Jeremiah Brown gets ready to take two free throws at the foul line against the Algonquin Thunder. Photo by Kyle Ellington QNet News
By Kyle Ellington [1]
BELLEVILLE – The Loyalist Lancers [2] kept their win streak alive on Saturday beating the Algonquin Thunder [3] 106-82 [4] winning their fourth game in row.
This was the second win in a row for the Lancers after a victory against the La Cité Coyotes [5] winning 94-75 [6] Friday.
The Lancers played at home in front a packed crowd on against Algonquin for the first time this season.
The Lancers had control of the game from tip-off. They finished the first half shooting an efficient 58 per cent from the field leading the Thunder 56-31 and they never let go of the lead for the rest of the game.
During the third quarter the Lancers weren’t as efficient as they were in the first half and got outscored 24-16 by Algonquin. They shot 41 per cent from the field and shot one for six from the three- point line.
The Lancers came out strong on offence during the fourth. They scored 34 points in the quarter with a 76 field goal percentage and shot 13 for 17 from the field.
Five players on the Lancers each scored in double digits at the end of the night.
Loyalist guard Jeremiah Brown [7] and foward Noah Korovesi [8] combined for 39 points.
Brown led the game with 20 points while shooting 9 for 15 from the field.
After the game, Lancer’s point guard Angelo Sarsonas [9] said the team performed great.
“Today we played against one of our rivals Algonquin and we knew that we had to come out strong because they usually come out with the first punch and today we did that. We executed throughout the game,” he said.
Sarsonas said the away loss against the Seneca Sting on Nov. 1 was a real turning point for the team.
“We didn’t like that feeling. So we knew that if we didn’t want to feel that again we had to come out with wins. We did everything we can to make sure our defensive coverages were on point, we put up shots to make sure our shots felt good before games.”
Assistant coach Ebun Tomiwa said the difference that he’s seen in the team is its intensity.
“You can improve every single day. As long as you miss shots you can improve so we need to improve on everything,” says assistant coach Ebun Tomiwa. Photo by Kyle Ellington, QNet News
“Last four wins we’ve been locked in defensively. It’s hard to win but you gotta keep pushing and keep going,” Tomiwa said.
“Kid’s a star, he’s special,” said Tomiwa, referring to Jeremiah Brown.
“You just want him to be more assertive on offence and especially on defensive because of his length. He can play multiple positions and guard multiple position as well. Going forward he’s definitely a focal point for us so it’s happy for us to see him embracing the role,” he said.
Tomiwa also praised Korovesi on his performance coming off the bench. “That was a change we made and he’s up to the challenge. He’s a great player, he’s a fifth-year forward coming off the bench for us and this was probably his best weekend so far this season. We want him to continue doing that moving forward.”
Korovesi said as a team veteran he’s one of the leaders.
“I’ve been with coach Pat [Kabeya] for four years here and he’s taught me a lot and the system that we run. I try to help all the players around me know what’s going on and how to do certain things.”
“It was pretty good. We played together as a team. Everybody was hitting their shots. We had some defensive breakdowns but we fixed them and got the win,” Korovesi said.
Korovesi mentioned Brown’s big performance and what it meant to the team. “He was solid tonight,” he said. “He helped us play defence and offence. He’s a big part to us.”
“I just go with the flow and I feel good when my shots are hitting,” Noah Korovesi says on his performance. Photo by Kyle Ellington, QNet News
“Past games we didn’t do a lot of passing and we’ve improved on it every single game. We’re playing more as a team now. Before it was a lot more one- pass attack. Now we’re playing with the extra pass and getting wide open shots for us. So it’s improving everyday,” he said.
The Lancers currently sit first in the OCAA East standings with an 8-1 record.
They’re looking to extend their win streak on Saturday in an away game against the George Brown Huskies in Toronto at 6 p.m.