Men’s basketball stays perfect

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks came into this past weekend with a perfect 4-0 record and looked to keep that record perfect against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Friday evening and the York Lions Saturday afternoon.

Friday’s match saw the Hawks come out flying, featuring an energetic start and lots of scoring as the Hawks put up points early and often. The Golden Hawks were able to put up 28 in the first quarter and 62 in the first half, impressive numbers for Ontario University Athletics (OUA) basketball.

The second quarter was highlighted by the sharp shooting of Kyle Enright who scored nine points in a short span to increase Laurier’s lead and allow them to never look back.

The second half was much of the same, as the Hawks were able to rest many of their starters and make sure some secondary players saw the court.

Despite not playing at all in the fourth quarter, all star Kale Harrison was still able to lead the team in scoring with 30 points, leading the Hawks to an impressive 98-77 victory.

Saturday afternoon saw the Hawks come out flat and unenthused, losing the rebounding battle by a devastating margin of 17 to two in the first quarter.

However, despite their lack of passion, the Hawks were still far too talented for the York Lions as they came out of the first leading 19-7.

The biggest difference for the Hawks at tipoff on Saturday was first year starter Will Coulthard sitting in favor of Marcel Hyde who was making his first start of the young season.

“There was a little outside stuff that factored in, but come Friday and Saturday [next weekend], Will’s starting and everyone knows that,” said head coach Peter Campbell.

Despite the minor change, Laurier was still able to take an early lead and never look back as they were up a 51-37 at half, and eventually would go on to win by a score of 102-62, marking the third time in four home games this season that the Hawks have scored 100 points or more.

Both Kale Harrison and Kyle Enright had 21 points each to lead the team, highlighted by six three-pointers from Enright, who is quickly becoming a dangerous scorer for a very dangerous offence.

“It’s amazing because when you’re not playing defence well, which we are not, we still come out ahead because we can score,” said Campbell, speaking to his team’s ability to score but also lack of execution on defence.

Laurier will be forced to play grittier, tougher, and more aggressive next weekend as they face their toughest test yet. On Friday, they will square off against what Campbell calls the most athletic team in the OUA, the Ottawa Gee Gees.

Then on Saturday, they’ll face Carleton Ravens who are the top-ranked team in the nation.

“Carleton is the best team in the country and Ottawa is the most athletic, so we’ve got to come in focused next weekend,” said Campbell.

The Hawks’ next home game is in the new-year as they are off for just under a month after next weekend’s road trip.