Balanced effort leads Hawks over Western

Golden Hawks superstar Kale Harrison did not have the game that Laurier fans are getting so used to. He did not drop 30 points and he did not lift the team to victory almost all by himself.

Despite this, the Hawks were still able to beat the Western Mustangs 75-67 on Saturday afternoon in front of a large crowd of Laurier supporters at the Athletic Complex.

The fact that it wasn’t a lone Harrison scoring for the Hawks is what led head coach Peter Campbell to be so excited.

“We like to see Kale [Harrison] score 30 every game, but we also like to see other guys score a bunch of points too,” said Campbell, who is becoming increasingly optimistic about this year’s team.

“One of the things that’s made us a better team than a year ago is the number of guys contributing. Last year it was Jesse [Macdonald] and Kale, but this season there are a bunch of guys that consistently have good games.”

Saturday’s victory over the Western Mustangs was the epitome of a team win, with several players hitting double digits in scoring and most of the team seeing solid minutes.

Perhaps the most exciting fact about this team is the solid core of young players that are contributing and playing big minutes during critical stages in games.

In a game that was as close as four points with 30 seconds to go, first-year standouts Patrick Donnelly and Jamar Forde were both on the floor, along with the much-improved sophomore Max Allin.

In reference to the young players’ ability to take on a bigger role, Campbell is not surprised and does not expect it to stop.

“We need that if we are going to beat good teams like Western. We need the young guys contributing.”

The Hawks are now 10-4 on the season and looking to be in a good position for the playoffs.

Western, on the other hand, continues to struggle after falling to 6-8 and will have to fight for a playoff position this season.

The lone highlight for the Mustangs was veteran Andrew Wedemire, who put up 29 points and was the key behind a late comeback attempt.
Despite the 29 from Wedemire, the Golden Hawks proved to be the better team on Saturday.

Laurier’s leading scorers were Allin and Harrison with 17 each, while Donnelly led the Hawks in rebounds with 14.

The purple and gold next play Wednesday in London against the very same Mustangs and then return home next Saturday against Brock.