CENTRALWEST
Alberta14-219-4Scott EdwardsFraser Valley15-316-6Al Tuchsherer
Lethbridge10-615-10Dave WaknukTrinity Western15-318-6Cheryl Jean-Paul
Calgary 7-916-10Damian JenningsVictoria11-713-11Carrie Watts
Mount Royal 5-11 7-17Robyn FleckensteinNorthern B.C. 8-1010-15Sergey Shchepotkin
MacEwan 4-12 6-17Katherine AdamsU.B.C. Okanagan 7-1111-15Bobby Mitchell
EASTU.B.C. 6-12 6-15Erin McAleenan
Saskatchewan14-221-5Lisa ThomaidisThompson Rivers 1-17 2-24Ken Olynyk
Winnipeg14-225-4Tanya McKay
Regina 8-819-9Dave Taylor
Manitoba 4-12 9-15Michele Sung-Hynes
Brandon 0-16 0-22James Bambury

In the opening round of the single-elimination postseason tournament: …………………………………………………… The 14th-seeded MacEwan Griffins clipped the 13th-seeded U.B.C. Okanagan Heat 69-63. The Griffins led 10-2 early and 22-21 after one quarter. The Heat led 39-37 at the half. The Griffins led 54-46 after three quarters and pulled out the win as Mackenzie Farmer notched 10 points in the final frame. Farmer said “in our team meeting (at halftime), we basically just came back on the same page. In the second quarter, we were all on a different page. People were trying to do too much. People weren’t doing enough. We were not on the same page. So, we regrouped, went over the game plan again and said we needed to stick to it. It was working. They might have a run, but it was only a two-point deficit at half. So, we said ‘We got this’. We came out (in the second half), we hit hard and we proved it. … At half-time, our coach talked to me and basically said I needed to be more aggressive,” Farmer continued. “It was the example of Noelle (Kilbreath) – a couple of times as soon as she beat her man, it was an open layup. UBCO’s a great team, but they (didn’t have great) backside help. Most of my points were layups in the paint. I didn’t hit a single three.” Griffins coach Katherine Adams said “for this group, it’s their first playoff experience. I think there were a little bit of nerves to start, coming out a little shaky. But it was a really gritty performance to come back after UBCO fought hard and got the lead in the first half.” Heat coach Bobby Mitchell said “I thought we played hard. The girls competed. MacEwan went on a couple of runs and we went on a couple of runs. We battled hard.” Mackenzie Farmer paced the Griffins with 26 on 9-21 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 8-12 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Noelle Kilbreath added 17 on 7-15 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Shannon Majeau notched 10 on 5-6 from the floor, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Mady Chamberlin scored 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 6 boards. Hayley Lalor added 3 on 1-3 from the arc, 6 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Mikah Reed scored 3 on 1-3 from the arc. Darian Mahmi added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 3 boards, 3 blocks and 2 steals, while Hannah Gibb was scoreless and nabbed 6 boards. The Griffins hit 27-60 (.450) from the floor, 5-25 from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 10 assists, 26 turnovers, 8 blocks and 16 steals. Jaeli Ibbetson paced the Heat with 17 on 7-20 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Kelsey Falk added 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 11 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Rachel Hare notched 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Alessia Brutto scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Brianna Falk added 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Aiko Williams notched 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2 assists. Lucy Faba added 3 on 1-5 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Abby Smith scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 assists, while Tori Kaczynski was scoreless and nabbed 2 boards. The Heat hit 24-72 (.333) from the floor, 6-18 from the arc and 9-17 (.529) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 14 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks and 12 steals. The Heat (coach Bobby Mitchell, assistant Lonny Mazurak, player development Lisa Nickle, advanced scouting Jody Vospter, student trainer Kailey Newell, student trainer Taylor Roller, therapist Jeff Thorburn, strength & conditioning Kevin Phillips, athletic director Tom Huisman) also included Kasey Patchell, Lauren Foullong, Neelam Rai, Melaina Corrado, Lucy Faba, Surprise Munie, Brianna Falk, Kelsey Watts, Tessa Burton, Emily Instant, redshirt Krista Carlson, redshirt Rachel Hall, redshirt? Ece Karahan and redshirt? Nicole Pajic. …………………………………………………… The 12th-seeded Manitoba Bisons clubbed the 15th-seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 74-55 after leading 10-2 early and 16-10, 36-24 and 56-45 at the quarters. The Bisons nailed 15 treys in the rout. Bison Lauren Bartlett said “I think we really came in today to compete and everybody was just giving 100 percent. Honestly that’s what won it for us at the end of the day, just that tenacity.” Thunderbird Hailey Counsell said “we came out a little bit slow and we tried to fight back. We kept chipping, we would go on runs, they’d go on runs and in the end we just couldn’t.” Lauren Bartlett paced the Bisons with 20 on 5-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Autumn Agar added 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 4 steals. Lovisa Fjellner notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 10 boards, 4 blocks and 2 steals. Taylor Randall scored 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Deidre Bartlett added 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Emerson Martin scored 7 on 2-16 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Talia Peters added 3 on 1-3 from the arc. Lauryn Manaigre scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc, while Lana Shypit and Emily Johnson were scoreless. Shypit nabbed 3 boards and dished 4 assists. Johnson nabbed 4 boards. The Bisons hit 24-70 (.343) from the floor, 15-36 (.417) from the arc and 11-15 (.733) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 16 assists, 19 turnovers, 7 blocks and 12 steals. Hailey Counsell paced the Thunderbirds with 26 on 10-25 from the floor, 4-17 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 4 boards. Kate Johnson added 8 on 3-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 9 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Emily Martindale notched 6 on 2-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Azalya Forstbauer scored 5 on 1-1 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Olivia Weeks added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 12 boards and 3 assists. Madison Legualt notched 4 on 2-7 from the floor and 10 boards. Sara Toneguzzi added 2 on 0-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 assists and 3 steals, while Dina Strujic, Katie Hartman and Katrina Fink were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 19-76 (.250) from the floor, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 12-20 (.600) from the line, while garnering 60 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 14 assists, 23 turnovers, 1 block and 11 steals. The Thunderbirds (coach Erin McAleenan, assistant Diana Lee, assistant Adriano Catena, assistant Lauren Yearwood, trainer Nicole Zilberman, trainer Riya Virdi, assistant strength & conditioning Amanda Jones, therapist Scott Fraser, mental performance Lauren McBride) also included Sofia Bergman, Kiara Kozak, Ryann Kristmanson, Sophia Kramer, Olivia Morgan-Cherchas, Madison Legault and Teigan Manson. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Northern British Columbia Timberwolves torched the 17th-seeded Brandon Bobcats 87-60. The Bobcats led 17-16 after one quarter. The Timberwolves led 43-25 at the half and 65-53 after three quarters. The Timberwolves dominated the glass on both ends of the floor, while the Bobcats were almost entirely reliant on perimeter bombs. Timberwolve Emma vanBruinessen said “we definitely had a conversation that Brandon was going to come out swinging. They haven’t won a game, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to come out tonight and trying to win. No team in this league is unbeatable. … We actually had a conversation before we came here about what our game plan is when we aren’t shooting well, but today I don’t think we really had to deal with that. We definitely shot lights out.” Bobcat Chelsea Misskey said “it was a tough one. I mean, this is our first playoff game. We’ve been in the playoffs maybe once before so I mean we were pretty nervous but we knew what we had to do. Shots weren’t hitting but we stuck together to the last minute and never gave up.” Bobcats coach James Bambury said his troops got a lift with 1.3 seconds to play in the third quarter when Andrea Taruc nailed a Hail Mary from midcourt. “Really, in the first quarter and the fourth quarter, I thought we played quite well. All year, our game plan was getting a three, getting to the paint, or keeping moving the ball. We kept getting wide open looks. Unfortunately, if you’re not going to make them, that’s the nature of the beast.” Emma vanBruinessen was chosen player of the game for the Timberwolves, while Clara Misskey earned the laurels for the Bobcats. Emma vanBruinessen paced the Timberwolves with 15 on 5-8 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 20 boards and 3 steals. Anastasia Soltes added 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Alina Shakirova notched 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Svetlana Boykova scored 11 on 3-11 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 12 boards. Rebecca Landry added 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc and 2 assists. Laura Garmendia Garcia scored 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 12 boards. Sarah Kuklisin added 10 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Lucy Guan notched 3 on 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 4 assists. Jenna Korolek added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 3 boards. Taylor Blais scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Adaiah Tupas-Singh was scoreless. The Timberwolves hit 29-69 (.420) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 22-27 (.815) from the line, while garnering 72 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 14 assists, 29 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. Piper Ingalls paced the Bobcats with 13 on 3-12 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 3 boards. Sydney Latrace added 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 4-11 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 steals. Adrianna Proulx notched 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Chelsea Misskey scored 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 2 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals. Reetta-Sofia Tulkki added 5 on 2-14 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc, 2 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Andrea Taruc-Montero scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 assists. Kelsey Starchuk added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3 boards, while Eden Tabin, Josie Grift, Sydney Teece, Noah Garcia and Beth Dueck were scoreless. Grift nabbed 3 boards and Tabin 2. The Bobcats hit 21-74 (.284) from the floor, 13-50 (.260) from the arc and 5-9 (.556) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 12 assists, 15 turnovers and 16 steals. The Bobcats (coach James Bambury, assistant Juan Mosquera, assistant Jamie Taggart) also included Sarah Hallett, Calli Yates and Bailey Johnson. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Mount Royal Cougars clubbed the 16th-seeded Thompson Rivers Wolfpack 75-54. The Wolfpack led 19-13 after one quarter. The Cougars led 33-29 at the half and 55-37 after three quarters. They took command with a 17-1 run in the third frame. Cougar Jenika Martens dominated the paint while point guard Abbey Wilkinson created endless opportunities for her teammates. Wilkinson said “the biggest thing about that is just momentum for us. We get excited about it and with momentum like that we’re tougher on defence too.” Cougars coach Robyn Fleckenstein said “some days you have to do enough good things to win and today we did enough good things to win. Wilkie was fearless with her scoring and we love that about her. It was nice to see that she really valued the ball today.” Wolfpack coach Ken Olynyk said Kyla Smith’s play kept Thompson Rivers in the contest. “She’s been our leader all year. Kyla’s been awesome, team captain, she’s someone I count on. I know what I’m going to get from her every night and she gave that tonight. I think it was great for us [to play MRU] because we’ve played them twice so at least there’s familiarity, and if there’s familiarity there’s a chance because you’re used to who they are.” Jenika Martens paced the Cougars with 15 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 8-11 from the line and 12 boards. Abbey Wilkinson added 14 on 4-10 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 steals. Tanis Metcalfe notched 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Jordan Blaskin notched 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Maddison Hooper added 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 3 boards. Julia Summers scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 steals. Jamie Lalor notched 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Rachel Osczevski scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-5 from the line, 7 boards and 4 steals, while Megan Wellinghurst, Nora Luca, Brittany Janzen, Isabella Faba and Marissa Richards were scoreless. The Cougars hit 24-67 (.358) from the floor, 9-33 (.273) from the arc and 18-32 (.563) from the line, while garnering 60 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 16 assists, 22 turnovers, 1 block and 15 steals. Kyla Smith paced the Wolfpack with 10 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Megan Rouault added 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Elana Sireni notched 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 6 boards. Jessica Orr scored 6 on 2-11 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Danijela Kovacevic added 6 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 assists and 4 steals. Nya Derkach notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor. Anneke Cairnie added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 9 boards and 2 assists. Kelsey Cruz scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 4 steals. Maggie Fehr added 2 on 0-1 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, while Carley Smigel, Karisham Rai, Priyanca Sundher, Keerat Sidhu, Amira Jensen and Josie Mackie were scoreless. Rai nabbed 2 boards. The Wolfpack hit 19-66 (.288) from the floor, 4-26 (.154) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 8 assists, 19 turnovers and 15 steals. The Wolfpack (coach Goran Nogic, assistant Emma Piggin, therapist Kevin Brechin, psychologist Joana Lima) also included Kathleen Fehr.

        In the second round: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded host Calgary Dinos clipped the 9th-seeded Victoria Vikes 70-58 after leading 15-13, 28-26 and 49-43 at the quarters. Pollyanna Storie notched a pair of treys, while Annacy Palmer drilled another as the Dinos took a slim lead after one quarter. Amelie Collin added a trey as Calgary extended its lead to 28-20 but a late layup from Ashlyn Day and a trey by Calli McMillan drew Victoria within two at the half. Calgary opened the second half with an 11-2 run and then Day took over in the paint as the Dinos coasted to the win. Dinos coach Damien Jennings said “in the game within the game, we’re trending in a good direction. We’ve been a team with some spells of some really fun basketball to watch, and then we have a habit of having a bit of a lull. It’s been one of those seasons. But, today we were just a little bit more solid. Anytime they came back at us, we were able to rectify just a little bit faster than in previous games.” Vikes coach Carrie Watts said “we knew it was going to be a physical battle. It is always interesting to play a team that you haven’t seen all year – we haven’t seen them in two years – so there is a bit of a feeling-out period in the first quarter to see how you match up with them. We struggled a little bit offensively and finding our rhythm. They did a good job putting some pressure and forcing us to play a little further away from the hoop than we wanted. Their defence impacted our ability to execute so hats off to them for that.” Veronika Lavergne paced the Dinos with 13 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 6 boards and 4 blocks. Pollyanna Storie added 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Annacy Palmer notched 11 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Amelie Collin scored 10 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Sydney Milum added 8 on 4-6 from the floor. Christy Fehr scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Reyna Crawford added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Mya Proctor scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 3 boards and 2 assists, while Lily Pink, Kamryn Deklerk and Jordyn Cullum were scoreless. The Dinos hit 25-61 (.410) from the floor, 9-23 (.391) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 20 assists, 24 turnovers, 7 blocks and 8 steals. Ashlyn Day paced the Vikes with 24 on 8-23 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Calli McMillan added 13 on 4-18 from the floor, 2-10 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Mimi Sigue notched 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 blocks. Sierra Reisig scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Brooklyn White added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 6 boards. Meike Boerstra scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Abigail Becker added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 4 boards. Aleah Ashlee scored 2 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals, while Nicole Torozan and Karsen Look were scoreless.

The Vikes hit 20-69 (.290) from the floor, 4-26 (.154) from the arc and 14-22 (.636) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 9 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 12 steals. The Vikes (coach Carrie Watts, assistant Lynn Montgomery, assistant Nicole Karstein, assistant Diane Schuetze) also included Hannah Walline, Tana Pankratz, Brooklyn Walbaum and Juliette Kladko. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Regina Cougars dispatched the 10th-seeded Northern British Columbia Timberwolves 77-66. The Cougars led 20-14 after one quarter and 39-32 at the half. The Timberwolves led 57-56 after three quarters. But their defence contained the Timberwolves down the stretch while the Cougars closed out the affair with a 21-9 run. Cougar player of the game Julia Vydrova, an import from Prague, Czech Republic, said “we were just wanting to play fast. They had a game yesterday, they were tired. Play fast. Get fouls. Get open shots.” Timberwolves post Alina Shakirova said “it was really competitive and really challenging and physical but I think both teams did a really good job. We lost today but we gave a good battle, we left it all out so it’s not like we gave up. We battled. We tried our best. We worked. I think everyone deserves to look at it and say yeah we did a good job.” Timberwolves guard Sarah Kuklisin said “I think this was one of our most consistent games. We worked hard from start to finish. People were crashing the boards, hustling for loose balls. The effort was there.” Julia Vydrova paced the Cougars with 22 on 10-17 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Faith Reid added 14 on 5-16 from the floor, 3-12 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jade Belmore notched 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 14 boards and 5 assists. Cara Misskey scored 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Madeleine Tell added 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 assists and 2 steals. Dayna Pearce scored 4 on 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Zoe Hartmann added 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Kaitlyn Tonita, Rachel Vanderhooft, Lauren Hodgins and Brenna Metz were scoreless. The Cougars hit 29-66 (.439) from the floor, 7-25 (.280) from the arc and 12-17 (.706) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 17 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals. Sveta Boykova led the Timberwolves with 15 on 7-19 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 9 boards. Alina Shakirova added 15 on 4-11 from the floor. 1-3 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 2 boards. Sarah Kuklisin notched 11 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-7 from the line and 3 boards. Anastasia Soltes scored 6 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 steals. Laura Garmendia Garcia added 6 on 1-3 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 3 boards. Emma vanBruinessen notched 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 11 boards and 2 assists. Rebecca Landry added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc. Lucy Guan scored 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Jenna Korolek was scoreless. The Timberwolves hit 20-60 from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 22-27 (.815) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 8 assists, 16 turnovers and 10 steals. The Timberwolves (coach Sergey Shchepotkin, assistant Dave Fuller, assistant Miranda Kynoch) also included Cevanna Carlson, Anastasia Soltes, Hanna Busic, Taylor Blais, Maggie Mowser and Adaiah Tupas-Singh. ……………………………………………………

The 5th-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns edged the 12th-seeded Manitoba Bisons 80-77. The Bisons led 17-16 after quarter and 44-41 at the half. The score was knotted at 60 after three quarters. But the Bisons were unable to contain Pronghorn player of the game Jessica Haenni down the stretch. Haenni attributed the win to “just our energy and our unity as a team. We’ve talked all year about playing as a team, and we pulled through I think by playing good defence. I think we’re really just focusing on playing our best basketball.” Bisons player of the game Autumn Agar said “I think just our team in general, we have some pretty mobile posts. So, looking for that inside, outside game is really important for us,” said Ager. “I think, luckily for us, we were playing our best basketball here at the end.” Jessica Haenni paced the Pronghorns with 26 on 10-18 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Amy Mazutinec added 20 on 7-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Danielle Nadeau notched 9 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2-4 from the line. Jessica Zarowny scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Savannah McMahon notched 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Isabel Rattai added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Makenna Ledgister scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Haily Weaver added 4 on 2-8 from the floor, 10 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Millay Johnson scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 3 boards, while Chloe DeKlerk, Aimee Wilson, Kirstina Turner, Kennedy Blaskin and Kyra Collier were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 31-67 (.463) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 15-26 (.577) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 10 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals. Autumn Agar paced the Bisons with 15 on 6-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Lauren Bartlett added 15 on 7-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Deidre Bartlett notched 15 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Taylor Randall scored 10 on 3-13 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Emerson Martin added 9 on 3-13 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Emily Johnson notched 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 9 boards. Lana Shypit added 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Lovisa Fjellner scored 3 on 1-3 from the arc and 5 boards, while Mikayla Simon-Tucker, Lauryn Manaigre, Izabella Marquez, Samantha Onyebucchi, Kendall Parker and Talia Peters were scoreless. The Bisons hit 30-75 (.400) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 9 assists, 20 turnovers and 12 steals. The Bisons (coach Michelle 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) also included Emily Johnson, redshirt Hope Dixon and redshirt Nikki Gebken. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Trinity Western Spartans dispatched the 14th-seeded MacEwan Griffins 77-71. The Spartans led 22-16 after one quarter. The Griffins led 32-31 at the half. The score was knotted at 50 after three quarters. The Spartans took command in the final frame with a 12-2 run capped by a Nicole Fransson jumper. Fransson said “the last two weeks we’ve had time off, so just practicing the easy looks and taking my time. I think I’ve been rushing all year and just made sure to finish the easy ones and get it done. … It was definitely different not having a lot of time to prepare, just finding out yesterday. But just trusting our teammates and trusting ourselves, we had each other’s back and we knew we could do it if we played our game.” Spartans coach Cheryl Jean-Paul said “we’ve been talking about handling pressure and distractions the last several weeks to get ready for this moment. It’s nice to see that – even though we dealt with both of those things – I thought at the end we handled it well. I thought we really finished well.” Jean-Paul quipped that Fransson’s dominant performance was probably a function of that fact that “she got new shoes. So we’re assuming it’s because she had her new shoes so I think those are now lucky shoes. But just – she had a dominant attitude today and it was really nice to see her play with confidence and that’s what we need from her for us to have success.” Jean-Paul added that when playing the Griffins “there are times where it’s pick your poison. We were really concerned with Farmer’s ability to get those back-to-baskets, but credit to number 12. She had a great game. That’s what it takes to win at this level. You need multiple players that can step up. That’s who stepped up for them tonight and we’re glad Nicole won the one-on-one scoring battle. We’ll put it that way.” Griffins coach Katherine Adams said “obviously, it’s disappointing. We came in and I thought we battled really hard.” Griffin Noelle Kilbreath said “I really think my teammates found me in good positions, so I was just thankful. I was just feeling it with the touch, so having confidence to take my shots, knowing I was going to make them and trusting the confidence my teammates put in me to make those shots. … We’re definitely proud of how we played today – just the grit and the fight. Having a player on the other team score 38 points is tough to stop.” Nicole Fransson paced the Spartans with 38 on 16-25 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Kianna Wiens added 11 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Hailey Van Roekel notched 11 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Jayden Gill scored 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Kailey Reimer added 3 on 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Jolene Vlieg scored 2 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 11 board, 3 assists and 3 steals. Shemaiah Abatayo added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3 assists, while Gracie Corneau and Jenna Gill were scoreless. The Spartans hit 27-63 (.429) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 19-22 (.864) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 18 assists, 2 turnovers, 6 blocks and 13 steals. Noelle Kilbreath paced the Griffins with 29 on 12-20 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Mackenzie Farmer added 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Hayley Lalor notched 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Darian Mahmi scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 4 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Shannon Majeau added 7 on 2-4 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Hannah Gibb scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards, while Mady Chamberlin and Mikah Reed were scoreless. Chamberlin dished 5 assists and pilfered 2 balls. The Griffins hit 27-57 (.474) from the floor, 9-19 (.474) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 13 assists, 25 turnovers, 4 blocks and 12 steals. The Griffins (coach Katherine Adams, assistant Jacob Cusumano, assistant Harrison Eaddy, student therapist Nicoletta Kavgadoulis) also included Makenzie Reeve, Becca Curtis, Drew Knox, Erin Howes and Julie Dueck. ………………………………………………… The 6th- seeded Winnipeg Wesmen clipped the 11th-seeded Mount Royal Cougars 77-65. The Cougars led 18-15 after one quarter. The Wesmen led 33-32 at the half. An 11-2 run in the third quarter led to a 53-44 lead heading into the final frame. While the Cougars ripped off a 5-0 run, the Wesmen soon rebuilt a double-digit lead as Anna Kernaghan nailed a bucket with

6:39 to play. Mount Royal rallied with a 7-0 run to cut lead to three and then Rachel Oxczevski hit a free throw to make it 62-60 but the Wesmen promptly scored 11 unanswered to take command. The Wesmen generally rode their physical, aggressive pressure to the win as player of the game Kyanna Giles and national player of the year Keylyn Filewich dominated the floor. “As you know, the first five minutes wasn’t the best, missing layups,” said Giles. “Just tryna get the jitters out of us and keep going and playing our game.” Cougars player of the game Tanis Metcalfe said “what we’ve been really focusing on is our defence, and winning the rebounding battles. So, when we focus on that we seem to have pretty good games and played some really good teams. We really wanted to focus on [Filewich], especially since she’s a first team all-star and I thought we did a pretty good job at doing that. I thought it was a pretty good game considering.” Kyanna Giles paced the Wesmen with 27 on 8-20 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 10-15 from the line, 8 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Faith Hezekiah added 24 on 8-13 from the floor, 5-5 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Keylyn Filewich notched 12 on 5-17 from the floor, 2-6 from the line, 12 boards and 3 steals. Anna Kernaghan scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Jillian Duncan added 2 on 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Maltha Uwanbajimana scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Robyn Boulanger added 1 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Jessica van Dyck, Deborah Nkiasi, Kyana Wonnacott, Mik Funk and Alyssa Porco were scoreless. Van Dyck nabbed 2 boards. The Wesmen hit 26-69 (.377) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 18-32 (.563) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 12 assists, 20 turnovers, 1 block and 12 steals. Maddison Hooper paced the Cougars with 14 on 5-10 from the floor and 4-6 from the arc. Rachel Osczevski added 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Tanis Metcalfe notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Jordan Blaskin scored 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Abbey Wilkinson added 7 on 2-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Jamie Lalor scored 7 on 2-10 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 8 boards and 5 assists. Isabella Faba added 3 on 1-2 from the arc, while Megan Wellinghurst, Jenika Martens, Brittany Janzen and Julia Summers were scoreless. Martens nabbed 2 boards and Summers 2, while also dishing 3 assists. The Cougars hit 23-56 (.411) from the floor, 9-23 (.391) from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 27 fouls, 13 assists, 28 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. The Cougars (coach Robyn Fleckenstein, assistant Josh Fluker, assistant Marianna Chisholm-Raguz, assistant Lauren Taal, student therapist Jessica Murray, student therapist Dylan Arndt) also included Sarah Rinsky, Bella Gaulden, Marissa Richards, Jenika Metcalfe, Nora Luca, Brittany Janzen, redshirt Kiara Ker, redshirt Alex McLaren, redshirt Maggie Smith and redshirt Maddy Stata-Luzentales.

        In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies dispatched the 8th-seeded Calgary Dinos 72-62. The Dinos opened with a 7-0 run and led 27-19 after one quarter on a pair of treys from Mya Proctor. A late trey from Carly Ahlstrom drew the Huskies within 38-37 at the half. Dino Annnacy Palmer drilled a trey to make it 41-37 at the start of the second half, but the Huskies clamped down defensively and ripped off an 11-0 run, commending with a Katriana Philipenko runout off a steal, seven consecutive points from Ahlstrom and another bucket by Philipenko to give Saskatchewan a 48-41 lead. They led 57-51 after three quarters and maintained a comfortable lead of at least five until the final buzzer sounded as the Dinos frequently coughed up the ball. Ahlstrom said “I “I just knew we were kind of in a rut and needed to get some scores. I thought my teammates found me well and we were able to chip away at that deficit.” Huskies coach Lisa Thomadis said “I thought we had a slow start. Calgary was on fire in the first quarter. We knew the first quarter was going to be critical for us, trying to weather the storm. I think we weathered it and then just kind of hung in there. … Defensively, we just really picked it up in the second half and did a much better job. We kind of grinded it out on the offensive end. I’m really proud of our players. It wasn’t the easiest of wins, that’s for sure. We had to execute for 40 and we got the job done.” Thomaidis added that Ahlstrom’s trey to close out the first half “was a big momentum builder for us. We did not play a great half, but to only be down one at the half was huge for us.” Dinos coach Damien Jennings said “some of the gremlins that turned up in the season, turned up in the second half.” Carly Ahlstrom paced the Huskies with 24 on 6-15 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 11-12 from the line and 8 boards. Gage Grassick added 16 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 10 boards and 3 steals. Summer Masikewich notched 10 on 5-22 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Tea DeMong scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Katriana Philipenko added 6 on 3-3 from the floor. Libby Epoch notched 5 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 2 boards, 7 assists and 5 steals. Andrea Dodig added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 11 boards. Janaya Brown scored 1 on 1-2 from the line, while Ella Murphy Wiebe, Erin Kehrig, Courtney Primeau and Claudia Lomba Viana were scoreless. The Huskies hit 23-66 (.348) from the floor, 3-16 (.188) from the arc and 23-33 (.697) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 11 assists, 19 turnovers, 3 blocks and 13 steals. Amelie Collin paced the Dinos with 19 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7-10 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Annacy Palmer added 11 on 4-11 from the floor and 3-7 from the arc. Veronika Lavergne notched 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the line, 14 boards and 4 blocks. Tiarra Davis scored 6 on 2-2 from the arc. Mya Proctor added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Pollyanna Storie scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 boards. Reyna Crawford notched 4 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Lily Pink added 3 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Christy Fehr scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 1-4 from the line, while Sydney Milum, Jordyn Cullum and Kamryn Deklerk were scoreless. Millum nabbed 4 boards. The Dinos hit 23-60 (.383) from the floor, 8-22 (.364) from the arc and 8-17 (.471) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 6 assists, 30 turnovers, 4 blocks and 7 steals. The Dinos (coach Damian Jennings, assistant Mehmet Faith Akser, assistant Sarah Neufeld, shooting coach Ben Dowell, strength & conditioning Rich Hesketh, assistant strength & conditioning Tamara Jarrett, manager Laura Grabe, student therapist Cassidy Findley, student therpiat Miguel Klassen) also included Mackenzie Trpcic, Piper Doo, Bobbi-Jo Colburn, Kennedy Hollinger, Demi Mulder and Anegor Wol.  

        The 7th-seeded Regina Cougars stunned the 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas 80-71 after leading 24-13, 43-29 and 60-45 at the quarters. The Cougars post defence kept Panda all-stars Claire Signatovich and Morgan Harris from establishing an offensive rhythm until the final quarter. Cougars guard and player of the game Cara Misskey said “it was a little bit of a worry thinking we would be tired but no, we came out so good and I’m just so proud of everyone. … It feels so great, you know, coming in as an underdog and not having much preparation for this team, we’re not used to playing in this gym, we haven’t played this team yet. So, it’s such a great feeling to come in and lead by that much and take a win. This is a lot of our teammates’ first time being at playoffs, being at Final Four. So, it’s just, it’s going to be crazy.” Pandas player of the game Emma Kary said “we never give up and that shows in this game. Down 20 at one point I think and my team just never rolls over and dies. I’m super proud of the way we always stick together and play hard.” Faith Reid paced the Cougars with 21 on 7-19 from the floor, 7-18 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jade Belmore added 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 13 boards and 3 steals. Cara Misskey notched 14 on 5-12 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 3 boards and 7 assists. Julia Vydrova scored 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 11 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Zoe Hartmann added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Dayna Pearce scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Madeleine Tell added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc, while Kaitlyn Tonita, Lauren Hodgins and Rachel Vanderhooft were scoreless. The Cougars hit 29-71 (.408) from the floor, 11-34 (.324) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 17 assists, 14 turnovers and 8 steals. Emma Kary paced the Pandas with 19 on 7-14 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Mackenzie Cook added 17 on 6-10 from the floor and 5-5 from the line. Shae McCusker notched 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 2 boards. Claire Signatovich scored 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 17 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jayden Tanner added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 assists. Morgan Harris scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 assists and 2 steals. Brianna Fehr notched 4 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Abby Morrison added 3 on 1-4 from the arc and 2 boards. Neve Murray scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Rylee Semeniuk, Nadeen Wu and Dakota Wedman were scoreless. The Pandas hit 26-67 (.388) from the floor, 6-23 (.261) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 15 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 7 steals. The Pandas (coach Scott Edwards, assistant Kelly Haggstromg, assistant Isabel Ormond, graduate assistant Michaela Kleisinger, student therapist Danielle Smith, student therapist Kaelan Findlay, student therapist Aaliyah Rabeeh, student therapist Zayrah Swanson, sport conditioning Eric Golberg) also included Lindsey Agnew, Elise Toogood, Julia Strigl, Dakota Wedman, Jayden White and Jenna Karach.

        The 6th-seeded Winnipeg Wesmen stunned the 3rd-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades 75-69 after leading 25-23, 47-34 and 58-45 at the quarters. The Cascades drew within four early in the second half but the Wesmen bridged the half by holding Fraser Valley without a field goal for five minutes. They pushed their lead to 19 with six minutes to play but then the Cascades notched an 18-4 run down the stretch, capped by a Deanna Tuchscherer trey, but Winnipeg held on for the win. Wesmen player of the game Kyanna Giles said “I was kind of nervous for this game, because UFV is a really good team. Maddy [Gobeil], 31 points is amazing. We just need to play our game, play good defence and defend the three, and I think we did overall a good job. … Just being a vet and playing in the U SPORTS now for my fifth year, I just know what it takes and once it’s big games I have to step up and that’s what I did.” Cascades player of the game Maddy Gobeil said “it’s been a good year, it’s tough to end it like this but, we’re happy with this season all together.” Cascades coach Al Tuchscherer said the Wesmen “understand the game at a higher level than we do, and tonight they understood who to look to at certain times and how to exploit us. Those are things that come with experience. They’re also big and athletic, and it’s a challenge to keep them off the boards.” Kyanna Giles paced the Wesmen with 24 on 9-23 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Keylyn Filewich added 21 on 10-21 from the floor 1-2 from the line, 14 boards, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Faith Hezekiah notched 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Anna Kernaghan scored 8 on 3-14 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 steals. Robyn Boulanger added 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5 boards and 4 assists. Jessica van Dyck scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 assists. Jillian Duncan added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Mik Funk, Deborah Nkiasi, Maltha Uwambajimana, Kyanna Wonnacott, Katrina Rogan, Alyssa Porco and Priscilla Sanusi were scoreless. The Wesmen hit 30-79 (.380) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 17 assists, 13 turnovers, 4 blocks and 5 steals. Maddy Gobeil paced the Cascades with 31 on 11-19 from the floor, 6-9 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Julia Tuchscherer added 16 on 8-14 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists. Alexis Worrell notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 3 boards and 5 assists. Natalie Rathler scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Deanna Tuchscherer added 4 on 2-12 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Victoria Jacobse scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 12 boards and 4 assists. Nikki Cabuco added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists, while Madison Draayers, Esther Allison, Madeline Beerward, Google Sidhu, Charley Arnold, Jessica Parker and Hannah Gillingham were scoreless. The Cascades hit 28-64 (.438) from the floor, 7-18 (.389) from the arc and 6-7 (.857) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 19 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. The Cascades (coach Al Tuchscherer, assistant Dan Nayebzadeh, assistant Aieisha Luyken, assistant Kayli Sartori, assistant Avneet Brar, student therapist Selah Pankratz) also included Charley Arnold.

        In the last quarterfinal, the 5th-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns defeated the 4th-seeded Trinity Western Spartans 76-67. The Spartans led 16-15, 36-32 and 52-49 at the quarters. But the Pronghorns exploded for 15 unanswered points while notching a 23-5 run over the final 5:47 to completely flip the script. “I’m really proud of our defensive effort,” Lethbridge coach Dave Waknuk said. “We talked all year about how our defence creates energy, and I think we did a great job of that today – especially down the stretch. To play someone as skilled as Fransson and hold her fairly in check is not easy for our team. I’m really proud of the way we played defence down the stretch.” Spartans coach Cheryl Jean-Paul said “it was a great game. We wanted to come in here and play great basketball and I think that’s what we did. We couldn’t finish the way we wanted to at the end, but nothing to be ashamed of. We had some great play from our great players. We had some young players that came in and did some great things. At the end of the day, you want to full effort from your team and that’s what this team gave up. We’re not satisfied with the finish, but someone had to lose this game and unfortunately that was us.” Haily Weaver paced the Pronghorns with 22 on 8-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 10 boards and 3 steals. Jessica Haenni added 14 on 6-18 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Savannah McMahon notched 13 on 2-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Amy Mazutinec scored 9 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Jessica Zarowny added 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the line and 5 boards. Danielle Nadeau scored 6 on 1-1 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 4 boards. Makenna Ledgister added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 2 boards and 2 asissts. Isabel Rattai scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7 boards and 2 steals, while Aimee Wilson and Kyra Collier were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 25-68 (.368) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 21-27 (.778) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 11 assists, 13 turnovers, 4 blocks and 13 steals. Kianna Wiens paced the Spartans with 17 on 5-20 from the floor, 3-11 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Hailey Van Roekel added 16 on 7-15 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 6 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Nicole Fransson notched 12 on 6-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 15 boards and 3 assists. Kailey Reimer scored 8 on 3-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. Gracie Corneau added 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 6 boards. Jolene Vlieg scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Jayden Gill added 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists, while Shemaiah Abatayo and Jenna Gill were scoreless. Abatayo nabbed 5 boards. The Spartans hit 27-74 (.365) from the floor, 7-25 (.280) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 20 assists, 21 turnovers, 1 block and 9 steals. The Spartans (coach Cheryl Jean-Paul, assistant Philippe Mvondo, assistant Abigael Klassen, assistant Alicia Unruh) also included Ava Krepp, Sydney Hayward, Tegan McArthur, Nicola Peters, Ose Obetoh and Ella Parker.

        In the Final Four semis, top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies earned a berth at the national championships by dispatching the 5th-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns 62-51. The Pronghorns led 15-12 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 28 at the half. The Huskies led 49-38 after three quarters after taking command with a 12-0 run. Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis said “we finally got a bunch of touches to Summer [in the second half]. She was able to get the ball and go to work and that was the difference I thought. It just loosened things up on the perimeter when she was able to get an inside. … The third quarter was huge. We came out hot and got aggressive, got ourselves in bonus and I thought that was huge for us.” Pronghorns coach Dave Waknuk said “that one run is what kind of broke the game open in the third-quarter and against a good team, like Saskatchewan, which is an excellent team, you make mistakes and you pay for it. They found momentum and they had things going on their side, and we just couldn’t stop that run and that’s what the difference was. But credit to Saskatchewan. That’s a great team. They’re well coached and just even they say they played as good as people think they are. They’re as good as that and then some. … I thought we really battled. And I know, you know, a lot of coaches will say that. But I think we really, we really displayed that I thought we fought hard. I thought we did the things we want. And we defended really well. We played at a good pace.” Summer Masikewich paced the Huskies with 17 on 6-11 from the floor, 5-9 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Gage Grassick added 13 on 3-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Andrea Dodig notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 9 boards. Tea DeMong scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Janaya Brown added 6 on 3-3 from the floor. Libby Epoch scored 5 on 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 6 assists. Carly Ahlstrom added 5 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 7 boards and 3 blocks. Katriana Philipenko scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2 boards, while Claudia Lomba Viana, Ella Murphy Wiebe and Erin Kehrig were scoreless. The Huskies hit 21-52 (.404) from the floor, 4-17 (.235) from the arc and 16-25 (.640) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 13 assists, 25 turnovers, 12 blocks and 9 steals. Jessica Haenni paced the Pronghorns with 18 on 7-19 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Millay Johnson added 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Jessica Zarowny notched 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Haily Weaver scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 9 boards and 4 steals. Amy Mazutinec added 5 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Danielle Nadeau scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Kirstina Turner added 2 on 2-2 from the floor, while Savannah McMahon, Isabel Rattai, Makenna Ledgister and Kyra Collier were scoreless. McMahon nabbed 3 boards, dished 3 assists and pilfered 2 balls. Rattai nabbed 2 boards, dished 2 assists and pilfered 3 balls. The Pronghorns hit 19-63 (.302) from the floor, 5-20 from the arc and 8-9 (.889) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 12 assists, 23 turnovers and 14 steals.

        In the other semi, the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Wesmen dusted the 7th-seeded Regina Cougars 91-71. The Cougars led 23-21 after one quarter. The Wesmen notched a pair of 9-0 runs in the second quarter and led 47-33 at the half and 73-51 after three quarters. Wesmen coach Tanya McKay said Kyanna Giles was dominant against her former team. “Unbelievable. She played her heart out. It’s incredibly impressive. She gave everything she had and not only her, the whole team played hard. … Regina is a young, feisty team. We were able to contain them in the beginning and that helped us because we were able to take the lead and hold on. But we had some key kids step up at crucial times.” Cougars coach Dave Taylor said “I’m disappointed in our defence. Full credit to Winnipeg. I mean Keylyn Filewich and Kyanna Giles played awesome. Every mistake we made — they just beat us. Between the two of them they had 54 points, and it’s hard to make up. So again, full credit to Winnipeg. They were really good today.” Kyanna Giles paced the Wesmen with 30 on 12-23 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4-7 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Keylyn Filewich added 24 on 9-14 from the floor, 6-8 from the line, 8 boards and 5 assists. Robyn Boulanger notched 15 on 5-9 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 steals. Faith Hezekiah scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Anna Kernaghan added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Jillian Duncan scored 3 on 1-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Jessica Van Dyck added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc. Deborah Nkiasi scored 1 on -1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Mik Funk, Haltha Uwambajimana, Kyana Wonnacott and Abby Benson were scoreless. Uwambajimana dished 2 assists. The Wesmen hit 33-67 (.493) from the floor, 7-15 (.467) from the arc and 18-26 (.692) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 16 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 9 steals. Cara Misskey paced the Cougars with 25 on 9-15 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 4-7 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jade Belmore added 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Dayna Pearce notched 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 2 boards. Madeleine Tell scored 6 on 2-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Faith Reid added 6 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Zoe Hartmann notched 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Brenna Metz scored 3 on 1-1 from the floor and 1-1 from the line. Maddy Seida added 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Kaitlyn Tonita scored 3 on 1-4 from the arc and 2 steals, while Rachel Vanderhooft, Lauren Hodgins and Julia Vydrova were scoreless. Vydrova nabbed 9 boards and dished 5 assists. Vanderhooft nabbed 5 boards. The Cougars hit 29-66 (.439) from the floor, 9-25 (.360) from the arc and 10-19 (.526) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 13 assists, 20 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals.

        In the bronze medal match, the 7th-seeded Regina Huskies clocked the 5th-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns 92-60 after leading 17-4 early 31-13, 53-36 and 80-48 at the quarters. Cougars coach Dave Taylor said “we just got so many people that can shoot it and we had a bunch of them going today. … It was a nice way to finish the year. We’re at our best when we’re hitting shots and creating energy on defence, and that’s exactly what we did today. I thought this was one of our most complete team wins and we had great energy up and down the lineup.” Pronghorns coach Dave Waknuk said “Regina is an explosive team and when they get going and they play with a lot of momentum and energy, it just changes the whole thing and they came out really aggressive and give all credit to them and to their coaching staff they were ready to go. … It’s tough when you dig a hole like that against a team that’s so tough, that place so tough, it’s hard to dig back out of.” Faith Reid paced the Cougars with 18 on 6-14 from the floor, 6-13 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Kaitlyn Tonita added 17 on 6-9 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jade Belmore notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Cara Misskey scored 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Julia Vydrova added 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Madeleine Tell notched 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Rachel Vanderhooft added 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Dayna Pearce scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 6 assists. Brenna Metz added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Zoe Hartman scored 2 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Lauren Hodgins added 2 on 0-1 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, while Maddy Seida was scoreless. The Cougars hit 35-75 (.467) from the floor, 14-34 (.412) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 17 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals. Jessica Haenni paced the Pronghorns with 22 on 9-17 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Haily Weaver added 13 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Savanhah McMahon notched 7 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 2 boards. Makenna Ledgister scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Amy Mazutinec added 5 on 0-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 6 boards. Isabel Rattai scored 4 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc and 4 boards. Jessica Zarowny added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 2 boards, while Millay Johnson, Kyra Collier, Kirstina Turner and Danielle Nadeau were scoreless. Johnson and Collier each nabbed 2 boards. The Pronghorns hit 21-61 (.344) from the floor, 2-20 (.100) from the arc and 16-23 (.696) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals. The Pronghorns (coach Dave Waknuk, assistant Paige Crozon, assistant Donna Branch) also included Kennedy Blaskin, Chloe Deklerk, Kyra Collier and Aimee Wilson.

        In the final, the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies dispatched the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Wesmen 68-59. The Wesmen led 19-10 after one quarter. The Huskies led 28-26 at the half and 46-44 after three quarters. They elevated the tempo in the final frame and broke the game open with a 9-0 run as the Wesmen found themselves in foul trouble. Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis said “winning those close games really says a lot about our group. You can tell by our experience we’ve been in these games before. They don’t get rattled and it really showed tonight.” Huskies post Summer Masikewich said “it’s crazy to me. Every year it’s just a hard fought battle with the girls and we come together for a win. I’m just so proud. It’s just an amazing feeling.” Thomaidis noted that Masikewich and point guard Libby Epoch went “out as champs. To win four of five in their career it’s just unheard of. Literally targets on their back from the first year and to continue to perform and produce in the biggest moments is really amazing.” Wesmen guard Maltha Uwambajimana said “this wasn’t our best game. We could definitely play better than we did today. We’re going to really work this next week to get better for ourselves and to also prepare for nationals as well. … I think we could have played a whole lot better but it’s all about taking accountability for the mistakes we made, but it’s only up from here.” Carly Ahlstrom paced the Huskies with 22 on 7-12 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 10 boards and 2 blocks. Tea Demong added 15 on 7-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 4 boards. Summer Masikewich notched 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3=4 from the line, 9 boards and 2 blocks. Libby Epoch scored 10 on 2-11 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Andrea Dodig added 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 8 boards. Claudia Lomba Viana scored 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Gage Grassick added 2 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2 boards, while Katriana Philpenko and Janaya Brown were scoreless. The Huskies hit 25-58 (.431) from the floor, 4-20 (.200) from the arc and 14-16 (.875) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 7 assists, 19 turnovers, 5 blocks and 8 steals. Faith Hezekiah paced the Wesmen with 19 on 8-18 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Kyanna Giles added 17 on 7-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 assists and 3 steals. Keylyn Filewich notched 12 on 4-10 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 12 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Anna Kernaghan scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Robyn Boulanger added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 2 boards, while Jessica Van Dyck, Maltha Uwambajimana, Jillian Duncan and Deborah Nkiasi were scoreless. The Wesmen hit 23-59 (.390) from the floor, 3-18 (.167) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 7 assists, 18 turnovers and 10 steals.

        Prior to the start of the regular season, Thompson Rivers fired coach Goran Nogic and replaced him on an interim basis with former athletic director Ken Olynyk. Nogic subsequently filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit he was informed by university administrators that “he was being accused of slapping a student-athlete, inappropriate touching, calling a player fat, bullying, mental abuse and harassment of the players of the TRU women’s basketball team.” Nogic said he was in shock and hospitalized for “physical and mental distress and having suicidal ideations.” … After the season, Olynyk was replaced by Northern Alberta Institute of Technology coach Todd Warnick, coach of the Ooks squad which weeks later would win the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association title. In 12 years at the NAIT helm, Warnick led the Ooks to an Alberta Colleges Athletic title and a bronze medal at the 2015-16 CCAA championships. He was coach Concordia University of Edmonton from 2006-2009 where he led the Thunder to a ACAC Championship in 2007-08 and was named the ACAC Coach of the Year in 2006-07. He first coached at the college level with the men’s program at Vancouver Island University from 2001-06, a tenure that included a national bronze medal in 2004-05. Wolfpack athletic director Curtis Atkinson said “Todd thoroughly impressed us at each stage of the interview process and has a proven track record of success over an impressive career. He is a highly respected coach in the Canadian post-secondary system, and we are fortunate to have him as the leader of our women’s basketball program.”

        After the season, Winnipeg coach Tanya McKay bailed for Dalhousie after 26 years at the Wesmen helm, in in which she earned two silver and two bronze medals at the national championships. Her record at Winnipeg was 526-305. “My decision is a personal one: It’s time to go home and be there for my parents. I am grateful for my time in Winnipeg and the University of Winnipeg, which has been my second home for 36 years.” McKay was the Great Plains Athletic Conference rookie of the year in 1986 and a four-time conference all-star. She was the GPAC player of the year in 1988-89 and was named an All-Canadian three times, including first-team honours in 1990-91. She joined the Wesmen coaching under head coach Tom Kendall in 1992-93, when the team won a national championship. She took over the head coaching duties in 1996. McKay was replaced at the Wesmen helm by assistant Alyssa Cox.

The bronze medalist Regina Cougars: Maddy Seida, Naomi Kent, Dayna Pearce, Faith Reid, Cara Misskey, Skyla Kasick, Jade Belmore, Rachel Vanderhooft, Brenna Metz, Zoe Hartmann, Lauren Hodgins, Kaitlyn Tonita, Julia Vydrova, Marissa Rodde, Madeleine Tell, Maren Tunison, Eden Wells, coach Dave Taylor, assistant Carly Graham, assistant Wayne Morrison

The silver medalist Winnipeg Wesmen: Kyanna Giles, Anna Kernaghan, Kyana Wonnacott, Robyn Boulanger, Mikayla Funk, Faith Hezekiah, Jessica van Dyck, Jillian Duncan, Srishti Suren, Deborah Nkiasi, Kwylyn Filewich, Mahalia Long, Katrina Rogan, Maltha Uwambajimana, redshirt Abby Benson, redshirt Priscilla Sanusi, coach Tanya McKay, assistant Tami Pennell, assistant Richard Gooch, assistant Alyssa Cox, assistant Evan Cox, therapist Jeff Billeck, strength & conditioning Nigel Moore

The gold medalist Saskatchewan Huskies: Anna Maelde, Libby Epoch, Amina Kameric, Carly Ahlstrom, Tea DeMong, Gage Grassick, Katriana Philipenko, Andrea Dodig, Lucia Zilinska, Claudia Lomba Viana, Ella Murphy Wiebe, Summer Masikewich, Erin Kehrig, Janaya Brown, Courtney Primeau, Oluwatito Akinnusi, coach Lisa Thomaidis, assistant Laura Dally, assistant Ali Fairbrother, assistant Jacqueline Lavallee, video Tiegen Derksen, video Connor Jay, student trainer Claire McKenzie, student trainer Tagen Sevigny