December 1, 2022 - By: Korry Brankin (Photo: Valerie Wutti, Blitzen Photography)
St. Catharines, Ont. – The Carleton Ravens were unable to find their rhythm and fell to the Brock Badgers 80-68 putting them at 6-2 on the season as they head into the final game of 2022.
The Badgers came out firing and started the game on a 13-2 run, forcing the Ravens to dig themselves out of a hole early in the game. With consistent minutes coming the Ravens starters, they began to generate some offence and the quarter ended with a step-back jumper from Aiden Warnholtz (Ottawa, Ont.) to make the score 26-15 in favour of the Badgers.
The Ravens continued to claw back from the 11-point deficit throughout the second quarter. Aiden Warnholtz (Ottawa, Ont.) had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists to end the half while Elliot Bailey added 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block as the Badgers held on to a 49-34 lead.
After the half, the Ravens looked to reset and come out and win the quarter. They controlled the boards and moved the ball well to outscore the Badgers 19-18 as MJ Okado (Calgary, Alta.) drained a pull-up jumper at the buzzer to make the score 67-52 for the Badgers.
Entering the final 10 minutes, the Ravens had a 15-point deficit to overcome but the Badgers continued to defend well in the paint forcing the Ravens to take more perimeter shots that just weren’t falling as they only shot 25% from beyond the arc in the second half. Okado continued his consistent effort from the third quarter and finished the night with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal but it wasn’t quite enough to beat the Badgers as they went on to win 80-68.
“We didn’t play as hard as we needed to,” said Head Coach Taffe Charles on his team’s performance against the Brock Badgers.
This Sunday, December 4, 2022, the Carleton Ravens host the Algoma Thunderbirds (0-9) in their final game of 2022. Head coach Taffe Charles “would love to start off better” against the Thunderbirds as they close out 2022.
