HIGH ACHIEVERS: Algonquin perfect for third OCAA women’s basketball regular season in a row

By Martin Cleary

Here’s a little-known fact about the Ottawa basketball community.

At the moment, the nation’s capital is home to the top university and the best college women’s basketball teams in Canada.

They completed their regular seasons with undefeated records. During their seasons, they worked their way up their respective Top-10 ranking lists and are now perched at No. 1. They are considered legitimate candidates for gold medals at their national championships.

Take a bow Carleton University Ravens and Algonquin College Wolves women’s basketball programs. As cartoon character Bugs Bunny once said: “Let the bells ring out and the banners fly. Feast your eyes on (them).”

The Ravens went 22-0 to win the Ontario University Athletics East Division pennant and earn a berth in the conference quarterfinals on Saturday. Despite being the two-time defending U Sports national champions, the Ravens started the 2024-25 season ranked No. 7 in the country and it took them six weeks to climb into No. 1, a slot they have held for the last six weeks.

For the third season in a row, the Wolves won their Ontario Colleges Athletic Association East Division title with another 14-0 regular season. The Wolves won their round-of-16 playoff game over Sheridan College Bruins last weekend and will face defending OCAA champion and CCAA silver medallist Lambton College Lions (9-7, West Division) on Saturday in the quarterfinals. If the Wolves win their quarterfinal, they will play host to the OCAA Final Four championship Feb. 28 to March 2.

At the start of the OCAA season, Algonquin was ranked No. 9 in Canada, but the Wolves’ winning streak allowed them to move up to No. 1 on Jan. 28. They’ve held the top berth for the past four weeks.

“This is our third undefeated regular season and that is 100 per cent attributed to the quality of people this young team has,” head coach Jaime McLean wrote in an email interview.

“We have multiple athletes that would be stars on almost every other team in the league and they were willing to put aside their own individual success for the success of the team.

“They care more about each other’s stats than they do their own. It’s an awesome feeling when your bench has the starters on it and they are cheering louder than (the) rookies and bench (players).”

McLean has coached Algonquin for the past seven seasons, starting in 2018-19, and has compiled a regular-season record of 79-4, taking the Wolves to the OCAA silver medal in 2024 and the bronze in 2023. By comparison, Carleton head coach Dani Sinclair has been with the Ravens for five seasons, starting in the COVID-19 non-season of 2020-21, and has a record of 72-8. She has led the Ravens to OUA and U Sports championships the last two years.

As the 2024-25 OCAA season approached, McLean was upbeat about his Wolves’ roster.

“Going into this season, there were high expectations as we didn’t lose any key players and added some depth and experience with Jess De Haan and Mallory Katz,” McLean continued.

Playing against the Wolves was a daunting task. They were dominant with and without the ball. Algonquin led the OCAA in points per game at 74.1 and points against at 38.6.

A dozen players on the Wolves’ roster have three to five years of OCAA experience and that’s one of Algonquin’s strengths along with “our athletes finding their new roles and learning to succeed in them,” according to McLean.

Fourth-year guard Dasia McDonald of Nepean again was a key contributor in all aspects of the game. She ranked No. 1 in the OCAA stats package for assists at 70, steals at 65 and three-point shooting percentage at 40.0. She also averaged 5.8 rebounds a game.

Her overall shooting average of 55.1 per cent placed her at No. 2 and she was fourth in points-per-game average at 16.4.

“Dasia is an exceptional person and athlete,” added McLean, a three-time East and one-time OCAA coach of the year, who has plenty of coaching experience at the Ottawa community and high school levels.

“She is every coach’s dream. She has the drive to be the best, but only by bringing her teammates along with her. She has an incredible sense for reading plays both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor.”

McDonald has had a season that could again bring her many more awards. A three-time OCAA first-team all-star, she has been selected twice as a CCAA All-Canadian. In 2024, McDonald also was the OCAA East player of the year and the East defensive player of the year for the second consecutive season.

McLean also is blessed with a strong supporting cast around fourth-year player McDonald, who attended St. Mother Teresa Catholic High School.

Guard Cianah Miller of Mississauga averaged 10 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals a game, while forward Piper Hatherall, who also attended St. Mother Teresa, was tough on the boards, averaging 5.9 rebounds a game along with a 42.1-per-cent shooting average.

Fourth-year guard Libby Hirst, who is playing this season with her sisters Leah (third year) and Anna (first year) leads the Wolves in rebounding with 6.8 a game. Playing as a guard, Sydney Moore has a 30.2-per-cent shooting average from the three-point range.

De Haan, a third-year forward, has averaged 5.0 rebounds a game, while Katz, a second-year forward from Glebe Collegiate Institute, was good for 5.2 rebounds a game and a 37.3-per-cent shooting average.