BRAVE WILDCATS LOSE TO TOURING FORDHAM
By Piet Van Hasselt

Image courtesy AJ van Hasselt

The Canterbury Wildcats selection conjured up a spirited performance to nearly topple the touring Fordham Rams University side from the USA in front of 400+ fans at Cowles Cauldron tonight, 67-55.  Wildcats coach Phil Burns was very happy with the effort of the selection, saying they had “played their hearts out” on the back of a well thought-out switch to a 2-3 zone defence that stymied the Rams attack at half-time.  The second half result was 30-all, but Fordham’s 15-2 advantage on second chance opportunities and pressure-cooker defence created 23 turnovers for the Wildcats proved the difference in the end.

 

Sophomore 6’2 centre Samantha Clark carried the Rams with their second half offence scoring 11 of her 14 points after halftime to go along with her game-high 11 rebounds.  The primary reason for the game being played in Christchurch, locally raised Tall Fern and Fordham senior guard, Erin Rooney had a quiet shooting night on 3/18 shooting and eight points, but was everywhere with four assists, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.  The crowd saved the biggest roar for the former Marian College product.  Fordham are in New Zealand as a part of their tour of the South Pacific including visits to Fiji and Australia.

 

The comparatively dwarfed Wildcats were led by Italian guard CeCe Zambrini with 16 points, including a number of smooth bank-shots and small forward Hayley Gray who chimed in with 15 points and was perfect with four shots from the free throw line.  Both attacked the baseline well against the extended Fordham defence.  Experienced Lori McDaniel used every ounce of her nous around the boards and finished with eight points and seven boards.  The Wildcats were lacking a number of key players away at the Under 23 Nationals, but this group of nine players made up from four club teams and including four schoolgirls will be all the better for the experience.

 

Fordham came out pressing to increase the tempo of the game and this fuelled a 7-0 run midway through the first quarter before Burns called the Wildcats’ first time out trailing, 9-4.  The US team showed a full repertoire of presses and would send two players to smother the defensive rebounder and slow any chance of a transition attack for the home side.  Canterbury finished off the quarter with a late McDaniel basket to trail at the break, 15-10.

 

Fordham found new levels of defensive pressure and scored two three-pointers to jump out to the biggest lead of the game, 32-16.  But Gray and teenage guard Charlotte Elley handled and counter-attacked against the suffocating Fordham defence to give the Wildcats some hope at the half down, 37-25.

 

The switch to a zone defence worked a treat for the Wildcats, however the defensive boards were not tidied up sufficiently and allowed Fordham’s Clark and Abigail Corning a chance for second and third chance opportunities.  Fordham struggled form the field shooting 2/19 from three in the second half.  The third quarter was Zambrini’s who ‘wheeled-and-dealed’ like a whirling dervish with seven points and Gabby Edmondson came off the bench with some vigour and toughness to score a put-back and track down various rebounds.  Canterbury would have been satisfied to tie the third quarter at 15-all, 52-40.

 

The Wildcats held Fordham to only three points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter as Sally-Anne Tull turned back the clock to the mid 2000’s when she last played for the Wildcats after a number of tips and scored an ‘and-one’ basket in transition to cut the deficit to 55-48.  A hectic period ensued as Canterbury would not give up and answered baskets with Zambrini raining home a three-pointer with two and half minutes on the clock and Canterbury only down six points, 59-53.  However the class of the Fordham team shone through scoring on almost every possession with multiple players finding their mid-range jumpers in the clutch to force the victory.

 

Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley, who incidentally coached former Tall Fern and Wildcat Megan Compain in her career at St Joseph’s University, rotated all 12 of her squad members in and out frequently and was intent on creating a fast-paced game.

 

Overall, it was a wonderful occasion for the Canterbury Basketball public with 400+ in attendance and the Wildcats and Coach Burns didn’t disappoint with some typical grind it out defence and a very promising result given the recently ‘throw-together’ nature of the squad with many Wildcats away on playing duties in Tauranga at the Under 23 Nationals.  The ever-green Dave Harrison was as effervescent as ever with his comments on the side-line microphone.

 

Fordham Rams University 67 (Samantha Clark 14, Abigail Corning 11)
Canterbury Wildcats 55 (Cece Zambrini 16, Hayley Gray 15)
Halftime 37-25