CORNER BROOK Jonathan Snow would rather judge success on a team’s compete level more so than wins and losses during the development stage.
Snow is the student athletic and recreation co-ordinator at Grenfell Campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland and the driving force behind the varsity men’s and women’s basketball programs at Grenfell. He is the head coach for the Grenfell Warriors men’s basketball team.
The men’s basketball, team along with the Grenfell women’s hoops team and Grenfell women’s volleyball team, hit the road for a series of exhibition games over the weekend. The two basketball teams travelled to Holland College in Charlottetown, P.E.I. for a tip-off tournament featuring other small schools who fall under the umbrella of the Atlantic College Athletic Association (ACAA). The women’s volleyball team played in a tip-off tournament at Mount Saint Vincent in Halifax, N. S.
Even though the basketball teams didn’t pick up a win and the women’s volleyball squad bowed out in the bronze-medal matchup in Halifax, Snow believes the experiment proved to be a worthwhile venture for the teams. Grenfell has never sent any of its basketball teams to ACAA competitions so Snow looks at the team’s performance in a very positive light.
“There was positive feedback from the other teams and showed that Grenfell teams could play at this level,” Snow said. “For a first time playing at this level it was a good start. We will do it again.”
The following are summaries of how things unfolded for the respective teams over the weekend:
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Holland College Hurricanes 100,
Grenfell Warriors 43
The Hurricanes, one of the top teams in the ACAA, got off to a slow start and only held an 18-6 lead after the first quarter, but got on a run that saw them rack up points for a 51-11 lead at half-time.
Grenfell rallied back to score 32 points in the second half, but the Hurricanes proved to be too strong for the Warriors.
Ryan Rose collected 13 points for the Warriors, while benchmate Timmy Goosney added eight points to the scoresheet.
Dalhousie Agriculture College 73,
Grenfell Warriors 58
Ryan Rose was the top gun for the Warriors with a 17-point performance, while Peter Rose threw in 10 points in a game that was highlighted by a 14-2 run by Dalhousie in the second half that put the game out of reach for the Warriors.
Tyler MacDonald had 27 points for the winners.
University of New Brunswick Seawolves 70, Grenfell Warriors 50
Described as ‘a heartbreaker of a game’ by coach Snow, the Warriors held a 36-34 lead at half-time and also had a one-point lead with three minutes left in regulation time so the game was within their grasp.
However, John Kearley of the Seawolves damped spirits when he got hot and hit four of five three-pointers in the final two minutes.
Mark Strickland was the top shooter for the Warriors with a 19-point outing, while Ryan Rose continued his consistent offensive output with 14 points in a losing cause.
University of King’s College 95,
Grenfell Warriors 37
Ryan Rose had 12 points for the Warriors who proved to be no match for the powerful Blue Devils.
“Switching zone defences stymied the Grenfell Warriors from the start,” coach Snow said of the tough game.
Mohamed Ibrahim (16) and Spencer Taylor (15) were the top guns for the Blue Devils.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Holland College Hurricanes 79,
Grenfell Warriors 21
Marissa Penney was the top shooter for the Prince Edward Island ACAA entry with a 22-point performance.
Victoria Lyberg held the hot hand for the Grenfell squad with eight points.
Dalhousie Agriculture College 54,
Grenfell Warriors 37
A scoring summary of this game wasn’t available at press time.
Dalhousie Agriculture College 59,
Grenfell Warriors 30
Erica McDonnell was the top gun for the Warriors with nine points, while Kat White threw in eight points.
Hillary Hooper (18) and Emily Davis (17) were the offensive weapons for DAC.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The Genfell girls lost to St. Thomas Tommies of Atlantic University Sport 26-24, 25-20 in semifinal play before being dumped by host Mount Saint Vincent in the bronze-medal showdown.
Grenfell lost to St. Anne’s University, which featured Corner Brook native Danielle Walsh, 25-10 and 25-15 in their first test of the tournament.
Mount Saint Vincent, the defending ACAA women’s volleyball champions with a 16-2 record last season, defeated the Grenfell girls 25-23 and 25-19 in round-robin play.
The only other test for the team was a round-robin showdown with Dalhousie Agriculture College that saw the Grenfell girls lose in two-straight games — 25-15 and 25-23.
Wow mainlander thanks for your insight!