An exciting pair of championships celebrating women and girls and sport wrapped up this past weekend with the 2020 South Country CO-OP ACAC Women's Basketball Championship hosted by Medicine Hat College (MHC). After 11 games over three days, The Lakeland College Rustlers were crowned champions with an exciting 64-50 victory over the silver medal winning Keyano College Huskies. The St. Mary's University Lightning, who were down to 7 players, managed to battle through and defeated last year's CCAA National Champion, the Olds Colleg Broncos, 71-57. The howetown MHC Rattlers made sure to finish off their season with a win defeating the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings 61-57. Here are the recaps of the final day of action.
Gold Medal Game:
The ACAC Conference Championship Gold Medal game took place between the Lakeland Rustlers and the Keyano Huskies. The all North matchup opened with the Keyano Huskies winning the tip and gaining 3 chances to score but coming up empty. Lakeland came back down the floor but were stopped in their tracks and the Huskies tried to transition quickly. The Huskies continued to miss, giving the Rustlers the first chance to score hitting a 3. Still struggling to find the basket, the Huskies remained scoreless for the first 3:30 before finally butting 2 on the board. The Rustlers in the meantime had scored four and led 7-2 in the early going. Defense on both side stepped up and another scoreless 2 minutes ticked off the clock to show the same score at the midway point of the quarter. On the Rustlers next trip down the floor they worked the ball inside scoring another quick basket going up 9-2 and forcing the Huskies to take a timeout. Lakeland was able to come up with a steal on the first play out of the break, running the floor for 2 fast break points before the Huskies could respond. 11-4 on the scoreboard as the clock showed 3:00, the Huskies continued to look inside for points but were coming up empty. The Rustlers were struggling to pull away however, as the Huskies were controlling the offensive glass. Another quick break saw Lakeland go up further with back to back buckets and a 15-4 lead. A goregeous Drive and Dish from Tori Dugan to Brianne Hergott added another 2 to the Rustler lead. a quick burst in the final minute as well as a buzzer beater 3 saw the Rustlers explode at the end of the frame going up 22-4 at the break.
The second quarter opened up with a Rustler steal after the Huskies struggled working the ball around on offense. They stepped up on the back end getting a steal of their own and getting 2 fast break points from Joy Victor. Immediately the Rustlers responded running the floor and making points in the paint. The score read 24-6 until a Kaleigh Sellars 3 dropped for Keyano getting them within one of double digits. The Rustlers easily responded again making more points in the paint and going up 26-9. This saw Keyano take a timeout with 6:37 on the clock. The Huskies hit a single at the line and finally hit 10 points 4 minutes in the second quarter. They added another 2 quickly on a steal, but again Lakeland ran the floor and made a quick layup. Again the Huskies were able to convert on another trip down the floor and narrow the lead. Lakeland came back down the floor to hit a deep 3 and go up 31-14 with 4:00 on the clock. The Huskies Joy Victor completed the 3 point play for Keyano on the next trip down the floor. The Huskies slowly chipped away in the later minutes as Keyano entered bonus early. As the clock continued to wind down the in the half the Rustlers were able to stay out front leading by 10, 33-23 with 1:25 on the clock. The Rustlers took their first timeout and headed back to the court looking to convert in the offensive end. A quick 2 points saw the Rustlers extend the lead, but on the other end the Huskies earned another trip to the line. Hitting one of two Moyan Toure was struggling from the stripe for the Huskies who remained down 11 as the Rustlers headed to the line on the other end. Ally Pilgrim hit one of two but an offensive board from Hergott and a put-back made it a 3 point affair. As the clock wound down to 0, the Rustlers were ahead 38-25 as the teams headed to the dressing rooms.
The second half got underway with the Keyano Huskies scoring after a quick defensive stop. The Rustlers not wanting to give up any ground responded quickly with another basket in the paint. Keyano had made some adjustments in the room and scored again quickly cutting the lead. Lakeland did not roll over but rather came back hard to score 2 tough buckets to stay ahead. The scoring was coming at a much faster pace this half with the score 31-44 just 4 minutes into the frame. The Huskies reduced their deficit to 10 on a 3 pointer from Tyshaine Page, but again the Rustlers ran the floor for 2 quick points. with half the frame gone, the score read 46-34 in a fast paced affair. Toure started to heat up for Keyano Grabbing boards on both ends and scoring her 12th. The Rustlers were spreading out their offence more and getting good looks inside for most of the game. they were up 50-38 as the clock ticked past 2:30 left in the frame. A Keyano miss gave the Rustlers a chance to extend which they did with Angela Baran hitting a 3. The Rustlers started to use more of the shot clock as time ticked down in the frame. Both teams going cold in the late frame as the defence heated up resulted in a 53-38 Rustlers lead at the buzzer.
The fourth quarter started with the Rustlers and Huskies missing on their first trip down the floor. Another set of misses saw the first 2:30 run off the clock without any scoring. The First basket came at 7:30 on the clock with Joy Victor coming up with a steal, running the floor to finish for Keyano. Seeming to open something, the Rustlers came right back down the floor to score their first of the frame, keeping their 15 point advantage. On the Huskies next trip down, they got to the line but again Toure's struggles at the line continued missing both. Rustler Hergott got to the line going hard to the basket and hit one to extend the lead to 16. Huskie Kaleigh Sellars hit a corner 3 in response and narrowed the lead. Lakeland turned the ball over right away and the Huskies headed back to the line. With 5:08 on the clock the Huskies took a timeout down 43-56. Coming out of the timeout, the Huskies again missed both at the charity stripe, giving the Rustlers momentum to come down the court for a quick score. Keyano answered but once again Lakeland maintained their 15 point lead as more time ran off the clock. With 3:27 on the clock Keyano took another timeout still down 45-60. The Rustlers started to take their time and use the clock while the Huskies looked for fast points on each trip down. This speed caused a few errors and the Huskies turned the ball over twice in a row allowing Lakeland to extend the lead to 19. The Huskies were able to hit a 3 to make the score 48-64 but the clock was becoming more of an issue. Toure got back to the line for Keyano this time hitting both and reducing the Rustler lead to 14. With less than a minute the game was all but over. The Rustlers dribbled out the clock to take a 64-50 gold Medal win.
The ACAC Players of the game were Joy Victor for Keyano and Brianne Hergott for Lakeland.
The ACAC Conference Championship all stars were Joy Victor and Moiyan Toure for Keyano and Jaden Cook and Brianne Hergott
The Tournament MVP was Rustler Tori Dugan
Bronze Medal Game:
The Bronze medal game took place between the Olds College Broncos and the St. Mary's University Lightning. The 8 man Lightning bench was even shorter after losing All-Star Emily Wagner to a concussion. The Broncos came in after a tough loss the night before hoping to end the season on a positive. The Game started with a quick miss from both sides before the Broncos scored on second chance points. the Lightning tried to respond quickly but missed 2 layups before finally having one fall tying it at 2. StMU got to the line and quickly took the lead. from here the Lightning stalled staying at 4 for over 3 minutes and the Broncos scoring 2 quick baskets and going up 8-4. The Lightning found their usual groove and scored a quick 5 points, but the Broncos were able to stay out in front with some scoring by committee. The Lightning stuck late with a fast break to bring the score within 2, but the Broncos responded getting to the line and making both restoring a 4 point lead at the break. Olds held a small 15-11 advantage as the teams retreated to the benches.
The second started with the Lightning scoring 2 quick baskets to level the score at 15 before Olds could respond. The Broncos quickly took the lead but again the Lightning tied the game quickly. Olds guard Dani Earl hit a 3 and pulled the Broncos back out in front. They quickly followed this up with an inside basket to go back up 5 as 4 minutes ran off the clock. StMU took a timeout and came out of the break to get a single on a trip to the line. The Broncos again started to pull away with some inside play from Brittney Thibeaux scoring her 16th to put Olds up 10. The Lightning responded but the Broncos came right down the floor and finished off a 3 point play to go up 11. The Lightning were missing Wagner's scoring touch, but the rest of the team was battling hard staying within striking distance. The Broncos were up 31-24 with 2:26 on the clock taking a timeout. The rest of the quarter went without incident as the Broncos maintained their lead 35-29 heading into the dressing room.
The Second half started with the Lightning coming up with a quick steal and score to reduce the deficit to 4. Another stop and a great shot from Helton, the Lightning found themselves within 2. The Broncos only found the basket once in the opening 2:30 and the score read 37-35 Broncos ahead. StMU got back to the line and tied the game at 37 turning up the intensity in the gym. The Lightning went on 2 fast breaks scoring 4 quick points and taking the lead, 41-37 forcing the Broncos to burn a timeout. The Lightning were able to pull ahead hitting a high percentage of shots and getting second chance points. they moved ahead 48-39 as the clock read 2:00. Hannah Helton drove in and made a nice reverse layup putting the Lightning up 11 and their biggest lead of the game. Olds was able to come back down the court and get to the line twice in a row coming away with 4 points on the series. Now 44-50 the Lightning earned some fourth chance points going up 52-44 where the quarter ended setting up a tight 4th.
The Lightning were able to extend their lead early in the quarter moving the ball and playing their fast-paced brand of basketball. In the first 2:30 they went on a 6-0 run making the score 58-44. Olds continued to struggle to shoot only scoring once right at the end of 3 minutes. The Broncos started to heat up after generating some momentum, quickly reducing the Lightning lead to 7, 58-51. The Lightning came back scoring more fast break points. the Lightning remained ahead, increasing their lead to 11 as the clock read 4 minutes left. The Broncos quickly scored on their next possession making the score 55-64. An Olds defensive stop and a quick 2 points saw the Broncos again narrow the margin. Finally the Lightning could respond hitting 2 staying in the lead by 9. With 99 second left in the game, the Lightning took a timeout out 66-57 in an effort to preserve their late lead. The Lightning were able to score a quick basket and extend the lead. a defensive stop and another trip to the line added to the Lightning advantage. With the seconds ticking off the clock the Lightning held on for a 71- 57 win.
The ACAC players of the game were Brittney Thibeaux with 24 points and Hannah Helton with 17 of her own.
The ACAC Conference Champion all stars were Brittney Thibeaux for Olds, Hannah Helton and Juhee Anderson for St. Mary's
5th Place Game:
The Consolation Final took place between the Augustana Vikings and the Medicine Hat College Rattlers. The Host Rattlers looked to take advantage of the hometown crowd while Augustana looked to win in front of all the fans who traveled down with the team. The game started off with the Vikings scoring a quick basket and the Rattlers quickly answering right away with a Paige Cooper bucket. The Vikings scored on a fast break and re-took the advantage early. Another Cooper Basket for MHC and the teams were once again tied. Another fast break from Augustana put them in the lead up 6-4 less than 2 minutes in. the Teams went cold from here not scoring for 3 minutes until Rattler Morgan Muir hit a 3 putting the home side up by 1. The Vikings took over a minute but were able to re-take the lead going up 8-7. The Rattlers came back, getting to the line and hitting both to once again earn the advantage in the close game. Medicine Hat started playing tight defense and came up with 2 quick steal and scores to take a 13-8 lead. Augustana was able to respond with a 3 from Alyssa Banez and narrowed the lead. the quarter ended with the Rattlers up 15-13 and both teams pressing hard for the lead.
The second quarter started with the Rattlers scoring a quick basket and forcing a tough shot. The Vikings were playing a very physical defense at the start of the quarter and ended up recording 2 fouls in the first 80 seconds. The Rattlers took advantage and pressed their lead going up 22-13 in the first two minutes of the frame. The Vikings seeing this and needing to change the momentum called a timeout with 7:47 on the clock. Augustana came out of the break and was able to score twice and cutting the lead to 5 again, 22-17. The Rattlers scored a quick inside basket to respond and pulled down the defensive board. Unable to convert at the other end the score remained 24-17. Again Banez hit a 3 for Augustana to quickly bring the game back within 4. This saw the Rattlers burn their first timeout with 4:04 left in the frame. The Rattlers were able to put up another quick basked out of the break, but the Vikings earned a trip to the line with Popenia hitting both keeping pace with the Rattlers. Medicine Hat was having more luck offensively today than in the previous games and was having some awkward shots fall in. With a minute on the clock, the Rattlers held a 28-24 lead with the ball. The Rattlers scored a nice inside basket and stole the ball back quickly to jump out to a 31-24 lead at the break.
The Third quarter opened with the Vikings Sheridan Popenia Hitting a 3 on the opening possession of the half. After a quick defensive stop the Vikings scored again inside from Tobore Okome and reduced the Rattler lead to 2. Medicine Hat responded on an outside jumper from Kate Rozdeba restoring the 2 possesion lead. The Vikings quickly tied the game at 35 before the Rattlers once again were able to put 2 baskets together to open a 39-35 lead at the midway point of the quarter. The Rattlers added another 2 before the Vikings could respond. The teams traded baskets on consecutive possessions and with 1:10 on the clock, Medicine Hat still had a 43-39 lead. Augustana quickly earned a trip to the line in the final minute hitting one of two and making the Rattler lead 3. The Rattlers added 2 more taking the final shot of the quarter and took a 45-40 lead heading into the final frame.
Medicine Hat was able to add a quick basket to their lead before heading to the line to add another 2 to go up 49-40. Another 2 defensive stops for the Rattlers gave the home team a shot to increase their lead to double digits but the failed to convert on the offensive end. Augustana missed a deep 3 and fouled Muir who got the lead to 11. Again Augustana responded with a 3 from Popenia who ran back down the floor to pull a d board off the glass. A bad turnover from another Viking resulted in the Rattlers getting another trip to the line and re-establishing a 10 point lead. A quick steal and score saw the Rattlers jump further in the lead up 12 now. With less than half a quarter left and down their largest margin of the game, Augustana took a timeout in an effort to swing the moment. The Rattlers added a single at the line, going up 56-43. Coming right back down the floor the Vikings went to the stripe hitting one of 2 but still down. The Vikings scored quickly again reducing the margin to 10 as the clock read 3:30 left in the game. Augustana forced another turnover and scored quickly to bring the deficit back to 8. A fast break basket for the Vikings saw them down 50-56 but coming back with momentum. Medicine Hat missed yet again and the Vikings added another basket and the lead was down to 4. The Rattlers got to the line and hit one to make the lead 5, but quickly Augustana Banez hit another timely 3 to make it a one possession 2 point game. the Vikings Popenia Ran the floor and dished to Okome to put in her 17th and tying the game at 57. The Rattlers scored with 50 seconds on the clock to pull ahead 2. Coming up with a stop, the Rattlers got back to the line hitting one of two making it a 3 point game with 12.9 seconds on the clock. The Vikings commited a 5 second violation on the inbound essentially ending it. An intentional foul sent the Rattlers to the line hitting one making the lead 4 with under 10 seconds on the clock. The time ran out on the Vikings and the Host Rattlers won 61-57 in a very close game.
The ACAC Players of the game were Hannah Mitchell for Augustana and Kate Rozdeba for MHC
The Tournament All-Stars were Tobore Okome for Augustana and Morgan Muir for MHC.