The Varsity Blues women’s basketball team defeated the Cape Breton Capers on Saturday, finishing the preseason on a high note.

The Blues came out strong with the first points of the game, but missed close shots and struggled against the Cape Breton press early on. The first quarter ended with a tie, and the Capers took the lead in the second. Cape Breton was able to pull away by as many as 10 points, but the Blues fought back, ending the first half with just a three-point deficit.

In the second half, Toronto struggled to close the gap, but managed to stay close. In the fourth quarter, unforced errors by Cape Breton and great hustle by the Blues evened up the score. After multiple lead changes, Toronto pulled ahead with just seconds left, but a huge three-pointer by the Capers tied the game. The Blues weren’t able to score for the win, sending the game into overtime.

Toronto came out with increased intensity in the extra period, scoring first and quickly increasing its lead. It was a team effort for Toronto, with multiple players contributing. The game ended with a score of 80–71 for the Blues.

“It was ugly at the start; they forced us to make a lot of turnovers, but I think we showed that we never gave up,” said Liane Bailey, who earned a double-double for Toronto with 17 points and 10 rebounds. “We clawed our way back and finished with a win, so I think we showed a lot of mental toughness.”

Fourth-year guard Jill Stratton, a key player for the Blues, led the team with 27 points. After an injury and a difficult season last year, it bodes well for the team that Stratton is healthy and playing well. Looking forward, the “number one team goal is to make nationals — that’s always our goal,” said Stratton.

Head coach Michele Belanger says the Blues have a lot to work on if they want to reach that goal: “We need to trust each other offensively a little bit more. We need to work as a unit,” she said.

But the team is confident heading into the regular season.

“We had a couple losses at [last weekend’s] tournament, but I think we’re learning from them,” said Bailey. “We’re going to take this momentum of our win into our season next weekend. So we’re feeling good.”

The team starts the regular season in Hamilton this Friday against McMaster.