THE MATCHUP
The Memorial Sea-Hawks women's basketball team travels to the west side of the province to meet Saint Mary's University in a couple of preseason games. The teams will meet at Memorial's Grenfell campus in Corner Brook where they hope to spread their fan base and excite members of our sister communities.
The Sea-Hawks finished last season ranking 5th in the league standings, but hit their stride at the right time of the season, advancing to the AUS Final versus the Acadia Axewomen.
Saint Mary's Huskies finished 7th in the league last season, registering only 3 wins on the season. The Huskies were a young team last season and a year of experience will certainly help the team as the look to get back into the playoffs this year.
In the 2018-2019 season the two teams faced off in four games, three wins were taken by the Sea-Hawks and one by the Huskies. All but one of these games finished within a ten-point differential. Given this result, it is expected that this weekend's preseason matchup will be a good one.
HAWKS EYE
This season we expect to see great things from the Sea-Hawks. There will certainly be a couple in particular to keep your eye on. Fifth year guard Haille Nickerson is expected to leave an impact on the court. Nickerson finished last season averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game. Some quick offense and clean ballhandling is also anticipated from fifth year point guard Jane Baird. Not only do the Sea-Hawks have some strong senior leaders but they also have fresh rookies that they expect to play an important role in the team's dynamic game.
The Sea-Hawks will have some new leaders on the floor this season with Sydney Stewart, Sydney Ezekiel, Brooklyn Wright, and Rosie Stanoev all completing their 5th season of eligibility last season. The trio of Stewart, Ezekiel, and Wright were three of the Sea-Hawks top four scorers last season. The Hawks will have to replace that 46.3 points in their lineup, which accounted for 60% of the team's offense.
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Mark English is optimistic, not only heading into these preseason games, but also into the 2019-2020 season.
"The girls have put in a lot of hard work in the off-season and I expect to see a well unified team hit the floor."
English believes the rookies will bring some renewed energy to the team. He hopes that the hard work and enthusiasm displayed in the off-season will bring confidence to the Sea-Hawks heading into this season and will help them get the results they want.