The Portage Collegiate Institute Saints varsity basketball team is having a devil of a time pushing past the break-even mark.

The Saints dropped to 4-5 in West Winnipeg Athletic Conference play with a 75-54 loss to the Stonewall Rams at PCI on Wednesday.

Kat Boychuk led the Saints with 19 points, while Krystal Drain contributed 13. Kennedy Guy, meanwhile, dropped seven.

The Saints were fairly close after one, trailing just 19-14. However, Stonewall increased its advantage to double-digits in the second quarter to go up 41-28 at the half and then 65-41 after three quarters.

Head coach Janey McDonald wasn't thrilled with what she saw from the team in the second quarter, though she later said that the team did bounce back a bit better late in the contest.

"(There were) a lot of turnovers, not taking care of the ball," said McDonald. "In that period, we didn't seem to have that person step up and just say 'Take care of the ball', which I have been trying to push for.

"They need to really start to take control, and I'm challenging them to try to attain that."

She did like PCI's play right from the tip-off, but said a convergence of misfortune seemed to get the players down.

"I was really pleased with the way we started, and (there were) just a few missed shots and a few bad bounces, and a couple calls that really didn't go our way," said McDonald. "I think they really let that bother them, but at the same token, I think it seemed to happen all at once, in a four-minute slump."

Offensively, both teams were trying to bomb a pass into the opposite site of the court for lay-ups, but Stonewall executed far more often than PCI. McDonald said getting into that kind of run-and-gun matchup wasn't in PCI's game plan.

"We have a bit of a defensive breakdown from miscommunication. We're tired, maybe pushing girls into too long of a shift," said McDonald. "They seemed like they were fatigued too soon. I don't know if that's because of practicing and not having a game for a while."

PCI will conclude the WWAC regular season Wednesday at Sturgeon Heights. Though the teams haven't met, McDonald did have the chance to do some scouting at a recent tournament.

"They're going to give us pretty good competition," said McDonald. "They're very aggressive. They attack the net, they're fearless, and they have an in-your-face defensive style.

"They don't have a player that sticks out, that's fantastic, but they do get in your face."

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