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Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
Over the February 7th to 8th, the Algoma Thunderbird women and men’s basketball programs hit the highway for their final road trip of the 2024 – 2025 OUA season with back to back games in Waterloo against the Warriors.
The Algoma Thunderbirds women’s and men’s basketball teams kicked off their weekend road trip against the Waterloo Warriors on February 7th, with both squads battling hard but ultimately falling short in their respective matchups.
In women’s action, the Thunderbirds struggle in losses to Waterloo with the Thunderbirds women’s program, holding a 1-17 record, opened their weekend with a tough 68-40 loss to the fourth-place (10-8) Waterloo Warriors on Friday.
Despite the defeat, the Thunderbirds showed resilience on the court, led by their senior player, Kaila Fong, who played an impressive 37 minutes and scored 12 points, in addition to grabbing seven rebounds.
Brooke Gruhn also contributed significantly with eight points and three rebounds in 35 minutes of play. Sadie Grawbarger found the basket for two points, while also pulling down six rebounds in 27 minutes. Throughout the game, the Thunderbirds managed to generate eight points off turnovers but could not overcome the Warriors’ offensive firepower.
The Thunderbirds regrouped for their second game of the weekend, which took place on Saturday afternoon in Waterloo. Algoma came up short again, losing 72-58 to the Warriors. In this game, Kaila Fong was once again the standout player, adding another 20 points to her weekend total while collecting two rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
Nadia Singh contributed 14 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes, while Brooke Gruhn rounded out the top three performers with 13 points and six rebounds in 39 minutes. Algoma managed to score twelve points off turnovers in this game, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Waterloo, who showcased superior shooting and defense.
On the men’s side Algoma had a tough road trip for the Thunderbirds with a winless 0-18 record, it was a similarly challenging road trip against the Warriors, who are currently sitting in fourth place with an 8-10 record.
In the first game, Algoma battled valiantly but ultimately fell 72-55. Jean Michael Senatus had a standout performance, scoring 10 points and adding three rebounds in 18 minutes of play. Kur Mayuom also contributed, putting up nine points and grabbing one rebound in 29 minutes. Alex Semenov added seven points and two rebounds in just 19 minutes on the court.
As a team, the Thunderbirds were able to generate eight points off turnovers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Waterloo’s balanced offensive attack.
In their second game on Saturday afternoon, Algoma fell 66-43 in a tough contest. Johan Germain led the Thunderbirds with 13 points, while also adding three turnovers in 27 minutes of play. Kur Mayuom contributed four points and five rebounds in 31 minutes, and Ibrahima Yansane chipped in with three points and two rebounds in 20 minutes.
The Thunderbird men and women’s will close out their 2024 – 2025 OUA season with a February 14th and 15th matchups against the visiting Guelph Gryphons with tip off times of 6:00 p.m (women) and 8:00 p.m (men) on Friday, February 14th followed by a 2:00 p.m (women) and 4:00 p.m (men) start at the George Leach Centre in Sault Ste Marie.
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