The Algonquin Thunder women’s basketball team went to work dismantling the Georgian Grizzlies 85-29 on Saturday, Nov. 26.

Algonquin came to play Saturday night taking control of the game right from tip off.

The Thunder’s offence found its groove immediately, shooting 46 per cent from the floor and going six for 10 while on the free-throw line in the first half.

Algonquin’s forwards carved Georgian’s defence like a hot knife through butter as they made their way to the basket. Sandre Bascoe led the offensive charge gathering 13 of her game high 24 points in the first quarter alone.

The Thunder’s defence was as stable as their offence was lethal, shutting down the Grizzlies’ attack. Algonquin pressed hard in their own zone, swarming the ball carrier at every opportunity, which created turnovers. Another strong aspect for the Thunder defence was their rebounding, which saw them collect 77 per cent of the loose balls.

“Georgian could open up a bakery with all these turnovers,” said one Thunder fan.

The Thunder’s transition up and down the court was unmatched, and their quick one-touch passes around the perimeter, along with stellar defence in their own zone, was too much for the Grizzlies to handle, allowing Algonquin to go into the half with a ridiculous 36-7 lead.

The second half was more of the same for the Thunder as they seemingly scored at will, resulting in an overpowering victory, but it wasn’t without a bit of a scare.  Coming out of the half, Georgian was on fire putting up a quick 11 points.

Algonquin’s thunderous play got right back on track, draining 49 points and having a shooting percentage of 48 to help put away another win.

Being up by such a large amount at the mid-way point of the game, Thunder’s head coach John MacInnis was adamant that his team stay focused for the remainder of the game.

“As it is so often we find ourselves up by so much at half,” said MacInnis.

“We just come out from the half thinking the game is zero, zero and we are starting over again. We just focus on winning in certain aspects of the game and taking it quarter by quarter.”

The Thunder’s attack was led by the team’s leading scorer Sandre Bascoe who had a double-double with a game high 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Algonquin, who currently has one of the top-ranked defences in the league, has allowed the fewest points against in the OCAA. The Thunder believe their success so far this season is because of their stellar play in their own end.

“A lot of it has to do with our coaches,” said third-year guard Sam Lariviere. “Our coaches instill how important defence is to winning games, we work things in practice and make sure we bring it and show it in our games.”

MacInnis believes his team’s defence is so successful because they perform in high-pressure situations.

“We play hard defence when it counts,” MacInnis said. “The reason why we were so successful last year was because we played strong defence, and today showed how great we can be.”

This was the Thunder’s final home game before the season is put on hold for Christmas break. Algonquin’s next home game will be against Durham College on Friday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.