Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

Underdogs is a story of Brock Women’s Basketball and the growth of a program through the ups and downs. Starting with the 2015-2016 OUA season, this series will look in-depth at each season with interviews and features of players and staff associated with the program.

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The end of an era and the handing over of the reigns to a new group. The 2015-2016 season for Brock Women’s Basketball represented the pinnacle for head coach Si Khounviseth in his sixth season leading the program, and the start of a foundation that would foster the buildup to the best result the program has had in its history.

Though they didn’t know it at the time, the 2015-2016 roster and the trials they went through during that season, forged a connection and a unity that was paramount to the growth and perseverance that they had over the next three seasons and the many changes that awaited them. A relationship was built between the younger players and a trust to stick by each other, and a core group was beginning to be formed.

It started the previous year with the recruitment of standout guard Melissa Tatti who quickly showed herself to be a valuable piece of the rotation and someone they could count on. In another part of the OUA, guard Bridget Atkinson and Jess Morris were recruited by Guelph and the pieces for the Badgers eventual growth were assembling.

Let’s talk about some of the other talent Brock had. Jenalyn Yumol, the starting point guard for the Badgers in her fifth season, was the facilitator and leader on the court. Her basketball IQ and craftiness helped the Badgers run their pass heavy offence and average the sixth fewest turnovers per game in the OUA while being the second best in assists in the 2015 season.

Katie Harpur. a physical presence inside the paint, gave the Badgers options in their inside-out offence. Her post up above the block, one dribble finish caught many defenders off guard and her ability to set screens was utilized often to get Jenalyn or another guard open. Katie was a traditional post player that Brock needed and a veteran presence that others could watch for advice and proper execution.

Kayla Santilli was one of several shooters for the Badgers. The 5’8 guard in her fifth year was not afraid to catch and shoot and the main area of attack was beyond the arch. Kayla spaced the floor for the Badgers, being a perimeter guard that could assist with the ball movement but also keep defences honest with her ability to shoot and get rolling.

Chrissy Sirignano was a rookie in the 2015-2016 season, and her speed and ability to get in the passing lanes gave opponents nightmares. She could shoot and when she got out in transition she was hard to keep up with. She liked to push the pace and that helped the Badgers who were usually a slower paced team.

Aryn Finley, a second year forward, complimented the likes of Katie Harpur at the forward position. Aryn was more of a perimeter and high post forward for the Badgers who stretched out to the perimeter, and having the combination of her scoring with Katie’s paint presence deeper inside rounded off the Badgers forward position well and added another threat in the close to mid-range for defenders to guard.

Together, the mix of rookies and fifth year veterans made for a well-rounded team but time would still need to be made for chemistry to build. Their season was filled with peaks and valleys but that building chemistry was a constant that would help them massively especially in the future seasons. Groundwork was being laid.

To start the 2015-2016 season, the Badgers took on the McMaster Marauders and showcased their ability to move the ball. With both teams bringing a heavy paint presence, the Badgers scored 24 of their 65 points inside but were edged out by the Marauders 28 paint points and they were defeated 68-65. The game was the first showcase for the first year guard Baelie Campbell who scored eight points off the bench and secured four rebounds.

With the Badgers veteran filled roster, having younger players like Baelie who can come in and impact the game was a big help and the requirement of her brought the team closer together and began to create the multi-faceted play style that Brock showed that year.

It was now on to Algoma where another rookie guard, Allie Columbus made her regular season debut. The Badgers won that game handily and Baelie and Allie combined for 12 points off the bench, with second year guard Melissa Tatti leading the team with 19 points. The three young players were making an impact on the team’s success and their five game winning streak that started at Algoma reflected that. It was a veteran dominated team, but the contributions off the bench from the younger players would be crucial for the teams’ success going against the depth teams had throughout the OUA.

Their next game against York is where the veterans did their thing. Dominating on the boards and using their paint presence to their advantage shooting an astounding 25 free throws as a team, Brock took care of the Lions 68-52 and moved to 2-1.

Brock was put in the CIS National Rankings to start the season, coming in at number 6 and falling to 7 after their loss to McMaster and victory over Algoma. Their wins against York, Queen’s and Lakehead that put them at a 5-1 record, kept them at 7th in the standings with Ryerson at 3 and McMaster at 5, two divisional opponents and long-time rivals.

In the game against Queen’s on November 21, 2015, the Badgers presence inside the paint shined and they dominated on offence and on the boards. They shot 43% as a team compared to Queen’s 30%, and out-rebounded the Gaels 47-36 including 35 defensive rebounds, stifling the Gaels second chance opportunities.

Much of the scoring for the Badgers came from the veteran forwards. While Queen’s used their guards to create opportunities in the paint, Brock fed the ball inside and played more inside-out, posting up the Queen’s defenders and getting positioning for easy baskets around the hoop. Katie Harpur and Kira Cornelissen took over in the first half while Aryn Finley contributed off the bench. In the second half Kayla Santilli and point guard Jenalyn Yumol led the Badgers offence, topping off the well-played game by the veterans for the Badgers in their 68-50 win.

The Badgers only won two of their five games in January, losing to Windsor, Laurier and Western but defeating Waterloo and Guelph. Second year guard Melissa Tatti who was put into the starting lineup early in her career, was continuing to make her mark in the OUA, scoring 21 points in their victory over Waterloo, 13 against Windsor and 10 against Western.

The mix of veterans and rookies were continuing to gel throughout the season as they won three of their eight games in February including a dominating victory over the Nipissing Lakers where the Badgers scored 35 points off the bench, 15 coming from the young trio of Baelie, Allie and Melissa. Kira Cornelissen and Katie Harpur did their thing on the boards grabbing 24 combined rebounds to contribute to the Badgers 54 rebounds as a team, and they came away with an 85-49 win to get some more momentum on their side and turn things around for the up and down Badgers who had fallen out of the top 10 in January.

The Badgers season ended in Guelph with a first round playoff loss to the Gryphons due to a shorthanded roster and the stellar play of Guelph second year guard Bridget Atkinson, who the Badgers wouldn’t be seeing the last of.

Jenalyn Yumol, Kayla Santilli, Katie Harpur, Becky Ralph and Aryn Finley all moved on from the team in the offseason following their playoff exit, and Brock saw significant changes to its program before the 2016-17 season started.

Bridget Atkinson, OUA and CIS Rookie of the Year and 2x OUA All-Star, transferred to the Brock Badgers to play under new coach and former Guelph Assistant Coach Ashley MacSporran, and she brought with her, Jess Morris, who would be playing her second year of OUA basketball after taking the 2015-2016 season off and separating herself from the team.

Long-time head coach Si Khounviseth was replaced with Ashley MacSporran who brought in her own group of players. Bridget Atkinson and Jess Morris joined the team along with guard Ana Caldeira Rua and forward Shannon Northey and the test was to build on the success the team had the year before, with a new coaching staff and many new players.