REGULAR SEASON
| GREAT PLAINS | CENTRAL | ||||||||
| Regina | 18-2 | 33-5 | Jeff Speedy | Saskatchewan | 11-9 | 19-14 | Lisa Thomaidis | ||
| Winnipeg | 13-7 | 29-11 | Tanya McKay | Calgary | 9-11 | 15-16 | Shawnee Harle | ||
| Manitoba | 11-9 | 19-14 | Pam Danis | Lethbridge | 7-13 | 8-17 | Shannon Frier-Finnie | ||
| Brandon | 4-16 | 8-22 | Les Barry | Alberta | 5-15 | 9-22 | Trix Baker | ||
| PACIFIC | |||||||||
| U.B.C. | 16-4 | 27-7 | Deb Huband | ||||||
| Victoria | 13-7 | 20-9 | Brian Cheng | ||||||
| Simon Fraser | 12-8 | 19-12 | Bruce Langford | ||||||
| Trinity Western | 1-19 | 2-21 | Danielle Gardner | ||||||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Alberta Pandas: Diane Smith, Cristi Allan, Stephanie Stolk, Melissa Penner, Karen Lodge, Carly McLennan, Michelle Smith, Erika Ganger, Carlie Paxton, Carmen Gassner, Katie West, Colleen Yukes, Sarah van Hooydonk, Krista Ciura, Nadine Pyzyk, coach Trix Kannekens-Baker
Brandon Bobcats: Semra Ilhan, Marsha Murdock, Sherelle Carvery, Marrla Evans, Nikkina Weaselhead, Kate Begley, Stephanie Hooft, Rhiana Wall, Sokrorn Chhoeun, Janey Bradford, Jennalee Burch, Amy Ferner, Hillary Johnson, coach Les Berry, assistant Steve Bauer, assistant Gil Cheung
Lethbridge Pronghorns: Kim Bridge, Amanda Edlund, Heidi Somerville, Ciana Gregorio, Jen Loraas-Pletsch, Angela Thompson, Chantelle Kennedy, Jessica Lynch, Candace Thompson, Jaime Tschritter, Lindy Lauder, Aimee Sandham, coach Shannon Frier
Trinity Western Spartans: Samantha Hill, Taylor Stuart, Heidi DeHaan, Lee Wedlake, Shannon Lockhart, Roslynn Fast, Angela Booy, Trish Turner, Kaitlin Burns, Kelly Konrad, Rachel Leyenhorst, Heather Van Wieren, Kelsey Smith, Alea Beaumont, coach Danielle Gardner
In the quarterfinals, U.B.C. defeated Manitoba 82-67; 71-73; 61-50 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In the opener, U.B.C. thrashed Manitoba 82-68. Sheila Townsend was the difference in a tight ballgame, capping a crucial 7-0 run with a pull-up jump shot that made it 64-56 with eight minutes remaining. The T-Birds soon stretched their lead to double figures and coasted. “Sheila was outstanding and her shot selection was excellent tonight,” said UBC coach Deb Huband. “I thought our shooting overall was very good. We had young players coming off the bench and giving us a boost in a pressure game and that says a lot about their character.” Townsend, a fourth-year point guard, scored 30, including 11-18 from the field, 3-6 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 5 assists. The T-Birds led 38-34 at the half. Carri Watson added 15 on 5-6 from the floor, 5-5 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists. Kelsey Blair scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor and 10 boards. Kim Howe scored 5, while Amanda Beers was scoreless. Cait Haggarty added 12 off the bench on 4-4 from the arc, while Erica McGuinness scored 11 on 4-7 from the floor. Tina Lum scored 3, while Letah Beck and Jane Meadwell were scoreless. The T-Birds shot 30-49 (.612) from the floor, 7-11 (.636) from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 14 assists, 24 turnovers and 8 steals, including 4 by Watson. Anna Drewniak led Manitoba with 26 points on 9-11 from the floor, 8-9 from the line and 6 boards. Diana Gray scored 12 on 5-8 from the floor and 3 assists. Jayne Legal-Antoniuk scored 11 on 5-9 from the floor. Lynda Guy scored 11 on 5-13 from the floor, while Rachel Hart scored 3 on 1-7 from the floor. Sara Hrehoriak and Katie Loewen each scored 2 off the bench, while Sopear Chhin, Sarah Holder and Vicki Latter were scoreless. The Bison shot 27-59 (.458) from the floor, 3-12 (.250) from the arc and 10-11 from the line, while garnering 21 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 9 assists, 20 turnovers, 1 block and 14 steals, including 3 apiece by Hart and Holder. …………………………………………………… In game two, Manitoba rallied from an 18-point deficit in the final 13 minutes to eke out a 73-71 win. UBC extended its 42-32 halftime lead to 61-43 midway through the final frame before Manitoba caught fire. The Bisons went on a 16-0 run over a seven-minute span, making good on 9-12 field-goal attempts, including back-to-back Lynda Guy triples that cut the deficit to 61-59 with less than eight minutes to play. The Bisons took their first lead since the opening minutes on an Anna Drewniak jump shot that made it 70-69 with 2:16 remaining. Carrie Watson put UBC back in the lead with a short-range jumper of her own before Manitoba tied it at 71-71 on a Diana Gray free throw, then went ahead by two when Rachel Hart drove the lane for a layup with 19 seconds remaining. UBC had two chances to tie, including a wide open lay up for Watson with three seconds remaining, but the fifth-year guard missed her mark and the clock ran out. “When they realized they were down and had 10 minutes to go in their season, they just started firing and we did a very poor job with our perimeter defence, we had no help defence and we gave them very quick and easy ways to score,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. “We went away from what was working for us. They made a few adjustments defensively and we didn’t make very good decisions handling their pressure. . . We had them on the ropes and we let them back in.” Lynda Guy led Manitoba with 17 points on 6-9 from the floor and 5-6 from the arc. Diana Gray added 15 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3-6 from the line. Anna Drewniak scored 15 on 6-12 from the floor and 6 boards. Rachel Hart scored 9 on 3-3 from the floor, while Jayne Legal-Antoniuk scored 2. Sophear Chhin added 6 off the bench, while Sara Hrehoriak scored 4, Katie Loewen 3 and Sarah Holder 2. The Bison shot 28-55 (.509) from the floor, 8-13 (.615) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 14 boards, including 2 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 12 assists, 11 turnovers and 11 steals, including 4 by Drewniak. Kelsey Blair led UBC with 22 points on 10-12 from the floor and 7 boards. Kim Howe scored 11 on 4-8 from the floor and 4 boards. Carrie Watson scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 2 boards. Sheila Townsend scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and Amanda Beers 3 on 1-3 from the floor and 6 boards. Erica McGuinness added 9 off the bench on 3-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Tim Lum scored 5 and grabbed 6 boards. Cait Haggarty scored 5 and Jane Meadwell 3, while Letah Beck was scoreless. The T-Birds shot 28-53 (.528) from the floor, 4-7 (.571) from the arc and 11-15 (.733) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 16 assists, 22 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals. …………………………………………………… In game three, U.B.C. earned its first trip to the nationals since 1994 by defeating the Bisons 61-50. “There was a lot on the line, and it’s tough to stay focused on each possession when you know that not only the (Canada West) final four hinges on this win but our first trip to the nationals in nine years,” said coach Deb Huband. Fifth-year senior Carrie Watson was elated. “I figured five years, I had five shots to get there, so it had to happen sometime.” Sheila Townsend led UBC with 15 points on 4-17 from the floor and 7-10 from the line. Carrie Watson scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor and 10 boards. Kelsey Blair scored 10 on 5-10 from the floor and 6 boards. Amanda Beers scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Kim Howe scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor and 4 assists. Cait Haggarty added 6 off the bench, while Tina Lum scored 4 and Erica McGuinness 2. Letah Beck was scoreless. The T-Birds shot 22-60 (.367) from the floor, 3-11 (.273) from the arc and 14-21 from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 10 assists, 13 turnovers, 5 blocks and 7 steals. Lynda Guy led Manitoba with 17 points on 7-13 from the floor and 3-5 from the arc. Anna Drewniak scored 12 on 6-12 from the floor and 10 boards. Diana Gray scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor. Jayne Legal-Antoniuk and Rachel Hart were scoreless, although Hart grabbed 6 boards. Sarah Holder scored 8 off the bench, while Sara Hrehoriak notched 4. Sopear Chhin and Katie Loewen were scoreless. The Bisons shot 19-53 (.358) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 12 assists, 21 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. The Bisons (coached by Pam Danis) also included Diana Amenyogbe, Vicki Latter, Erin Belous and Melanie Schlicter.
Simon Fraser defeated Victoria 64-73; 76-59; 67-62 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… Victoria prevailed 73-64 in game one. After building a 42-36 halftime lead, the Vikes never trailed in the second half. Simon Fraser got to within three points at 56-53 midway through the final period but Victoria went on a 10-2 run to re-establish its lead. The Clan managed to get the ball inside to their post players down the stretch and lifted its defensive intensity to close the gap to eight, 69-61, with 3:29 left, but Victoria held on for the win. Dani Everitt paced the Vikings with 25 points on 9-15 from the floor, 6-6 from the arc and 7 assists. Jody Potts scored 12 on 2-6 from the floor, 8-10 from the line and 4 assists. Jania Mynott scored 11 on 4-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Krystal O’Byrne scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor and 4 boards, while Lindsay Hewson was scoreless while dishing out three assists. Jennifer Diana scored 7 off the bench, while Pamela Reinke scored 6 and Leanne Shenton 6. Beckie MacDonald was scoreless. The Vikings shot 25-45 (.556) from the floor, 5-8 (.625) from the arc and 18-22 (.818) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 23 assists, 17 turnovers and 2 steals. Dani Langford led the Clan with 17 points on 5-11 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 5 assists. Morgan McLaughlin scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor. Kelsie Thu scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor. Maren Corrigal scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Julia Wilson scored 5 on 3-4 from the line. Jennifer McLeod added 9 off the bench on 4-6 from the floor before fouling out. Lisa Sigurdson added 8 on 3-9 from the floor and boards. Laura van den Boogard scored 3 and Jacquie Kenyon 2, while Courtney Brown was scoreless. The Clan shot 22-53 (.415) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 15-21 (.714) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 16 assists, 10 turnovers and 9 steals. …………………………………………………… In game two, SFU evened the series by shooting .600 in the second half to beat the Vikings 76-59. Julia Wilson led the Clan with 22 points on 7-8 from the floor, 8-10 from the line and 12 boards. Morgan McLaughlin added 14 on 6-6 from the floor and 3 boards. Dani Langford scored 12 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 7 assists. Maren Corrigal scored 8 on 3-13 from the floor, while Kelsie Thu notched 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Jennifer McLeod added 9 off the bench on 3-8 from the floor. Lisa Sigurdson scored 4, while Jacquie Kenyon and Laura van den Boogaard were scoreless. The Clan shot 26-53 (.491) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 19-23 (.826) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 23 assists, 12 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals, including 3 by Langford. Jania Mynott led Saskatchewan with 17 points on 7-16 from the floor and 5 boards. Jody Potts scored 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 6 assists. Dani Everitt scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor and 4 assists. Lindsay Hewson scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc. Krystal O’Byrne was scoreless, while dishing out 6 assists. Jennifer Diana added 11 off the bench on 3-5 from the floor and 5-7 from the line, while Pamela Reinke and Leanne Shenton each scored 4. Beckie MacDonald was scoreless. The Vikings shot 22-47 (.468) from the floor, 3-7 (.429) from the arc and 12-18 (.667) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 20 assists, 18 turnovers and 5 steals. Simon Fraser University scored 27 points in the final seven minutes to pull out the win. Facing elimination, the Clan scored 47 second-half points. Leading 49-48 with 7:19 to play, SFU outscored the Vikes 27-11 down the stretch. “Julia (Wilson) really stepped up and took over the game when we needed her most,” said Clan coach Bruce Langford. “She played with passion and determination and when she plays like that she is very difficult to guard.” Back to back treys from Maren Corrigal and Dani Langford quickly gave the Clan the lead. Neither squad could manage to amass a comfortable lead until with eight minutes to go the Vikes unleashed a 12-4 four-minute run which put them up 28-20. Simon Fraser responded by forcing the ball inside to their tall forwards, resulting in easy baskets and bringing the margin back to two. At the half, Victoria led 31-29. The Vikes jumped out quickly after the break, surprising the Clan and taking an eight-point lead 39-31 after four minutes. SFU stepped up on the defensive end, not giving up any good looks and forcing several Vic turnovers. Simon Fraser continued to pound the ball inside, with Julia Wilson leading the charge. The Clan exploded with four minutes to play, closing it out with a 15-3 run. “It seemed like all of a sudden we were playing scared when we shouldn’t have been,” said Vikes guard Jody Potts. “They were fighting for their lives, and we let them.” Clan coach Bruce Langford said “I think we played with more fire, with more passion. I think we competed harder.” Victoria coach Brian Cheng called the game “a bit disjointed. … We were trying to find a way to play. We didn’t come together as tightly as we needed to. … If Dani gets taken out, the whole team has to come out and show what we’re about. They just got after us for 40 continuous minutes. We were just tentative going down the stretch. We went out of rhythm,” Cheng said. “They got off on us, and we couldn’t stop the bleeding.” …………………………………………………… In game three, Simon Fraser rallied from a 34-32 halftime deficit to pull out a 67-62 win. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the first half with each side going on mini runs of four to six points. SFU built a seven-point lead before the Vikes charged back to take the two-point lead with two minutes to play from the hot shooting of Lindsay Hewson and Jania Mynott, each with 9. The score at the half was 34-32. The second half resembled the first. The turning point came mid-way through the half with the Clan going out on a 10-0 run, putting them ahead by five. With the lead, SFU slowed down the pace offensively but kept up the pressure defensively. With time running down, UVic’s only option was to throw up the big three. Jen Diana hit a large three with under two go, giving the Vikes a glimmer of hope but in the end the hope turned to despair. Kelsie Thu and Dani Langford each scored 14. Thu was 4-9 from the floor and 5-6 from the line. Langford was 3-8 from the floor, 8-9 from the line and grabbed 7 boards. Morgan McLaughlin scored 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 5 boards. Maren Corrigal scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Lisa Sigurdson was scoreless. Julia Wilson added 13 off the bench on 5-11 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 6 boards. Jennifer MacLeod scored 7 and Laura van den Boogaard 2, while Jacquie Kenyon was scoreless. The Clan shot 21-56 (.375) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 23-25 (.920) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 17 assists, 10 turnovers, 2 blocks and 3 steals. “I kept looking at the clock and it was on my mind that it was time we started to create something offensively,” said Clan captain Dani Langford. Coach Bruce Langford noted that “when we play with our heads and with our hearts we play a lot better and we play together. When every possession matters, like it did tonight, we just seem to come together as a team, get after loose balls, grab important rebounds and raise the level of our play. I told the team (midway through the second half) we had to start taking wise shots, we had to have a lot more patience setting up the offense to allow our rebounders to get in place. Every trip down the floor was tense but someone always came up with a big play grabbing a rebound or hitting clutch free throws.” Langford was relieved. “Holy smokes. I think we really dug deep. We took our tired bodies as far as we had to.” Vikes guard Dani Everitt said “it’s going to hurt for a while, but they’re a good team, and they played better than we did today. We played with heart. We played as a team, and we lost as a team.” Krystal O’Byrne led Victoria with 13 points on 6-13 from the floor and 7 boards. Janie Mynott added 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 3 boards before fouling out. Lindsay Hewson scored 9 on 2-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Dani Everitt scored 8 on 4-9 from the floor and 4 assists. Jody Potts scored 7 on 2-8 from the floor, 10 boards and 10 assists. Jennifer Diana added 10 off the bench on 2-5 from the arc. Beckie MacDonald and Pamela Reinke each scored 2, while Leanne Shenton was scoreless. The Vikings shot 20-53 (.377) from the floor, 3-18 (.167) from the arc and 19-28 (.679) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 18 assists, 13 turnovers and 4 steals. The Vikings (coached by Brian Cheng) also included Aimee Faulk and Andrea van Knoll.
Regina defeated Calgary 52-37; 64-46 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, the Cougars prevailed 52-37. Regina led 24-20 at the half. Leah Anderson led the Cougars with 15 points on 5-10 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 4 boards. Cymone Bouchard scored 12 on 2-7 from the floor, 8-8 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Phoebe De Ciman scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor. Lara Schmidt scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and Jana Schweitzer 4 on 2-5 from the floor. Tara Crosson and Maja Kralovcova each scored 44 off the bench, while Laura Hunko and Danny Ash each scored 2. Leane Phillips, Shannon Funk and Alexis MacDonald were scoreless. The Cougars shot 19-45 (.422) from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 14-15 (.933) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 17 assists, 19 turnovers and 9 steals, including 3 by Bouchard. Shari Jonker led Calgary with 11 points off the bench on 3-3 from the floor and 5-6 from the line. Tanya Hautala and Lindsay Maundrell each scored 8 for Calgary. Hautala was 3-10 from the floor, while Maundrell was 2-6 from the floor, 4-8 from the line and had 5 boards. Jade Jensen scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, while Katherine Adams and Cory Bekkering were scoreless. Michelle Stiphout added 3 off the bench, while Pam Weatherbee, Chantal Corbett and Alison Leathwood were scoreless. The Dinnies shot 11-27 (.407) from the floor, 2-8 (.250) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 19 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 7 assists, 24 turnovers and 9 steals, including 4 by Bekkering and 3 by Maundrell. The Cougars took a quick 6-0 lead after a minute and a half. Lindsay Maundrell brought the Dinos back, scoring a pair of free throws and a couple of baskets in the next two minutes. Leah Anderson managed a basket and two from the charity stripe for Regina. Jade Jensen scored on a tough putback to keep the Dinos close. Tanya Hautala hit a field goal from the top of the key to tie the score at 12 with just over nine minutes remaining. At the 8:33 mark, Calgary’s starting centre, Cory Bekkering picked up her 2nd personal foul as did Regina’s Cymone Bouchard a minute later. Maundrell got called for her 2nd personal foul at the 4:38 mark and Bekkering got number 3 seventeen seconds later. Down 18-12 at this point, Coach Shawnee Harle elected to keep her starters in the game. Shari Jonker hit a bucket and added two free throws in the closing minutes of the half. With the score 24-17 for Regina, Hautala hit a big trey as time wound down to bring the Dinos to within four at 24-20 at the break. Lara Schmidt opened the scoring for Regina in the second half. Jonker’s two free throws interrupted a string of seven straight points from Leah Anderson. Six minutes into the half, Regina had opened a 33-22 lead. Calgary went flat over the next few minutes and their first field goal of the second half came at 10:10. Regina at the same time had gone on a 16-4 run. With 9:13 left, the Cougars were up 40-26. The Regina lead grew to 48-29 at 4:20. Tanya Hautala hit a three with 3:51, bringing the score to 48-32. On this play, Hautala fell awkwardly and twisted her ankle. She was carried off the floor and did not return to the game. Maja Kralovcova hit two baskets in a row for Regina to open a 20-point lead before the clock mercifully expired. Regina coach Jeff Speedy was his team’s defensive patience against Calgary’s stalls. “I thought we handled it pretty well. We kept them under 40 points – part of that had to do with them holding on to the ball – but I liked our defence.” Asked why the Dinosaurs tried to slow the game to a crawl, Calgary coach Shawnee Harle said “when you don’t have the same talent as the team you’re playing, it makes no sense to play conventional basketball. On paper, we know that we don’t match up, player for player, with them . . . We’re trying to pull a rabbit out of our hat.” Cougar Leah Anderson said “once we got up by 10, we said we wanted to keep going with that lead. We knew that if we could get the lead up to 15 or 20, if they were going to take that long to bring the ball up and that long to shoot the ball, they were going to run out of time to make a comeback.” …………………………………………………… Regina swept the series by pounding Calgary 64-46 in game two. The Cougars led 29-18 at the half. Cymone Bouchard paced Regina with 27 points on 9-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 8-8 from the line, while handing out 3 assists. Jana Schweitzer scored 7 on 4-6 from the line and 4 assists. Leah Anderson scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor and 3 assists. Phoebe Di Ciman scored 6 on 3-9 from the floor and 4 boards. Lara Schmidt scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor. Tara Crosson added 4 off the bench, while Laura Hunko, Danny Ash, Leane Phillips and Shannon Funk each scored 2. Alexis MacDonald and Maja Kralovcova were scoreless. The Cougars shot 22-46 (.478) from the floor, 3-7 (.429) from the arc and 17-19 (.895) from the line, while garnering 21 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 16 assists, 16 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals, including 6 by Bouchard. It was the Cymone Bouchard show early as the she scored 14 and pilfered the ball five times in the first half. With the score knotted at 8-8, Regina ripped off a 14-0 run while leaving the Dinosaurs scoreless for seven minutes. Lindsay Maundrell finally broke the drought with a circus shot and Michelle Stiphout added a post bucket as Calgary rallied back within 22-12 and then 29-18 at the half. Calgary quickly closed the gap in the second frame. Stiphout and Katherine Adams each hit buckets, while Shari Jonker drained a trey as the Dinosaurs cut the margin to 31-25. But Phoebe De Ciman hit a pair of buckets in the paint, Jana Schweitzer added a free throw, Bouchard stole the ball for a transition layup and Lara Schmidt hit a trey as Regina regained a 46-31 lead. Calgary refused to fold. Weatherbee hit a pair of free throws and Cory Bekkering added a mid-range jumper. But Bouchard went another tear as Regina regained a 51-36 lead and romped. “We set a goal to give ourselves the opportunity to win the Canada West title on our floor,” Regina coach Jeff Speedy said. “I don’t know if we’re going to win it, but we’ve given ourselves the opportunity to play for a banner in our gym. Shari Jonker and Lindsay Maundrell each scored 10 for Calgary. Jonker was 3-8 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and had 7 assists. Maundrell was 4-12 from the floor and had 77 boards. Cory Bekkering scored 6 on 4-9 from the floor. Jade Jensen scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor, while Katherine Adams scored 2 and grabbed 3 boards. Michelle Stiphout added 10 off the bench on 5-6 from the floor and 4 boards. Alison Leathwood scored 3 and Pam Weatherbee 2. Calgary shot 16-36 (.444) from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 11-20 (.550) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 15 assists, 24 turnovers and 5 steals. Calgary played without off-guard Tanya Hautala, who’d twisted an ankle a night earlier. The Dinos (coached by Shawnee Harle) also included Jessica Foltinek, Chantal Corbett and Britt Grydeland.
In the last quarterfinal, Winnipeg defeated Saskatchewan 80-67; 75-52 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Winnipeg stormed to an 80-67 win. The Wesmen led 39-36 at the half. Heather Thompson paced Winnipeg with 17 points off the bench on 8-10 from the floor, 13 boards and 3 steals. Janet Wells scored 16 on 6-13 from the floor and 4 boards. JoAnne Wells scored 13 on 5-11 from the floor and 4 boards. Uzo Asagwara scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor. Kate Daniels scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor. Stefanie Timmersman added 10 off the bench on 5-7 from the floor, while Val Carson, Melanie Talastas and Jae Pirnie were scoreless. Winnipeg shot 33-63 (.524) from the floor, 4-12 from the arc and 10-10 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 10 assists, 14 turnovers and 5 steals. Jodi Bevan led Saskatchewan with 18 points on 5-13 from the floor, 4-12 from the arc and 4-4 from the line. Ashley Dutchak added 17 on 6-13 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 4 assists and 5 steals. Sarah Crooks scored 12 on 6-8 from the floor and 9 boards. Sharlene Cooper notched 9 on 3-9 from the floor and 4 assists, while Jill Stein scored 5. Catherine Lieffers scored 4, while Shaina Swidrovich and Lisa Glemser each scored 1. Lisa Bodnarus was scoreless. Saskatchewan shot 23-53 (.434) from the floor, 6-24 (.250) from the arc and 15-24 (.625) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 13 assists, 15 turnovers, 2 blocks and 8 steals. The Wesmen broke open the game early in the second half. “That’s been our story all season – we’ve struggled in the first half, and picked it up in the second half,” said guard JoAnne Wells. “We’re really trying to put a whole game together, and hopefully (tonight) we can go out and do that.” Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis said that “defensively, we just weren’t there. If we allow Winnipeg to move the ball and get what they want in terms of their offensive execution, they’re going to score lots of points like tonight. We need to bring a better effort at the defensive end; it’s as simple as that. Credit to Winnipeg – they fought back, they got the turnovers and they made the shots when they needed them.” …………………………………………………… Winnipeg swept the series by pounding Saskatchewan 75-52 in game two. The Huskies opened with two treys from Sharlene Cooper as they took an early 6-2 lead. Saskatchewan rallied to knot the score at 11 before Winnipeg took a 30-20 lead on the strength of a 12-2 run. Winnipeg led by nine at the break and in the second half, Heather Thompson took command as they moved ahead by as many as 28 and romped. Heather Thompson again led Winnipeg with 15 points off the bench on 6-9 from the floor and 8 boards. Uzo Asagwara scored 12 on 4-9 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. JoAnne Wells notched 11 on 5-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Kate Daniels scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor before fouling out. Sally Kaznica scored 6 on 2-6 from and 6 assists. Janet Wells scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor and 6 boards. Stefanie Timmersman added 6 off the bench, while Lindsay de Leeuw scored 4, Val Darson 4 and Melanie Talastas 2. Jae Pirnie and Michelle Roots were scoreless. Winnipeg shot 31-57 (.544) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 9-11 (.818) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 14 assists, 17 turnovers and 13 steals. The Wesmen qualified for their third consecutive Canada West Conference Final Four. “I am very pleased we got in through the front door,” said coach Tanya McKay. “We didn’t like the idea of slipping in just as hosts.” Saskatchewan coach Lisa Thomaidis said “we chose a bad time to shoot poorly. It’s so disappointing, for sure. You go so hard for so long, and to have it end like that is really tough. They’ve worked so hard since September; this is what you build towards, and to have it cut off unexpectedly is a big disappointment. Things just ground to a halt.” Jill Stein led Saskatchewan with 11 points on 5-13 from the floor and 8 boards. Jodi Bevan scored 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 3 boards. Sharlene Cooper scored 6 on 2-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc and 4 boards. Sarah Crooks scored 6 on 2-7 from the floor and 11 boards. Ashley Dutchak scored 2 on 1-12 from the floor. Lisa Bodnarus scored 7 off the bench. Shaina Swidrovich scored 6, Catherine Lieffers 5 and Lisa Glemser 1. Adrianne Vangool was scoreless. Saskatchewan shot 18-63 (.286) from the floor, 5-23 (.217) from the arc and 11-23 (.478) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 8 assists, 20 turnovers and 8 steals. The Huskies (coached by Lisa Thomaidis, assisted by Allison Fairbrother) also included Suzanne Harriman, Katherine Keys and Andrea Gislason.
In the Final Four semis, U.B.C. defeated Winnipeg 78-68. The two teams started slowly, with little offence in the first five minutes, but turned it on the rest of the way as the Thunderbirds took a 34-30 lead into the break. In the second half, led by freshman guard Erica McGuiness, UBC pulled away. Erica McGuinness led UBC with 22 points off the bench on 7-11 from the floor, 6-10 from the arc and 2-2 from the line, while dishing out 4 assists. Sheila Townsend scored 16 on 4-13 from the floor and 8-8 from the line. Kelsey Blair scored 16 on 5-11 from the floor and 7 boards. Kim Howe scored 13 on 4-7 from the floor. Carrie Watson notched 9 on 2-8 from the floor, 11 boards and 7 assists, while Amanda Beers was scoreless while dishing out 3 assists. Cait Haggarty added 2 off the bench, while Letah Beck, Jane Meadwell and Tina Lum were scoreless. The T-Birds shot 23-56 (.411) from the floor, 6-14 (.429) from the arc and 26-29 (.897) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 21 assists, 20 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. JoAnne Wells led Winnipeg with 19 points on 4-6 from the floor, 11-12 from the line and 9 boards. Sally Kaznica added 13 on 5-9 from the floor and 5 assists before fouling out. Janet Wells scored 9 on 3-10 from the floor, while Kate Daniels scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor. Jae Pirnie added 4 off the bench, while Heather Thompson scored 3 and Stefanie Timmersman 2, while Melanie Talastas was scoreless. Winnipeg shot 23-57 (.404) from the floor, 5-15 (.333) from the arc and 17-21 (.810) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 16 assists, 15 turnovers and 11 steals, including 3 by Thompson.
In the other semi, Regina thumped Simon Fraser 75-51. The Cougars took a commanding 47-28 lead at the half. Jana Schweitzer led Regina with 22 points on 8-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 5 assists and 4 steals. Lara Schmidt scored 14 on 6-8 from the line. Leah Anderson and Cymone Bouchard each notched 11 on 5-9 from the floor. Bouchard added 4 steals. Phoebe Di Ciman scored 4 and grabbed 6 boards. Leane Phillips and Maja Kralovcova each scored 4 off the bench, while Alexis MacDonald scored 2. Laura Hunko, Tara Crosson and Danny Ash each added 1, while Shannon Funk was scoreless. The Cougars shot 31-59 (.525) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 9-20 (.450) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 23 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 11 steals. Lisa Sigurdson led the Clan with 16 points on 4-7 from the floor and 8-8 from the line. Maren Corrigal added 6 on 2-7 from the floor. Kelsie Thu scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Dani Langford scored 3 on 1-8 from the floor, while Morgan McLaughlin scored 2 and grabbed 5 boards. Jennifer MacLeod scored 11 off the bench on 3-8 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 6 boards. Laura van den Boogaard scored 5 and Julia Wilson 3, while Jennifer McElgunn, Jacquie Kenyon and Courtney Brown were scoreless. The Clan shot 15-51 (.294) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 16-17 (.941) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 21 turnovers and 4 steals. “(Being in the final) is awesome, but do you know what’s even better? That we can win it on our home floor,” Cougars guard Jana Schweitzer said. “The fans made the difference. When we got off to that great start, the fans got behind us and we just built on it. We talked about it before the game and (head coach Jeff) Speedy said, ‘If you hit a three, go high-five one of the fans.’ We played off our fans. … Our defence was getting stops, they weren’t getting more than one shot and we were running it down their throat.” Clan guard Jennifer MacLeod said that “obviously, we didn’t play up to our potential. We weren’t competing as hard as we can. Now we have to regroup.” Regina coach Jeff Speedy noted that Simon Fraser is “arguably the best offensive team in the conference. They have five or six people who can put double figures on the board. We’re going to have to be very, very good (tonight). They’re a scoring machine.” UBC guard Erica McGuinness called it her “best shooting game of the season. My teammates were really looking for me a lot and they found me when I was open.”
In the bronze medal match, Simon Fraser defeated Winnipeg 78-65, despite trailing 31-30 at the half. Kelsie Thu led SFU with 16 points on 6-15 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 2 steals. Lisa Sigurdson added 14 on 4-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Morgan McLaughlin scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Dani Langford scored 9 on 3-6 from the arc, 8 assists and 5 boards. Maren Corrigal scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor and 7 boards. Julia Wilson added 14 off the bench on 6-13 from the floor and 10 boards. Laura Van den Boogaard scored 3, Jennifer MacLeod 2 and Jacquie Kenyon 1, while Courtney Brown was scoreless. The Clan shot 26-62 (.419) from the floor, 10-22 (.455) from the arc and 16-18 (.889) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 20 assists, 19 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Kate Daniels led Winnipeg with 18 points on 8-12 from the floor and 6 boards before fouling out. JoAnne Wells scored 17 on 8-15 from the floor and 4 boards. Sally Kaznica scored 9 on 2-11 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 12 assists. Janet Wells scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor and 7 boards, while Uzo Asagwara was scoreless. Heather Thompson added 9 off the bench on 4-7 from the floor, while Stefanie Timmersman scored 4. Melanie Talastas and Jae Pirnie were scoreless. Winnipeg shot 26-61 (.426) from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 10-12 (.833) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 21 assists, 11 turnovers, 2 blocks and 8 steals. The Wesmen (coached by Tanya McKay) also included Val Carson, Kristine Zatorsky, Michelle Roots and Lindsay de Leeuw.
In the championship final, Regina defeated U.B.C. 73-36 after taking a commanding 38-21 lead at the half and opened the second half with an 11-4 run to put the outcome out of reach. Cymone Bouchard led the Cougars with 18 points on 7-14 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 7 boards. Jana Schweitzer added 15 points on 4-9 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Phoebe De Ciman scored 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 4 boards. Lara Schmidt scored 9 on 4-5 from the floor, while Leah Anderson scored 4 and had 4 assists. Danny Ash added 7 off the bench, while Maja Kralovcova scored 4, Tara Crosson 3 and Leanne Phillips 3. Laura Hunko, Shannon Funk and Alexis MacDonald were scoreless. The Cougars shot 27-50 (.540) from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 16-18 (.889) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 19 assists, 12 turnovers, 5 blocks and 12 steals. Kelsey Blair led UBC with 11 points on 4-8 from the floor and 5 boards. Letah Beck added 6 on 3-5 I floor and 5 boards. Sheila Townsend scored 4 on 2-12 from the floor and 5 boards. Carrie Watson and Amanda Beers each scored 2. Erica McGuinness added 9 off the bench on 3-11 from the floor. Kim Howe and Jane Meadwell each scored 1, while Cait Haggarty, Jessie Evans, Caitlyn Pankratz and Tina Lum were scoreless. The T-Birds shot 13-53 (.245) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 8-14 (.571) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 10 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals. The win gave the Cougars their first Canada West title and they did before a home sellout at the Physical Activity Centre. The Cougars came out fast and furious with Lara Schmidt nailing two three pointers on her first two shots. The Cougars outscored the T-Birds 35-15 in the second half. “I don’t think we got the respect we deserved this year,” Cougars coach Jeff Speedy said. “I think people thought we won some games we didn’t deserve to win. But now that the dust is settling, we’re standing on top of the Canada West heap.” UBC’s Kelsey Blair noted that “it wasn’t pretty, by any standards. They’re a good team. This isn’t the worst thing in the world. We’re still the silver medalists and we’re going to nationals. Hopefully we get to play them again at nationals – and that’s when it really counts.” Regina rookie Maja Kralovcova noted “it means a lot for me in my first year to get a championship. Even to get to nationals gets you pumped for this year, but for the future, too. You’ll want to reach it every year.”
After the season, Donna Branch is appointed coach at Lethbridge. Branch was assistant coach for the Canada Basketball Center for performance before the taking the job and steered the Alberta midget girls to a national silver medal. Branch was also head coach of Taber W.R. Myers High since 2000. The former Pronghorn played from 1977-79 and was a two-time all-star.
The bronze medalist Simon Fraser Clan: Kelsie Thu; Lisa Sigurdson; Morgan McLaughlin; Dani Langford; Maren Corrigal; Julia Wilson; Laura Van den Boogaard; Jennifer MacLeod; Jacquie Kenyon; Courtney Brown; Lani Gibbons; Jennifer McElgunn; coach Bruce Langford
The silver medalist British Columbia Thunderbirds: Sheila Townsend, Carrie Watson; Kim Howe; Kelsey Blair; Amanda Beers; Cait Haggarty; Erica McGuinness; Letah Beck; Jane Meadwell; Tina Lum; Jessie Evans; Caitlyn Pankratz; Carolyn Horsley; Julie Little; coach Deb Huband
The champion Regina Cougars: Cymone Bouchard, Leah Anderson; Phoebe De Ciman; Jana Schweitzer; Lara Schmidt; Laura Hunko; Tara Crosson, Danny Ash; Leane Phillips; Shannon Funk; Maja Kralovcova; Alexis MacDonald; Janel Walker; Erica Schmidt; coach Jeff Speedy