The Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s basketball program returns to the ACAC championships this weekend after a one-season playoff absence. The Kodiaks finished the regular season with a 13-8 record, placing third in the ACAC south division. That sets up a quarterfinal matchup with the championship tournament host Keyano Huskies on Thursday evening.
It was a bounce-back campaign for the Kodiaks, after the club went just 6-15 last season. In her second year at the helm, head coach Deanna Dotts re-tooled the club and found success with a team that had the third best defence in the south division.
“The girls bought into the type of game that we wanted to play and were willing to put in the work,” says Dotts. “We said from early on that defense was where we were going to excel this year, and I believe we did just that.”
The Kodiaks also had the seventh best offense in the entire ACAC, led by two newcomers to the team this season – one veteran and one rookie. Juhee Anderson (fourth year, Exercise Science, Cardston) transferred to the Kodiaks following one season of basketball at MacEwan University and two years of rugby at the University of Lethbridge, and proved to be an excellent veteran presence. She led the Kodiaks in scoring by averaging 14.8 points per game to tie for sixth in the conference. Freshman Jocelyn Neilson (first year, General Studies, Lethbridge) had a strong first season for her hometown Kodiaks as the LCI alumna finished second in team scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game, and was fourth in the ACAC in shooting percentage at 54.1 per cent.
The Kodiaks and Huskies have not met this season. Keyano finished the regular season with eight wins in its last 10 games to clinch second place in the ACAC north division with a 16-8 record. The Huskies are led by third-year sensation Moiyan Toure, who led the ACAC in both rebounding (13.5 per game) and shooting percentage (58.2 per cent).
“I expect us to come out and play hard and disciplined,” says Dotts. “That is the type of basketball that got us here and that is what is going to put us in a position to succeed.”
The Kodiaks and Huskies meet at 8 p.m. on Thursday in Fort McMurray. Semifinals are on Friday, followed by medal round games on Saturday. The ACAC awards banquet is on Wednesday evening.
Games can be streamed live on ACAC-TV, while results will be available through the ACAC’s website. Learn more about the Kodiaks at gokodiaks.ca and follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.