OTTAWA (CIS) – When the Windsor Lancers triumphed on home court a year ago, they not only captured the first Bronze Baby Trophy in school history, they also put an end to a 19-year Canada West domination of CIS women's basketball. If they are to repeat as national champions this weekend, the Lancers will have to do so in Canada West territory, with no less than four Western teams leading one of the deepest fields in recent memory.
Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wbkb/index
The 41st CIS women's hoops championship is set to kick off Saturday at the Jack Simpson Gym on the campus of the University of Calgary. The eight-team competition concludes on Monday with the gold medal final at 7 p.m. Mountain (9 p.m. ET).
Shaw TV and NBA TV Canada will carry the two Sunday semifinal games live. Shaw TV will also carry the final live, while NBA TV Canada will broadcast the game on a two-hour tape delay. SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all 11 contests, including the main and consolation brackets.
Competing for this year's Bronze Baby are the top-seeded Regina Cougars (West Regional champions), No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds (Canada West champs), No. 3 Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA champs), No. 4 Windsor (East Regional champs), No. 5 Acadia Axewomen (AUS champs), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (wild card), No. 7 McGill Martlets (RSEQ champs) and No. 8 Calgary Dinos (host).
The Lancers open their title defence against Acadia Saturday at 5 p.m. MT in the third quarter-final. Other first-round match-ups include UBC vs. McGill at noon, Ottawa vs. Saskatchewan at 2 p.m., and Regina vs. Calgary in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
How things have changed in 12 months.
A year ago, as the new regional qualifying tournaments were introduced, Saskatchewan found itself the only Canada West team in Windsor trying to extend the conference's supremacy. The Huskies came close, reaching the national final for the first time in program history, but in the end settled for silver following a 63-49 loss to the host Lancers.
It is a different story this time around. Despite losses at their conference Final Four and at the West Regional, the Huskies are back at the CIS Final 8 after receiving the coveted wild card entry, and this time they will be one of four teams vying to put Canada West back on top.
One thing is for sure. Regardless of which conference they represent, the champions who will be crowned on Monday night will have to beat one of the strongest fields in history in order to hoist the Bronze Baby.
“I think this will be one of the most competitive national tournaments in recent memory, with no clear-cut favourite to win it all,” says Regina sideline boss Dave Taylor, who heads a program that claimed its lone CIS banner in 2001. “We're hoping to go in and continue to play the way that has got us to this point.”
“This year's tournament will be highly competitive with several teams having the ability to win it all,” adds Saskatchewan's Lisa Thomaidis.
McGill's Ryan Thorne agrees.
“We start out against a tough Canada West opponent in UBC, but I truly believe that there are no “Goliaths” at this tournament,” says Thorne, whose team will be one of four looking for a first national title in Calgary. “We, like everyone else, will be there to win a national championship and I believe that we will all need to be at our best to accomplish that goal.”
Ottawa's Andy Sparks is also confident heading into the weekend.
“Regina and UBC are well deserved of their 1-2 seeding, but we are playing well and I think playing in the regional tournament last week was good for us in terms of preparation. Our depth level is high and that can be a factor in a three-day tournament.”
Regina was ranked first in the country all season but saw its 23-game winning streak snapped with a 78-59 loss to UBC in the Canada West final. The Cougars, who led the nation in both offence (84.2 ppg) and defence (63.6) in conference play, rebounded nicely at the West Regional and earned their berth for the CIS tournament thanks to wins over Concordia and Brock. They are 3-0 this year against first-round opponent Calgary.
UBC avenged a 77-66 regular season loss to Regina with the victory in the conference title match. The T-Birds are red hot going into the Final 8 having won 15 of 16 games since the Christmas break, including their last seven.
“We are excited to represent UBC and the Canada West conference and be back at the CIS national championship for the first time in four years,” says 17-year head coach Deb Huband, who has guided her program to national titles in 2004, 2006 and 2008. “We have been preparing since the off-season for the right and opportunity to go against Canada's best in pursuit of the Bronze Baby. The opportunity to compete at Nationals is something that we respect, cherish and very much look forward to. We were thrilled to win the Canada West title and earn a high seed into the Final Eight.”
Ottawa sent a message to the rest of the country early in the season, on Nov. 18, upsetting defending CIS champion Windsor 74-58 in its third conference game. The Gee-Gees sent an even louder message two weeks ago in the OUA final with a shocking 89-40 domination of the Lancers. The rivals met again last weekend in the final of the East Regional, with Windsor prevailing 58-55 in a game of little significance as both teams had already punched their tickets to Calgary.
“Saskatchewan is a well-coached team and we expect them to be well prepared. They'll come with a solid defensive game plan and we'll just have to be able to execute against them,” says Sparks, who has led the Gee-Gees to three Final 8 appearances in his four seasons at the helm and now hopes to see his troops advance past the first round at the Nationals for the first time in team history.
Like Regina in Canada West, Windsor rebounded well following its loss in the OUA championship game with victories over Cape Breton and Ottawa at the East Regional. The Lancers are still a formidable team led by forward Jessica Clemençon, last season's CIS player of the year, and guard Miah-Marie Langlois, the MVP of the 2011 CIS tournament.
“We are thrilled to make our fourth straight national tournament appearance,” says head coach Chantal Vallée. “It is a privilege every year to get a chance to compete amongst the best for the Bronze Baby. I am proud of my team and we can't wait to start our first game. We have been waiting for this all year and we are ready.”
Windsor's first-round opponent on Saturday, Acadia, is one of the feel-good stories of the season. After finishing first in the Atlantic conference with a stellar 17-3 record, the Axewomen claimed their first-ever AUS banner with an 82-72 win over Cape Breton and are now set to make their CIS championship debut. Acadia also proved it could have success outside of its conference over the last few months with two wins in three match-ups against No. 3 Ottawa.
“This has been an historic season for our program. This group of players feels privileged to have been able to capture the conference title, as a means to honour the many other young women who have played a part in building toward this achievement,” says Bev Greenlaw, in his fourth campaign at the helm. “This bunch has worked hard to earn this. They agreed at the beginning of this season upon some specific, very challenging goals for themselves and have worked daily to build a team that could muster a championship-calibre effort.”
Saskatchewan was hit hard by graduation following its appearance in last year's CIS final as the game marked the end of the university careers of four fifth-year starters. The Huskies still managed to go 24-8 overall against CIS competition this season and have been ranked no lower than sixth all year in the national Top 10.
“We are extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to compete in the Final 8 again this season,” Thomaidis says. “Gaining the at-large berth and competing at Nationals for our fifth year in a row is a huge accomplishment for our young team.”
McGill hasn't competed for the Bronze Baby since 1996, when the Martlets edged Western in overtime in the bronze medal match for their best result at the CIS tourney. The RSEQ champs put together a pair of solid defensive performances to claim their first Quebec banner in 15 years, defeating UQAM 63-56 in a semifinal and Concordia 56-49 in the title game.
“I think it is an honour to represent the RSEQ at the national championship, and one that our team has earned,” says Thorne.
Calgary also returns to the Final 8 after a long hiatus. The host Dinos, who captured their lone Bronze Baby back in 1989, last played at the Nationals in 2001, when they won the bronze medal.
“We're excited to welcome the best teams in the country to the University of Calgary – it doesn't get any better than this! Our organizing committee has been hard at work, and we look forward to making this event one of the best championships ever,” says Shawnee Harle, the longest-serving head coach at this week's tournament with 18 seasons on the Dino sidelines. “Our team is thrilled with the opportunity in front of them, and they're ready to leave everything on the floor.”
-CIS-
