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Alberta, Victoria, UFV and Saskatchewan advance to Canada West women’s basketball semi-finals

Semi-final round set for Saturday in Abbotsford, champion to be crowned on Sunday afternoon
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Morgan Harris of the Alberta Pandas works against Calgary’s Myriam Kone during quarterfinal action on Thursday (Feb. 22). (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)

The final four has been set for the Canada West women’s basketball championships in Abbotsford.

Quarterfinal games saw the Alberta Pandas, Victoria Vikes, UFV Cascades and Saskatchewan Huskies all advance.

Semi-final Saturday (Feb. 24) will see the Pandas and Vikes play at 1 p.m., with the Cascades and Huskies play at 3 p.m. Thw winners of those games will compete for the CW title, while the losers will battle for bronze.

QUARTERFINAL 1: ALBERTA PANDAS – 50 CALGARY DINOS – 43

The Pandas rode a 14-2 second quarter to take down the higher-ranked Dinos on Thursday (Feb. 22).

Alberta got productive games from guards Jenna Harpe (13 points) and Morgan Harris (11 points and two assists) in the win. Pandas forward Claire Signatovich was also a beast on the glass with 15 rebounds to go with nine points.

The Dinos struggled shooting and made just 26.9 from the field. They were led by forward Mya Proctor who had a game high 17 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.

QUARTERFINAL 2: VICTORIA VIKES – 66 UBC THUNDERBIRDS – 63

The day’s second upset saw the Vikes shoot an impressive 38.5 per cent from the field and get a big game from forward Abigail Becker to earn the win.

The team’s were tied at 36 at halftime, but the Vikes managed to slightly pull away in the third quarter and managed to hang on. Becker had 20 points (9/12 shooting) and added 10 rebounds to go with four blocks. Victoria also got 13 points and seven rebounds from Tana Pankratz. Vikes forward Mimi Segue added 15 rebounds and 12 points.

UBC shot 28.2 per cent from the field and were led by guard Olivia Weekes (21 points and 13 rebounds). Thunderbirds forward Mona Bertliz added 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Victoria had 15 assists to nine for UBC and they also won the rebound battle 55-47.

QUARTERFINAL 3: UFV CASCADES – 62 REGINA COUGARS – 53

The Cascades rode a 9-0 run in the second quarter and an outstanding performance from Maddy Gobeil to win in front of a big crowd on home court.

Gobeil collected 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Deanna Tuchscherer added 13 points and six rebounds. Julia Tuchscherer scored nine points and grabbed nine boards.

The Cascades held Regina to just 29.5 per cent shooting, while making 34.8 of their shots. Regina’s top scorer was Jade Belmore, who scored 14 points.

The offensive rebound battle saw UFV edge Regina 18-13. Points in the paint was also a big UFV advantage with a 40-24 margin for the Cascades.

RELATED: UFV’s Maddy Gobeil guides Cascades to quarterfinal playoff win

QUARTERFINAL 4: SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES – 74 UBCO HEAT – 60

The Huskies jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back to score the win.

Saskatchewan got a big game from guard Tea DeMong, who scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists. The Huskies also got productive games from Carly Ahlstrom (14 points) and Gage Grassick (11 points, four steals and four assists).

The Heat shot well at 43.5 per cent, but only attempted 46 field goals. In comparison, the Huskies attempted 81 shots.

Jaeli Ibbetson had a strong game for the Heat, with 18 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. UBCO also had a productive game from guard Sofia Ainsa Lluch, who had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Turnovers were a killer for UBCO, as they committed 32 to just 12 for the Huskies. Saskatchewan also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Heat 46-18.

Continue visiting abbynews.com for more coverage from the event.



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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