Douglas’ basketball squads in action
By Ayanda K. Gatsha, Contributor
January 16 was the date of heated games for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams as Douglas went up against Columbia Bible College’s (CBC) finest.
It seemed the Douglas women had a tough battle ahead of them as Columbia started out with the lead. However, the Royals seemed to maintain composure, sticking to their strengths and dominating the left side of CBC’s defence with great passing plays. CBC’s breakaways left the Royals chasing the game for the first quarter, but they fought to keep to tie the game at 31 points by the third quarter.
The Bearcats’ rotation of players served them well to stay aggressive and hold the lead, though Douglas seemed to pick it up as the game neared its end. With constant turnovers from the Royals a strong Columbia side had its momentum shut off as they chased the game down to the closing stages of the 4th quarter. Smart coaching from the Royals coach and good team composure allowed Douglas to pull off an astounding 53-42 score that left the Bearcats wondering how their start slipped into a loss.
The men’s game started differently as the Royals stuck their foot on the gas pedal and didn’t let off—dominating proceedings at 19-4. CBC’s attack was stomped by a solid defence, leaving the Bearcats chasing the game at the end of the second quarter down 42-21.
The Douglas crew was running the show and didn’t look up to share centre stage. CBC did take the chances they could but the Royals had no intention of letting them in the game. As the game came to a close both teams had fired threes and hit layups, but it was the Royals who were victorious by a score of 97-80.