It’s early, but there are some familiar names atop the statistical data leaderboard in the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association.
The MWBA enters Week II of action Friday night in Saint John as the hometown Port City Fog battle Moncton Mystics at University of New Brunswick at Saint John.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Both teams have players in the league’s top five statistical departments, looking to add to their numbers Friday.
The league’s leading points per game player is Port City’s Ella MacDonald. MacDonald dropped 25 points in her MWBA last weekend and looks to keep her offensive momentum going tonight against Moncton.
Julia Black of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Preston’s Lake City 56ers is second with 21 points per outing and her teammate Evie Hargraves is third at 19.0. Elizabeth Beals-Iseyemi, the league’s reigning Wonder Auto&Tire Player of the Week, is fourth at 18.5 and Maddie Eustace of the Mystics is fifth at 18.5 entering her outing against the Fog.
Ann Bastien of the Fredericton Freeze is atop the assist leaderboard with eight per game. Thunder’s Justine Colley-Leger is second at 7.5 and her teammate Ava MacNutt is third at 6.0. Lauren Armstrong of Lake City is tied for fourth with Thunder’s Bianca Helmig, both with 4.0 dishes per game.
Bastien leads in minutes played per game with 37 minutes and 15 seconds and her Fredericton teammate Paige LeBlanc is second at 31:57 seconds. Lexi MacInnis of Miramichi HerIcanes is third at 30:47 seconds, MacDonald fourth at 30:25 seconds and Port City’s Clancy MacIntyre is fifth at 30:12 seconds.
In the rebound department, Maheva Ngassam is the early leader. The Freeze wing has 12 rebounds a game, followed closely by Thunder veteran, Sandy Saunders, who has an 11.5 average. MacIntyre is third with 11 and Moncton’s Eve Kalala and Iseyemi have 10.5 rebounds apiece per outing.
Tonight’s game sees the Fog at 1-0 facing Moncton and its 1-1 record. The Mystics were awarded a win over Lake City following the 56ers using ineligible players in the season opening game.
You can livestream the game at www.ao.live ($8.99 plus tax).
That contest sets the stage for three games on Saturday.
It all begins at 3 p.m., when Lake City (0-2) entertains Truro Tidal Queens (0-1) at Cole Harbour High School. At 5 p.m., it’s the PRO·LINE Featured Game of the Week when two high-octane offences collide in the Nova Scotia Capital.
Host Halifax Thunder (2-0) greet Halifax Hornets (1-0) at Halifax Grammar School.
The nightcap comes at 6 p.m. when Miramichi HerIcanes (1-1) greet Port City.
That tilt is at Miramichi Valley High School.
The hectic weekend continues Sunday with three tilts to celebrate Mother’s Day.
The long-awaited home debut of the expansion Tidal Queens unfolds at noon at Dal Agricultural College.
An hour later, Fredericton Freeze (0-1) marks its home debut, facing Miramichi at Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium at 1 p.m.
Thunder then entertains Lake City at 3 p.m, at Halifax Grammar.
You can catch Pay Per View action with the Nova Scotia teams by visiting maritimeathleticprofiles.com
– Thunder veteran Sandy Saunders is off to a hot start in the MWBA.
