Women's Volleyball and men's and women's basketball were all in playoff action this past weekend. Here is how each team did.
Women's Basketball (51-40 Win vs Conestoga)
The Wolves women's basketball team kept their season alive on Saturday thanks to a 51-40 win over the Conestoga Condors in the first round of the OCAA playoffs. The Condors earned their spot in the playoffs thanks to a 6-10 regular season, earning them the 6th spot in the West division.
The Condors proved to be a tough opponent, using their size inside to keep pace with Algonquin. Conestoga narrowed the gap to just 2 points with just over 8 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. The Wolves responded after that with a 7-0 run to gain some distance. They would manage to maintain that gap for the remainder of the game on route to a 51-40 win.
The Wolves relied heavily on the experience of their 5th year seniors who were a force on both sides of the ball. Taryn Mitchell finished with 16 points, 9 steals, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Cianah Miller added 14 points, 5 steals and 3 assists.
The Win earned a spot in the quarter-final. The Wolves will travel to Humber on Saturday February 28th for a rematch of last year's semi-final. Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm from the Humber Athletic Centre.
Men's Basketball (86-79 Loss @ Mohawk)
After a 6th place finish in the East division, the Wolves travelled to Hamilton on Saturday for the first round of the OCAA playoffs. They took on the 3rd seed in the West, the Mohawk Mountaineers.
Mohawk got off to a hot start knocking down 5 threes in the opening quarter and putting up 29 points. When it looked like the Mountaineers were in for an easy afternoon. Farouk Meguader hit a ¾ court shot at the end of the first quarter to give his team some momentum. The Wolves would carry that momentum into the 2nd quarter, winning it 25-20 to narrow the Mohawk lead to 6 going into the half.
The Wolves came out of the locker room on a mission, especially on the defensive end. They held Mohawk to just 11 points on 13.3% shooting. On the other side of the ball, James Texeira had 10 of the Wolves 23 points in the quarter. Algonquin entered the final quarter with a 6 point lead and looked poised for an upset.
Mohawk would not go away, finding their rhythm once again. The game was tied with just over 2 minutes to go but the Mountaineers would put together the final run to sneak away with an 86-79 win. Free throw shooting was a big factor in this one. Mohawk shot an impressive 23/26 from the line. The Wolves only got to the charity stripe 12 times, knocking down 7 of them.
The Wolves showed a balanced attack with 4 players scoring in double figures, led by Haven Holder with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 big blocks. James Texeira had 18 points. Shyeem Brown had 10 points, 8 assists and 4 boards, PJ Hackshaw chipped in with 11 points.
After a hard fought battle, the Wolves men's basketball season came to an end. We are proud of the group for the fight that they showed in this game and down the stretch of the season. We want to thank the graduating seniors for their contributions to the men's basketball program. To those returning, we look forward to seeing you back on the court in the fall.
Women's Volleyball (3-0 Loss @ Humber)
After sweeping the Niagara Knights in the first round of the playoffs, the Wolves women's volleyball team travelled to Humber to take on the Hawks in the quarter-final. Humber finished 2nd in the West division with a 14-2 record. They earned their spot in the quarters thanks to a 3-0 win over George Brown.
Prior to the match, Carys Tenthorey, Isabella Tourangeau and Chanel Ethier received their awards after being named to the OCAA East 1st and 2nd All-Star teams.
The Match ended in a sweep in favour of the Hawks, however it was much closer than the final score would indicate. The first and third sets were back and forth until Humber pulled away at the end. The 2nd could have gone either way with the Hawks taking it 27-25.
Carys Tenthorey ended the game with 8 kills and 7 digs. Grace Pate had 4 kills and 6 digs. Riley Lancia had 4 kills, 3 aces and 3 blocks, Chanel Ethier had 4 kills and 5 blocks.
The loss means the Wolves season has come to an end. The Wolves made it back to the quarter-final for the first time since the 2023-24 season. A third place finish in the East and many exciting moments at the ARC led to a season that will be remembered fondly. We would like to thank our seniors for their contributions to the women's volleyball program. To those returning, we are already looking forward to what next season will bring.