Adam Scotti

The McGill Martlets demolished the University of Waterloo Warriors 72-47 in the final game of the Redbird Classic at Love Competition Hall. The Martlets started slow, but once they found their offensive rhythm they were near impossible to stop.

McGill trailed 6-1 halfway through the first quarter, but closed with a furious 15-1 run. The Martlets used intense defensive pressure to force turnovers from their opponents that led to easy baskets in transition.

“More pressure defensively,” said McGill Head Coach Ryan Thorne when asked what the keys were to the first quarter run. “We didn’t make it easy on them. We got some early baskets by pushing it up the court and getting into early offence.”

Forward Anneth Him-Lazarenko led the Martlets first quarter charge, with five points, all off free-throws. The Warrior defence was unable to handle Him-Lazarenko in the post. They were forced to constantly foul the post-player to keep her from scoring easy layups.

McGill continued to build on their lead in the second quarter. Him-Lazarenko and sharpshooting guard Marie-Eve Martin worked together to lead the McGill offence. Him-Lazarenko’s presence inside opened up the perimeter for Martin, who began to dominate.

“We have Annette here working inside, so obviously if they double her inside I’m open outside,” said Martin. “The key was that we played as a team, that’s what worked best.”

At halftime, the duo had combined for 20 points and the Martlets led 32-18.

Martin opened the third scoring  one of her four three-pointers. She shot 6-10 and finished with a game-high 16 points in just 23 minutes.

“We expect that [from Martin] every night,” explained Thorne. “We got it from Marty all weekend. That’s the kind of player she is, she works hard at every opportunity. Sometimes the shots falling and sometimes its not, but she’ll always give you that effort.”

By the end of the third quarter, McGill led 58-30. The starters sat the rest of the game. The bench looked impressive playing against Waterloo’s top players. Led by center Valerie L’Ecuyer the bench confidently finished the game. L’Ecuyer scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Despite the one-sided win, the Martlets were disappointed not to have won their home tournament. The Redbird Classic began well for the Martlets as they thumped University of Prince Edward Island 69-42. However, they lost their next game 64-52 to eventual tournament champions, University of Toronto.

On the men’s side of the classic, the University of Western Ontario was crowned champion. They edged McGill 72-67 on Saturday to remain undefeated. The Redmen won their other two games with an impressive 76-69 win over UPEI and 79-67 victory against Queen’s University.

The Martlets see room for improvement as they head into the regular season next month.

“We have to expect more from our starting players,” said Thorne when asked how his team could improve. “If our starting line gets us off and going, coming off the bench we have some solid players who will maintain them.”

Martin added that defensive improvements  must be made.

“What we need to improve on is our defence,” she said. “Just rotate and communicate on defence.”

The Martlets open their regular season against Bishop’s on November 13 at Love Competition Hall. With Him-Lazarenko and Martin looking like two of the best players in Quebec, McGill looks primed for a successful season.