Saskatchewan | 17-3 | 22-5 | Lisa Thomaidis |
Regina | 17-3 | 27-5 | Dave Taylor |
Alberta | 15-5 | 24-10 | Scott Edwards |
Winnipeg | 15-5 | 23-6 | Alyssa Cox |
Fraser Valley | 14-6 | 21-8 | Al Tuchsherer |
Calgary | 13-7 | 21-13 | Damian Jennings |
Trinity Western | 12-8 | 16-12 | Cheryl Jean-Paul |
U.B.C. | 11-9 | 15-16 | Erin McAleenan |
Mount Royal | 11-9 | 15-14 | Robyn Fleckenstein |
UBC Okanagan | 10-10 | 11-18 | Bobby Mitchell |
Victoria | 9-11 | 13-15 | Carrie Watts |
Northern B.C. | 8-12 | 10-19 | Sergey Shchepotkin |
Lethbridge | 7-13 | 10-16 | Dave Waknuk |
Manitoba | 6-14 | 10-19 | Michele Sung |
MacEwan | 2-18 | 5-21 | Katherine Adams |
Thompson Rivers | 2-18 | 2-23 | Todd Warnick |
Brandon | 1-19 | 4-12 | James Bambury |
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Brandon Bobcats: Cali Yates, Piper Ingalls, Rae Lee Torino, Chelsea Misskey, Reeta Tulkki, Beth Dueck, Josie Grift, Katelyn Visser, Eden Tabin, Sydney Teece, Kelsey Starchuck, Cali Hudyma, Sarah Hallett, Faith Clearsky, Andrea Taruc, Noah Garcia, coach James Bambury, assistant Juan Mosquera, assistant Jaime Taggart, student therapist Sharon Tan, student therapist Ireland Staples
Lethbridge Pronghorns: Danielle Nadeau, Jessica Haenni, Vlada Hozalova, Victoriia Kovalevska, Savannah McMahon, Piper Doggelsteyn, Millay Johnson, Kyra Collier, Haily Weaver, Tobore Okome, Jessica Zarowny, Abby Graves, Kennedy Blaskin, coach Dave Waknuk, assistant Paige Crozon, assistant Kacie Bosch
MacEwan Griffins: Toki Tsuzuki, Toni Gordon, Alexandra Spenrath, Makenzie Reeve, Hayley Lalor, Julie Dueck, Mackenzie Farmer, Mikah Reed, Erin Howes, Ava Regier, Noelle Kilbreath, Mackenzie McIntyre, Shannon Majeau, coach Katherine Adams, assistant Jacob Cusumano, assistant Harrison Eaddy, assistant Kelsey Lalor, student therapist Jane Gosling, student therapist Andrew Eisner
Manitoba Bisons: Samntha Onyebuchi, Mikayla Simon-Tucker, Taylor Randall, Kendall Parker, Lauren Bartlett, Deidre Bartlett, Lovisa Fjellner, Talia Peters, Autumn Agar, Lauryn Manaigre, Emily Johnson, Emerson Martin, Izabella Marquez, Lana Shypit, redshirt Hope Dixon, redshirt Nikki Gebken, coach Michele Sung, assistant Adam Khan, assistant Kyla Shore, assistant Michelle Edwards, assistant Sonia Radi-Dolyniuk, strength & conditioning Cole Scheller, psychologist Kevin Kristjanson, dietitian Janelle Vincent, academic advisor Darcy MacPherson, student therapist Dylan Schultz, student therapist Antonina Kandiurin
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack: Karishma Rai, Megan Rouault, Jessica Orr, Kelsey Cruz, Priyanca Sundher, Danijela Kovacevic, Maggie Fehr, Nya Derkach, Keerat Sidhu, Makeba Taylor, Jaya Saroya, Aranza Molina, Anneke Cairnie, Josie Mackie, Elana Sireni, coach Todd Warnick, assistant Cassie Rerick, therapist Kevin Brechin
In an opening round play-in game, held in Edmonton, the 5th-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades defeated the 12th-seeded University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves 77-70. The Timberwolves led 16-15 after one quarter on a late trey by Sveta Boykova. The Cascades led 38-31 at the half as Nikki Cabuco notched a pair of treys and Julia Tuchscherer collected a pair of buckets in the paint. The Timberwolves took the lead on treys by Rebecca Landry and Jenna Korolek in the third quarter and took a 53-51 lead heading into the final frame as Sarah Kuklisin hit a trey at the buzzer to give Fraser Valley a 53-51 lead heading into the final frame. The Timberwolves went stone cold early in the fourth as the Cascades built a slim lead. But Kuklisin and Landry hit treys to trim the margin to 3 with four minutes to play. The Timberwolves regained the lead on a Laura Garmendia Garcia jumper, before Cabuco answered with a trey. Fraser Valley invariably had the answer down the stretch, with Deanna Tuchscherer hitting a critical bucket down the stretch as the Cascades hung on for the win. Cascades coach Al Tuchscherer said “give a lot of credit to UNBC today. We didn’t adjust well to their zone at times, but in the end, we had some players make some big plays. Maddy [Gobeil] made some plays down the stretch, and Deanna [Tuchscherer] and Nat [Rathler] made some big plays so that was good to see.” Maddy Gobeil paced the Cascades with 26 on 10-19 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 11 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Nikki Cabuco added 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 5-10 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Deanna Tuchscherer notched 17 on 7-17 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Natalie Rathler scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Julia Tuchscherer added 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Esther Allison notched 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Bernadet Leda added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 steals. Gurveer Sidhu scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Lauren Clements was scoreless. The Cascades hit 31-69 (.449) from the floor, 9-24 (.375) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 16 assists, 19 turnovers, 3 blocks and 11 steals. Alina Shakirova paced the Timberwolves with 17 on 6-14 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 8 boards and 2 steals. Laura Garmendia Garcia added 12 on 4-5 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Sarah Kulisin notched 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Rebecca Landry scored 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 2 assists. Svetlana Boykova added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Jenna Korolek notched 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Olivia Wilson added 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Cevanna Carlson scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Amri Manak and Adaiah Tupas-Singh were scoreless. Tupas-Singh dished 3 assists. The Timberwolves hit 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 11-25 (.440) from the arc and 9-11 (.818) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls 14, assists, 22 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals. The Timberwolves (coach Sergey Shchepotkin, assistant Dave Fuller, assistant Mark Johnson, assistant Miranda Kynoch) also included Sophia Fuller, Hanna Busic, Bella Mesquita and Nyemuon Padhal.
In a play-in game, held in Calgary, the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Wesmen dispatched the 11th-seeded Mount Royal Cougars 86-73. The Cougars led 26-22 after one quarter and 45-40 at the half. The Wesmen led 63-60 after three quarters. The Wesmen took command with a 21-1 run over a 6:30 span in the final frame to pull out the win. Wesmen coach Alyssa Cox said “it took us a while to get into it, but once we did I thought they battled and played really hard and played really well. … Robyn (Boulanger’s) done a ton of great things for us this season. Defensively she’s always tough, she’s someone who always speaks up in the locker-room and helps get us back on track. We can’t thank her enough for her performance.” Cougars coach Robyn Fleckenstein said “They’re a talented team and it became kind of a scoring-fest, as you can see. And we couldn’t keep up. … I love my team. They’d run through a wall for each other, and I think they demonstrated that today, and sometimes the shots just don’t fall.” Robyn Boulanger paced the Wesmen with 29 on 8-18 from the floor, 6-12 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 4 assists and 3 steals. Raizel Guinto added 20 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 9 assists. Anna Kernaghan notched 18 on 8-17 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Julia Schatkowsky scored 10 on 5-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 11 boards, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Tamiya Ness added 6 on 2-6 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Raia Guinto scored 3 on 1-2 from the arc, while Sarah Boitson, Sadie McMillan-Stowards, Priscilla Sanusi and Kyanna Wonnacott were scoreless. The Wesmen hit 31-67 (.463) from the floor, 13-28 (.464) from the arc and 11-12 (.917) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 21 assists, 21 turnovers, 4 blocks and 10 steals. Jamie Lalor paced the Cougars with 18 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 9 boards and 4 steals. Jenessa Ramsoomair added 16 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Megan Wellinghurst notched 10 on 5-10 from the floor, 6 boards and 4 assists. Julia Summers scored 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Kiara Ker added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Brittany Janzen notched 5 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jordan Blaskin added 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2 assists and 4 steals. Tanis Metcalfe scored 4 on 2-14 from the floor, 10 boards and 4 assists. Eleonora Luca added 2on 1-1 from the floor. Abbey Wilkinson scored 2 on 0-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 assists, while Isabella Faba and Antonia Fuchsbauer were scoreless. The Cougars hit 29-85 (.341) from the floor, 4-17 (.235) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 20 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 15 steals. The Cougars (coach Robyn Fleckenstein, assistant Josh Fluker, assistant Lauren Taal, assistant Maddie Rogers, manager Christy Fehr, recruiter Marc French, student therapist Susan Lam, student therapist Lauren Walker) also included Bella Gaulden, Maddison Hooper, Marissa Richards, Julia Summers, Jenika Martens, Nora Luca, Madison Stata-Luzentales and redshirt Maggie Smith.
In a play-in game held in Regina, the 7th-seeded Trinity Western Spartans clocked the 10th-seeded Victoria Vikes 83-66 after leading 24-20, 43-32 and 70-44 at the quarters. The Vikes took an early 18-13 lead on back-to-back treys from Ashlyn Day but the Spartans closed out the first quarter with a 6-0 run. They then opened the second frame with a 9-0 run. They led by as many as 27 as they coasted to the win. “We knew this was going to be a battle with a provincial rival and a team we’ve played multiple times already this season,” Spartans coach Cheryl Jean-Paul said. “Hailey [Van Roekel] has been knocking down some big shots for us lately, but our other players doing what they do has given her that opportunity. Nicole Fransson doing her thing inside, Jayden [Gill] attacking off the dribble, our threes and fours rebounding – it’s a true group effort. It’s really special seeing the group celebrate each other as a collective.” Ashlyn Day paced the Vikes with 28 on 7-20 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 9-12 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Abigail Becker added 16 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 10 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Kate Johnson notched 11 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Brooklyn Walbaum scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Brooklyn White added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 7 boards. Sierra Reisig notched 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 assists. Brooke Kendal added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Meike Boerstra scored 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Tegan Mackinnon and Nicole Torozan were scoreless. The Vikes hit 22-60 (.367) from the floor, 6-17 (.353) from the arc and 16-22 (.727) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 12 assists, 22 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals. The Vikes (coach Carrie Watts, assistant Diane Schuetze, assistant Lynn Montgomery, assistant Nicole Karstein, therapist Vivian Arellano) also included Tana Pankratz, Mimi Sigue, Juliette Kladko and Sarah Whyte.
In the last play-in game, held in Saskatoon, the 8th-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds dispatched the 9th-seeded U.B.C.-Okanagan Heat 65-52. The score was knotted at 17 after one quarter. The Thunderbirds led 32-24 at the half. The Heat opened the second half with a 9-0 run but Mona Berlitz stemmed the bleeding with a trey and U.B.C. rebuilt a 47-37 lead after three quarters. They led by as many as 13. “At the end of the day, we of course rely on our defence a lot,” said Thunderbirds coach Erin McAleenan. “We really just tried to use offensive rebounding, and getting out into transition, especially trying to attack off of some of their turnovers to try and get some easy buckets. … They’re a really good offensive team so of course we were trying to key in on a few of their really good players. We’ve talked all season about that we’re second in the conference in defense and in playoffs you need to be able to come in and focus to defend. We did a good job of containing and forcing them into some tough shots. … Mona [Berlitz] was able to come in with great focus and showed great poise which is so impressive considering the time she’s missed recently. It was a big help for us offensively but you could see her focus defensively too. She delivered a ‘big time’ statistical performance for us tonight.” Heat coach Bobby Mitchell said “obviously, we’re disappointed and it’s not the result we wanted. I thought our compete level was pretty good throughout the game. They’re a tough team defensively but we showed some signs in the third quarter and kind of got back in the game.” Mona Berlitz paced the Thunderbirds with 23 on 7-17 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 8-9 from the line and 6 boards. Taelor Coxford added 10 on 5-11 from the floor and 5 boards. Sara Toneguzzi notched 9 on 3-16 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists. Azalya Forstbauer scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 7 boards. Hailey Counsell added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Cerys Morton notched 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Emily Martindale added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 9 boards. Sofia Bergman scored 2 on 0-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Emilia Banmann added 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Katie Hartman scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 steals, while Stella Lagrange and Kiarra Kelly were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 23-71 (.324) from the floor, 3-17 (.176) from the arc and 16-17 (.941) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 11 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals. Kelsey Falk paced the Heat with 16 on 4-14 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 8-14 from the line, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Sofia Ainsa Lluch added 13 on 5-16 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jaeli Ibbetson scored 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Rachel Hare added 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Abby Smith notched 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Lauren Furlong added 3 on 1-3 from the arc. Alessia Brutto scored 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Emily Instant, Aiko Williams, Melaina Corrado, Reegan Bond and Tessa Burton were scoreless. Instant nabbed 4 boards. The Heat hit 18-66 (.273) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 11-20 (.550) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 6 assists, 23 turnovers, 5 blocks and 7 steals. The Heat (coach Bobby Mitchell, assistant Lonny Mazurak, player development Lisa Nickle, scouting Jody Vosper, therapist Jeff Thorburn, therapist/strength & conditioning Kevin Phillips, student trainer Tanis Fuller, student trainer Hannah St. Hilaire, student trainer Tomi Sobowale, athletic director Tom Huisman) also included Nicole Pajic.
In a quarterfinal held in Saskatoon, the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies torched the 8th-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds 81-46 after leading 18-8, 43-24 and 69-36 at the quarters. “That was a great team win for us at home, and it was great to get some of our young players to get a playoff win under our belt. It was nice to get everyone out and contributing,” said Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis. Thunderbirds coach Erin McAleenan said “we had a slow start, which didn’t help. I think you can only play tough defence for so long. Full credit to Saskatchewan, they execute their stuff so well. This is one of the highest points we’ve given up so far this season. I think the tough part for us was not scoring points. We weren’t rebounding as well as we normally do. We missed some layups and some easy ones. It’s hard to keep playing really tough defense when you’re not scoring.” Carly Ahlstrom paced the Huskies with 24 on 8-14 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kyla Shand added 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 7 boards. Tea DeMong notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 5 boards. Gage Grassick scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Logan Reider added 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 2 boards. Maya Flindall notched 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Ella Murphy Wiebe added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Lucia Zilinska scored 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 4 boards. Courtney Primeau added 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Jordon Haggerty scored 2 on 2-2 from the line, while Rose Fall and Alexis Lewans were scoreless. The Huskies hit 31-59 (.525) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 18 assists, 21 turnovers, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Sara Toneguzzi paced the Thunderbirds with 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 2 steals. Emily Martindale added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 blocks. Hailey Counsell notched 7 on 2-11 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Mona Berlitz scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Emilia Banmann added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Cerys Morton notched 4 on 1-10 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sofia Bergman added 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Kate Hartman scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 boards, while Azalya Forstbauer, Taelor Coxford, Stella Lagrange and Kiarra Kelly were scoreless. Cosford nabbed 2 boards and dished 2 assists. The Thunderbirds hit 16-68 (.235) from the floor, 6-26 (.231) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 7 assists, 14 turnovers, 3 blocks and 6 steals. The Thunderbirds (coach Erin McAleenan, assistant Diana Lee, assistant Harleen Dulay, assistant Adriano Catena, trainer Riya Virdi, trainer Charlotte Drennan, trainer Megyn McKenzie, strength & conditioning Amanda Jones, mental performance Lauren McBride, social media coordinator Gibi Saini) also included Katrina Fink, Olivia Weekes, Ryann Kristmanson and Sophia Kramer.
In a quarterfinal held in Edmonton, the 4th-seeded Alberta Pandas dusted the 5th-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades 73-54 after leading 19-17, 41-26 and 65-41 at the quarters. Alberta bridged the half with an 18-2 run to take total command. “Composure,” proved the difference, Pandas coach Scott Edwards said. “We played our most complete game of basketball all year, and it was the depth of our team that really showed up.” Cascades coach Al Tuchscherer said “Alberta was fantastic tonight on both ends of the floor. I really did not think we moved the ball very well today, we got better after the half but it was a little too late at that point.” Claire Signatovich paced the Pandas with 13 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 16 boards, 8 assists, 9 blocks and 4 steals. Morgan Harris added 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Emma Kary notched 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Jenns Harpe scored 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Reece Hall added 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma notched 7 on 3-5 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc. Jayden Tanner added 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Rylee Semeniuk scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Shae McCusker added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 5 boards. Jenna Karach scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Dakota Wedman was scoreless. The Pandas hit 29-65 (.446) from the floor, 7-24 (.292) from the arc and 8-11 (.727) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 20 assists, 23 turnovers, 12 blocks and 11 steals. Julia Tuchscherer paced the Cascades with 24 on 8-19 from the floor, 8-9 from the line, 12 boards, 3 assists, 5 blocks and 3 steals. Natalie Rathler added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 9 boards. Maddy Gobeil notched 7 on 3-13 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Deanna Tuchscherer scored 6 on 3-14 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Nikki Cabuco added 4 on 2-7 from the floor and 0-5 from the arc. Bernie Leda scored 3 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Lauren Clements added 2 on 1-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Esther Allison, Alisha Weloy, Gurveer Sidhu, Charley Arnold and Hannah Gillingham were scoreless. The Cascades hit 21-69 (.304) from the floor, 1-19 (.053) from the arc and 11-13 (.846) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 11 assists, 19 turnovers, 7 blocks and 7 steals. The Cascades (coach Al Tuchscherer, assistant Dan Nayebzadeh, assistant Aieisha Luyken, assistant Kayli Sartori) also included Ana-Maria Misic, Olivia Lounsbury and Madison Storme.
In a quarterfinal held in Regina, the 2nd-seeded host Regina Cougars clipped the 7th-seeded Trinity Western Spartans 80-72. The Cougars led 24-18 after one quarter after a late 10-3 run. But the Spartans kept draining treys to take a 45-44 lead at the half. The Cougars ripped off a 16-3 run to start the second half before Trinity Western answered with a 7-0 run. But Jade Belmore scored the next seven points to give the Cougars a 70-60 lead after three quarters. The Spartans twice rallied to within six down the stretch but misfired on four trey attempts in the final two minutes as Regina held on for the win. “We had a rocky second quarter, but I thought we did a great job of locking in after halftime,” Cougars coach Dave Taylor said. “As usual Jade (Belmore) was outstanding for us, but we also had some players step up off the bench for us and I thought Rachel (Vanderhooft) and Brenna (Metz) both gave us really good minutes. And Maddy Seida and Eden Wells did a great job running the point for us.” Spartans coach Cheryl Jean-Paul said “it was a tough finish to a really good game today. I thought we played with a lot of composure and character, especially in the first half. The hard work we have put into our team this season made it possible for us to be in today’s game until the end. Unfortunately, we ran out of gas at the end and weren’t able to knock down some of the shots we had been making.” Jade Belmore paced the Cougars with 26 on 7-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 11-15 from the line, 8 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Dayna Pearce added 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc and 6 boards. Julia Vydrova notched 12 on 6-15 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 8 boards. Brenna Metz scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Zoe Hartmann added 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Rachel Vanderhooft scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 0-2 from the line. Eden Wells added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Maddy Seida scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Maren Tunison was scoreless. The Cougars hit 29-62 (.468) from the floor, 6-17 (.353) from the arc and 16-26 (.615) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 14 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Jolene Vlieg paced the Spartans with 20 on 6-13 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Jayden Gill added 17 on 4-14 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 7-10 from the line, 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Hailey Van Roekel notched 14 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Shemaiah Abatayo scored 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Nicole Fransson added 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7 boards and 2 steals. Gracie Corneau notched 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Sydney Bradshaw added 2 on 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Kailey Reimer scored 2 on 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Jenna Gill added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Ryann Lee was scoreless. The Spartans hit 23-67 (.343) from the floor, 9-31 (.290) from the arc and 17-21 (.810) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 11 assists, 16 turnovers, 3 blocks and 10 steals. The Spartans (coach Cheryl Jean-Paul, assistant Philippe Mvondo, assistant Madeleine Antwi, apprentice Ose Obetoh) also included Ella Parker, Cassidy Buchanan, Nicola Peters and Jazmin Avila.
In the last quarterfinal, held in Calgary, the 3rd-seeded host Calgary Dinos dispatched the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Wesmen 84-74. The Wesmen led 19-12 after one quarter and 47-43 at the half. The Dinos ripped off a late 10-0 run, including a pair of treys from Mya Proctor, to take a 68-61 lead after three quarters. Calgary closed out the affair with a 13-3 run over the final 2:14 after Wesmen guard Anna Kernaghan had hit a jumper to knot the score at 71. Mackenzie Trpcic pilfered the ball and nailed a trey. Proctor added a trey, while Madison Landry and Annacy Palmer added buckets to ice the win. “It was a great test for us,” Dinos coach Damian Jennings said. “As we’ve said before, this is a group that hasn’t actually had much time together. That was tested today and that is a testimony to Winnipeg, as well, and a testament to their talent and ability to knock down shots. I think our ‘D’ was a little bit hoping instead of doing what it needed to do early on, and then in that second half it knuckled down. Once we got back to our style of play in that second half, we were able to get the win.” Wesmen coach Alyssa Cox said “I think we executed our game plan. We battled them hard for 37 minutes and just sort of lost our heads at the end,” Winnipeg coach Alyssa Cox said. “They (the Dinos) came out on mission in the second half. They stepped up pressure. They’re big and they’re physical and it just wore us down.” The Wesmen were without fifth-year guard Kyanna Giles for the fourth straight contest. Mya Proctor paced the Dinos with 25 on 10-14 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Madison Landry added 15 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Annacy Palmer notched 12 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 2 boards. Pollyanna Storie scored 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 assists. Mackenzie Trpcic added 8 on 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 8 boards, 7 assists and 4 steals. Bobbi-Jo Colburn scored 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Amelie Collin added 4 on 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Myriam Kone scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 4 boards, while Sydney Milum, Louise Rouse, Elina Siceva and Lily Pink were scoreless. Rouse nabbed 3 boards and blocked 3 shots. The Dinos hit 29-65 (.446) from the floor, 10-30 from the arc and 16-19 (.842) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 24 assists, 19 turnovers, 4 blocks and 12 steals. Julia Schatkowsky paced the Wesmen with 24 on 8-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 6-9 from the line, 11 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Anna Kernaghan added 14 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Robyn Boulanger notched 11 on 4-16 from the floor, 3-12 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Raia Guinto scored 9 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 steals. Raizel Guinto added 9 on 2-14 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tamiya Ness scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists, while Sadie McMillan-Stowards, Sarah Boitson, Kyana Wonnacott and Priscilla Sanusi were scoreless. The Wesmen hit 24-66 (.364) from the floor, 11-32 (.344) from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 17 assists, 14 turnovers, 3 blocks and 10 steals. The Wesmen (coach Alyssa Cox, assistant Evan Cox, assistant Murray Brown, assistant Daniel Baril) also included Maltha Uwambajimana, Alyssa Porco, redshirt Asha Donnelly and redshirt Annika Goodbrandson.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Alberta Pandas earned a berth at the national championships by stunning the top-seeded host Saskatchewan Huskies 69-57 after leading 18-14, 35-19 and 51-37 at the quarters. The Pandas defence was stifling, said coach Scott Edwards. “It’s an amazing feeling anytime you get to take a team to the national championship. It’s a special group of athletes and I’m really proud of them and really happy for them.” Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis said “it’s so tough. For all our starters to go cold on the same night. We have a lot of depth and a lot of weapons and unfortunately there were some shots that we normally make that just didn’t go in. I thought we did a better job in the second half but we had dug ourselves such a big hole in the first that it was hard to overcome.” Jenna Harpe paced the Pandas with 22 on 7-19 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 7-8 from the line. Emma Kary added 15 on 6-19 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Claire Signatovich notched 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Morgan Harris scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Reece Hall added 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 9 boards. Shae McCuster scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Jenna Karch, Rylee Semiuk, Dakota Wedman and Jayden Tanner were scoreless. Semeniuk nabbed 2 boards and pilfered 2 balls, while Tanner dished 2 assists. The Pandas hit 26-63 (.413) from the floor, 5-16 (.313) from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 10 assists, 20 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals. Gage Grassick paced the Huskies with 14 on 4-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Tea DeMong added 12 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 6 steals. Logan Reider notched 10 on 3-13 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. Maya Flindall scored 8 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Ella Murphy Wiebe added 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Kyla Shand scored 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Carly Ahlstrom added 3 on 1-13 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 12 boards and 2 steals. Courtney Primeau scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Rose Fall, Alexis Lewans, Anna Maelde and Jordon Haggerty were scoreless. The Huskies hit 18-68 (.265) from the floor, 4-29 (.138) from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 5 assists, 18 turnovers, 1 block and 13 steals.
In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Calgary Dinos booked their berth at nationals by clipping the 2nd-seeded host Regina Cougars 71-62. The Cougars led 19-16 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 30 at the half. The Dinos led 48-42 after three quarters after closing out the frame with an 8-0 run. But the Cougars countered with their own 8-0 run, capped by a Zoe Hartman trey, to knot the score at 48. Bobbi-Jo Colburn gave Calgary the lead for good by drilling a trey with four minutes to play. The Dinos extended their margin to 7 before a Dayna Pearce trey rallied Regina within 2. Calgary immediately responded with a Annacy Palmer bucket off a feed from Mackenzie Trpcic to make it a two-possession game with under a minute to go. Calgary got a defensive stop and then sealed the win at the free throw line, hitting 7-8 from the line in the final 30 seconds. “It was a grinding game tonight,” Dinos coach Damian Jennings said. “It came down to turnovers and it came down to rebounds like any tough playoff game does. We both had some dry spells offensively, so it came down to some little things that we did well.” Cougars coach Dave Taylor said “we had a good start, but we got a little rattled in the second quarter. They took us out of it a little bit, and we weren’t able to respond in the second half. We turned the ball over too much, and that was the difference tonight.” Bobbi-Jo Colburn paced the Dinos with 21 on 7-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 7 boards. Annacy Palmer added 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Madison Landry notched 9 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Mya Proctor scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Pollyanna Storie added 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Mackenzie Trpcic notched 5 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Louise Rouse scored 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 4 boards. Amelie Collin added 2 on 0-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 steals. Myriam Kone scored 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Elina Siceva was scoreless. The Dinos hit 24-66 (.364) from the floor, 6-20 (.300) from the arc and 17-24 (.708) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 10 assists, 10 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. Jade Belmore paced the Cougars with 19 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Dayna Pearce added 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 9 boards and 2 steals. Zoe Hartmann notched 11 on 3-11 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 4 boards. Maddy Seida scored 8 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 6-8 from the line and 2 assists. Brenna Metz added 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Julia Vydrova scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 7 boards. Rachel Vanderhooft added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards. Eden Wells scored 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Lauren Hodgins was scoreless. The Cougars hit 19-55 (.345) from the floor, 6-25 (.240) from the arc and 18-24 (.750) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 10 assists, 23 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals.
In the final, the 4th-seeded Alberta Pandas captured their first CanWest postseason title by clipping the 3rd-seeded Calgary Dinos 76-65 after leading 21-17, 35-32 and 49-43 at the quarters. The Pandas bridged the final quarters with a 10-0 run over a four-minute span to take command. “This means everything to this team,” said Pandas coach Scott Edwards. “I’m just so proud of their growth this season and the way they’ve come together this second term and how well we’ve played down the end. I get emotional thinking about all the other Panda teams we’ve had over the decades that have busted their butts and didn’t get a chance to win this, so this one is for them, as well.” Dinos coach Damian Jennings said “although we had the jitters in the first half, I thought we solved that in the third. It was two good teams going at it, and at the end of the day, I don’t think we made the shots and moments that were clinical to momentum and (Alberta) did. It became a bucket game and it just got away from us.” Jenna Harpe paced the Pandas with 20 on 4-12 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 11-14 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Emma Kary added 13 on 5-7 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 2 assists. Jenna Karach notched 9 on 3-3 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 3 boards. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards. Claire Signatovich added 7 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 20 boards, 3 assists, 5 blocks and 4 steals. Reece Hall notched 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 4 boards. Morgan Harris added 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Shae McCusker scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Rylee Semeniuk added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 assists. Jayden Tanner scored 2 on 2-2 from the line, while Dakota Wedman was scoreless. The Pandas hit 25-54 (.463) from the floor, 8-16 from the arc and 18-31 (.581) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 16 assists, 26 turnovers, 8 blocks and 8 steals. Mackenzie Trpcic paced the Dinos with 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Annacy Palmer added 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Pollyanna Storie notched 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Myriam Kone scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Amelie Collin added 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Bobbi-Jo Colburn scored 6 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Mya Proctor notched 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Madison Landry added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Elina Siceva scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Louise Rouse added 2 on 0-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards, while Sydney Milum and Lily Pink were scoreless. The Dinos hit 21-68 (.309) from the floor, 6-26 (.231) from the arc and 17-19 (.895) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 10 assists, 21 turnovers, 5 blocks and 10 steals.
After the season, after two years at the helm, U.B.C. coach Erin McAleenan bails to become coach of the New Brunswick Varsity Reds. She is replaced by University of Alberta associate Isabel Ormond, who served as the lead assistant for the U16 Canadian team that captured a silver at the 2023 FIBA Americas in Yucatan, Mexico. She also served as an assistant for the fourth-place Canadian finishers at the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup in Hungary and a second-place finish at the 2022 U19 FIBA Americas in Argentina. She toiled four years (2011-2015) with the McMaster Marauders.
The co-bronze medalist Regina Cougars: Madeleine Tell; Eden Wells; Dayna Pearce; Rachel Vanderhooft; Treyan Paquette; Cara Misskey; Taylor Gottselig; Maddy Seida; Maren Tunison; Skyla Kasick; Zoe Hartmann; Jade Belmore; Brenna Metz; Lauren Hodgins; Julia Vydrova; coach Dave Taylor; assistant Michaela Kleisinger; assistant Carly Graham; assistant Wayne Morrison
The co-bronze medalist Saskatchewan Huskies: Anna Maelde; Emerson Pekush; Maya Flindall; Logan Reider; Carly Ahlstrom; Tea DeMong; Gage Grassick; Alexis Lewans; Andrea Dodig; Lucia Zelinska; Kyla Shand; Ella Murphy Wiebe; Rose Fall; Jordan Haggerty; Courtney Primeau; coach Lisa Thomaidis; assistant Laura Dally; assistant Ali Fairbrother; assistant Jacqueline Lavallee; assistant Dalyce Emmerson; assistant Kabree Howard; director of creativity Connor Jay; manager? Mya Duong; manager? Angelle Avery
The silver medalist Calgary Dinos: Mya Proctor; Mackenzie Trpcic; Myriam Kone; Sydney Milum; Annacy Palmer; Tatum Wade; Bobbi-Jo Colburn; Kennedy Hollinger; Milican Gajic; Lily Pink; Jordan Kemper; Amelie Collin; Pollyanna Storie; Madison Landry; Lilia Skumatova; Louise Rouse; Megan Weisgerber; Elina Agnese Siceva; Anastasia Soltas; coach Damian Jennings; assistant Sarah Neufeld; assistant Mason Foreman; assistant Leo Rincon; assistant Veronika Lavergne; assistant Reyna Crawford; strength & conditioning Rich Hesketh; shooting Ben Dowell; assistant strength & conditioning Tamara Jarrett; therapist Bonnie Sutter; student therapist Celena Davis
The champion Alberta Pandas: Neve Murray; Shae McCusker; Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma; Reece Hall; Jenna Harpe; Nadeen Wu; Abby Morrison; Rylee Semeniuk; Emma Kary; Morgan Harris; Elise Toogood; Julia Strigl; Dakota Wedman; Claire Signatovich; Jayden White; Jayden Tanner; Jenna Karach; coach Scott Edwards; associate Isabel Ormond; assistant Brianna Fehr; assistant Kelly Haggstrom; assistant Lauren Mattson; therapist Sydney Dick; student therapist Kristen Mah; student therapist Aaliyah Rabeen; student therapist Hannah Smith; mental skills Brea McLaughlin; mental skills Craig Hordal; strength & conditioning Eric Golberg