Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

It’s playoff time. We made it through another regular season and it’s time to get some win or go home basketball. The first round kicks off on Wednesday and i’m here today to break down one of the first round matchups.

The 12 seed, the Laurentian Voyageurs are travelling to St. Catharines to take on the 5 seed Brock Badgers. Both Laurentian and Brock had to fight to keep the seed they hold in the playoffs. The Badgers were in a race with the Queen’s Gaels and Guelph Gryphons through the last game of the regular season, and the Voyageurs used a win over the Nipissing Lakers in the second last game of the season to vault them into the 12 seed where a York loss to Brock kept them there.

Now that they’re in the playoffs, they have to get past each other to continue their push. Let’s look at how the two sides compare.

When I look at this matchup from the perspective of the Badgers, it’s about favourable matchups on the perimeter, and matching physicality. Using the aggressiveness of Madalyn Weinert to create opportunities, and playing quick off the catch the Laurentian guards on their feet constantly reacting. Using ball screens to drive, finding Ava Stranges or Olivia Fiorucci on the baseline and playing quick and decisive while taking the opportunities that come.

The advantage for the Badgers is in the guard play and using the dribble drive to create shots for Angeline from three or Ava along the baseline. Laurentian will try and get into passing lanes but constant movement will help create areas to attack and keep them out of being able to jump passes.

For the Voyageurs I want to play inside out and get the ball to Emilie early and often. Work the ball around the outside to where you can create either a high low game or a feed to the post, and let Emilie condense the defence which opens up shots for Megan Axiak or other guards.

The advantage is around the rim for Laurentian and how they create that can be through paint touches or off ball movement to get Brock defenders out of position. Using the cutting of Lauren Robertson-Martin off the ball to make a defender follow away from the ball, and creating a second where the ball can go inside, and playing through that as Emilie facilitates will really open up the game for the Voyageurs.

Brock took their only matchup this season near the start of the year in Sudbury, now the matchup goes to Brock where the Badgers will look to move on to take on their rival TMU, or the Voyageurs will keep their momentum going into the second round.