THUNDER BAY – SPORTS –The Lakehead men’s and women’s basketball teams are playing their last regular season games this weekend against the Waterloo Warriors and the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Saturday night will be dedicated to the Thunderwolves graduating athletes who have put in a immense amount of hard work and dedicated towards their student-athlete careers at Lakehead University. Graduating seniors include Katelyn Zen, Gillian Lavoie and Maggie Murphy from the women’s basketball team, and Bacarius Dinkins, Henry Tan, Alex Robichaud and Wais Mohamed from the mens. The athletes will be honoured directly after the women’s basketball game and before the men’s tip off at 8pm.
Women’s Basketball (7-10)
Coach Jon Kreiner says “Waterloo is a tough match up. They have great ball and player movement, play smart, tough defense and force you to your weaknesses on offence. Laurier is a very good shooting team that is also a well coached defensive minded team that will force us away from our strengths. I’m looking forward to getting back to the Thunderdome and celebrating our seniors. Fans, come out and celebrate Katelyn Zen, Gillian Lavoie and Maggie Murphy’s last home regular season game of their careers!”
Waterloo (5-13) is on a seven game losing streak with an away record of 1-6. Kristen Osborne leads the Warriors in scoring, averaging 11 points per game. Laurier (12-7) is second in the OUA West and is averaging 69 points a game with Kaitlyn Schenck sitting in the top 5 of most points per game at 15. Irena Rynkiewicz has the highest three point percentage in the league of 41%.
After a heart breaking buzzer beater loss this past Saturday against Guelph, the Thunderwolves are looking to finish off their last two games of the season with a win before heading into the postseason. Lakehead currently sits in the 8th playoff position with Laurier comfortable at 6th and Waterloo (13th) looking to break into the top 12. This weekend will establish whether the ‘Wolves will host an OUA preliminary playoff game at home next week or will play on the road.
Men’s Basketball (5-12)
“It’s a big weekend for us as a team as well as our seniors. We still have a chance at making the playoffs, which is one of our goals every year. We also get the opportunity to honour and thank the seniors for everything they have done for our community, university and program,” says Coach Furtado.
Waterloo (6-12) comes into the Thunderdome on a three game winning streak and the determination to break into the playoffs top 12. Forward Mike Pereira is averaging 10.2 rebounds per game ahead of Bacarius Dinkins’s 9.4, both in the top 5. Laurier (8-11) sits in 2nd in the OUA west and has one of the highest offensive rebounding statistic in the league. Tevaun Kokko leads the Golden Hawks with a 19 points per game average, 5th highest in the OUA.
Heading into this weekend, the Thunderwolves are clinging on to the final 12th playoff spot with Waterloo (13th) and Laurier (11th) on either side of them. This weekend will play a determining factor on whether the ‘Wolves will stay in the top 12 and move on to playoffs.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb 17 vs. Waterloo @ C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse
6:00pm – Women
8:00pm – Men
Saturday, Feb 18 vs. Laurier @ C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse (Seniors Night)
6:00pm – Women
8:00pm – Men
