Photo by Valerie Wutti
OTTAWA – After a 6 game winning streak in the preseason, the Carleton Ravens won their first regular-season game dominating on the court with 80-49 over the Nipissing Lakers.
The Ravens came out strong during the first quarter and despite their efforts defensively, the Lakers were unable to stop the Ravens’ offence. The Ravens closed out the quarter leading 29-13.
The offensive ramped up further during the second quarter with the Ravens sinking their shots from the three-point line. Madison Reid (Carleton Place, Ont.) was laser-focused, starting the game off strong shooting 2-4 from beyond the arc in the half.
Tatyanna Burke (Winona, Ont.) proved to be another breakout player during tonight’s game. Burke was solid offensively, grabbing rebounds and shooting well from close range. The second year would finish the game with 10 points and 6 rebounds.
The Ravens would start the third quart up 46-27. Reid would continue her impressive play creating a turnover, dribbling the ball down the court and completing an impressive lay-up. As the game wound down, the Ravens focused on their defence continue to keep the Lakers out of the game.
Asked post-game about being back in front of fans the Ravens Nest, the fourth-year Reid felt it was an important game for the teams rookies. “It’s good to get some of the new girls on the court so they can see what a regular-season game setting is like,” she explains. Madison has been with the team since 2017, when the Ravens won the U Sports National Championship. Tonight, Reid showed she’s prepared to take the team back to the finals.
Making history behind the Ravens bench, Dani Sinclair made her regular season debut as head coach at tonight’s opener. After a successful preseason, Sinclair is happy to take the upcoming season one game at a time. Despite the victory, the coach and her team will evaluate their performance from tonight’s game as they continue to do what works and improve on what didn’t.
“Our standards are quite high. There’s some things we did well and some things we can improve on,” says Sinclair.
The Ravens return to the court on Saturday, November 6, at 2:00 p.m., taking on the Lakers for a second time in as many days.
