SHERIDAN 71, ST. CLAIR 61 (FINAL)

BRAMPTON, Ont. - With a week remaining in their first semester's schedule, the Sheridan Bruins women's basketball team (9-9, 6-1 OCAA) are doing everything they can to help their cause in the second semester, winning their sixth straight game with a pair of wins of St. Clair (71-61) and Lambton (57-47).

"Today we played good in spurts, but unfortunately there wasn't a lot of effort on defence in the first half," assistant coach Paul Lewin said after the St. Clair game. "We talked to the girls and made them aware that they needed to step up on defence and they came out and played good in the third quarter. All in all it was a good win, but we're going to need more effort from the girls on defence going down the stretch."

Against St. Clair the Lady Bruins jumped out to a quick 11-4 lead only to see their opposition pull in front 19-14 after the first quarter.

They spent much of the second quarter trying to claw back in front, and while they did for a brief period late in the frame, they trailed 38-37 at the half.

They opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run that put them back in front for good.

Nakia Arthur scored a game-high 31 points while Michelle Asare chipped in with 21 of her own.

Against Lambton, both sides struggled offensively, with Sheridan hitting a paltry 24.1 per cent of their attempts while Lambton was even worse at 18.8 per cent.

The visitors started the game quickly with an early 10-6 lead, but Sheridan rallied to take 15-13 lead into the second quarter.

While they were unable to pull away - they led by as many as four and as few as one - they Lady Bruins still held a 26-24 edge at halftime.

A 9-1 run to open the half gave them their first double-digit advantage and though Lambton would cut the margin to five in the quarter, they would never look back.

Asare had a game-high 17 points, while Dainique Campbell (10) and Michelle Abella (10) were also in double-figures.

The club has two games remaining in the first semester, with a trip to Niagara on

Blue notes: Arthur's 31 points against St. Clair marked the third time this season she's topped 30 in a game, while her five points against Lambton was the first time she failed to record at least 18 in an OCAA contest this year.

Source: Sheridan I.T.