By Dan Plouffe, published Jan. 25 in Nepean EMC
It was a signature moment for Nepean’s Jenna Gilbert. In front of 7,022 fans at Scotiabank Place, with her University of Ottawa Gee-Gees tied 55-55 and just over a minute to play, Gilbert made an effortless spin to the basket and dropped down the decisive points in their first test of the season against the Carleton Ravens.
The victory, and Gilbert’s team-high 19 points, provided the exclamation point for a group that’s won 13 games in a row since dropping its first two contests and is turning into a real threat to challenge for a national title.
“We’re pretty excited,” smiles Gilbert, who drew praise from her coach for letting her experience show through at key times. “It’s the first time we beat them at Scotiabank, so it’s great.”
Gilbert is averaging 11.8 points per game on her first-place team and is simply loving life at Ottawa U, where she studies nursing. This year is Gilbert’s first full season with the Gee-Gees after returning home in time for the second half of last season following a stint with the NCAA’s La Salle Explorers in Philadelphia.
The latest stop in her basketball journey may turn out to be the best, but ask Gilbert for her favourite basketball memories and she immediately says “definitely high school,” where she played four years for the Merivale Marauders’ senior team and made two trips to the OFSAA provincial championships.
But it’s certainly pretty special to now get to play for her old Ottawa Shock club basketball coach, Andy Sparks, and to take centre stage in front of a big crowd in her hometown.
“It’s awesome having so many fans out,” says the 6’ 0” centre. “I try to focus on the game and not get too wrapped up it everything that’s going on around, but it’s definitely a lot of fun.”
Gilbert shone in the Capital Hoops spotlight last year as well when her back-to-back set of three-pointers forced a second overtime period in a game her team eventually lost. While the Gee-Gees will savour the different result, the victory is really about showing their lineup – with three other senior players who have four years’ experience under their belt – stacks up favourably against top challengers in Gilbert’s mind.
“I think it’ll help us move forward,” she explains. “We don’t try to get too far ahead of ourselves, think about getting to nationals or anything, but knowing that we can compete against a team that’s ranked sixth in the country will only give us more confidence.”
Gilbert’s big bucket in the dying stages was the most dramatic moment in either Capital Hoops game, as the Ravens men later overwhelmed the second-place Gee-Gees 74-34. Justin Shaver, a John McCrae Secondary School grad in rookie season at Carleton, scored four points playing in the game’s final three minutes as his team improved to a perfect 13-0.