounding, defending. But that makes coaching easier because you know you have a lot to do,î he said.
The two teams' next games are on Jan. 31 against the Millar College Edge at the Ralph Klein Centre.
