MWBA - Maritime Womens Basketball Association

Committee Nods to Defence

High-scoring games, theatrical buckets down low, physical battles in the paint and dagger three-balls meant for plenty of Maritime Women’s Basketball Association action last week.

Turns out, defence won out when it was time to select the Player of the Week presented by Royale for Week III in the MWBA.

The selection committee raised a hand in favour of Robbi Daley of the Fredericton Freeze for the weekly honour, sponsored by Royale, one of the league’s founding partners along with Medavie.

Daley’s athleticism and commitment to defence was on display in Fredericton’s dramatic 69-56 win over the visiting Moncton Mystics, a game that was tied 44-44 through three quarters.

Daley, whose sister Katie Daley is a teammate and sister Kelsey McLaughlin plays for the Mystics, helped shut down Moncton’s league-leading scorer Leonie Elbert to four points in the game.

There was plenty of selection company for the award.

Other players nominated included Moncton’s Abby Miller, Karissa Kajorinne of the Halifax Thunder, Windsor Edge’s Isa MacKay and Courtney Donaldson of the Halifax Hornets. Port City Fog of Saint John was idle last week.

League action picks up Wednesday when the Hornets face visiting Thunder at Mount St. Vincent University, a 7 p.m., clash.

The Medavie Game of the Week unfolds Thursday at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John at 7 p.m.

That’s when the Fog returns to action to greet Moncton.

All six teams are in Halifax this weekend at Saint Mary’s University for a tournament session with three games each day.

The Thunder enters Week IV with an unblemished 6-0 record.

– Fredericton’s Robbi Daley can score, but it was her defence that mattered last week (Fran Harris Photos)