The Queens win three in a row with a victory against the Clippers
Red Deer, January 14, 2023 – The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens and the Briercrest College Clippers were back in action less then 24 hours later with the second of two games against one another this weekend in Red Deer. The Queens took the first game last night 78-65.
It was a slow start for the hometown Queens as they fell behind quickly but give the Clippers credit as they came out of the game looking to avenge last nights loss to the very same team. But that lead slowly diminished as guard Sophie Melin (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology) put the team on her shoulders with some amazing shooting from downtown Innisfail and they would take their first lead late in the quarter. The Queens had the slightest of leads going into the second quarter with a score of 29-26. Each team scored 12 points on three-pointers in the opening quarter partly thanks to Queens Melin and guard Maddison Beattie (Business Administration)
In the opening 17 seconds of the second, the Clippers out rebounded the Queens in their own zone three to nothing, which led to a defensive foul. The incredible shooting from both sides continued into the second with the Clippers and Queens exchanging threes throughout the quarter. But Red Deer would get into some foul trouble with just under five to play which meant a lot more free throws for the Clippers. At the half the Queens were up 54-43.
The Queens started the third quarter the same way they started the game, very slow. The Clippers were stopping everything which forced Red Deer to just one point in the first four minutes of the second half. After a 12-1 run by Briercrest, Queens guard Sandra Garcia-Bernal (Educational Assistant) hit a three-pointer to end that impressive run by the visitors. Teammate Sadie Jeffries (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) would follow that up with a three of her to make it back-to-back threes for the Queens. RDP would finally figure out their shooting woes late in the third with another bucket scored from beyond the arc from forward Lauren France (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology).
Late in the fourth quarter, the Clippers tough, aggressive defense showed up once again as they were on the verge of making a comeback against the Queens. But it came up just short as Red Deer walked away with the sweep of the Clippers. They are now on a three-game winning streak and sit with a .500 record
The players of the games went to Amber Fichtner (Psychology) of the Clippers and Sophie Melin of the Queens. Fichtner finished the afternoon with 19 points and 18 rebounds. For the second straight night, Melin's shooting was on point as she finished with six three-pointers for a total of 22 points.
The Queens will be back in action next weekend for a series with the Ambrose Lions that starts on January 20 at 6 pm. For the Clippers, they will play host to the Medicine Hat Clippers starting next Friday at 6 pm as well.