REDS Fall In Campbell Tourney Finale
(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS fell behind early and couldn’t recover, losing Sunday’s finale of the 2021 Helen Campbell Memorial Tournament, presented by Stewart McKelvey, 66-56 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies.
Lucy Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) scored 15 points to lead the Huskies, who went 3-and-0 to win the pre-season tournament title.
Kylee Speedy (Fredericton, NB) led the REDS with 15 points.
UNB finished the weekend with a win and a pair of losses.
“We gave up too many points in two of the three games that we played, and we gave up way too many offensive rebounds in all of the games that we played,” said REDS head coach Jeff Speedy.
Despite Sunday’s loss, Speedy says the tournament revealed some positives.
“We’ve got everything we need,” he said. “We’ve got point guards, we’ve got bigs, we have some people that can shoot the ball. We’re playing a little out of control and we’re playing a little undisciplined, and we turned the ball over way too much, so there’s definitely some scary things, but I think our depth is the thing I’m most excited about.”
In Friday’s tournament opener, the REDS build a nine-point lead through three quarters and then held off a hard-charging Laval Rouge et Or 64-63.
Speedy and Jennifer Nkuah (Brampton, ON) both came off the bench and scored 12 points to lead the REDS.
In Friday’s second game, all 15 Huskies scored in an 84-47 victory over the Cape Breton Capers 84-47.
On Saturday, the REDS got a double-double from newcomer Katie Butts (Ottawa, ON), but couldn’t overcome a Capers team fuelled by emotion.
Cape Breton head coach Fabian McKenzie lost his mother on Saturday morning. Assistant Coach Doug Connors ran the Capers’ bench Saturday and Sunday.
Butts scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Katie McAffee (Lower Knoxford, NB) had 11 points.
Also on Saturday, the Huskies beat Laval 69-57.
In Sunday’s other game, the Rouge et Or rebounded to score a 79-58 win over Cape Breton.
Huskies’ guard Alaina McMillan (Brantford, ON) was named Tournament MVP and a Tournament All-Star.
Other All-Stars were Cape Breton’s Kiyara Letlow (Toronto, ON), Laval’s Frederique Beaudry-Blais (Quebec, QC), the Huskies’ Arianna Macias (Tampa, FL), and UNB’s Bailey Black (Miramichi, NB) and Jolianne Guay (Prevost, QC).
“Our offensive execution isn’t even close to what it needs to be, but that’s really normal for early,” said Speedy. “I’d say we’ve got to get better on the boards and taking care of the ball better to make any kind of a step forward.”
Up next on the pre-season schedule for the REDS, an October 13th exhibition game against the Mount Allison Mounties.
RECAP AND PHOTO: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics