By Leighton Geraghty – Contributor

After a short Christmas break, the Gaiters basketball teams returned to Mitchell Gymnasium on Dec. 27 to prepare for the second half of the season.

 The first half of the season saw both teams sitting inside the top two of the RSEQ. The men’s team is led once more by the twin tower forwards, Charles Robert and Etienne Gagnon, who are currently ranked 11th in the country. Meanwhile, the women’s team has strongly established themselves as a competitive force, sitting second in the RSEQ, trailing only the Laval Rouge et Or.

Although the Gaiters start off with a bye week in their return from the new year they have been hard at work in the gym. The weekend of Jan. 4 did not only see the semi finals of the World Juniors but also two exhibition matchups in Usports basketball. The women’s team, coached by Andrea Tores, faced off at 6pm against the Ottawa Geegees. The Gaiters battled with a short bench but ultimately were bested by the Geegees. As the team returned to practice the next week the vibes were high spirited as they used the Ottawa game as a learning moment. Freshman guard Shaylan Greaves, returned to the team after being absent from the Ottawa game due to injury. The young guard has immense potential and will be a key asset to the team throughout her collegiate career. The women’s team faces off in a doubleheader this weekend against the UQAM Citadins.

On Thursday January 16th, the Gaiters travelled down to UQAM for their first RSEQ game of the new year. The game plan was simple: play team ball, string defence and the rest will go their way. That is exactly what they did. Everyone on the team touched the court as the team prevailed to a monstrous win beating the Citadins 78-45. 

As Saturday rolled around the Gaiters continued where they left off. Wearing their flashy pink Breast Cancer Awareness uniforms they beat UQAM 86-45. 

The men’s team played 30 minutes down the road from the women’s team as they entered the Ravens den facing off against the Carleton Ravens. Carleton, a renowned powerhouse in Canadian University basketball, came into the game ranked 6th in the country. 

Bishop’s started the game off firing on all cylinders. Jumping to a significant lead and holding it all the way to the start of the 4th quarter. 

The Gaiters team showcased a new acquisition in Carl Jacobs, wearing 23 the 6 ‘5 wing put in some hard nosed minutes in his return to the Gaiters lineup and debut this season. Jacobs used to play for Bishops pre-Covid when he was named the RSEQ rookie of the year. 

As the game continued a sea of purple was seen in the crowd. The team fed off of the energy in the gym but with some defensive collapses Carleton used the much used 3 point shot to their advantage. Heading into the final seconds of the game Carleton led by three. Guard Zach John brought the ball up the court and with no other option threw up a Curry range three pointer. Calling bank John tied the game and propelled both teams into overtime. Competing all the way through, the Gaiters ultimately came up short, narrowly losing 70-68. Nevertheless, the team proved themselves worthy of their title of top 10 in the country.  

The men entered UQAM on a mission as they battle for 1st place in the RSEQ. The game started off slow for Bishops as the Citadins were fueled by home-court energy. UQAM won the first quarter 31-15. The rest of the game was all Bishops. Led by freshman guard Yannis Malanda and forward Charles Robert. The two combined for 48 total points. Bishops came away victorious winning 74-66 over a very athletic UQAM roster. 

On Saturday night, Bishops looked to continue their success in front of the rowdy home crowd. The team were able to complete the weekend sweep ultimately winning 74-60. They now prepare for two games against the McGill Redbirds.