 Redmen guard Denburk Reid´s (right) bobble is one of many follies McGill has suffered this season.
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 Elliot Siemiatycki´s nine-point effort wasn´t enough to topple the Stingers.
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After losing badly in their previous meeting with the Concordia Stingers, the basketball Martlets and Redmen entered Friday night's games hoping to exact some revenge on their cross-town rivals. Unfortunately, both teams were unsuccessful, with the Martlets losing 72-55 and the Redmen dropping yet another contest 105-91.
Defence and rebounding continue to be problematic for the Redmen, who dropped to 2-13 overall. Being unprepared was not a factor in the loss, Head Coach Nevio Marzinotto explained, as the team had rehearsed for the Stingers' quick transition game and offensive style.
"We worked on the defensive transition, boxing out, keeping people out of the middle, and it just didn't happen," he said. "We can score a lot of points, but we just didn't do our job defensively."
It was not the Stingers' penetration in the paint that led them to victory, but rather their perimeter shooting. It appeared as though fans were witnessing a three-point shooting competition rather than a basketball game as Concordia set the tone early, connecting on nine shots from behind the arc in the first half.
The display of outside shooting prowess put the Redmen in a 60-39 hole at halftime, but the team was resilient as it managed to outscore the dominant Stingers 52-45 in the second half. Nonetheless, Concordia was able to hold off the Redmen by taking advantage of their weak defence, which allowed plenty of offensive rebounds and put-back opportunities.
Co-captain Denburk Reid led the Redmen with 26 points while also putting on quite a show in the loss. The 5'7'' senior guard dazzled the crowd by weaving through the Stinger defence and finishing strong with a nearly impossible lay-up, drawing a roar of excitement from the 250 in attendance. The other co-captain, Derek Armstrong, added 24 points for the Redmen, and blocked two shots that caused the spectators to rise to their feet.
McGill clearly tried to be crowd-pleasing, bringing in a DJ to play during warm-ups and scheduling an appearance by the cheerleading squad. However, even with all the excitement and the addition of 6'5", 305-lb. Nick Landry (a loan from the football team) to the lineup, the Redmen were unable to find the magic to overturn the Stingers. Marzinotto believes that only experience will provide his team with the tools for success.
"We're missing awareness, and the understanding of the game," he noted. "It's guys going out and playing, losing, and learning, and then playing some more. It's an awareness that we don't have."
Big Concordia run spells end
Earlier in the evening, the Martlets appeared to be building on their success in last weekend's Helen Campbell Tournament, but it was not to last. The women had a strong first half, shooting 58 per cent from the field on their way to a 43-35 advantage. However, Concordia shook off its initial difficulties in the second half, going on a 21-2 run midway through the period to put the game out of reach. The Stingers' comeback was spurred by numerous missed shots, turnovers, and poor rebounding by the Martlets.
Second-year forward Anne-Marie Scherrer led the team with 15 points, while Marie-Eve Beaulieu-Demers added another 10. The Martlets now stand 9-8 overall and 2-4 in league play.
Both the Martlets and Redmen hope to turn things around and start making a playoff push when they face the Bishops Gaiters on Friday at Love Competition Hall.
