Kevin Daley went shopping this week.
Purchased several alarm clocks.
Set them for 5 p.m. Saturday.
That’s when the hometown Fredericton Freeze hit the court, facing the regular season champion Lake City 56ers of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour in the lid-lifter of the four team PRO•LINE Legacy Cup championship.
The Maritime Women’s Basketball Association’s marquee event is set for the Richard J. Currie Center on the campus of the University of New Brunswick in the provincial capital.
Fredericton and Lake City join Miramichi Her-Icanes and Halifax Thunder at the tournament.
Those teams battle in the other semifinal at 7:30 p.m. at the sparkling venue.
The Freeze, which finished 5-5 and enter tournament play as the No. 4 seed, had a troubling trend of not starting games on time, falling behind and playing catch up.
That was evident in a wild New Brunswick semifinal win over the Moncton Mystics when the Freeze trailed by 14 points early and allowed 30 points in the first quarter alone before catching its breath and posting a stirring comeback win to advance to the Final Quartet.
‘We know we have to be prepared from the opening tip because if we dig a hole like we’ve done a couple of times this year, it’s going to be hard to get out of it,’ said Daley. ‘With a team like Lake City, the mindset has to be ready, set, go. There is no room for a slow start.’
The Freeze lost its only regular season matchup to Lake City (8-2), falling 75-70 in a nailbiter that wasn’t decided until the last 40 seconds. That game was played May 25 in Cole Harbour.
Fredericton can score, witness its 744 regular season points, only a three-pointer behind pace-setting Miramichi’s 747.
Its defence has been guilty of napping, yielding 665 points, the most allowed by the remaining four teams.
Freeze is sparked by a trio MWBA all-stars including first-team member Bailey Russell and second teamers Eva Tumwine and Allie McCarthy.
Russell was third in MVP voting. She will match up against Lake City’s MacKenzie Smith, who was named MWBA MVP.
Tumwine has enjoyed a renaissance season, hammering points from the paint and playing a physical brand of ball. McCarthy’s Gumby-like silky smooth skillset has been on Lake City’s mind all week in preparation.
The Freeze is a veteran-laden team with sisters Robbi and Katie Daley, Jane Boyle, Nicole Esson and Courtney Thompson all playing big minutes.
Vanessa Soffee brings quickness and fearlessness and Eve MacDonald has similar tendencies to confound opposition ball-handlers. Sam Stordy has been a pleasant surprise in her first MWBA season, averaging just under five rebounds a game.
Rachel Blouin-Brochu and Katie Melanson are both injured and sidelined for the weekend.
– Sam Stordy is in her first MWBA season. (Fran Harris Photo)
