Playoff Preview: Bold face Mustangs in opening round

TORONTO - The TMU Bold women's basketball team has had a successful season and is just days away from starting their playoff run with their first game against the Western Mustangs on February 21.

Through their 22 regular season games, the Bold finished second in the OUA Central division with a record of 16-6.

After their game last Wednesday against the York Lions, a big win gave them home court advantage for the opening game of the playoffs.

Coach Carly Clarke had some high expectations for this team at the start of the season, and with this being such a young team, their season could have gone either way.

"Everyone got thrown into the fire and we had to learn pretty quickly and learn through a lot of different scenarios, so I think the young players gained experience quickly, and our veteran players had to emerge as leaders," said Clarke.

This young team managed to build great chemistry on and off the court.

Veteran Kaillie Hall, who played and started every game, played 720 minutes and tallied up a total of 299 points. She has been a vital team player and leader this season and will look to continue to do so during the playoffs.

"Playing with people who do their role really well makes everyone's job a little bit easier… just everyone's stepping in and embracing what they do best and also trying to challenge themselves in new ways has helped our team grow," said Hall.

The team has relied heavily on some of their younger players, none more so than Catrina Garvey. She played some exceptional games and finished the regular season 11th in the OUA in three-pointers, converting 40 times from beyond the arc. As a first year, this was not only impressive but will be vital to the success of this team in the playoffs.

"We've grown in the level of connection and understanding of each other. With so many new players, there's a lot of time spent learning about each other and how to play off each other," added Clarke.

Jayme Foreman has also had a strong season, finishing 16th in conference scoring and recording a sixth-best 45 three-pointers.

Going into playoffs this team is going to have to be ready for every game since the standings in the OUA this year were very tight, but Hall believes this team has what it takes to make it all the way.

"I'm really confident that our team's will to win and our coaches' championship mindset that we've rooted our everyday practice and being the best at getting better," Hall explained.

Clarke urges her team to remember that possessions can make such a big difference.

"If you get too caught up in the error, a bad call, a four-point run could turn into an eight-point run and that can be the difference in the game," she added.

For veteran Hall, this playoff run hits close to home.

"I'm trying to soak in the last experiences whether it's this year or next year, my basketball career is coming to a close. So just honouring that and enjoying the moment I think is super important and sometimes gets lost," said Hall.

After a great season with this team, including starting the year undefeated for 10 games straight, this team is prepared to face any competitor.

They will be facing the Mustangs who finished the season with a record of 11-11 and showed that they can be a tough competitor under pressure.

As Clarke and Hall said, the Bold have built an undeniable bond that's helped them excel on the court. With that chemistry and focusing on controlling possession for a full game, the Bold are ready for a big challenge.

The Bold will play this Wednesday at home at 6:00 p.m. If they advance they will head to Brock for the quarter-final on Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Jayme Foreman: G; 5' 9"; 3

#14 Kaillie Hall: G; 5' 9"; 4

#17 Catrina Garvey: G; 5' 7"; 1

Players Mentioned

#10 Jayme Foreman
: 5' 9"; 3
: G

#14 Kaillie Hall
: 5' 9"; 4
: G

#17 Catrina Garvey
: 5' 7"; 1
: G

Players Mentioned

#10 Jayme Foreman

#14 Kaillie Hall

#17 Catrina Garvey

Players Mentioned

#10 Jayme Foreman

#14 Kaillie Hall

#17 Catrina Garvey