MBB | Voyageurs Come Out on Losing End in Heavyweight Bout
The Voyageurs were surely in tough against fellow top 10 team in the country, the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday night as they went head-to-head for the first time this season. Unfortunately, for the Voyageurs, the sixth ranked Thunderwovles emerged victorious against the seventh ranked Voyageurs by a score of 73-59.
The Voyageurs started strong, going on an 11-2 run to start the first quarter with help from Litha Ncanisa, Kadre Gray and a three point bucket from Sam Ivey to seal the deal. However, the Lakers came roaring back and tied the match at 13 points with 2:10 minutes remaining in the quarter. Eventually, both teams would jostle for the lead at the conclusion of the quarter and the Thunderwolves would come out on top with a two point lead as they scored 17 points while the Voyageurs scored 15 points.
The second quarter was a continuation of the first- a back and forth affair with numerous lead changes. As a matter of fact, the lead changed six times in a span of approximately five minutes. The first lead change came through the hand of Ivey who sunk a three point shot in 7:34 minute mark of the match to give the Voyageurs a one point lead but the lead was short lived as just 17 seconds later the Thunderwolves regained the lead through a layup. At the conclusion of the first half, the Thunderwolves held a five point advantage over the Voyageurs as the scoreboard read 36-31.
The Thunderwolves were led offensively by Lock Lam with 11 points and Isaiah Traylor with nine points whereas the Ivey lead the Voyageurs charge with 11 points and Gray with eight points.
The third quarter was once again a see-saw battle between the two teams. The Voyageurs would get within striking distance of the Thunderwolves throughout the quarter but at each instance, the Thunderwolves had a response and would successfully put some cushion between themselves and the Voyageurs. This was the theme of the quarter until Joseph Hlady successfully scored a three-point jump shot with just 3:26 left in the quarter to give the Voyageurs their first lead of the quarter. But once again, this lead was short-lived and the Thunderwolves would finish the third quarter on a 5-0 scoring run to stretch the lead to four points. The scoreboard at this point read 49-45.
The fourth quarter unfortunately for the Voyageurs was their worst quarter of the match. They surrendered 24 points while they scored only 14 points themselves. As a result, the Thunderwolves were able to stretch the lead to as much as 14 points. However, the Voyageurs did cut the lead to six points at three separate occasions; the first occurred when 9:40 minutes were left to play in regulation, the second occurred when 7:21 minutes were left to play in regulation and the third occurred with 6:10 left in regulation but that would be as close as they would get. When the dust settled, the Lakehead Thunderwolves emerged victorious by a score of 73-59.
The Voyageurs are right back at it tomorrow, January 25 and look to return to their winning ways when they travel to the provincial capital and take on the York Lions. Tip off is scheduled for 8 pm at Tait McKenzie Centre.
Wali Khan