The RDC Queens came out confident and didn’t look back in a win over the SAIT Trojans.
RDC snapped a five-game losing streak in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference play with a big 55-38 win over the Trojans at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
They held the Trojans to just 16-for-73 from the field and outscored them in all four quarters of the contest. Queens head coach Ken King said his group used their strong defence as the driver in the victory.
“We’re at our best when everything starts with our defence. When we try and make our offence be our engine, we might get a little bit of fool’s gold out of it if we’re shooting well. Inevitably, you come back to earth,” King said.
“I felt like we did a good job of establishing a defensive presence early and then maintaining that throughout and even when scoring didn’t come, defence was consistent.”
The Queens, unlike their counterpart, were efficient from the field, shooting 44 per cent. Rookie guard Harneet Sidhu was the only Queen in double figures with 15 points, but RDC got contributions all over the floor from their starters.
Sandra Garica-Bernal had 12 rebounds and seven points, while rookie Katie Ballhorn had 11 rebounds and four points. Second-year Mallory Uskiw also had a strong night, with seven boards and two steals. She was player of the game for her tenacious defence and energy. She took a nasty cut over her eye early in the game but was able to return and battled the rest of the night.
“She’s a super energetic player and works really, really hard. Obviously, she’s willing to sacrifice herself for the team,” King said.
“The best thing about that is when you can show your teammates you are willing to do that, it gives you a lot of leverage in the locker room.”
King added that for the team to pick up their second win of the season and snap the five-game losing streak, is a confidence booster going forward.
“Once you’re released of that pressure, all of a sudden you start to realize, ‘okay, we can win a basketball game’. We’re not destined to lose. There’s no predetermined outcome here,” King said.
“Once you stop giving in to that and see what’s possible, all of a sudden, good things start happening.”
The Queens head to SAIT Saturday night to finish off the home-and-home.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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