Lethbridge College is proud to host the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women's Basketball Championships from March 2 to 4 in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. Here are the results from the first day of play.
Game One
Keyano Huskies (North #3) 48
St. Mary's Lightning (South #2) 71
The RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship tipped off with the south division’s second seed, the St. Mary’s Lightning, taking on the north division’s third-place finisher, the Keyano Huskies. St. Mary’s showed why it is ranked as one of the top teams in Canada by using a big second quarter to take a 71-48 win, moving on to the ACAC semifinals.
The Huskies (15-10) took an early lead, led by ACAC second-team north division all-star Danielle McLellan, who had 10 points in the first quarter alone, going on to lead her team with 20 in the game. However, a 12-2 Lightning run midway through the opening frame gave St. Mary’s (17-5) a lead they would never relinquish.
St. Mary’s continued its sharp-shooting ways in the second quarter, outscoring the Huskies 23-5. The nationally 15th-ranked Lightning lit it up from beyond the arc, hitting six three-pointers in the first half, including three by Laura Belisle. Jenny Leinweber led a balanced Lightning attack with 16 points in the game, while also adding 10 assists. Belisle had 14 points and 10 different Lightning players got on the scoresheet as St. Mary’s got 29 points from its bench. St. Mary’s will play in a semifinal at 6 p.m. on Friday, while Keyano moves into the consolation bracket and will play at 1 p.m. on Friday.
Players of the game:
Keyano - #12 Sarah McDonald (12pts, 5reb, 2ast)
St. Mary’s - #9 Jenny Leinweber (16pts, 10ast, 2reb)
Game Two
Medicine Hat Rattlers (South #4) 71
NAIT Ooks (North #1) 53
There was no shortage of drama in the second game of the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship between the top seed from the north, the NAIT Ooks, and the south’s fourth-seeded Medicine Hat Rattlers.
The Rattlers came out flying early, building a lead that was too much for NAIT (23-2) to overcome, as Medicine Hat (12-10) scored the first upset of the tournament, 71-53 over the favourites from the north.
The underdog Rattlers wasted no time putting their stamp on the game, scoring the final ten points of the opening quarter to open up a 20-8 lead after ten minutes. They continued their surge in the second, using a 17-2 run to stretch their advantage to 17 points mid-way through the period. A 9-0 run got NAIT back within seven points, but that’s as close as it would get as the Rattlers still hit the half with a 35-24 lead.
The Rattlers sealed it early in the fourth, as ACAC south division second team all-star Megan Getz hit three straight free throws, followed by a three-pointer to put away the Ooks. Kennedy Werre poured in a double-double for the Rattlers, with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Henry also had 21 points and Dragana Vukovic tallied 13 rebounds. Medicine Hat advances to play St. Mary’s in a semifinal at 6 p.m. on Friday. NAIT, who will host the CCAA championships later this month, play Keyano in consolation action at 1 p.m. on Friday.
Players of the game:
Medicine Hat - #12 Kennedy Werre (21pts, 10reb, 4ast)
NAIT - #15 Torey Hill (13pts, 12reb, 1ast)
Game Three
SAIT Trojans (South #3) 64
Concordia Thunder (North #2) 48
After the south division posted wins in each of the first two games of the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship, the south’s third-seeded SAIT Trojans hoped to continue the trend against the Concordia Thunder, the north division’s second seed.
And the Trojans (15-7) did just that, earning an early lead and surviving a third-quarter push from the Thunder (18-7) to take a 64-48 victory.
The Trojans built the game’s first big lead, as early in the second quarter, the Tan sisters, ACAC rookie of the year, Alexa, and ACAC south division second team all-star, Alicia, hit back-to-back three pointers to put SAIT up by eight. The Trojans maintained that lead and took a 26-18 advantage into the half in a low-scoring affair.
Early in the third quarter, SAIT appeared to be pulling away as once again, three pointers by both Tan sisters stretched the lead to 12. The Thunder stormed back though, closing the quarter on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to five points, 41-36 heading into the final frame. But any hopes of a Concordia comeback were dashed when the Trojans scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter, opening up a 16 point lead they would ride right into a semifinal berth, becoming the third straight south division team to make the semis. Alicia Tan led the Trojans with 19 points, while Alexa Tan was close behind with 18. Morgan Dool led the Thunder with 14 points. SAIT now plays in a semifinal at 6 p.m. on Friday, while Concordia moves into a consolation game at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Players of the game:
SAIT - #3 Alicia Tan (19pts, 6ast, 3reb)
Concordia - #9 Ann Stewart (7pts, 8reb, 3ast)
Game Four
Lakeland Rustlers (North #4) 35
Lethbridge Kodiaks (South #1) 91
A good-sized crowd in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium greeted the hometown Lethbridge College Kodiaks (22-0) in the final game of the opening day of the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship.
Facing the fourth-seed from the north division, the Lakeland Rustlers (12-13), the Kodiaks never trailed as they kept their perfect ACAC season intact, winning 91-35.
It took the Kodiaks a while to get the offense humming early on, but five straight points by Leah Ekubazgi late in the opening quarter helped Lethbridge to a 17-7 lead after 10 minutes. The Kodiaks played a stifling defensive game in the second quarter, holding Lakeland to just two points. Meanwhile, they opened things up on the offensive end late, scoring 10 points in the final minute, including a buzzer-beating three pointer by ACAC south division first team all-star Sunder West from just inside the midcourt line, to lead 38-9 at the half.
West carried that momentum over into the third quarter, scoring 15 points in the period to push Lethbridge’s lead to 68-17. West led the Kodiaks with 28 points, including going six-for-nine on three pointers. Emma Lowry added 15 points and Leah Ekubazgi had 14 for the Kodiaks. Shania Magnussen led the Rustlers with eight points. The Kodiaks advance to an all-south division final four as they’ll play SAIT in a semifinal at 8 p.m. on Friday. Lakeland will face Concordia in consolation play at 3 p.m.
Players of the game:
Lakeland - #6 Tayia Paylor (3pts, 5reb, 1ast)
Lethbridge - #8 Sunder West (28pts, 6 3pt, 4reb)