Recap The Court

When I was looking at the bracket and how it could play out at the start of the playoffs, there was one matchup that I circled, and now we have it. The first seed Carleton Ravens host the fifth seed Ottawa Gee-Gees in the Critelli Cup semis, the best team in the OUA against arguably the most complete team in the OUA. A spot in both the Critelli Cup final and the U SPORTS Final 8 on the line, it don’t get much better.

The Ravens defeated the McMaster Marauders in the quarterfinals behind a monster 40-point performance from their all-star point guard Kali Pocrnic. Kali has the ability that few in the OUA have where she can fully takeover a game on both ends of the floor and singlehandedly close out games, and she is the engine that keeps Carleton going. When she is able to get defences shifting by attacking different parts of the floor, she is one of the best at distributing the ball and creating high percentage opportunities for others on the floor.

Working off Kali, the Ravens have Jacqueline Urban and Hadeza Ismaila, and the way the posts play in Carleton’s system makes them so intriguing going against the Gee-Gees defence. Starting a lot of sets from under the rim, Jacqueline will lay and wait until it’s her time, and when she needs to take a pass or get a rebound, she knows exactly where to pop out to, and she does it so efficiently that it’s hard to stop. Luring paint defences to sleep then moving quickly and efficiently with the ability Jacqueline has on the glass will be tough for Melina De Iulio and Emily Payne of the Gee-Gees to manage as they try to get involved defensively while also keeping an eye on Urban and Ismaila.

To help De Iulio and Payne, and what has made the Gee-Gees almost a direct counter to what Carleton does, is their two guards, Natsuki Szczokin and Ariane Saumure. It’s been said countless times but the way they work off each other, especially on the defensive end, almost makes them a wall that opposing teams have to get through, that will often lead to turnovers if they try something too fancy. They are two of the best in the league at generating steals, and how they help each other limits the risk of committing too much and getting beat,

When the Gee-Gees do get the ball going the other way, other than the speed and decisiveness that Ariane and Natsuki play with, the addition of Allie McCarthy can’t be understated. Allie gives the Gee-Gees a consistent three-point weapon and a catch-and-go guard who knows her spots on the perimeter where she can catch passes in transition and immediately put up a three, putting stress on the defence to not only stop the ball but also close out to Allie before a pass can get off. On the defensive end Allie gives the Gee-Gees a lot of length outside to help contain teams and prevent drives to the rim, and that will be really important going against Kali and Dorcas Buisa of the Ravens.

The Ravens are the defending champs and have the best record in the league. The Gee-Gees finished the regular season with the third best record in the league and they are the only team to hand Carleton a loss this season. Ottawa took their matchup at Ottawa and Carleton followed with a close victory at the Capital Hoops Classic at TD Place Arena, where clutch free throws from Kali Pocrnic pushed them ahead with a minute remaining. They meet again, and if it’s anything like the first two meetings, this has game of the year potential.