| PRAIRIE | PACIFIC | ||||||
| Saskatchewan | 18-2 | 30-2 | Lisa Thomaidis | U.B.C. | 18-2 | 27-6 | Isabel Ormond |
| Alberta | 18-2 | 27-5 | Scott Edwards | Fraser Valley | 15-5 | 26-11 | Al Tuchscherer |
| Calgary | 16-4 | 29-6 | Damian Jennings/ Johny Verrone | Victoria | 12-8 | 16-14 | Carrie Watts |
| Regina | 13-7 | 25-14 | Dave Taylor | Trinity Western | 10-10 | 13-14 | Cheryl Jean-Paul |
| Mount Royal | 11-9 | 20-14 | Robyn Fleckenstein | UBC-Okanagan | 7-13 | 12-18 | Bobby Mitchell |
| Lethbridge | 10-10 | 12-16 | Dave Waknuk | Northern BC | 4-16 | 5-21 | Sergey Shchepotkin |
| Winnipeg | 7-13 | 15-17 | Alyssa Cox | Thompson Rivers | 1-19 | 2-27 | Todd Warnick |
| Manitoba | 7-13 | 9-21 | Michele Sung | ||||
| Brandon | 2-18 | 4-24 | Ilarion Bonhomme | ||||
| MacEwan | 1-19 | 2-24 | Katherine Adams | ||||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Brandon Bobcats: Cali Yates, Abi Ellison, Piper Ingalls, Elly McFee, Venice Dayrit, Taya Clark, Beth Dueck, Anna Cushon, Kylie Kulman, Amaya McLeod, Katelyn Visser, Eden Tabin, Hannah Eagles, Caytah Vargas, Renne Dauphinais, Madison Schettler, Ivy Bestland, Lyla Rodin, Abigail Shand, Jayna Maytwayashing, Faith Clearsky, coach Ilarion Bonhomme
MacEwan Griffins: Ayla Grady, Toni Gordon, Allie Spenrath, Makenzie Reeve, Paige Massier, Celine Quigley, Morgan Clark, Sarah Burnell, Samantha Hickey, Sofia Makinen, Ava Regier, Lenora Hunter, Maggie Smith, Unity Obasuyi, coach Katherine Adams, assistant Jacob Cusumano, assistant Dante Dinter, student therapist Nicole Gadelos
Northern British Columbia Timberwolves: Brynn Dergousoff, Sophia Fuller, Sarah Kulisin, Adaiah Tupas-Singh, Alexis ‘Lexi’ Blumhagen, Bella Mesquita, Avin Jahagiri, Raminta Gailiunaite, Yana Shupak, Claire Huang, Sveta Boykova, Viktoriia Filatova, Halle Tiessen, Amrit Manak, Mya Willing, coach Sergey Shchepotkin, assistant Dave Fuller, assistant Alina Shakirova, assistant Olivia Wilson, assistant Jordan Johnson
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack: Jocelyn Orr, Sydney Vollrath, Tia Rowell, Priyanca Sundher, Danijela Kovacevic, Kate De La Mare, Nya Derkach, Layla McKell, Grace Hansen, Jaya Saroya, Kylee Koppes, Olivia Randall, Allison Hansen, Lucy Marchese, Francesca Faraone, Morgan Eichenberger, Olivia Wheatley, coach Todd Warnick, assistant Cassie Rerick
Winnipeg Wesmen: Raia Guinto, Annika Goodbrandson, Anna Kernaghan, Tana Layton, Alyssa Doneza, Tamiya Ness, Sadie McMilland-Stowards, Jazmin Birch, Jennifer Kallon, Jasia Hayden, Mattea Teece, Abigail Sweeny, Sarah Boitson, Carmen Hiebert, redshirt Samantha Megan, coach Alyssa Cox, assistant Evan Cox, assistant Murray Brown, assistant Robyn Boulanger, assistant Megan Noonan, strength & conditioning Cristian Molina
In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Trinity Western Spartans defeated the 9th-seeded Mount Royal Cougars 67-62. The score was knotted at 14 after one quarter. The Spartans led 30-26 at the half. The Cougars led 43-39 after three quarters. Spartans coach Cheryl-Jean Paul said “we knew that being a playoff team was one thing and winning a game was another, and they demonstrated the resilience of a team that could win the game. Even though we struggled in the 3rd, we showed a lot of character in the 4th to make pushes on both offense and defense. … The contributions of every player mattered today and we won as a team, that was really important for us. We know we are going to experience an extremely excited playoff fan base tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to helping our team learn about the standard a program like Sask sets when it comes to post-season play. We couldn’t be in a better location to continue our growth and development.” Spartans guard Shemiah Abatayo said “it’s kind of funny, coach Cheryl was telling us to hold the ball, but I was wide open and decided to shoot it! It’s nice that my teammates trust me to push that ball, so credit to them on that one.” Colet Van der Hoven paced the Spartans with 16 on 6-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Cassidy Buchanan added 14 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 10 boards and 5 assists. Shemaiah Abatayo notched 13 on 5-16 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists. Gracie Corneau scored 10 on 5-12 from the floor, 9 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Jazmin Avila added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 8 boards and 2 assists. Bethany Balaktsis scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Savanna Vander Kooi, Joy Mofolasayo and Blessing Ibekwe were scoreless. Vander Kooi nabbed 2 boards. Vander Kooi nabbed 2 boards. The Spartans hit 27-68 (.397) from the floor, 7-20 (.350) from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 19 assists, 20 turnovers, 3 blocks and 6 steals. Eleanora Luca paced the Cougars with 22 on 9-18 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Jenika Martens added 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jenessa Ramsoomair notched 10 on 5-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 4 blocks. Temi Ajayi scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-6 from the line and 4 boards. Jamie Lalor added 4 on 0-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Maddy Hooper scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 steals. Hayley Lalor added 2 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Alexis Evans, Asha Donnelly and Presley Hopf were scoreless. Donnelly nabbed 3 boards. The Cougars hit 23-68 (.338) from the floor, 3-23 (.130) from the arc and 13-21 (.619) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 13 assists, 15 turnovers, 4 blocks and 10 steals. The Cougars (coach Robyn Fleckenstin) also included Marissa Richards, Kayla Gillespie Kraft, Phoebe Molgat and Megan Wellinghurst. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Regina Cougars clipped the 10th-seeded U.B.C.-Okanagan Heat 64-56. The Cougars led 15-10 after one quarter and 30-26 at the half. The score was knotted at 44 after three quarters. Cougars coach Dave Taylor said “honestly the difference was probably just that we are a little more of a veteran team than they are. Some of our players down the stretch had good composure and got some shots. Full credit to UBCO, they did a great job taking us out of a lot of stuff, but down the stretch, we had some smart plays from our veterans.” Heat coach Bobby Mitchell said “overall, we thought we played well. The third quarter was probably our most consistent quarter and then I thought in the fourth quarter there were a couple decisions I think we’d like to have back but it was good, we played how we wanted to play and that was key. We wanted to do the things that we did, I liked our compete and our fight and our energy throughout the game for sure.” Rachel Vanderhooft paced the Cougars with 18 on 8-19 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Cara Misskey added 17 on 6-15 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 6 assists and 5 steals. Jade Belmore notched 10 on 4-13 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Kyu Fust scored 6 on 2-4 from the arc. Taylor Gottselig added 5 on 2-4 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Izzi Fust scored 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Brenna Metz added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Avery Sorenson, Josie Valley, Alexyn Ward and Maddy Seida were scoreless. The Cougars hit 26-70 (.371) from the floor, 6-18 from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 15 assists, 19 turnovers, 5 blocks and 10 steals. Lily Pink paced the Heat with 18 on 8-15 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 4 blocks and 2 steals. Lauren Foullong added 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Kelsey Falk notched 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 14 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Tennyson McCarthy scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Tsuki Tsuzuki added 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Aiko Williams notched 3 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 2 boards. Stefanie Hart scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Kiana Kaczur added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Temi Aina scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 2 boards, while Ava Heppner, Abby Smith, Cassiel Penalosa and Ella Watkins were scoreless. The Heat hit 24-70 (.343) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 3-6 from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 9 assists, 22 turnovers, 6 blocks and 10 steals. The Heat (coach Bobby Mitchell, assistant Lonny Mazurak, assistant Carly Corrado, assistant Jody Vosper, mental performance Mackenzie Barrie, strength & conditioning Stephen Kooistra) also included Ryley Bullock, Melanie Kardos-Mitchell and Sydney Lewis. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns stunned the 6th-seeded Victoria Vikes 84-82 after leading 19-12, 42-35 and 62-58 at the quarters. Pronghorn Pipe Dobbelsteyn hit a pair of treys down the stretch as Lethbridge withstood a final Vikes push. Pronghorns coach Dave Waknuk said “the season’s on the line, [Victoria] made a great push in the last two minutes … but I really liked the 38 minutes before that. I thought we kept our heads and we kept playing. They made shots, we kept coming. And that, to me, is winning playoff basketball.” Piper Dobbelsteyn paced the Pronghorns with 16 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Kamryn Deklerk added 16 on 6-14 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 assists and 3 steals. Kyra Collier notched 15 on 6-19 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Mhari Mattuli scored 8 on 4-5 from the floor and 2 boards. Courtney McKee added 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-7 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Viktoriia Kovalevska scored 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Abby Stonehocker notched 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Tobore Okome added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Jenessa Doctor scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Kennedy Blaskin and Lisa Krikke were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 31-75 (.413) from the floor, 7-27 (.259) from the arc and 15-24 (.625) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 17 assists, 16 turnovers, 2 blocks and 12 steals. Mimi Sigue paced the Vikes with 25 on 10-19 from the floor, 5-10 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Karis de Paiva added 18 on 6-8 from the floor, 4-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Jenna Talib notched 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Meike Boerstra scored 8 on 4-11 from the floor, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Makena Anderson added 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 6 boards, 5 assists and 5 steals. Bella Graves scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 blocks. Tegan Michel added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Abigail Becker and Jade Dittmer were scoreless. Dittmer dished 2 assists. The Vikes hit 32-73 (.438) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 12-18 from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 18 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks and 11 steals. The Vikes (coach Carrie Watts, assistant Diane Schuetze, assistant Lynn Montgomery, assistant Nicole Karstein, student therapist Sophie Leslie, manager Shayleen Mack) also included Tana Pankratz, Joaleah Tupas-Singh, Natalie Allison, Avery King and Yar Ayen Mach. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Calgary Dinos torched the 12th-seeded Manitoba Bisons 89-64. The Bisons led 18-14 after one quarter. The Dinos led 37-32 at the half and 64-50 after three quarters. Interim Dinos coach Jhony Verrone said “the message was clear, they gave us the best punch early on, and it was about who can outlast the whole game. … It’s a 40-minute game, and we showed that in the second half. It was just one possession at a time.” Myriam Kone paced the Dinos with 24 on 8-17 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Lilia Skumatova added 17 on 6-15 from the floor, 5-12 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Kourtney Oss notched 14 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 10 boards. Amelie Collin scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Sammy Shields added 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 2 boards. Mya Proctor scored 4 on 2-11 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Milica Gajic added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 4 boards. Pollyanna Storie notched 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sydney Milum added 3 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 3 assists. Elana Sireni scored 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Emma Yarwood, Christine Geraldo were scoreless. The Dinos hit 33-79 (.418) from the floor, 9-35 (.257) from the arc and 14-24 (.583) from the line, while garnering 58 boards, including 27 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 18 assists, 25 turnovers, 3 blocks and 14 steals. Anna Miko paced the Bisons with 15 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Darya Rom added 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Paige Schatkowski notched 11 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Emily Mandamin scored 9 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 9 boards and 2 steals. Autumn Agar added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Sydnee Harris scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 4 steals. Emerson Martin added 4 on 2-12 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 5 boards, while Sera Bartsch, Hope Larocque and Hannah Olugbodi were scoreless. The Bisons hit 23-64 (.359) from the floor, 8-28 (.286) from the arc and 10-12 (.833) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 25 fouls, 9 assists, 25 turnovers, 2 blocks and 16 steals. The Bisons (coach Michele Sung, assistant Emily Dewey, assistant Ashley Hoitnuik, assistant Sonia Radi-Dolyniuk, assistant Adam Kham, assistant Kyla Shore, skills Sherwin Vasallo, academics Darcy MacPherson, strength & conditioning Lucija Golubic, therapist Mandy Los, dietitian Janelle Vincent, manager Talia Peters) also included Samantha Onyebuchi, Mar Tomas Arbos, Hailey Cruz, Treyah Paquette and Ayva Khan.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded host Saskatchewan Huskies torched the 8th-seeded Trinity Western Spartans 83-57 after leading 19-13, 42-29 and 70-43 at the quarters. Huskie Andrea Dodig said “I think the keys [to the win] were just push the pace and get them to play in transition. When we don’t have to play in the half court things are going well and we’re getting defensive stops.” Spartans coach Cheryl-Jean Paul said “it’s an interesting challenge coming into a gym and playing against a team today that their dream is to be national champion. And you could see that separation, the team that’s preparing to fight to become a national champion and a team that were very excited to be a playoff team and to win a playoff game.” Tea Demong paced the Huskies with 14 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Andrea Dodig added 14 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Courtney Primeau notched 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Gage Grassick scored 12 on 5-15 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3 boards and 6 assists. Ella Murphy Wiebe added 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 8 boards. Maya Flindall scored 9 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 steals. Logan Reider added 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Anna Maelde scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 3 boards. Jordyn Reding added 1 on 0-1 from the arc, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards, while Olivia Harm, Gabreille Kaban and Alexis Lewans were scoreless. Harm nabbed 6 boards. The Huskies hit 32-70 (.457) from the floor, 4-17 (.235) from the arc and 15-23 (.652) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 15 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 12 steals. Shemaiah Abatayo paced the Spartans with 20 on 6-21 from the floor, 4-14 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 2 boards. Cassidy Buchanan added 13 on 5-15 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Colette Vander der Hoven notched 7 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2 assists and 3 steals. Blessing Ibekwe scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Savannah Vander Kooi added 2 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Bethany Balaktsis scored 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Joy Mofolasayo, Gracie Corneau and Jazmin Avila were scoreless. Avila nabbed 3 boards and dished 2 steals. The Spartans hit 20-63 (.317) from the floor, 6-26 (.231) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 7 assists, 19 turnovers, 3 blocks and 7 steals. The Spartans (coach Cheryl Jean-Paul, assistant Madeleine Antwi, assistant Aly Nuruddin) also included Sydney Bradshaw, Grace Bradshaw and Rainy Wilson.
The 4th-seeded host Fraser Valley Cascades edged the 5th-seeded Calgary Dinos 62-59. The Dinos led 17-15 after one quarter and 38-31 at the half. The Cascades took command with a 9-0 run to open the second half and led 48-45 after three quarters. Calgary’s Proctor hit a triple to cut the UFV lead to just one with 7 seconds to play. The Dinos were forced to foul, and Maddy Gobeil hit both free throws to make it a three-point lead once again. Dino Lilia Skumatova’s shot at the buzzer caught the top of the backboard. Cascades coach Al Tuchscherer said “we have been that team all year that has been outside of the top-10 nationally all season, and we believed that we belonged in that group. To play Calgary, they’re a heck of a team and really athletic, but we thought we could play with them for sure.” Julia Tuchscherer paced the Cascades with 16 on 4-10 from the floor, 8-8 from the line, 11 boards, 7 assists and 7 blocks. Maddy Gobeil added 16 on 6-16 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 5 assists. Miah Schuurman notched 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-5 from the line and 3 boards. Esther Allison scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Deanna Tuchscherer added 7 on 1-5 from the floor and 5-8 from the line. Nikki Cabuco scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 steals. Bernie Leda added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 4 boards, while Madison Storme, Kyanna Knodel, Google Sidhu, Charley Arnold and Ankita Chopra were scoreless. The Cascades hit 20-53 (.377) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 14 assists, 20 turnovers 11 blocks and 8 steals. Myriam Kone paced the Dinos with 16 on 4-15 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Mya Proctor added 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Pollyanna Storie notched 11 on 3-13 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 4 boards. Lilia Skumatova scored 10 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 assists. Amelie Collin added 4 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Sydney Milum scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 3 boards. Emma Yarwood added 2 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Kourtney Oss scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 6 boards, while Milica Gajic, Christine Geraldo, Elana Sireni and Sammy Shields were scoreless. Gajic nabbed 4 boards. The Dinos hit 18-65 (.277) from the floor, 8-28 (.286) from the arc and 15-17 (.882) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 12 assists, 16 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals. The Dinos ((interim coach Jhonny Verrone, dismissed coach Damian Jennings, assistant Philippe Mvondo, assistant Kyla Nelson, strength & conditioning Rich Hesketh, shooting Ben Dowell, manager Reese Sliworsky, therapist Bonnie Sutter, student therapist Bella Brunet) also included Megan Weisgerber, Vanja Petrovic, Darian Mahmi, Sammy Shields, and Louise Rouse (who left the team in December).
The 2nd-seeded host U.B.C. Thunderbirds pounded the 7th-seeded Regina Cougars 77-55 after leading 27-10, 47-22 and 64-38 at the quarters. Thunderbirds coach Isabel Ormond said “it was a great tone, and even this week we had really good energy. As a coach, you always wait to make sure it’s translating into the game, but I thought we came out super focused, super locked in knowing we were playing a really strong team and that’s always nice to see from the bench.” Cougars coach Dave Taylor said “we had talked about surviving the first five minutes and we really didn’t, they set the tone right away. We just never really recovered from that and credit to them, they’re a very good defensive team. They just took us completely out of our rhythm and that was complete domination quite frankly so full credit to them.” Jessica Clarke paced the Thunderbirds with 16 on 8-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 16 boards and 2 steals. Olivia Weekes added 13 on 4-6 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Keira Daly notched 11 on 3-14 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Mona Berlitz scored 10 on 5-11 from the floor, 0-=1 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Sofia Bergman added 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 2 boards. Emily Martindale scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Stella Lagrange notched 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Cerys Morton added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 2 assists and 3 steals. Maddy Billings scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 0-3 from the arc. Jade Huynh added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc. Nicole Daly scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Sara Toneguzzi was scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 30-75 (.400) from the floor, 3-20 (.150) from the arc and 14-23 (.609) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 17 assists, 16 turnovers, 1 block and 17 steals. Cara Misskey paced the Cougars with 15 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 2 boards and 4 assists. Jade Belmore added 12 on 2-12 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 8-10 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Alexyn Ward notched 6 on 2-2 from the arc. Rachel Vanderhooft scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 blocks. Brenna Metz added 5 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Josie Valley scored 3 on 0-1 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Taylor Gottselig notched 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Maddy Seida scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc. Isabel ‘Izzi’ Fust added 2 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Avery Sorensen scored 1 on 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Kyu Fust was scoreless. The Cougars hit 15-47 (.319) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 21-30 (.700) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 8 assists, 26 turnovers, 6 blocks and 7 steals. The Cougars (coach Dave Taylor, assistant Michaela Kleisinger, assistant Carly Graham, assistant Wayne Morrison) also included Eden Wells and Ryenn Schutz.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded host Alberta Pandas dusted the 11th-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns 71-46 after leading 21-10, 41-25 and 51-35 at the quarters. The Pandas broke to a 10-3 lead and opened the fourth quarter with a 13-3 run, while their defensive pressure forced the Pronghorns into a remarkable 30 turnovers during the affair. Pandas coach Scott Edwards said “I just think we were a resilient team tonight. … just credit to them, they stayed and defended as hard as they could…I don’t think we shot it well, but I thought that we just stayed in the moment better than we have in other parts of the year.” Jayden Tanner paced the Pandas with 24 on 7-13 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 2 boards and 5 steals. Claire Signatovich added 16 on 6-14 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 16 boards and 4 blocks. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma notched 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 3 steals. Jenna Karach scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Morgan Harris added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Reece Hall scored 4 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 14 boards and 3 assists. Annacy Palmer added 4 on 0-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Rylee Semeniuk scored 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 3 steals, while McKinley Penninga, Elise Toogood, Brigitte Olson and Ella Rees were scoreless. Rees dished 2 assists and pilfered 2 balls. The Pandas hit 22-68 (.324) from the floor, 4-22 (.182) from the arc and 23-29 (.793) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 16 assists, 17 turnovers, 8 blocks and 19 steals. Kyra Collier paced the Pronghorns with 11 on 5-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Piper Dobbelsteyn added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Tobore Okome notched 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Abby Stonehocker scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 6 boards. Kamryn Deklerk added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Courtney McKee scored 3 on 1-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 steals. Viktoriia Kovalevska added 3 on 0-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 3 boards. Mhari Mattuli scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 4 boards. Jenessa Doctor added 1 on 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards, while Kennedy Blaskin and Lisa Krikke were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 18-61 (.295) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 7-16 (.438) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 11 assists, 30 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals. The Pronghorns (coach Dave Waknuk, assistant Paige Crozon, assistant Kacie Bosch) also included Danielle Nadeau, Alexis Sagumaran, Paisley Sillito and Abby Graves.
In the semis, the top-seeded host Saskatchewan Huskies spanked the 4th-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades 63-45 after leading 18-14 36-29 and 47-34 at the quarters. Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis said “it was a tough game, it took us a long time for us to get some separation. UFV plays tough D[efence] and I thought they frustrated us a bit at the offensive end. Logan [Reider] came out [of the game] with 17.5 [minutes], so we kind of rode her a bit in the first half and then I thought we had some great contributions from people coming off the bench. … Anna [Maelde] was fantastic, she played some great defense, hit a huge 3 when we needed her, and I thought Maya [Flindall] stepped in and played some huge minutes for us and picked up the offensive firepower. And Ella [Murphy Wiebe] same thing, I thought it was a good sign of us having to rely a bit on our depth.” Cascades coach Al Tuchscherer said “well, we just really got out classed tonight and we weren’t up for the challenge to play at this level.” Logan Reider paced the Huskies with 19 on 6-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Maya Flindall added 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Ella Murphy Wiebe notched 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Courtney Primeau scored 8 on 2-8 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Gage Grassick added 7 on 3-15 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Tea DeMong scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 assists. Anna Maelde added 4 on 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Jordyn Reding scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc, while Olivia Harm, Gabrielle Kaban, Alexis Lewans and Andrea Dodig were scoreless. Dodig nabbed 4 boards and blocked 2 shots. Harm nabbed 2 boards and pilfered 2 balls. The Huskies hit 22-65 (.338) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 14-18 (.778) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 18 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 11 steals. Maddy Gobeil paced the Cascades with 12 on 3-13 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc, 6-9 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Esther Allison added 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 16 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Nikki Cabuco notched 7 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Google Sidhu scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Julia Tuchscherer added 4 on 2-9 from the floor and 6 boards. Bernie Leda scored 3 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Deanna Tuchscherer added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc. Miah Schuurman scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 2 boards. Madison Storme added 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Kyanna Knodel, Charley Arnold and Ankita Chopra were scoreless. The Cascades hit 15-56 (.268) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 10-17 (.588) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 10 assists, 28 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded host U.B.C. Thunderbirds clipped the 3rd-seeded Alberta Pandas 80-66. The Pandas led 19-15 after one quarter and 33-22 at the half. The Thunderbirds led 57-48 after three quarters. Thunderbirds coach Isabel Ormond said “I think we brought up our intensity on defense in the second half). Thirty five points (in the third quarter) is awesome for us, but they went scoreless in the first five minutes. So doing that, coupled with defensive stops, it’s that pair together. We were locked in and we did a great job so kudos to the girls for almost forgetting about the first half and playing our game, and I think you saw that come out in the third quarter.” Pandas coach Scott Edwards said “I just think that was two basketball teams that played a hell of a ball game. Each of us had our moments in the game and unfortunately the UBC run was later and longer than ours. It totally was a tale of two halves, I thought we played fantastic in the first half and they missed a lot of shots but obviously they cleaned that up in the second half and momentum is a funny thing and they got going in the third and just couldn’t get that train stopped.” Keira Daly paced the Thunderbirds with 22 on 9-21 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Olivia Weekes added 13 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 14 boards and 3 assists. Mona Berlitz notched 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Jessica Clarke scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 11 boards and 2 steals. Cerys Merton added 5 on 2-3 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc. Sara Toneguzzi scored 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Emily Martindale added 5 on 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Sofia Bergman scored 4 on 1-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Stella Lagrange added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc. Jade Huynh scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 steals, while Maddy Billings and Nicole Daly were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 29-78 (.372) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 17-25 (.680) from the line, while garnering 55 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 12 assists, 16 turnovers and 12 steals. Claire Signatovich paced the Pandas with 21 on 9-17 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 11 boards, 2 assists and 4 blocks. Jayden Tanner added 19 on 6-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 2 assists. Reece Hall notched 18 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 teals. Annacy Palmer scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Elise Toogood, McKinley Penninga, Jenna Karach, Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma, Brigitte Olson, Rylee Semeniuk, Ella Rees and Morgan Harris were scoreless. Toogood and Harris each nabbed 2 boards. The Pandas hit 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 4-17 (.235) from the arc and 12-14 (.857) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 14 assists, 20 turnovers, 6 blocks and 9 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the host 3rd-seeded Alberta Pandas whipped the 4th-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades 83-63 to earn a berth at the Usports championships in Vancouver. The Pandas notched a 16-2 run as they built a 26-26 lead after one quarter. They closed out the second quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 41-31 lead into the lockers. The Pandas opened the second half with a 14-1 run but the Cascades rallied with a 12-0 run to draw within 59-46 after three quarters. Pandas post Claire Signatovich said “it was a fun game to play in. Everyone came to play and performed. UFV is a very talented team. Their roster is great. For us to have them push like that, and for us to see we can stop a good team like that, I think it gave us some confidence. You have a good team going at you full force, and to know we can stop them and their run.” Cascades coach Al Tuchscherer said “We wanted to flow a little bit better offensively. … We played a tough team tonight. Alberta is one of the top teams in the country so it was a real challenge for us tonight.” Claire Signatovich paced the Pandas with 19 on 9-16 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jayden Tanner added 17 on 5-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Morgan Harris notched 16 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Annancy Palmer scored 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Reece Hall added 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 steals. Kiah Esaton-Ihediohanma scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Rylee Semeniuk added 3 on 1-3 from the arc and 2 assists. McKinley Penninga scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Jenna Karach added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Elise Toogood, Brigitte Olson and Ella Rees were scoreless. The Pandas hit 30-62 (.484) from the floor, 9-22 (.409) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 14 assists, 13 turnovers, 5 blocks and 10 steals. Julia Tuchscherer paced the Cascades with 15 on 7-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Esther Allison added 14 on 4-8 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Maddy Gobeil notched 11 on 5-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7 boards and 2 assists. Miah Schuurman scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Deanna Tuchscherer added 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists. Bernadet Leda scored 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Nikki Cabuco added 3 on 1-3 from the arc, while Madison Storme, Kyanna Knodel, Gurveer ‘Google’ Sidhu, Charley Arnold and Ankita Chopra were scoreless. The Cascades hit 25-55 (.455) from the floor, 9-19 (.474) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 16 assists, 19 turnovers, 3 blocks and 4 steals. The Cascades (coach Al Tuchscherer, assistant Dan Nayebzadeh, therapist Grant Ammann, strength & conditioning Matt Chapdelaine) also included Ella Bohn, Fania Taylor, Kalie Saari and Marijke Duralia.
In the final, the top-seeded host Saskatchewan Huskies dispatched the 2nd-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds 71-59. The Thunderbirds led 18-13 after one quarter and 37-35 at the half. The Huskies led 60-48 after three quarters. Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis said “I thought we played a little bit tentative in the first half, a little bit nervous or just uncertain of how much pressure we could put on defensively.They put a ton of pressure on us and caused some problems and we needed to make some adjustments. I thought we didn’t lose out composure even though we were down nine at one point. Then in the last two minutes of the first half we were able to turn them over a little bit and get some stops there. The loose ball, crazy possession, she (Gage Grassick) picked it up and drilled a three and tied it. That was enough to turn the tide and get us on the front foot in the second half. … I think we learned lots from this one and it’ll push us to another level,” said Thomaidis “I think we’re going to learn from this. It definitely feels good, we had some different people have to step up tonight and you can only gain confidence from that.” Gage Grassick paced the Huskies with 31 on 12-23 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Maya Flindall added 13 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7-9 from the line, 3 assists and 2 steals. Andrea Dodig notched 8 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Ella Murphy Wiebe scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Courtney Primeau added 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tea DeMong scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Olivia Harm added 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 8 boards. Logan Reider scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Anna Maelde added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 blocks, while Gabrielle Kaban, Alexis Lebans and Jordyn Reding were scoreless. The Huskies hit 26-56 (.464) from the floor, 5-16 (.313) from the arc and 14-21 (.667) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 18 assists, 23 turnovers, 4 blocks and 12 steals. Keira Daly paced the Thunderbirds with 15 on 5-18 from the floor, 2-10 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 4 steals. Jessica Clarke added 12 on 3-5 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 4 boards. Mona Berlitz notched 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 3 boards. Sara Toneguzzi scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 4 boards. Olivia Weekes added 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Jade Huynh scored 5 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Sofia Bergman added 4 on 4-4 from the line. Maddy Billings scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Cerys Morton added 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 steals, while Stella Lagrange, Emily Martindale and Nicole Daly were scoreless. Martindale nabbed 2 boards. The Thunderbirds hit 18-53 (.340) from the floor, 3-17 (.176) from the arc and 20-23 (.870) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 5 assists, 24 turnovers, 1 block and 13 steals.
After the season, Calgary announced that it had appointed Ottawa Gee-Gees assistant coach to the helm of the Dinos. “We’re excited to welcome Sarah to Calgary as we open a new chapter in the history of the Dinos women’s basketball program,” Calgary athletic director Ben Matchett said. “Throughout this process, it became clear that her values align perfectly with ours. She brings an outstanding feel for the game, and her experience has set her up very well to take this next step in her career.” Besselink replaced interim coach Johnny Verrone, who assumed the helm mid-season after Damien Jennings was fired. Besselink served five years as an assistant at Ottawa, and also was coach of Ontario’s under-15 girls’ basketball team, leading Team Ontario to a pair of gold medals and a bronze medal at the national championships. The Kingston-native toiled for the Gee-Gees from 2013-19, missing the 17-18 campaign with a torn ACL. She was an an OUA East all-rookie selection. In 92 regular-season games, she averaged 9.2 points per game and earned OUA Second Team All-Star honours in both 2016–17 and 2018–19. During her playing career, Ottawa made two national championship appearances, earning a U SPORTS bronze medal in 2018–19.
The bronze medalist Alberta Pandas: Annacy Palmer; Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma; Reece Hall; McKinley Penninga; Brigitte Olson; Rylee Semeniuk; Ella Rees; Morgan Harris; Elise Toogood; Sarah Kleib; Dakota Wedman; Claire Signatovich; Janai Hubert; Jayden Tanner; Jenna Karach; coach Scott Edwards; assistant Megan Wickstrom; assistant Lauren Mattson; assistant Brooklyn Legault; therapist Brennan McConaghy; strength & conditioning Eric Golberg; mental skills Jimena Lopez Lamas; mental skills Craig Hordal; student therapist Alecia Beck; student therapist Olivia Barber; student therapist Prabhnoor Sapra
The silver medalist U.B.C. Thunderbirds: Jessica Orr; Mona Berlitz; Katie Hartman; Sofia Bergman; Katrina Fink; Keira Daly; Cerys Merton; Taelor Coxford; Sara Toneguzzi; Olivia Weekes; Maddy Billings; Jade Huynh; Emilia Banmann; Stella LaGrange; Kiarra Kelly; Emily Martindale; Nicole Daly; Reese Tam; Jessica Clarke; coach Isabel Ormond; assistant Jalynn Skeir; assistant Jessica Funk; assistant Alan Kristmanson; therapist Chris Wong; strength & conditioning Joe McCullum; student trainer Angel Porras; student trainer Sophie Juchymenko; performance analyst Lisa White; performance analyst Steph von Riedemann; mental performance consultant Luca Ferretti; social media Ryan Kristmanson
The champion Saskatchewan Huskies: Logan Reider; Maya Flindall; Gabrielle Kaban; Tea DeMong; Gage Grassick; Alexis Lewans; Andrea Dodig; Elliott Lieffers; Anna Maelde; Ella Murphy Wiebe; Olivia Harm; Jordyn Reding; Courtney Primeau; Sophie Larsen; coach Lisa Thomaids; assistant Laura Dally; assistant Ali Fairbrother; assistant Jacqueline Lavallee; assistant Kabree Howard; director creativity Connor Jay; therapist Alexandra Zaluski; student trainer Aisley Haas; student trainer Ava Radics