MATCH UP
The Sea-Hawks continue their winter semester with a tough road-trip to Wolfville where they will face the Acadia Axewomen in a clash between arguably the two best teams in the AUS. Acadia is currently in the third place of AUS standings behind Memorial and UPEI, but there is no doubt that the two-time champions have enough talent in this group to make a run for a threepeat. These two teams met twice already this season, splitting the pair of games in St. John's in what proved to be a very even matchup. The Axewomen will look to protect their home court this weekend, steal the season series from the Sea-Hawks and climb back to the top of the standings.
The main threat for Memorial will be the dynamic duo of Haley McDonald and Jayda Veinot that has worked very well over the past two seasons. McDonald is closely behind Haille Nickerson in the MVP race so far, as she is building on her All-Star, championship season last year. She is averaging 22.6 points(2nd in the AUS) and 4.1 assists(2nd in the AUS) per game, all while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point territory on 6.8 attempts. McDonald is also shooting 93.8 percent on 4 free-throw attempts a game which is good for 2nd in the AUS, so Memorial will have to be careful and avoid unnecessary fouls on the 5th year guard. Another player that can make teams pay from the line is Jayda Veinot who also shoots 93.8 percent on 4.6 free-throw attempts. The second-year guard is averaging 19.4 points per game and possesses an all-around game that the defenses have to respect at all time. Sea-Hawks will have to continue to play intense, but clean defense in order to contain the two former All-Stars and keep them off the free-throw line. The X-factor for the Axewomen could be Sarsha Cradle, a third-year forward that has impressed this season. Cradle is leading the AUS in rebounds per game with 10.3 and in addition is averaging 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game. She achieved a massive triple double in the game Acadia won in St. John's with 14 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, and could be deciding factor once again this weekend if Memorial doesn't contain her. Sea-Hawks will have to show up on the defensive end and make sure Acadia's leading trio doesn't do too much damage to them in order to come home from Wolfville with two more wins.
HAWKS EYE
Memorial will go into this weekend at the top of the AUS conference with a record of 8 wins and 2 losses. They are coming off of two big wins against Dalhousie and are currently on a 5-game winning streak that will bring them momentum for the clash against Acadia. However, Acadia will prove to be a much tougher challenge, especially at home, and the Sea-Hawks will have to try to take control of the game and not let the Axewomen speed up the game. Third-year forward Cameron Longley believes that Memorial has to play at a smart intensity.
"Acadia loves to play fast so slowing the ball early and containing will be the key in our game plan", Longley said. "By playing at our pace and setting the tone we can control their key players and take home two wins this weekend"
The key for containing their key players will be a good defensive effort from the Sea-Hawks guard duo of Haille Nickerson and Samantha Deakin-Sharpe. Nickerson is usually seen as a major offensive threat as she is leading the conference in scoring with 24.3 points per game, but she can be a defensive stopper as well and force turnovers for other teams, as her conference leading 2.8 steals suggest. Deakin-Sharpe doesn't post the same defensive numbers but has a bigger frame that combined with quick feet makes it very difficult for opposing players to score on her. "Defense will be huge for us this weekend", Deakin-Sharpe stated. "One of our main focuses will be winning the rebounding battle so we can get out in transition and play our fast-paced style of game"
Cradle isn't the only player to achieve a triple double in the AUS this season, as Jane Baird, a 5th year guard from St. John's, had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Saturday's win over Dalhousie. She believes that preparation for the road-trip to Wolfville will be the key: "To prepare for Acadia we really have to focus on the game plan, work hard on both ends of the court, and continue doing the things that are working for us"
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Mark English isn't getting ahead of himself despite Memorial's successful start. "We are just focused on having the best week possible of prep. We aren't looking behind or too far ahead, we are just focused on Saturday night against Acadia". When asked if there is danger of complacency after such a good start, English said: "We have a very hardworking and focused group. The mindset that the girls bring is to get better each day. I think it will be important to build on that"
Written by: Kosta Tiodorovic