Jacob Smith
Week four of the OUA season starts with two games we could look back on in February as games that had the largest impact on the outcome of the playoffs. The McMaster Marauders and Guelph Gryphons have home games this evening, hosting teams who they’re beside in the standing, with the Marauders able to tie the lead in the division and the Gryphons able to solidify their spot above their opponent.
McMaster hosts TMU
The TMU Bold are 6-0, looking like a top three team in the OUA behind the two returning finalists. They’ve gotten the right contributions from the right people topped by the leadership of Kaillie Hall and the coaching of Carly Clarke. They host the McMaster Marauders who they’ve already beat 71-65, and on both sides the strengths of each side will be put under immense pressure.
On the side of the Marauders, they’ve had three-point shooting as their specialty for years. Consistently one of the highest three-point shooting teams in both volume and percentage, they’ve played with a style that’s almost lived and died by the three. This season they rank seventh in the OUA in three point percentage, led by their leader Jenna Button shooting an outstanding 57 per cent.
On the other side of the ball, the deep range threat comes from Jayme Foreman who’s already had a large impact from long range, including a 7 of 10 game against the Brock Badgers. If you let Jayme get into a rhythm, it could be a long night for you, and TMU will need to fuel that to once again keep up with the fast paced Marauders.
McMaster likes to run the floor and get in transition, finding Button or Cassie Joli Coeur for quick baskets, something that will test another TMU strength, their defence. Against the Varsity Blues, TMU had troubles guarding their aggression in the first half, with UofT often initiating the contact and getting to the foul line. McMaster likes to attack the rim in the same way, and TMU picking up on that early and not letting McMaster control the tempo and physicality of the game will be important for setting the tone.
Guelph hosts Laurier
The Guelph Gryphons and Laurier Golden Hawks are both 4-2, half a game back of the 4-1 Waterloo Warriors for the OUA West. The Gryphons have won the last five matchups between these two squads, but with Laurier taking another step forward behind their veteran core, the fast paced Golden Hawks provide a unique challenge for the Gryphons, and a big opportunity awaits Laurier to put a stamp on their ascension.
Laurier pushes the pace with Cassidy Hirtle, Dylann Mazzuchin and Miranda Campbell, and Guelph operates within the half court with their interior defence and off-ball movement creating shots. Two opposing styles clash in Guelph, and whoever’s pace gets enforced may decide who comes out on top of this game.
Guelph has done a great job slowing teams down once they get into the half court and using their interior presence to control the boards and deny any opportunities around the rim. Offensively, they use off-ball movement around the perimeter to create shots, often playing through the paint if they can and getting shots along the baseline or the shoulder. Lucy Tesseyman and Trinity Papamandjaris have stepped up inside the paint and provide a consistency on both sides of the ball that open up the Gryphons game.
Cassidy Hirtle is tenth in the OUA at 16.5 points per game at a 47% clip, and behind her contributions, Laurier constantly has their foot on the glass. Their guards are quick with the ball, and their forwards contribute to their eight ranked offensive rebounding. Shooting 37 per cent from the field as a team, sixth in the OUA, Laurier has two players averaging over 10 points per game and Miranda Campbell just below that at 9.3, a deep offensive team who’s averaging 70 points per game, fifth in the league.
TMU and McMaster putting on a show on the perimeter, Guelph and Laurier meeting with clashing styles trying to dictate the pace, a night of OUA divisional matchups with large impacts on the standings and future divisional outcomes. Two games you should pay attention to, both starting at 6pm.
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