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Vallee benches all-star backcourt
The Windsor Lancers used a deep bench to roll to their 12th straight win as coach Chantal Vallee made a statement by benching her all-star backcourt.
Mary Caton
Miah-Marie Langlois and Korissa Williams were anchored to their seats for the first quarter against the Guelph Gryphons Wednesday at the St. Denis Centre.
Vallee benches all-star backcourt Back to video
With reserves Caitlyn Longmuir and Kristine Lalonde starting in their place, the Lancers won 81-52.
When asked about the unusual lineup, Vallee deferred to her players.
"That's a great question for Miah and Korissa," Vallee said.
"Sitting out was taking responsibility for our actions," Langlois said. "Just simple team rules. Every detail counts and what you do on an off the court counts. It's a team thing and you have to be accountable."
This is the second time this season that Langlois and Williams have run afoul of Vallee. They were both benched for a pre-season tournament in Montreal where once again, Longmuir helped fill the void.
She set a season high for minutes played at 23 Wednesday with four points and a couple of first-quarter steals.
"It (extended minutes) definitely helps, especially when the shifts are a little longer you get into it," Longmuir said.
Langlois and Williams came on early in the second quarter.
Langlois made the most of her 13 minutes, scoring 13 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out four assists and stealing the ball five times. Williams played 18 minutes and scored nine points.
It was post Jessica Clemencon who carried the day, scoring 16 points in the second quarter alone when the Gryphons were forced to changed their defensive coverage to protect their post and leading scorer Kate MacTavish who picked up two early fouls.
"Jessica was an excellent captain today," Vallee said. "She deserved the playing time she got tonight."
Clemencon finished with a game-high 33 points.
In the men's game, rookie guard Mike Rocca was seven-of-nine from the three-point line for a career high 26 points in a career-high 30 minutes.
Filling in for injured guard Josh Collins (ankle), Rocca led the Lancers to an 83-67 win over the Gryphons before a crowd of 350.
"Sometimes you need someone to give you a spark and that was him," Lancers coach Chris Oliver said. "He brings energy. Even without scoring he brings energy."
Rocca, a Sarnia native, has seen his role grow substantially over the last three games since Collins was injured.
"I just try to play hard," he said. "It happened to be dropping tonight so I let it fly."
The Gryphons had cut into a 17-point second-half deficit and got it to just seven early in the fourth quarter until Rocca started draining threes from all over the court.
Enrico Diloreto added 17 points to the cause and Lien Phillip had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Forward Evan Matthews was back after missing two games with a groin injury, grabbing three rebounds and four points.
mcaton@windsorstar.com or 255-5726
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