Women's basketball Huskies earn win over Wolves in home opener
The Keyano Huskies Women's Basketball team returned to the win column Friday with a 65-51 victory against the visiting Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves.
"It was a grind out game for us," said head coach Dwayne Vigilance. "I'm proud of the girls; they played really hard [and] they kept their composure.
"One of the things is we've got to learn to close out games a little better. That will come."
Moiyan Toure tallied another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Danielle MacLellan led the way offensively with 17 points. Zera Panesa dropped nine points while fellow starters Casey Gorieu and Veronica Rodriguez each picked up seven points.
The Huskies shot 39.1 per cent (27-of-69) from the field, including a trio of three pointers. They also made eight of their 12 free throw attempts.
Opening up a 25-13 lead after the first quarter, the Huskies extended the lead to 17 points at the half. The Wolves challenged the Huskies in the third, but the Huskies still managed to increase their lead by two points. The Wolves won the fourth quarter 15-10, cutting the final difference to 14 points.
"Being our first home win, it was really special," said MacLellan. "Being able to play on our home court was awesome.
"There's a few things that we need to work on as a whole, but we're supper excited about the win."
MacLellan focused in on the closing aspect of the game, which was a rare low point in an overall solid game, noting how the team needed to create their own energy to get back up.
"We've just got to ride the waves," she said. "[When] we're low, we've got to find a way to bring back our own energy up. That's just us being loud together as a team."
Raylene Badger had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the way for the Wolves. Jayden Demchuk added 10 points, eight rebounds, and six steals in the loss. Gracie Reschke tallied seven points in the defeat.
The Wolves shot 34 per cent (18-of-53) from the field, making four three-point shots. They also made good on 11 of their 21 free throw attempts.
One of the game's brighter moments for the Huskies featured at the start as Vigilance was recognized for reaching the 100-win mark with the Huskies. With friends and family in attendance, Vigilance called the moment and special one.
"It took a long time to get, but this program means a lot to me and when I first got here we only had one win," he said. "To get 100 wins is a pretty big feat and it was nice to have my dad here."
The two teams will meet again at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre in Fort McMurray, Alta., closing out their weekend set at 3:00 p.m.