Sports

Lakehead Thunderwolves Basketball Holiday Preview

December 27, 2012

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THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Both Lakehead Thunderwolves basketball teams will be in action over the winter break, with the Women playing at the Thunder Selects CIS Holiday Classic, hosted by Saint Mary’s in Halifax, while the Men will be challenging at the 46th Annual Wesmen Classic in Winnipeg.

Thunderwolves Women (3-4 OUA, 7-10 overall)

Action will begin tomorrow afternoon at 5 pm ET against the Dalhousie Tigers, who sit in 3rd place in the AUS. They also rank in the CIS top 10 in offensive rebounds (15.3) and FG made per game (26.7). Keisha Brown leads the Tigers with 17 PPG and 6 RPG, while Tessa Stammberger is a stud on the block, shooting 61.4% from the floor (3rd in CIS) with 15 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Fridays game will be followed by games versus St. Francis Xavier (Saturday 4pm ET) and Saint Mary’s (Sunday 1pm ET).

Coach Jon Kreiner comments, “Yes we play three very tough AUS teams in Dal, X & SMU but this weekend is not about who we play but how we play. Our first goal is to get back into ‘league play shape’. This means burning off the Christmas turkey and getting our full court sprinting back. Our second goal is to get our rhythm back as a team. Our final goal will be to get our level of play back to where it was the last two games of the regular season. This tournament will be very well run and will provide us with everything we need to achieve our goals. I am looking forward to playing in Brandon Rafuse’s first annual Thunder Selects CIS Holiday Classic.”

Thunderwolves Men (3-4 OUA, 11-7 overall)

The 46th annual Wesmen Classic, hosted by U of Winnipeg, will begin for the Thunderwolves against the U of Northern BC Timberwolves on Friday at 1pm ET. The two teams met in October of this year, resulting in a 88-72 win for the Thunderwolves. This time around they will be without bigs Anthony McIntosh and Brendan King (lower body injuries) along with sharpshooter Nathan Wainwright (upper body). UNBC’s (5-5, 4th CW Pacific) last league game was a 93-90 win over the U Sask Huskies, and they figure in the CIS top 10 in PPG (82.6) and 3PT % (38.2). The Timberwolves also have 4 players averaging double digits in scoring.

LU’s side of the draw also includes the Dikinson St. Blue Hawks (N. Dakota) and the Brandon Bobcats.

On the other side are the Winnipeg Wesmen, the Mount Royal U Cougars (Calgary, AB), Mayville St. Comets (N. Dakota) and Keyono College Huskies (Fort McMurray, AB).

Coach Scott Morrison stated, “After a much needed rest we are excited to get back on the court this weekend at the Wesmen Classic. It’s tough when you have to match up against a tough team like UNBC with minimal prep time, but at the same time our purpose for competing in this tournament is to prepare us for the OUA West schedule starting next week. The potent offensive attack that UNBC brings each time out will offer plenty of reps for our team’s defense to get tuned up.”