Rookie point guard
Kaitlyn Overeem (Brantford/) hit a pull-up jumper with 30 seconds left to lift her Warriors past Laurentian 63-61 as Waterloo won their second straight game to close out 2018.
Rookie guard
Vanessa Hughes (Hamilton/) also hit a pair of clutch shots down the stretch that got the Warriors back in the contest. Hughes hit a three pointer with the Warriors down six to make it a one possession game and followed it up with a lay-up to set up Overeem's game winner.
Ella Mahler (Hamilton/) and
Meghan Sharp (Kitchener/) played sound defence down the stretch including a couple key turnovers created by Mahler to shut down the Voyageurs offence. Waterloo allowed just one point from the visitors in the final three minutes.
"It was an exceptional weekend for us and I am very proud of the way our girls played the last two games," said head coach
Craig Nickel. "We had big performances from a lot of our girls and these two victories puts us right back in the playoff hunt. It's a good way to head into the break."
Overeem finished with a team high 15 points in the win, adding four rebounds, nine assists, two steals and three blocks.
Breanna Hudspeth (Burlington/) capped off an unsung weekend with 13 points and 12 more rebounds giving her 22 rebounds on the weekend. Hughes rounded out Waterloo's offence with 11 points including three big shots from beyond the arc.
"This is big for our team. We're a young team and we've shown some good growth this weekend," said upstart rookie Overeem. "We're all feeling pretty good right now."
Waterloo finished the game 40% from the field while Laurentian shot 32% and they also had a big night on the glass with 47 rebounds compared to 32 for the Voyageurs.
Waterloo is now at 3-7 on the season, just two points out of sixth for the final playoff spot. They will now enjoy the next month and a half off for the holiday break, working together four days a week and looking forward to continuing their momentum in the New Year.
