It was a busy week of Algonquin varsity athletics. Wolves basketball hit the road for a big swing trip against the Georgian Grizzlies and Seneca Sting. Meanwhile, Wolves volleyball closed out the regular season at home against the same opponents. Here's how it went for each team.
Men's Basketball (103-84 Loss @ Georgian - 86-67 Loss @ Seneca)
Men's basketball entered the weekend with a 6-8 record, hoping to make a climb up the standings as the regular season winds down. Friday night was a tough task against a Georgian squad who entered the weekend tied for the top spot in the OCAA East.
This one was a game of runs. The Wolves struggled early on both sides of the ball allowing Georgian to open up a 32-11 lead after the first quarter. Algonquin spent the rest of the game playing catchup, and almost pulled off the comeback getting the deficit down to just 4 points with under 4 minutes to go in the 4th quarter however that was as close as they would get. Georgian ended the game on a 17-2 run to pull away with a 103-84 victory.
James Texeira was on fire from behind the arc, shooting 6 for 7 from deep. He was the games leading scorer with 23 points. Albert Opena and Haven Holder were also in double figures with 19 and 10 points each.
Hoping to bounce back on Saturday, the Wolves took on the Seneca Sting who entered the game with a 10-6 record after taking down La Cité the night before. This one was close throughout. The game was tied at 36 at the half and the Sting held a 3 point lead going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Wolves, struggles down the stretch hurt them again as Seneca pulled away for a 86-67 win.
Albert Opena had 27 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Shyeem Brown and James Texeira had 9 points each.
The Wolves enter the final weekend of the regular season at home. On Friday February 13th they will take on the Loyalist Lancers at 8:00 pm before hosting the St. Lawrence Surge on Saturday February 14th at 6:00 pm on Senior Night.
Women's Basketball (88-78 Loss @ Georgian - 50-38 Win @ Seneca)
The Wolves women's basketball team entered the weekend with a 7-3 record. This was a big weekend for the team with a chance to leapfrog the Seneca Sting for 2nd in the OCAA East standings.
On Friday they took on the 6-5 Georgian Grizzlies who gave the Wolves a battle when they met at the ARC back in November and this one was no different. The game was close throughout with many lead changes. Algonquin held a slim 2 point halftime lead. The 3rd quarter continued to be back and forth until Georgian ended the period on a 11-4 run to open up a 64-57 lead. The Grizzlies stayed hot in the 4th and eventually came away with an 88-78 win. Give credit where it is due, Georgian shot the ball extremely well from 3 knocking down 16 3's on 45.7% shooting.
Taryn Mitchell led the way for the Wolves once again with 20 points, 9 assists, 6 steals and 4 boards. Anna Hirst had a 10 point, 14 rebound double double.
The Wolves turned their attention to the Seneca Sting who sat one spot in front of them in the standings with a 8-3 record. The Sting took down the Wolves 57-52 back at the ARC to end the 1st semester.
After a lot of offence the night before, this one was a defensive battle. After a few lead changes, the Wolves went into the locker room with a 22-18 lead. Algonquin was able to extend that lead to 7 going into the 4th quarter. The Wolves defence would put the game away in the final quarter holding Seneca to just 6 points on 17.6% shooting. They finished the weekend with a 50-38 win, holding Seneca who averages over 66 points per game to their lowest total all season.
Taryn Mitchell was in double figures once again with 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Meaghan McNamara had 8 points, 4 steals and 4 boards.
The Wolves will close out the season at home. On Friday they will host undefeated Loyalist at 6:00 pm before taking on St. Lawrence on Saturday at 4:00 pm. Success this weekend plus some help on the out of town scoreboard could see the Wolves sneak into the 2nd seed in the East going into the playoffs.
Men's Volleyball (3-0 Loss vs Seneca - 3-1 Loss vs Georgian)
The Wolves men's volleyball team entered the final weekend hoping to maintain a top 4 seed in the OCAA East standings. It would be a tough task with the Loyalist Lancers on their heals and the top 2 teams in the East coming to town.
On Friday they took on the Seneca Sting who had dropped just one match all season long. The first set was very competitive with Seneca taking it 28-26. The Sting road the momentum of the first set win to take the next two sets 25-18 and 25-20 for the sweep.
Despite the loss, Connor Finnie finished with 15 points, with 12 kills, 2 blocks and an ace. Nick Gauthier Barber had 10 kills and 3 blocks. Mateo Nunez Kruus had 8 kills, an ace and a block.
On Saturday the Wolves took on the Georgian Grizzlies who entered the contest with a 12-3 record. It was the final home game for Connor Finnie, Ethan Fisher, Gavin Hassel and Naoki Nakashima who were honoured prior to the start of the match. It was also the final regular season game for head coach Jelle Kooijman who announced his departure from the program at the end of the season.
The Wolves rode the senior day emotion to a first set win, taking it 27-25. Unfortunately Georgian would go on to take the next 3 and the match 3-1 dropping Algonquin's record to 10-6. Nick Gauthier Barber had a big game with 21 kills and 3 blocks. Connor Finnie added 11 kills and 1 block.
The Wolves fell to 5th in the East standings, which means they will travel to Hamilton on Saturday February 14th to take on the Redeemer Royals who finished 4th in the OCAA West. The winner will move onto the ¼ Final and the loser will see their 2025-26 campaign come to an end.
Women's Volleyball (3-0 Loss vs Seneca - 3-0 Win vs Georgian)
The Wolves entered the weekend with a 10-4 record, good for 3rd in the OCAA East, however the standings were a log jam going into the final weekend of the regular season and a couple of losses could mean dropping out the top 4.
Friday night was a tall task as the Wolves hosted top seeded Seneca who entered the contest undefeated and had dropped just 3 sets all season long. The Sting proved to be too much for Algonquin on this night, winning the match in straight sets.
On Saturday the Wolves welcomed the Georgian Grizzlies. Prior to the game Elle Howell, Isabella Tourangeau, Natasha Lauzon and Jordan Faig were honoured for their time as Algonquin Wolves.
Georgian entered the game with a 9-6 record, just one spot behind Algonquin in the standings. A loss would drop the Wolves to the 5th seed and eliminate the possibility of hosting a home playoff game. When these two teams met in Barrie back in November Georgian came away with the sweep. This time around was a different story as the Wolves protected home court winning in straight sets.
Carys Tenthorey had a big game with 12 kills and 17 digs. Isabella Tourangeau had 9 kills and 2 blocks. Riley Lancia contributed 10 kills and an ace. The win secured the 3rd seed for the Wolves entering the playoffs. They will host the West 6th seeded Niagara Knights on Sunday February 15th at 1:00 pm at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre with a spot in the ¼ final on the line.