Well, Week III of the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association ended with some exclamation points.
No kidding, eh?
From a team perspective, there’s a knot atop the standings with three teams sharing first place. From an individual performance, there’s was an all-time franchise record establishing in an impressive outing.
All in all, we certainly await Week IV which starts in a couple of days.
Here are your MWBA News&Notes:
*As advertised previously, three teams sit tied for first place in points. Let’s break it down a bit more between Halifax Thunder (4-0), Halifax Hornets (4-1) and Moncton Mystics (4-1). Thunder is first, having defeated Hornets and the latter is second after defeating Moncton. Got that? Fun with math. End of day? It’s been a great start to Season V.
*So, you’re still attending Riverview High School in New Brunswick. You represented your province at last summer’s Canada Summer Games. You signed to play at the Atlantic University Sport level next season with Cape Breton University Capers. Now, you own a team scoring record. Maddie Eustace of the Mystics exploded for 35 points in an 89-85 win over the Fredericton Freeze on Sunday. She had a nice first quarter with six points and exploded for 13 in the second. There were eight points in each of the third and fourth quarters. Eustace had two three-pointers in the fourth.
*There are plenty of players in the MWBA who also spent their summers coaching. Take Maheva Ngassam and Ann Bailey of the Freeze. Both were coaching for the JrReds program out of Fredericton last weekend at a youth tournament in Dartmouth. They finished their coaching duties and bolted to Moncton’s Crandall University. Once there, they got into the building, but had to make a phone call to find the gymnasium. They went from travelers to players in the setback to Moncton. Ngassam wasn’t travel weary, scoring 18 points.
*A pair of Miramichi HerIcanes teammates are certainly familiar with each other. Ava Sprague and Ainsley Green are also Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association teammates with the University of New Brunswick at Saint John Seawolves. Sprague leads Miramichi in scoring, averaging a dozen points a game, logging over 28 minutes an outing. Green is second with an 11.7 mark and playing a shade over 20 minutes.
*Week IV of our fifth anniversary season kicks off Thursday with a re-match of rivals. Port City Fog of Saint John make the hour-long trek to Fredericton to face the Freeze in a 7:30 p.m., start at the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium. Saint John carries a 3-2 record into the outing and that includes a 75-68 win over the Freeze last Saturday in the Port City. Freeze sits 1-3.
*Thunder was idle last weekend, but hits the road for a trek to New Brunswick as the league has two games Saturday. The Halifax squad invades Moncton for a 7 p.m., date with the Mystics at Crandall University. An hour earlier, expansion Truro Tidal Queens make their initial Picture Province foray, facing Miramichi. That game is set for Miramichi Valley High School.
*There are three games set Sunday. Thunder visits the ‘Canes at 1 p.m. at MVHS, Lake City pulls into Halifax for a 2 p.m., date with the Hornets in the league’s PROLINE Featured Game of the Week at Mount St. Vincent University. The weekend ends in Moncton when Truro visits for a 3 p.m., clash with the Mystics.
*Speaking of the Tidal Queens, the team new it was going to face some struggles in season one, but a constant has been the play of veteran Courtney Cain-Nordin. Cain-Nordin has put together some solid offensive numbers to lead the team in scoring, but head coach Lonnie States is also looking for her to ensure the team continues to compete.
*The MWBA has officially received an expansion bid for the 2027 season, coming from PUSH Cape Breton. The official documents were sent in and all teams have an opportunity to look over the proposal. Stay tuned on those details. The MWBA’s Original Six are Thunder, Hornets, 56ers (nee Windsor Edge), Freeze, Mystics and Port City. Miramichi joined three seasons ago and Truro for this season.
*Our partners keep us moving forward. Although each in the MWBA have their own community partners, the MWBA has PROLINE as its Presenting Partner for the Legacy Cup championship and Cira is the Official Electrolyte Partner. Stay hydrated this summer with Cira. You can also receive 15 per cent of Cira product using discount code MWBA15 at https://ciranutrition.com
– Moncton’s Maddie Eustace set a team record in points in one game. (Tanya Everett Photo)
