Both the men’s and women’s seasons have come to an end for the Gryphon basketball program, as the women were ousted in their first-round playoff game and the men dropped a heartbreaker that prevented them from getting into the playoffs.

The women’s team beat Waterloo 71-55 in the final game of the regular season on Feb. 16, and was then given an early exit from the playoffs on Feb. 20 at the hands of McMaster. Only dressing 11, and missing the talents of Kayla Goodhoofd and Alyssa Shortt, the Gryphons struggled to find any offensive rhythm, eventually losing 81-51.

It was the last game as a Gryphon for Jasmine Douglas, who played well, posting nine points and nine rebounds in her final game in the red, black, and yellow. It was also the last game for head coach Tom O’Brien, who announced his retirement after three years at the helm of the Guelph program. O’Brien concludes his career after a 26-29 record in his time at Guelph, choosing to leave the coaching post after 44 years of coaching experience.

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The team was led offensively by Kayla Goodhoofd’s average of 13 points per game throughout the season, and Douglas’ 174 rebounds in the regular season landed her fourth in the OUA in that statistical category.

The men’s side dropped an incredibly close, down-to-the-wire game with Waterloo in their final game of the year on Feb. 16. After four quarters of back and forth basketball, with multiple lead changes in the closing minutes, Guelph failed to convert on a basket in the last 15 seconds, handing the last open playoff spot to Waterloo. Guelph finished the year with a 5-16 record. Veterans Zach Angus and Dan McCarthy led the team in scoring throughout the season, both averaging just over 13 points in each contest. Adam Kemp led the defensive unit with 90 rebounds over the course of the season.

The men will search for their first winning season since 2007-08 as they prepare for next year, while the women will have to wait and see who will coach them as they look for their first winning season since 2006-07.

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