It’s an upper echelon clash in Halifax.
The Lake City 56ers leave Dartmouth/Cole Harbour and slide into the City of Halifax tonight for a key date with the Thunder, a 7 p.m., outing at Saint Mary’s University.
Lake City arrives tied for first place atop the seven-team Maritime Women’s Basketball Association, sharing that mark with the idle Miramichi Her-Icanes as the league roars into the final week of its regular season with plenty of questions awaiting answers.
Can the 56ers earn a road win over the Thunder, the only team to beat the 56ers this season. A Halifax win certainly crowds things near the penthouse of standings as the Thunder comes into tonight’s game at 5-2, three games left in the regular campaign for the reigning champions.
The rematch of last year’s PRO•LINE Legacy Cup final will also feature some of the league’s top offensive players.
Lake City’s MacKenzie Smith enters play as the MWBA’s top points producer, averaging 20.4 points per game. Thunder’s Sami Russell is fifth at 14.3 PPG.
The backcourt features a pair of playmakers with both Lake City’s Aki Kobayaski and Thunder’s Alaina McMillan tied as the league’s top helpers, averaging 4.8 assists per game. Kobayaski and McMillan are former teammates with Saint Mary’s University Huskies.
McMillan enters play fifth in steals as well with 2.4 per outing.
Smith’s points per game average is slightly ahead of the league’s reigning MVP, Lauren Rainford of Miramichi who averages 18.2 points an outing. Bailey Russell of Fredericton Freeze is third at 16.8 and her teammate Eva Tumwine sits fourth at 14.8, just ahead of Thunder’s Russell.
Abby Miller of Miramichi continues to lead the rebound category with 9.6 per game. Lindy Alcorn of the Moncton Mystics and Fredericton’s Allie McCarthy are tied for second with 9.2. Bailey Russell checks in at 8.9 and Celine Sterckel is fifth with 7.7.
Rainford’s 4.4 assists an outing have her third behind McMillan and Kobayaski. Bailey Russell is fourth at 4.2 and Courtney Donaldson of Lake City is fifth at 3.9.
Miramichi’s Katie Donahoe leads in steals with 2.9 a game. McCarthy is second at 2.8 and Katelyn Power of Halifax Hornets is third at 2.7 followed by Rainford’s 2.5 and McMillan’s 2.4.
The regular season will end Sunday, leading toward playoff scenarios next week.
– MacKenzie Smith of Lake City is the league’s top point-getter. (St. Joseph’s University Photo)
