For the second time in two weeks the Queen’s Gaels will try to knock off a nationally ranked team in Canadian university basketball.
On Jan. 13, Stephan Barrie’s club upset Ottawa 84-66. At the time the Gee Gee’s were the 7th ranked team in the country.
This Friday, the Gaels will try to do it again. The Laurentian Voyageurs are currently number 7 in the U-Sport rankings. Three weeks ago in Sudbury, the V’s held off the Gaels in overtime, 71-70.
“We felt we let that one get away,” says Jesse Graham, a fourth-year forward from Kingston, Ont.
“We’re looking forward to the rematch in our home gymnasium. We’ve made a few adjustments in the way we play against them and we hope it works to our advantage this time around.”
Mat Elcock, a rookie guard from Waterdown, Ont., says if the team tightens up on defense, the Gaels should be able to win the game. “Our coaches have prepared us well and we always believe that we’re the better team.”
The Gaels are 9-7 on the season — a much better record than last year, but one that still leaves the players unsatisfied.
“No, we’re not satisfied at all. We feel we let a couple of games get away from us,” says Graham, a graduate of Kingston’s La Salle Black Knights.
“We feel confident that we can beat anybody, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing Laurentian again and looking forward to the final seven games of the regular season. Our goal is to finish as high as we can in the Ontario University East Division standings and hopefully get home court advantage in the first round of the play-offs.”
It’s a double-header on Friday at the Queen’s Athletic Centre.
The Lady Gaels take to the court at 6 p.m. The men tip-off at 8 p.m.