NIAGARA 82, SHERIDAN 56

WELLAND, Ont. - There is certainly no good time in an 18-game season to see yourself stumble through a three-game losing streak, but for the Sheridan Bruins women's basketball team (9-14, 6-9 OCAA) it just happened to come right in the middle of a playoff push.

Now, after their latest setback - an 82-56 defeat at the hands of Niagara - they find themselves in the unenviable position of needing to win out and get help along the way, in order to have a playoff seat when the regular season music turns off.

"As much as this is not the position we wanted to find ourselves in, things get a little simpler in that we know what we need to do now," Sheridan head coach Willie Delas said. "The best thing we can do from this point forward is move on from this result and - it may be a complete cliche - but we just have to take our remaining three games one at a time, and let the chips fall where they may."

The Double-Blue ended up playing catch-up nearly from the opening tip, as Niagara opened the game on a 13-4 run.

Sheridan quickly pulled within five, but trailed by double-digits, 21-11, at the end of the first quarter.

In the second frame, the homeside pushed the margin as high as 20, on their way to a 41-24 lead at the break.

The Lady Bruins got as close as 11 - down 53-42 - late in the third quarter, but a 6-0 run from Niagara to open the final frame pushed their advantage back to 19 and the game was blow open thanks to a 15-0 run.

Shylanda Saunders and Haeven Durrant both scored a team-high 22.

The club has three games remaining, with two of them against teams just above them in the standings in St. Clair and Mohawk.

They kick off that stretch by hosting Lambton on February 16 then turn around to host St. Clair the next day, before capping the regular season on the road at Mohawk on February 20.

Source: Sheridan I.T.