REGULAR SEASON

Victoria 15-5   Jeff Speedy          
  Lethbridge 14-6   Dori Johnson          
  U.B.C. 13-7   Misty Thomas          
  Calgary 12-8   Donna Rudakas          
  Alberta 6-14 7-20 Trix Baker          
  Saskatchewan 0-20   Irene Wallace          
                   

Playoff non-qualifiers:

Alberta Pandas: Susan Yackabowski, Loralyn Murdoch, Jodi Gosling, Brandi DeLeeuw, Susan Chalmers, Nadine Fennig, Rosemarie Schoonderbeek, Karen Brydon, Kirstin Johnsons, Kristy Wiebe, Daisy Groff, Maeve Maguire, Jennifer Hamilton, Kimberley Spencer, coach Trix Kannekens-Baker

Saskatchewan Huskies: Melanie Rakochy, Lori Henderson, Kim Grant, Susan Deibert, Allison Fairbrother, Lisa Goodman, Leanne Thiessen, Kyla Dunlop, Melany Lukiw, Margaret Lukowich, Jackie Faith, Samantha Mills, Susan Vanin, Keri Thompson, coach Irene Wallace

In the semis, Victoria defeated Calgary 78-64; 72-65 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Victoria defeats Calgary 78-64. The Vikes overcame an eight-point half-time deficit and then withstood a series of Calgary runs down the stretch. “Individually, that’s what we talked about in the team room before the game – individuals stepping up and doing what they have to do,” said UVic coach Jeff Speedy. “That’s what playoffs are all about.” Towering six-foot-five post Cherie Birtwistle stepped up as well as any Vike. Birtwistle was a huge factor inside, scoring 17 points and adding seven rebounds and five assists. But Birtwistle wasn’t alone. Swingman Audrey Dennison had a sparkling 15-point, five-assist, five-rebound night and guard Tamara Carruthers provided a big spark off the bench with 16 points. UVic point guard Chris Van Aert also notched 16 points. Calgary swing-guard Meagan Koch pumped in 24 points to lead all scorers while Dinosaur forward Lisa Bacigalupi added 15. “I felt that UVic controlled the entire game,” said Calgary coach Donna Rudakas. “They just looked bigger and stronger than we did. But this series isn’t over. UVic knows that.” The Vikes overcame a 24-16 deficit midway through the first half by going on a 13-0 run over a five-minute span which essentially decided the game. Midway through the second half, Calgary closed to within a single point on a three-pointer by Meagan Koch. But Dennison then went on a personal six-point, two-steal, two-assist run in less than three minutes that basically put the game out of reach. The Vikes lost 6-2 forward Kirstin Brown to a knee injury midway through the second half. Brown hurt her right knee when she fell to the floor under the Calgary basket. …………………………………………………… In game two, Victoria ended Calgary’s title hopes with a 72-65 win. UVic rolled up as much as a 16-point lead in the second half and then failed to wilt as the talented Calgary club made a determined late-game run. “For a little stretch in the second half, we didn’t play with much poise or composure,” said Vikes coach Jeff Speedy, whose team’s edge slipped as low as six points late in the game. Kerri-Anne Butterworth scored 13 first-half points to jump-start the Vikes and adding five rebounds and three assists. Point guard Chris Van Aert notched 19 points and four assists while swingman Audrey Dennison added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Meagan Koch scored 21, grabbed 5 boards and dished 5 assists to lead Calgary. Lisa Bacigalupi added 15, while Erin McAlister nabbed 9 boards. Calgary coach Donna Rudakas said Koch was spectacular in the series. “Meagan took on such a different role for us this year, yet her scoring was up, her defence improved and her turnovers were down.”

In the other semi, U.B.C. defeated Lethbridge 64-62; 83-75 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, U.B.C. edged host Lethbridge 64-62 as Carrie Carlsen scored 17 and Adair Duncan 13. Laura Esmail added 5 assists. …………………………………………………… In game two, U.B.C. swept the series with an 83-75 win as Lisa Nickle scored 31 and Claire Polomark 21. Thunderbirds coach Misty Thomas was elated. “We felt right from the beginning of the year that we could win the Canada West,” said UBC head coach Misty Thomas. “The last time we played them we were just treading to keep our heads above water. … We’re a different team now.”

In the final, U.B.C. defeated Victoria 72-87; 82-69; 80-65 (2g-1).

In game one, Victoria prevailed 87-72 after shooting 84 per cent from the field in the first half and building a 51-38 lead. Chris Van Aert shot 78 per cent from the field and hit on two of three three-point attempts for 20 points for UVic. UVic’s Cherie Birtwistle shot 86 per cent from the field for 25 points. Lisa Knickle had 15 points for the Thunderbirds. “It wasn’t an easy win,” said UVic guard Audrey Dennison, who had six points, six assists and eight rebounds. “Although we won by 15 we had to fight these guys for every point.” The first half was fast and furious as both clubs pushed the ball upcourt at a terrific pace. But while the game Thunderbirds gave it their best, the Vikes were on fire. The first half blitzkrieg was “just nuts,” said coach Jeff Speedy. Point-guard Chris Van Aert sparked UVic’s first half with eight straight points to make it 13-9 for the Vikes. She scooped an underhand pass to Cherie Birtwistle inside to make it 30-17 at the halfway point of the first half and later canned a three-pointer to make it 47-32 with three minutes left and the game was clearly slipping away from UBC. UVic took a 51-38 lead into the dressing room. It was Birtwistle’s turn in the second half as the lanky centre time and again pivoted to the hoop to drop in the ball almost at will as there was little the shorter UBC team could do about it. UVic finished at 61 per cent from the field while holding UBC to 38 per cent.

In game two, UBC rebounded with an 82-69 win. Carrie Carlsen led the T-Birds with 19 points and six rebounds, while Lisa Nickle and Claire Polomark added 13 each. The T-Birds led by 13 points midway through the second half. Cherie Birtwistle was 86 per cent from the field for 25 points for the Vikettes. UVic guard Audrey Dennison added six points, six assists and eight rebounds. Everything UBC threw in the air seemed to come down through the hoop as they handed the Vikes their first home loss of the season. UVic trailed 72-56 with six minutes left and then managed to rally to within eight at 75-67 with one minute and 20 seconds remaining. “We got rattled early and lost our composure,” said UVic coach Jeff Speedy. “We won the second half by two points but we had just dug too deep a hole for ourselves earlier.” Carrie Carlson led UBC with 19 points. Audrey Dennison scored 13 points as UBC’s defence managed to shut down the inside threat of Cherie Birtwhistle (10 points) and the outside threat of Chris Van Aert (nine points). “I think they were embarrassed by their effort (in Game 1),” said Thomas. “We know Vic is a good team, but we weren’t going to just hand it to them. It was our best game of the year. All year we had talked about having to play 40 minutes to beat the best teams and that was the first 40-minute game this year. Everybody who hit the floor gave everything they had.” “It wasn’t surprising to me, but it’s kind of nice to prove it not only to everybody else, but also ourselves,” said rookie guard Laura Esmail. “We knew we were better (than UVic), but had never proved it. We really peaked at the right time. It’s beautiful.”

In game three, U.B.C. d’d Victoria 80-65 as Lisa Nickle hit three key points in the final minute. Nickle was 5-7 from beyond the arc on the contest, finishing with 21 points. Two of those bombs, late in the game, “took the wind of Victoria’s sails,” said U.B.C. coach Misty Thomas. Claire Polomark added 13 and Laura Esmail 12. Victoria was paced by Cheri Birtwhistle 18, Christina Van Aert 14 and Sue Tomio 12. The Thunderbirds played with poise. UVic made a move to turn the tide when Lisa Koop scored to bring the Vikes to within one, at 60-59, with six minutes left in the game. But fifth-year guard Lisa Nickle put her hand down the Vikes’ collective throats and ripped their hearts out. The former Abbotsford High School standout coolly canned a three- pointer to make it 63-59 to break the Vikes’ momentum. After Carrie Carlsen put UBC ahead 65-59, Nickle launched another lethal three-point bomb to make it 68-59. “We brought it down to within one point with six minutes left and then they put the ball in the hoop and we couldn’t,” said UVic coach Jeff Speedy. “I have mixed emotions. We were regular season champions and came within five minutes of reaching our next goal.” Nickle hit on five of seven three-point attempts and finished with 21 points.

        Following the season, Donna Roman-Rudakas retires at Calgary and is replaced by Shawnee Harle, who for the previous two years was head coach at Brandon and an assistant with the national team. “Joining such a successful women’s basketball program and working in a department committed to excellence is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Harle. The Campbell River, B.C. native also spend three years as an assistant at Victoria after a playing career that included two national titles with the Vikings in 1981 and 1982.

The co-bronze medalist Calgary Dinosaurs: Megan Koch; Lisa Bacigalupi; Erin McAlister; Melita Bishop; Marijana Milicevic; Joy Anderson; Kara Haines; Jodi Knoll; Josine Kuipers; Tanis Outhet; Nichelle Villeneuve; Stacey Lindsay; coach Donna Roman-Rudakas

The co-bronze medalist Lethbridge Pronghorns: Jody Hooker; Janice Gyorkos; Tanya Huggins; Shannon Frier; Jill Carley; Crystal Kain; Shari Jensen; Lindy Westrop; Trisha Lorenz; Kym Foley; Joanne Tegart; Deborah Hubbard; Janet Geddes; coach Dori Rodzinyak

        The runner-up Victoria Vikings: Christina Van Aert; Lisa Koop; Audrey Dennison; Keri-Anne Butterworth; Tamara Carruthers; Cindy Mavety; Susanne Tomio; Kristine Brown; Cheri Birtwhistle; Lisa Bright; Cathy Richardson; Jessica O’Callaghan; coach Jeff Speedy

        The champion British Columbia Thunderbirds: Lisa Nickle; Claire Polomark; Laura Esmail; Elissa Beckett; Carrie Carlsen; Adair Duncan; Johanna Lipovszky; Lori Kemp; Erin Fennell; Wendi Palmer; Tiffany Chester; Carmel Burke; Lisa Dournovo; Cheryl Woods; coach Misty Thomas