But after their home opener this past Friday at Margaret P. Reimer gymnasium, there’s a sense of optimism surrounding the young squad.
The Clippers had four players hit double digits in scoring as they rolled to a 113-79 win over the Medicine Hat College Rattlers and improved to 1-2 on the season.
“We’ll take that, I knew we had a shot but I didn’t expect a 34-point win,” said Clippers head coach Shane Sowden. “It was a really good win for our team, we needed that and it was really good timing after a rough first weekend.”
Briercrest didn’t mess around when it came to getting things going, either – they led 25-16 after the first quarter, 55-32 at the half and didn’t let up after the break.
C.J. Greer led the offence with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including five three-pointers. That’s a level of play that Sowden expects will be a regular occurrence for his second-year guard.
“C.J. is one of the top guards in the league for a reason and he’s still really young, which is awesome,” Sowden said. “He put a ton of time in over the summer and came back literally bigger, faster, stronger. He’s our guy, and he’s no secret around the league, people know that.”
Thing is, it wasn’t just Greer who put up points on Friday.
Forward Kyle Helsloot appeared to be back in form after recovering from a pre-season injury, as he scored 16 points while also hauling down 12 rebounds, seven of those offensive. A recent return transfer from Trinity Western, Helsloot brings a six-foot-eight frame into the key, bringing a component of size the team hasn’t seen in awhile.
“That was probably one of the biggest keys for us,” Sowden said. “You clog up that middle and he got his hands on a lot of balls that he didn’t get rebounds for. So having him playing that type of game was really big for us.”
Chris Cheatham contributed 15 points and nine assists, while Brandon Tolentino added 14 points.
All in all, 11 of the team’s 12 players hit the scoreboard.
“I think what’s catching people off guard is our depth,” Sowden said. “Everybody played and it was pretty well rounded. Then our rebounding was really strong, which is something we talk about every week. We’re not as big as other teams, we’re one of the youngest teams in the league so we’re still learning and making some rookie mistakes.”
Having that kind of total output and playing that kind of team game is something that will be important going forward, said Sowden.
“When we play together we have numerous guys who can get you, and that’s what was really encouraging, the guys saw what can happen when they play together,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be one guy and they were rewarded for it.”
The Clippers have a bit of time off, but are back in action during the Nov. 15 weekend when they travel to Calgary to take on SAIT and St. Mary’s University.
Things were far closer for the Clippers women’s basketball team, but with how their season has started and the kind of expectations they have, wins can almost be expected no matter what the score.
Angenay Williams scored 25 points and added 10 rebounds as the Clippers – who headed into the weekend as the sixth ranked team in Canada – ground out an 83-79 victory to improve to 3-0 on the season and hold down first place in the ACAC South Division.
Amber Tilcox added 17 points and 11 rebounds, Sydney Segroves scored 12 and Caronport product Brooklyn Martens came off the bench and added 10 points.
Both teams will now have a bit of time off, but are back in action during the Nov. 15 weekend when they travel to Calgary to take on SAIT and St. Mary’s University.
The Briercrest women’s volleyball team endured a minor scare before emerging unscathed from a pair of contests in Calgary at Ambrose University.
The Clippers – ranked third in Canada – improved to 6-0 with a 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-21) victory on Friday and a 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 27-25) win Saturday.
Rebecca Garner led the offense with 11 kills in the opener while Kirsty Kindrachuk and Ashley Erickson contributed 10 digs each.
Garner and Faith Buhler had nine kills each in the rematch, with Kindrachuk again picking 10 digs.
The Clippers men’s volleyball team saw similar results to their counterparts, winning 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-17) Friday and 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-16) Saturday.
Karym Coleman racked up 17 kills in the first game, Bryton Codd added 14. Emmitt Juul-Hansen had a solid contest setting everything up, recording 40 assists.
Coleman and Codd had 11 kills each on Saturday.
Briercrest is now 5-1 and holds down second place in the South.
Both teams have a week off from ACAC play and will host Lethbridge on Nov. 15 and 16.
It was a rough weekend for the Briercrest men’s hockey team against the powerhouse Grant McEwan Griffins in Edmonton.
The Clippers – who came into the weekend in third place with a 3-1-1-1 record – dropped a 15-3 decision Friday and fell 11-3 on Saturday.
Zachary Vanderwal, Tyrell Bourk and Chad Davidson all scored for the Clippers in the first game, with Vanderwal also adding an assist. Billy Cawthorn had a busy night in goal, turning aside 49 of the 64 shots he faced.
The second contest was far closer in the early going – Josh Boelema scored in the first period as the Griffins took a 3-1 lead – but McEwan was able to pull away with a five-goal second period.
Trey Doell and Halen Cordoni scored the Clippers other goals. Dan Dekoning had 35 stops in net.
Briercrest returns to action during the Nov. 15 weekend when they host NAIT for a pair of contests at Barkman Arena.
