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 second day of play.
Semifinal one
Medicine Hat Rattlers (South #4) 51
St. Mary's Lightning (South #2) 63
An all-south division final four at the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championships kicked off with a thriller between second-ranked St. Mary’s and fourth-ranked Medicine Hat, who scored the upset of the tournament by toppling north division champion NAIT in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
The Rattlers (12-11) threatened to pull off another large upset, but a dominant fourth quarter by St. Mary’s (18-5) pushed them to a come-from-behind 63-51 win in the closest game of the tournament so far.
The Lightning bolted out to a 10 point lead late in the second quarter, but the Rattlers caught fire, led by ACAC south division second team all-star Megan Getz and her 13 first half points, going on a 9-1 run in the final three minutes of the quarter to claw back within two, trailing 24-22 at the break.
In the second half, the scrappy Rattlers started to break away and threatened to pull another huge upset. Karly Larson knocked down two three pointers, as the Rattlers scored the final eight points of the third quarter to take a 45-34 lead into the fourth. But in the final frame, the Lightning struck early and often, scoring nine points in the first two minutes of the fourth to erase the deficit. ACAC south division first team all-star Montana Romeril then put them ahead to stay with a driving lay-up that also drew a foul. The Lightning outscored the Rattlers 29-6 in the fourth quarter to earn the come-from-behind victory.
Romeril had a game-high 24 points, with 13 coming in the final quarter. Getz led the Rattlers with 18 points. St. Mary’s advances to the gold medal game at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Medicine Hat will play for bronze at 4:30 p.m.
Players of the game:
Medicine Hat - #12 Kennedy Werre (10pts, 17reb, 1ast)
St. Mary’s - #20 Montana Romeril (24pts, 6reb, 1ast)
Semifinal two
SAIT Trojans (South #3) 50
Lethbridge Kodiaks (South #1) 66
Two long-time southern Alberta rivals squared off in the final game of the second day of the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship, as the host and top-ranked Lethbridge College Kodiaks took on the third seed from the south division, the SAIT Trojans.
One year ago, a perfect regular season by the Kodiaks fell to the wayside with a semifinal loss at the ACAC championships. This year’s club made sure the same fate did not await, as all three of the Kodiaks ACAC south division first team all-stars factored into a red-hot start to the second quarter that propelled the Kodiaks (23-0) to a 66-50 win over the Trojans (15-8), maintaining Lethbridge’s perfect record this season.
The Kodiaks’ Sunder West, coming off a 28 point game in Thursday’s quarterfinal, hit a pair of three pointers early in the game to give Lethbridge a quick five point lead. But SAIT was able to battle back, led by ACAC rookie of the year Alexa Tan’s eight first quarter points, to lead 15-14 after one quarter. But the Kodiaks showed why they are ranked second in Canada to start the second quarter, firing off 16 straight points to break the game open, eventually outscoring the Trojans 25-8 in the frame. ACAC player of the year Logan Moncks had eight points in the opening three minutes of the second quarter to push the Kodiaks to a 39-23 lead at half.
The Kodiaks continued to press in the third quarter, with five quick points by Leah Ekubazgi helping them to an 18-12 advantage in the frame, and a 57-35 lead through three quarters. The Kodiaks were led by Lowry’s 20 points, while Moncks had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Alexa Tan was SAIT’s leading scorer with 14 points, including three from three point land. The Kodiaks will attempt to win their second ACAC championship in three seasons when they host St. Mary’s in the gold medal game at 7 p.m. on Saturday. SAIT will face Medicine Hat in the bronze medal game at 4:30 p.m.
Players of the game:
SAIT - #34 Melissa Woolley (8pts, 3ast, 2 3 pointers)
Lethbridge - #22 Emma Lowry (20pts, 5reb, 2ast)
Consolation game one
Keyano Huskies (North #3) 53
NAIT Ooks (North #1) 95
The first game of the day at the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship featured the north division’s top seed, the NAIT Ooks, looking to rebound from a surprising first-round upset Thursday at the hands of Medicine Hat College, as they faced the Keyano Huskies in consolation round action.
The Ooks (24-2) looked much more like the dominant team that lost just once in the ACAC regular season and will host the CCAA national championship later this month, rolling to a 95-53 victory.
Keyano (15-11) opened up an early five-point lead, but the Ooks fired back, kick-started by a three-pointer from ACAC north division first team all-star Sydney Hurlburt, which put them ahead to stay. NAIT went on a 27-7 run to open up a 21 point lead, led by Hurlburt who had 15 points, including three three-pointers in the first half. The Huskies’ Sarah MacDonald stemmed the tide with back-to-back threes late in the opening half, but NAIT led 45-30 at the break.
The Ooks sealed the victory with a huge, 33 point third quarter, despite losing the services of CCAA all-Canadian selection Torey Hill to injury after a hard collision early in the frame. The Ooks had three players pass the 20 point mark, including Alyssa Bridgeman with 23, Sydney Hurlburt with 22 and Shea-Lynn Noyes with 21. Danielle McLellan led Keyano with 19 points. The Ooks move on to play in the fifth place game at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, while the season comes to an end for the Huskies.
Players of the game:
Keyano - #15 Tyshaine Page (6pts, 2reb)
NAIT - #10 Shea-Lynn Noyes (21pts, 3reb, 2ast)
Consolation game two
Lakeland Rustlers (North #4) 49
Concordia Thunder (North #2) 69
The second game of the day in consolation action at the RE/MAX 2017 ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship featured two northern rivals as the second seed from the north division, the Concordia Thunder, took on the fourth-ranked north division team, the Lakeland Rustlers.
The short-staffed Rustlers (12-14) gave the Thunder (19-7) all they could handle early on, but Concordia was able to pull away for a 69-49 win.
The Thunder jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead to open the game, but Lakeland would heat up from beyond the arc, with Megan Ferraz, Anna Mbyui and Emma Smallwood all hitting threes within a two-minute span to tie the game at 15. Concordia regained a five point advantage after 10 minutes, but the Rustlers opened the second on an 8-0 run to take a 23-20 lead. It was then that the Thunder started to make noise, rattling off a 17-1 run to lead to surge ahead 37-26 at the half.
Concordia’s Lacey Weddle kept the roll going, hitting for three just seconds into the second half, as the Thunder never looked back, taking a 53-35 lead through three quarters, before closing it out in the fourth.
It was a balanced attack for Concordia, as 10 different players hit the scoresheet, led by Ann Stewart with 13 and Nakita Newman with 12. Anna Mbyui had a game-high 17 points to lead the Rustlers. Concordia moves on to face NAIT in the fifth place game at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, while the season comes to an end for Lakeland
Players of the game:
Lakeland - #14 Anna Mbyui (17pts, 9reb, 1ast)
Concordia - #9 Ann Stewart (13pts, 8reb, 2ast)