Dan Bannister, Men’s Basketball

In a less than perfect year for the Gaels, the men’s basketball team was able to end the regular season on a high note. With the team cruising to back-to-back wins over the York Lions and the Laurentian Voyageurs, guard Dan Bannister had a stellar weekend. The fourth-year philosophy major notched a total of 46 points over the course of the weekend.

“I was getting lots of open shots, and I finally started hitting some,” he said.

Friday’s blowout win against York was of particular importance for Bannister; his 32 points were a career high. He said that a lot of the success had to do with being in the right place at the right time.

“My shot was just falling,” said the Newmarket native. “It felt like the basket was huge.”

Having only scored 100-plus points six times in its 108-year-old history, the team had two consecutive triple-digit wins.

“But we really gave it all we had, even though we’re out of the playoffs,” said Bannister of the 5-18 Gaels. “They were some pretty big wins for us.”

With their season drawing to a close, Bannister remained upbeat about his team’s progress. “We can be positive about the fact that we came out last weekend and pulled it together,” he said. “It shows a lot of character.”

The Gaels look to finish off their season in style Friday, as they face off against the RMC Paladins, a team without a single win this season. Despite this, Bannister said he doesn’t want to take his opponents lightly.

“We plan to take it like any other game,” he said. “We need the win, so we can’t overlook them at all.”

— Paul Bishop

Brittany Moore, Women’s Basketball

It’s in times of need that the best players show their true potential. As the women’s basketball team won against the York Lions and the Laurentian Voyageurs to clinch a playoff spot last weekend, Brittany Moore came up with back-to-back clutch performances.

Moore, a fourth-year guard, had two strong offensive games, scoring 45 points over the course of the weekend.

“[T]hose were two games that our team needed to win to secure a playoff spot,” she said. “I was really happy that, under pressure, our team was able to pull off those key wins.” Moore said patience was one of the keys to her success.

“I focused on letting the game come to me rather than forcing anything,” she said. “I was good at looking for openings.”

Still, Moore was quick to point out that her teammates played a big part in her standout weekend.

“I was able to attack the net really well because of how we moved the ball on offence,” she said. “When my shot wasn’t working, we got the ball to the net.”

With a playoff spot now in the bag, the Hannon, Ontario native is keen to see how far the team can go.

“Everybody believes that we can make it far in our division,” she said.

Moore said that the high-pressure atmosphere of last weekend helped prepare the team for the postseason.

“Those two games were just like the playoff games that we’re going to experience,” she said. “We can go into the playoffs with a good momentum, on a bit of a run. I think we’re peaking at the right moment.”

— Paul Bishop