BU MIDTERMS: Brandon started hot before gauntlet

The year started as well as it could for the Brandon University women’s basketball team.

While the Bobcats finished the first term on an eight-game losing skid, it was all but inevitable given the opponents they faced.

Considering BU (3-9) is a victory away from equaling its Canada West win total from the past four seasons combined, the 3-1 start was enough to believe second-year head coach Ilarion Bonhomme has the program on a good path.

“A lot of positives to take away from it, I think we got better as a group,” Bonhomme said.

“We’re moving in the right direction as a program. We won more games than last year, if that was the only litmus test we’re using.

“The girls are buying into what we’re trying to do, getting a better understanding of how we want to play as a team, so that’s been really good.”

LOOKING BACK

The Bobcats had a strong pre-season, building confidence with blowout wins over a few college programs, then heading to the East Coast and beating both St. Mary’s and Dalhousie during a 7-2 exhibition slate.

BU opened the regular season with a decisive win over the visiting Manitoba Bisons, then knocked off the host Winnipeg Wesmen two days later.

The Bobcats dropped one game at Lethbridge, then bounced back to grind out a 69-65 triumph.

While in past years it felt like Brandon only won when it got all the breaks, these wins looked 100 per cent earned from the outside, and Bonhomme agrees.

“The stars don’t be aligning for us, we gotta work hard,” Bonhomme said.

“They do the gritty, gritty work. Even Lethbridge the second night, we were able to fight it out … there was some tough officiating, and everyone knows Lethbridge is a super tough place to play.

“The work they put in week in week out, it showed in those early games, U of W, U of M, those are really good teams.”

The rest of the semester was as tough as it’ll get all year by a long shot. Brandon faced four straight top-10 teams in the country, including Calgary (4), Alberta (2), Regina (7), and Saskatchewan (1).

Those four are all 10-0, leaving the other six in the Prairie Division to battle for three playoff spots.

Brandon lost most of the games by at least 30 points, while limiting Regina to one 85-67 victory in a game that was within single digits well into the third quarter.

“The best teams, they can do it for 40 minutes,” Bonhomme said.

“For 25, 30, or 35 minutes, we can hang with anybody, but we always have this big lapse or two where we kind of fall under our standard, and that’s when it shows in the score.

“Especially the Regina and Calgary weekend, we did a lot of good things where we were right there in the game, but a couple of possessions here or there didn’t go our way. That’s how it goes when you’re trying to grow as a team.”

LINEUP BOOSTS

The Bobcats are scoring better than they have in recent history, averaging 63.7 points per game despite the long stretch of tough opponents.

That boost is, in large part, thanks to import guard Macaya Copeland.

The Minnesota native is leading the league with 18.4 points per game, hitting 20 or more points five times.

“Seeing her day in, day out, her habits, the way she works is super, super impressive,” Bonhomme said.

“She’s a matchup nightmare. If you guard her with length, she’s too quick; if you guard her with small, she’s strong enough to get to her spot, play through contact. She’s been awesome for us.”

Brandon’s other new import, Ella Averill, has quietly been terrific as well. She has averaged 11.6 ppg on 42 per cent shooting, both from the field and three-point range.

The Australian makes an even bigger impact on the defensive end, where the Bobcats are still giving up a league-high 83.5 ppg, but again, had that total inflated by the top teams hanging 90-plus on them.

With Averill anchoring the defence, that number will drop in the second half.

“The versatility she has defensively, we put her at the top of a 1-3-1, we put her at the top of the 2-3, the bottom of the 2-3, she’s definitely that Swiss Army knife for us and she’s just scratching the surface of what she’s going to show,” Bonhomme said.

VETERANS IMPROVE

With more attention on the star imports, the floor opened up for everyone else.

It led to fifth-year Piper Ingalls scoring 28 points on opening night and getting more efficient than in past years.

Bonhomme said the chance to compete with the imports in practice has been valuable for the younger guards like Abbey Shand, Taya Clark, and Madison Schettler.

Jayna Maytwayashing has, perhaps, made the biggest step of anyone in the group.

The third-year forward is leading the team in field-goal percentage at 51.4, with nearly a block per game on defence.

“She’s been that presence for us. I always get kind of frustrated with some stat keeping in certain gyms because I think Jayna would be leading Canada West in blocks, and it wouldn’t be close,” Bonhomme said.

“Her ability to read offensive players is really good.”

MOVING FORWARD

Since the Bobcats played 12 games without a weekend off, they have just eight to go.

They host the Wesmen (2-7) on Jan. 9-10, then have a bye before visiting the Mount Royal Cougars (6-6).

BU hosts MacEwan (0-10) for senior weekend on Jan. 30-31, then closes the regular season at Manitoba (1-8) on Feb. 6-7.

The playoffs are definitely within reach, as the Bobcats currently have a one-game cushion for the last spot.

But they’re far from guaranteed a spot.

“It’s definitely a goal of ours, it’s no secret, but we try not to get too ahead of ourselves,” Bonhomme said.

“We’re not looking at hotels for the playoffs or nothing like that, but we know if we play our best version of basketball, we got a really good shot, which would be great for the young ones to get that experience and for the older ones who maybe haven’t been there, ever.

“It’s just one game at a time, try to have good weeks of practice, stack days, and go from there.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com