Although it was nearly four months after their first matchup, the result was the same. In the women’s basketball OUA bronze medal clash, the Ottawa Gee-Gees defeated the McMaster Marauders 71-50.

Mac was able to keep it close for the first half, with a 35-25 score after the first 20 minutes. But the third quarter would be the Marauder’s undoing, as the Gee-Gees clamped down on defence. Mac was held scoreless for the first five minutes of play.

Ottawa continued to put the ball inside, relying on an experienced frontcourt to carry the offensive workload. Danielle Boiago ended the third quarter with a ridiculous three-quarter court shot to beat the buzzer, but any momentum would soon wear off.

The Gee-Gees would continue to increase their lead through the fourth quarter. Despite having the game in hand, Ottawa was trying to solidify a wildcard spot in the CIS Final 8 tournament and wanted to use the game against Mac to show that they were worthy of a berth in the national championships.

Hailey Milligan put together a masterful performance, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Both totals were team highs. Milligan put the previous match-up in the rear view mirror and put the Gee-Gees on notice for next year’s tilt, shooting an efficient 6-8 from the floor. The All-Star finished with a double-double average of 14.2 points per game and 14.5 rebounds per game, while also shooting 51 per cent on field goals.

Danielle Boiago finished with 15 points against another physical defense. The OUA West Rookie of the Year finished her first playoff season with an impressive 19.0 points per game average, while also chipping in 4.5 rebounds per game.

Missing out on a medal is a tough pill to swallow for the young squad, but the Marauders have plenty to be proud of. Though, they were the only team to not earn a national ranking in the medal round. Carleton, Windsor and Ottawa all earned a spot in the CIS top-ten poll.

McMaster will also have the opportunity to put the exact same squad on the floor as last year, while also adding two formidable recruits to address some holes in the roster.

Next week, the Silhouette will review the season with head coach Theresa Burns, and it will preview the path going forward for the upstart bunch.

The best measuring stick is going to toe-to-toe with the best. McMaster’s women’s basketball team had that opportunity over the weekend when they travelled to the University of Windsor to take on the No.1 team in the country.

After falling behind 9-0 in the opening minutes of the OUA West Final, the Marauders were stuck trying to claw their way back.

For every run Mac would go on, the Lancers would match. It was a physical and frustrating game and the veteran squad from Windsor, Ont. came out victorious with a 73-51 final.

The game showed how much further McMaster has to go to be the best in the country.

Despite the loss, the young group will have another opportunity to take another step towards becoming one of the elite teams in the CIS.

Dropping the OUA West Final puts Mac in a bronze medal game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Being a long shot at the CIS Championship tournament, this looks like it will be the last game of the season for the Maroon and Grey. That doesn’t mean head coach Theresa Burns and her squad are taking it lightly, though.

“For us, this is a big pride game. We know that mathematically speaking, based on the criteria, there’s probably not a wildcard selection coming out of this for us,” explained Burns. “But we’re going to go out and play with pride in our program and pride in what we’ve accomplished, especially the second half of this season.”

Mac has been able to right the ship after a difficult opening to the season. Burns points to an identity crisis as a main contributor to the early struggles, as the graduation of Taylor Chiarot left a hole on both ends of the court. The new Maroon identity revolves around Hailey Milligan, Vanessa Bonomo, and Danielle Boiago.

Milligan has to be in the conversation as an All-Canadian player after earning her first OUA All-Star award. Boiago is a safe bet for a CIS rookie of the year nod.

Bonomo has emerged as a reliable point guard to run the fast-paced Maroon offence and excels at getting the ball to the right players at the right time.

Mac will rely heavily on these three in the battle for bronze. In the Nov. 16 match-up, Ottawa ran all over the Marauders. Milligan played 15 minutes, Boiago shot 2-13 and Bonomo only took four shots. The Gee-Gees won 82-55, with the 82 points being the second highest number of points allowed all season. But the key number that jumps out is Milligan’s 15 minutes.

“This is a completely different Hailey than we had in Ottawa last time. I think our team is at a different level,” says Burns. The first team OUA All-Star will look to continue her thirteen game double-double streak.

Defeating the Gee-Gees would be an upset but not all that surprising to the team. They’ve come a long way since the middle of November and have been playing with more synergy than ever. Burns expects a tough match-up against the No. 7 ranked team.

“Ottawa is going to be playing their best too. All teams should be at the end of the season, and they generally are in your still hanging around in the playoffs.”

Over the past weekend, the men’s basketball Final Four took place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ont.

Three out of the four teams would qualify for the CIS Final 8 tournament.

McMaster was a game away from qualifying for the Final Four.

If they had qualified for the national tournament, it would have been a step closer to the Marauders’ program goal of winning a CIS Championship.

Head coach Amos Connolly is firm about the objective. It’s the only goal he will talk to you about.

That being said, McMaster’s failure to make the Final 8 tournament doesn’t mean this is a lost season in Connolly’s books.

“If there’s a value from what the whole experience of what this year was, it’s them feeling for themselves what we as coaches have been trying to instill in them,” explained the head coach.

That feeling is determination. A drive to succeed. A scratch you can’t itch until you achieve a goal.

None of this is meant as a slight to the team’s effort level because that effort has been there.

You can see the major steps that some of the players have made.

Connolly points to Taylor Black, Nathan McCarthy and Joe Rocca as the players who worked the hardest in the offseason, and they clearly reaped the benefits at the start of the year.

Black earned a spot on OUA All-Star first team, his first nod in a three-year career. The kinesiology student entered this season with lofty expectations from the coaching staff.

He delivered though, becoming the focal point of Mac’s offense. The Stoney Creek native also emerged as a player who thrives in the fourth quarter.

McCarthy solidified himself as a starter in the line-up, while also anchoring the Maroon defense.

Connolly speaks highly of the second-year player, praising him whenever he has an opportunity.

A player of his size and skill is rare in the OUA, and the Marauders still have three more years of eligibility from him.

Rocca made the biggest leap of all. He bumped his scoring up from 9.4 points per game to 14.7 points per game.

His field goal percentage rose two points to 44.0 per cent, but more impressively his three-point shot percentage went from 27 per cent to a ridiculous 40 per cent.

His mark ranks among some of the best shooters in the league.

But there are two players that the stat sheet won’t tell you about: Scott Laws and Nathan Pelech.

“There’s two guys that deserve a ton of credit: Scott Laws and Nathan Pelech. It would have been acceptable or easy or whatever you want to call it, for those two guys to maybe step away and do their own thing this year,” explained Connolly.

“Not only did they stay, they laid the foundation. A huge credit is going to have to go to Pelech and Laws.”

Pelech is just waiting for a program acceptance to return for a fifth year. But Laws has finished his final year of eligibility. It’s tough for the team to watch Laws go, as he was the definition of teammate.

Laws left everything at the door when he stepped into the gym – his effort on the court was exactly what a team needs.

Although quiet on the court, his consistency – especially on defense - spoke volumes.

Mac’s bench boss struggles to say good-bye to Laws, but is optimistic about filling the void.

“I’m happy with the fact that I can see Rohan Boney stepping into Scott Laws’ minutes,” says Connolly.

Boney earned OUA Rookie on the Year and CIS All-Rookie team honours this year and has the length and athleticism to fill Laws’ shoes.

The rookie also has a similar demeanor to his veteran counterpart, as Boney rarely shows emotion on the court.

The early exit from the playoffs was a disappointing end to a long season.

The Mac coaching staff is optimistic about the future though and not just because of this year’s growth.

“What’s positive right now: I think from top to bottom, our whole team feels like we didn’t accomplish what we could have because we were just starting to play pretty good basketball,” said Connolly.

The head coach also a lot of the onus to get better on him for this team to improve on the offseason. If this team wants to reach the next step, McMaster can’t afford to put the “off” in offseason.

While most students were finishing up their reading week break, the McMaster Marauders women’s basketball team was putting in work in a playoff match-up against the Brock Badgers.

Mac defeated the nationally ranked St. Catharines school on the road.

While some may have pegged the Maroon win as an upset, Mac fans know better after the 25-point hammering given to the Badgers in late January.

The victory puts the Marauders in the OUA West Final, where McMaster will meet another nationally ranked team: the #1 Windsor Lancers.

Windsor took both of the regular season matches but the Marauders gave the Lancers their toughest match-up of the year in January.

Windsor scored a season-low 56 points and only defeated McMaster by eight points in their first game.

It’s an impressive feat for the Marauders, but even more jarring when you consider the Lancers average the most points per game in the CIS.

The rematch at Windsor was a different story. Mac was blown out, losing 74-56 on the road.

Hailey Milligan and Danielle Boiago put up respectable numbers at Windsor, but the team was missing their point guard Vanessa Bonomo.

The gap at the position allowed Windsor’s full-court pressure to force 26 turnovers.

But with a healthy roster, it will be a different story in this playoff match-up.

Boiago solidified herself as a scoring threat in the Brock game, dropping 30 points and a clutch game clinching three-pointer.

But the rookie sensation will have a tough time against an experienced and deep backcourt. They play a tough, in-your-face defense that preys on mistakes and turnovers.

Boiago has struggled to keep the turnovers down against the Lancers, averaging five giveaways a game.

Offensively, this game could come down to how well Mac can run the pick-and-roll.

Bonomo and Milligan have been terrific as of late, with Milligan getting great paint position when she rolls to the basket or Bonomo getting to the lane to either find a cutting teammate or hit the lay-up.

But against the length of Windsor’s Miah-Marie Langlois and Jessica Clemencon, McMaster will face the best pick-and-roll defense of the year.

In the home match-up, the Lancers would hedge hard on the screens to cut off a pass to the paint. Windsor also cheated on passing lanes to jump any swings to the wing.

From a defensive perspective, the Marauders will need to start with their own offence.

Cutting down turnovers will limit the lethal transition game of the Lancers.

Mac can also live with three-point attempts as the No.1 ranked team only shoots 27.6 per cent from behind the arc. Limiting Langlois production is another key to the Maroon defense.

Mac faces their toughest test of the season against the Lancers, but the Marauders play well against elite competition.

They competed hard against the Carleton Ravens earlier in the year, and the playoff defeat of Brock solidifies their spot as an up-and-coming team in the women’s university hoops.

Windsor’s court is notoriously difficult to shoot in given its high ceiling and surrounding indoor track.

A defeat of the Lancers is unlikely, but not impossible.

It will take everything McMaster has and some unexpected on-court contributions to grind out a win.

Expect a gritty game from both teams as they vie for the OUA West crown.

The Thunderdome was electric. The line for tickets to get into the McMaster and Lakehead playoff battle was rumoured to be an hour-long wait.

From tip-off, the Thunder Bay, Ont. stadium was a standing-room-only crowd. Home-court advantage is desirable in OUA basketball, but even more so for the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

Despite a 12-point deficit at halftime, the Thunderwolves were able to rally and comeback to defeat the Marauders 81-76.

The loss ends the rollercoaster campaign for the Maroon and Grey, where they finished with a regular season record of 13-8.

Mac was without their starting point guard Adam Presutti, who suffered another injury in the last practice before the playoff match-up.

Head coach Amos Connolly gave credit to Thunderwolves guards for turning the momentum of the game.

“Ben Johnson’s three 3s, all in the second half. And Greg Carter can absolutely dominate the game: nine assists, nine steals, two fouls,” said Connolly. “[Carter] was the difference. You could tell the conversation he either had openly or in his head at halftime: ‘I’m taking over.’”

Connolly’s crew had their share of incredible performances. Taylor Black played a season-high 37 minutes, shooting 10-16 from the field and 5-5 from the line for 29 points.

The third-year forward also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists.

In his final game as a Marauder, Scott Laws played the type of game that his coaches and fans have come to expect.

Logging 37 minutes of play, Laws played tough defense on a deep Lakehead backcourt while pulling down six boards and notching three steals.

Time has not made the loss any easier to swallow, as the Mac bench boss still has a sour taste in his mouth after the playoff exit.

“The things I was happy about on Saturday night, I’ll be happy about for a long time. The things I’m angry about from Saturday night, I’ll be angry about for a long time,” explains Connolly.

“Whether I feel better or not about the loss is an up in the air question.”

One of the major positives was the effort level the Marauders showed throughout the game.

Lakehead featured six seniors, compared to only one for Mac, but that difference only existed on paper.

McMaster did not allow the age difference to be a factor on the court and they competed as hard as a coach could ask.

All eyes now turn to the off-season and the Maroon coach says he already has guys itching to get in the gym.

“I think we are poised to be very good. The only way to be very good though is to make sure you improve in your offseason.”

Check out the bench of a Marauder opponent at the start of the fourth quarter. Chances are you’ll see a good portion of the starting line-up grabbing water and sucking wind.

McMaster is outrunning their opponents. And this isn’t by chance – it’s by design. And it didn’t start in September, either. Head coach Theresa Burns put together a summer training program for her team, beginning in May.

“[Our program] is year-round, very focused, very directed and thought-out,” explained Burns.

Training begins as soon as exams finish, as the coaching staff looks to “kick-start” the preparation for the upcoming season. To compete at a CIS-level requires a year-round commitment and the Marauders are willing to fulfill that commitment. The majority of the strength and weight gain happens in the summer, with balanced diets and workouts varying in intensity week-by-week. During the season, the team does lifts semi-weekly to maintain their achievements of the summer months.

The reason for the rigid training program is simple: fast break buckets. Transition hoops are the easiest in basketball and Burns has assembled a roster fit to create and connect on fast break opportunities. McMaster’s rookie Danielle Boiago fits the bill perfectly and has shined in the “run n’ gun” offence, averaging 15.6 points per game to lead the Maroon and Grey.

“We’re a smaller team, so a strong point for us has to be beating teams down the court,” said Boiago. “For us, it’s all about easy lay-ups.”

The first-year kinesiology student referenced a pre-season game against Mount Royal as the time when the light bulb went on in her head that this offence can dominate other teams.

But it’s not just the coaching staff that has the squad in the best shape of their lives. Burns gives credit to the Marauders’ strength and conditioning crew, lauding their communication with coaches as a huge asset in the team’s success.

“They’re on top of it. They manage it well, their feedback to coaches is outstanding,” said Burns. “We can coordinate intensity levels at practice. Just a really professional management style from Jeremy Steinbach and his staff.”

One of the keys to creating a team that is top-to-bottom fit has been personalizing the workouts of each player. Different positions require different strengths, and the Burns & co. have embraced this reality.

“We’ve managed to modify enough of the training for individual needs. That has been beneficial. We don’t have our post players doing a ton of mileage,” explains Burns.

“We also connect with Sports Medicine and if you’ve got a shoulder injury, we modify what you’re doing in lifts.”

Tough workouts have the potential to lumber on the minds of athletes at any level, but the danger looms larger over student-athletes who have to balance a multitude of obligations. But Burns’ players aren’t complaining. They’ve embraced the training. The 20-year head-coaching veteran was in the gym with her players, doing one-on-one workouts to support her players.

When Boiago was asked if there was ever a time during the intense training sessions that she thought the work ethic demanded of her was too much, her answer was pretty simple.

“No. No.” - with zero hesitation.

The annual Marauder Weekend tradition aims to celebrate the alumni who have previously donned the Maroon and Grey. But, this year, the celebration may be for the future, as the Marauders men’s basketball team seems to have turned a corner in their rout of the Brock Badgers.

Just under a month ago, Mac hammered out a 79-73 victory over the hyper-athletic St. Catharines school. This weekend’s game ended with a 94-75 victory.

Despite a lackluster first half from the Marauders, the second half was completely one-sided. Mac controlled the tempo on both ends on the floor and Aaron Redpath turned in one of the best defensive games of his Maroon tenure.

But the player who grabbed the most attention on Saturday was Nathan McCarthy. On both ends of the court, the second-year centre dominated his matchup.

Seven-footer Mike Luby was outplayed from the opening tip. McCarthy beat him on the glass too, grabbing an impressive 11 rebounds with six of them coming on the offensive class. The 6’ 8” big man chipped in 13 points also.

For head coach Amos Connolly, the production outburst didn’t come as a surprise.

“He really studies the game and cares about getting better. The impact of [assistant coach] Aaron Doornekamp has been very positive,” said Connolly. “What Nathan’s starting to get is a better awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, he’s starting to figure his game out.”

McCarthy has blossomed into an underappreciated member of the starting line-up. His averages of 6.1 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game aren’t likely to grab the average fan’s attention, but his willingness to do the dirty work is sure to win you over.

While the Marauders only used a frontcourt line-up of McCarthy and Taylor Black to match-up against larger opponents at the start of the season, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the team using a different duo. Black’s finesse mixed in with McCarthy’s physicality has made McMaster’s frontcourt one of the most talented in the OUA.

The Burlington native has come a long way from the start of the 2012-13 season but the coaching staff believes this is only a sign of things to come for the second-year.

“He’s got a chance to be a very, very, very talented player in this league. Very effective. He’s carving out a style of play that’s effective for him,” said Connolly of the big man’s growth.

McCarthy is just another one of the budding talents on the Marauders roster, but the growth he’s shown this season comes as a surprise. Frontcourt players often struggle to get used to the speed and athleticism of the university game, which Connolly noted as one McCarthy’s weaknesses. But the head coach doesn’t have any worries, praising the second-year for his work ethic and dedication in the weight room.

With the improved play of McCarthy, among other young players, the core of the Marauders roster is beginning to emerge. The coaching staff continuously ask players “What’s next?”

Time will tell about the future, but the team is getting better with each game. What’s next could be playoff victories. Or more.

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