Final regular season standings: Red Deer (14-2); Lethbridge (14-2); Mount Royal (13-3); SAIT (9-7); Grande Prairie (7-9); NAIT (6-10); Medicine Hat (5-11); Grant McEwan (4-12); Camrose Lutheran (0-16)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Camrose Lutheran Vikettes:
Grande Prairie Wolves: Brenda Arsenault, Tracey Boutilier, Leona Tank, Jeanne Hunter, Adeana Hartnell, Shelly Comedina, Jeannette Martens, coach Kelly Ohlhauser
Grant MacEwan: Tania Strecheniuk, Marnie Evans,
Medicine Hat: Patti Olsen, Evelyn Nelson, Tammy Nazarchuk, Reva Rowell, coach Nora Way
NAIT Ookchicks: Kathy Prochnau, Des Lupul, Cori Kozak, Denise Mills, Tracy Guyle, Rupertia Minott, Lisa Bliss, Chris Frank, Sheila Mizera, coach Gregg Meropoulis
In the semis, the Lethbridge Kodiaks defeated the SAIT Trojans (then the Helenas) 78-44; 83-40 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Lethbridge prevailed 78-44 as Laurie Hockridge scored 25. …………………………………………………… In game two, Lethbridge completed the sweep with an 83-40 win as Laurie Hockridge scored 21 on 10-11 from the floor. Virginia Judd added 21 and Rhonda Wensman 15. “I thought we’d go up there and have a little more tougher go of it,” said Kodiak coach John Jasiukiewicz. “For the first couple of minutes we came out slow so we switched up our defence a bit and caught them off guard and we were up by 28 at the half.” Kodiaks went from a zone to a man-to-man coverage back to a different zone which shut down the Trojan perimeter game. The Trojans included Yvonne Van Middlekoop.
In other semi, the Red Deer Queens defeated the Mount Royal Cougars 54-49; 56-54 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Red Deer prevailed 54-49 as Carol Bot scored 15, Robyn Purnell 10 and Lorna Stielow 10. Dawn Foster ed the Cougars with 17. Joanne Tegart added 12. Queens coach Pat Rawlusyk told the Red Deer Advocate that “they got very aggressive. We anticipated they would come out in a zone and we went cold for a while. We gave them a chance to come back.” The Queens led 33-24 at the half. Lorna Stielow hit a field goal and Dawn Foster a pair of buckets down the stretch as Red Deer pulled out the win. …………………………………………………… In game two, Red Deer completed the series sweep 56-54 as Robyn Purnell hit the winning bucket with 13 secons to play. Mary Lynn Lans led the Queens with 20. Carol Bot added 15. Queens coach Pat Rawlusyk told the Red Deer Advocate that “Dawn Anderson dislocated her finger. Robyn got into early foul trouble and it just seemed everything was going against us. But everyone got together and hung in there.” The Cougars included Cathy Bourne, Angela Hancock, Dawn Foster.
In the final, the Lethbridge Kodiaks defeated the top-seeded Red Deer Queens 74-59; 67-61 (2g-0).
In game one, the Kodiaks prevailed 74-59. Red Deer built an early 14-8 lead but the Kodiaks knotted the score at 18 on a steal and runout bucket by Virginia Judd. The tide turned when Queens post Carol Bot picked up her third foul, which left Laurie Hockridge able to hit three consecutive buckets in the blocks as Red Deer built a 26-20 lead and then extended the margin to 44-36 at the half. Carrie Kuntz also came off the bench to wreak a measure of havoc and hit 4-4 from the floor. “At the beginning of the game we talked to Carrie and told her we’d battle it out with the big people at first,” said Jasiukiewicz. “With the big people getting tired, she came in and took the game over. She’s way quicker than most people and with everyone tired, it made her that much quicker.” The Kodiaks built a 57-41 lead in the second half on a three-point play by Hockridge and romped. Red Deer got no closer than 10, whereupon Kuntz ripped off a 4-0 run to ensure the win. Hockridge paced Lethbridge with 21. Virginia Judd added 18, Carrie Kuntz 12 and Terri Fields 10. Mary Lynn Lang led the Queens with 14. Bot added 12. “We have to go after Carol Bot,” said Jasiukiewicz. “No one can stop Hockridge… as long as you lob it into her, she will be tough. I don’t know many people in the league who can stop (Hockridge). If you sag on her and try to slop her, then we have other players who can score.”
In game two, Lethbridge prevailed 67-61. The Queens jumped out to an early lead but the Kodiaks kept pounding the ball inside to 6-6 Laurie Hockridge and 6-0 Virginia Judd to rally within 13-12. But Hockridge soon picked up three fouls and the Queens, in turn, began pounding the ball inside to 6-3 Carol Bot. But she soon picked up her third foul, as well as a technical, which sent her to the bench with her fourth. “With tight officiating like that the deeper team is going to come through and win,” Kodiaks coach John Jasiukiewicz later noted. Virginia Judd hit four consecutive buckets to give Lethbridge a 26-22 lead in the first half and added a buzzer beater as the Kodiaks took a 34-26 lead into the lockers. “She is a big-time player,” said Jasiukiewicz. “She wants the ball in a close game.” Bot rallied Red Deer within 48-43 in the second half and Mary Lynn Lang hit a pair of buckets to trim the margin to one. But Rhonda Wensman and Virginia Judd nailed perimeter jumpers to restore a working margin. The Queens again rallied within 63-57 but Bot fouled out and Kodiaks Terri Fields and Carri Kuntz iced it at the free throw line. Virginia Judd led Lethbridge with 26. Rhonda Wensman added 15. Carol Bot paced the Queens with 13. Robin Purnell added 13. Jasiukiewicz said point guard Maxine Wensman as masterful. “I can’t say enough about the way she controlled the game. When you have a point guard like her, you can go just about anywhere.”
The silver medalist Red Deer Queens: Robyn Purnell; Mary Lynn Lang; Carol Bot; Robyn Purnell; Lorna Stielow; Dawn Foster;
The gold medalist Lethbridge Kodiaks: Maxine Wensman; Laurie Hockridge; Chris Field; Virginia Judd; Rhonda Wensman; Terri Fields; Carrie Kuntz; Michelle Van Staalduinen; Kristy Baily; Lori Plontke; coach John Jasiukiewicz