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Rattlers ladies handed first loss, men’s team loses lead to Trojans

Nov 11, 2017 | 11:52 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The toughest test of the season so far for the Medicine Hat College Rattlers basketball teams on Friday night, playing host to the undefeated Trojans teams from SAIT.

In the women’s game, it was a matchup of two of the best teams in the country with the Rattlers and Trojans combining for a perfect 9-0 record in ACAC play.

SAIT was blazing hot to start the game, going on a 13-3 run to open the contest before Medicine Hat took their first timeout of the night.

That seemed to calm things down for the Rattlers, with Kendell Kuntz knocking down a pair of three-pointers to close the Trojans lead to 15-13 at the break.

Medicine Hat continued their momentum into the second quarter, with Kuntz hitting another three shots to boost the Rattlers into the lead 35-26 at the half.

Starters Kennedy Werre and Shania Baptiste were also strong in the second, combining for 11 points and eight rebounds over 10 minutes of play.

Halftime seemed to kill Medicine Hat’s momentum however, as the Trojans regrouped with some clutch three-point shooting by Alicia Tan, but still trailed the Rattlers by a 51-43 score.

In the fourth the Rattlers went ice cold from the field, sinking only three of their 19 shots in the quarter.

This allowed SAIT to chip and claw their way back into the game, taking the lead by three points in the late stages of the frame.

Guard Courtney Henry kept her team alive however, hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 60-60 and force overtime.

In the extra frame, SAIT jumped into the lead once again and led by two points in the dying minutes of OT.

With nine seconds left, Werre picked up her 15th rebound of the game to give Medicine Hat a chance to tie the game.

Sheridan Popenia put up a jump shot at the buzzer to force another OT period, but it missed giving the Trojans a thrilling 70-68 win in extra time.

Kuntz finished with a team-high 15 points for the Rattlers, while Werre and Henry each were in the double-digits for rebounds on the night.

Losing their first game of the season, the Rattlers ladies still sit in first place in the South Division with a 6-1 record and 12 points, though SAIT now holds the higher win percentage.

A tall task for the men’s team as well, as they looked to upset the Trojans and hand SAIT their first loss of the 2017-18 season.

Medicine Hat’s Osato Obaseki and SAIT’s Levi Taylor went back and forth in the first quarter, trading buckets for 14 combined points, but it was the Rattlers holding a three-point lead 17-14.

No one was able to take control of the game in the second quarter either, with both teams hitting just over one-third of their shots in the quarter, as Medicine Hat took a 34-30 lead into the half.

The Rattlers pushed the pace in the third quarter thanks to Aaron Cameron and Jon Sappleton, each hitting three shots in the third to boost Medicine Hat’s lead to 60-53.

Defensive troubles plagued the Rattlers in the fourth quarter however, with SAIT knocking down four three-pointers to go on an 18-4 run.

Medicine Hat had no answer for the Trojans’ three-ball, seeing their lead slip away and falling by a final score of 82-75.

The Rattlers spread out their offence well with Cameron, Sappleton, Obaseki and Collin Ralko each registering over 14 points, but were overshadowed by Taylor’s 29-point performance for SAIT.

Dropping their second contest of the year, the Rattlers men’s team now holds a 5-2 record and are tied with SAIT for first place in the South Division with 10 points.

A lengthy break now for the Rattlers basketball teams, as they’re not back in action until November 25 when they take on Briercrest College in Caronport, Saskatchewan.