Article By: Tom Kennedy
It’s no secret the St. John's College Green Eagles have a strong senior girls' basketball program.
The North Park Collegiate Trojans knew what they were in for when they hosted the Green Eagles on Thursday, but coach Andrea Hawkins was excited for another opportunity to learn from their challenging opposition.
When all was said and done, the Green Eagles had claimed a 57-27 win over the Trojans, but the winning coach and his team are always working.
Green Eagles coach Steve Van Leeuwen said that while his team played a fluid, fast game, there was always work to be done.
"We're just working to get a consistent effort," he said. "If we can continue to do that I think it will bode well for us in the future."
The Green Eagles controlled the first half of the game, dictating the pace of the play and the movement of the ball, but it wasn't without some hassling from the Trojans.
The North Park Collegiate Trojans knew what they were in for when they hosted the Green Eagles on Thursday, but coach Andrea Hawkins was excited for another opportunity to learn from their challenging opposition.
When all was said and done, the Green Eagles had claimed a 57-27 win over the Trojans, but the winning coach and his team are always working.
Green Eagles coach Steve Van Leeuwen said that while his team played a fluid, fast game, there was always work to be done.
"We're just working to get a consistent effort," he said. "If we can continue to do that I think it will bode well for us in the future."
The Green Eagles controlled the first half of the game, dictating the pace of the play and the movement of the ball, but it wasn't without some hassling from the Trojans.
The biggest difference between the two teams, and the reason for the Eagles leading 17-5 at the end of the first quarter and 35-11 at the half, was the precision of the Eagles.
"It's certainly to our advantage to play a high-tempo game" Van Leeuwen said. "The Trojans have a lot of size and we just have to take advantage of our speed."
In attack, they were swift, as they were led by the provincial experience of Kelly Van Leeuwen, Kayla Santilli and Katie Polischuk.
On top of their three provincial players, the Eagles rotated their bench throughout the game to ensure all members of the team were game ready by the time playoffs roll around.
"I think if you're going to play at the level we play, you have to play with a lot of depth," Van Leeuwen said. "The younger girls are certainly stepping up."
Despite the large deficit and the promise of another torrid half of ball, the Trojans kept working in the third and fourth quarters.
Trojan Laura Chapple's work rate could not be ignored, particularly during one instance in the third quarter when she fought for three of her own rebounds before sinking a basket.
The Green Eagles were led in scoring by Kelly Van Leeuwen (19 points), Kayla Santilli (16 points) and Katie Polischuk (10 points. The Trojans were led by Cassie Fletcher (six points), Holly Ryerse (five points) and Jenny Howell (four points).
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