Athletes of the week
Francois Bourque
Bourque, a towering 6’6” forward from Terrebonne, Quebec, carried the Redmen to two victories over the weekend against Laval. He notched a double double in both games and averaged 13.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, proving to be too much to handle in the paint and on the glass. Bourque has come back from the winter break with a renewed sense of aggression and has hit double digits in points and rebounds in all but one game. The Redmen, who often operate with Bourque as their sole big man, will need more performances like this to keep the wins coming.
Katia Cleyment-Heydra
The reigning CIS Player-of-the-Year was at her finest once again for the Martlets this weekend, tallying two goals and two assists over a pair of games. She did most of her damage in a 5-3 victory against Concordia, scoring a goal merely 14 seconds into the game, the new team record for fastest goal. She has been instrumental to the Martlets’ success, is leading the CIS in assists, and is tied for sixth in total scoring. Look for this seasoned veteran to peak in the second half of the season and cap out an already noteworthy career.
Beyond the box score
Martlet Hockey
With a weekend split–a 5-3 win against Concordia and a 6-4 loss to number one ranked Montreal–the Martlets will likely stay ranked second in the nationwide rankings. Senior forward Katia Clement-Heydra put forth strong performances in each game, tallying four points in total. This included scoring the opening goal 14 seconds into the loss to Montreal, which set a school record for quickest goal to begin a game. The team’s leading scorers Gabrielle Davidson and Leslie Oles racked up three and four points respectively over the weekend. McGill’s goaltending was uncharacteristically weak, as both Brittany Smrke and Taylor Hough struggled to make saves at times when the Martlets needed them. Smrke stopped just 23 of 28 shots he faced, and Hough didn’t fare much better, turning away 19 of 22 shots. The Martlets now have a week of rest before taking on Concordia on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m.
Martlet Basketball
The Martlets’ (8-0) undefeated season continued this week, with two victories over the Laval Rouge-et-Or. McGill triumphed 74-62 on the road Thursday, before returning home Saturday to win 61-52. The games marked the 15th and 16th consecutive wins against Laval for McGill. All-Canadian forward Mariam Sylla led the way in both match-ups, notching 11 points and 8 rebounds in Thursday’s game before pouring in 18 points and collecting 18 rebounds Saturday. The latter effort was Sylla’s league-leading fourth double-double this season. Senior point guard Dianna Ros also made significant contributions, reaching double-digit scoring in both games while dishing out six assists per game. McGill’s victories, coupled with a Windsor Lancers’ loss Saturday, mean that the Martlets will likely climb to number one in the nationwide rankings for the first time in the program’s history.
Martlet Volleyball
The Martlets raced out to an early one set lead but were unable to finish the job, ceding three straight sets to the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. With the exception of the second set which ended 25-17, only 11 total points separated the two squads in the other three sets. Additionally, rapidly improving middle blocker, Charlotte Clarke, tore her ACL while star libero Daphnee-Maude Andre-Morin will be spending the rest of the season on the bench after failing to receive clearance from the medical staff following a concussion earlier in the season. Clarke had registered seven points prior to exiting the game while junior power hitter Ashley Norfleet led the squad with 14.5 points earned primarily through 13 kills. The Martlets currently sit in last place in the RSEQ but still have five games to turn their season around.
By the numbers
1.98 – Height, in metres, of Hao Xu’s gold medal-winning high jump for McGill at the Rouge et Or Invitational. Also, on an unrelated note, Michael Jordan’s height.
300 – Number of games David D’Aveiro has won as head coach of the Redmen basketball team after Saturday’s victory over Laval.
319 – Number of fans who didn’t find a seat at this year’s Carnival game.
