Douglas women’s basketball team wins first game of the season
By Michael Sopow, Sports Reporter
On Halloween night, looking to start the year with a bang, the Douglas College Royals women’s basketball team faced off against the Langara Falcons in their first league game of the season.
The Royals began the first quarter with a strong display, showing early initiative right off the bat and taking an impressive lead before the Falcons knew what hit them. The Royals’ purposeful movement of the ball gave them an offensive edge over the trailing Falcons, but Langara was able to keep the game within reach as the first quarter came to a conclusion.
Going into the second, the score was 18-12 for Douglas, and the Falcons promptly began to close the gap. Some crucial three-point plays were had by Langara, along with stellar free-throw consistency. The Falcons quickly began to creep up on the Royals’ now seemingly miniscule lead, forcing Douglas College to take a time-out and recuperate.
The strategic time-out proved to be effective, and the Royals began pulling away in the lead once more as the second quarter came to a close, ending the first half 29-21 for Douglas.
By the third quarter the Royals’ goals were simple: maintain consistency and continue to outplay the Falcons both offensively and defensively. While the game was certainly in reach on the scoreboard for Langara, Douglas’ effort and perseverance seemed to always have them one step ahead on the court. As the Royals progressed through the third quarter, they never once lost the lead.
Near the end of the third, the game began to pick up in both ferocity and tension. The Falcons once more began to close the score gap. It was a close game that was without a doubt looking to come to a close conclusion.
In the dying moments of the third quarter, with the Royals only leading by two baskets, the Falcons decided to initiate their full court press in an attempt to pull even before the fourth—or take the lead.
Momentarily, the Falcons were able to get within one point of the Royals as the game transitioned into the last quarter, but Douglas College quickly began to pull away. A valiant effort was put forth by the Falcons, but at the end of the day, the Langara team just couldn’t compete with the Royals’ tenacity. Final score was (66-54) in Douglas’ favour.
