MBB | Voyageurs Crush Rival Lakers

The Voyageurs breezed past their arch-rivals, the Nipissing Lakers on Sunday afternoon as they won by a score of 90-56. 

The first quarter was a back and forth affair. Neither team was able to establish a comfortable lead as there were six lead changes. They Voyageurs shot just 27.3% from the field and yet still managed to trail the Lakers by just one point at its conclusion. The Lakers on the other hand shot 40.0% from the field were led by Will Tran with six points and Shandon Ashitei with five points. Conversely, Sam Ivey led the way for the Voyageurs with seven points and was followed by Kadre Gray and Gaetan Chamand, both with four points each.  

However, the second quarter was where the Voyageurs put their stamp on the match. They outscored the Lakers 31-14 in the quarter and finished the quarter with a 16 point lead as the score line read 48-32. This offensive was due to a team effort, highlighted by Gaetan Chamand with eight points, Kadre Gray with seven points, and Cedric Nga Mbiaba and Ariel Mutware with five points each. Finally, they shot 54.2% from the field to close out the first half. 

The third quarter was more of the same of the second. They outscored their opponents by seventeen points and shot an impressive 55.0% from the field while finishing the quarter on a 18-0 run. The score line at the conclusion of the third quarter read 75-42.

The fourth quarter was more of a formality as the match was put out of reach by the end of the third quarter. Caillou Lacroix was a notable presence in the quarter as he added eight points in the quarter via the help from two three-point buckets. 

"We didn't really change much [from our last game]. We just brought up our intensity with defense because defense first and our offense will flow after we start trying pushing the tempo and start getting easier points after that" said Haroun Mohamed about his team's performance and what they did well that ensured their victory today. 

When asked about how will his team approach their next matchup against the Waterloo Warriors, Haroun Mohamed emphasized the importance of defence in winning basketball games: "Focus on playing 40 minutes of defense and focus on details and tasks on what we have to do."

The Voyageurs will look to continue their winning ways when they travel to Waterloo on Friday, November 15 as they will take on the Waterloo Warriors. 

Wali Khan