By John DeCoste
The fact that Acadia University shuts down over Christmas is something all the Acadia varsity sports teams have to deal with.
Bev Greenlaw and his basketball Axewomen travelled to Montreal for a holiday tournament Dec. 28 to 30 having not practiced together since before Christmas.
Throw a 15-hour bus ride into the equation, and the results were probably predictable, at least to start with.
Acadia lost badly 86-58 to a good Ottawa team, topped Laurier 66-55 in overtime - winning the extra session 15-4) - and then defeated McMaster 79-71.
"Our experiences this year were very similar to the way it went for us two years ago at the same event," Greenlaw said Jan. 3. "We started surprisingly well (in their first game), but then we ran out of gas, and once that happened, it was all over."
While not one to make excuses for his team's performance, Greenlaw stressed, "what we have learned is that while most CIS teams take some kind of break during exams, their facilities enable them to have some form of team practices during December.
"We can't do that, so the December tournaments are like the first day of an entirely new season. We tend to not perform that well in our first game back."
The team "regained some ‘second wind' on the second day," Greenlaw said, though What makes a trip like this worthwhile each year is that the Axewomen end up better prepared, than if they hadn't played in the tournament, to resume the regular season on their return.
The season resumed Jan.5, when Axewomen took on Cape Breton in their second-half home opener, scoreing a well-earned 94-83 victory.
In a total team effort, Acadia had five players in double figures, led by Emma Duinker whose total included four threes. Kristy Moore added 18, Lindsay Harris and Stefanie Chapman 15 each and Abbey Duinker 12 along with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Greenlaw said he saw Cape Breton as a quality opponent whose record to date "doesn't truly represent their strength," which made the win even sweeter. He called the Capers and Saint Mary's, who Acadia hosts Jan. 11.; as "two of the tougher CIS opponents anyone will face this season."
