Women’s basketball team prepares for playoffs
The women’s Camosun Chargers basketball team is gearing up to take on the top teams in the league at the British Columbia Colleges’ Athletic Association (BCCAA) provincial championships in early March.
But both the men’s and women’s teams couldn’t take the Heat on Feb. 19 and 20 as they winded down their regular season with two losses each against the UBC Okanagan Heat in Kelowna.
Both the men’s and women’s teams at UBC-O are among the top in the league, sitting at third and second, respectively.
The Chargers women will still be heading up to Vancouver Island University (VIU) for the BCCAA provincial championships, despite the two losses, while the Chargers men are now out of playoff contention.
The women Chargers are sitting at 12 wins and six losses and are in fourth place going into the tournament.
“We’re disappointed with how our league season finished at UBC-O in Kelowna,” says head coach Brett Westcott. “Hopefully we’ll get a more consistent effort in the playoffs, or it’ll be a short second season.”
The team lost on Feb. 19 against the Heat 71–49. Although they were only eight points behind at the half, they couldn’t manage to catch up.
Chelsea McMullen contributed 15 points, while Chelsea Wilson had eight points and nine rebounds.
The team typically doesn’t do well under pressure, according to McMullen, and that’s affected their record.
“Four out of the six games we lost we should have easily won,” says McMullen. “But, unfortunately, our inability to finish with a win and not crack under pressure has been one of our main struggles.”
The next day, the Chargers had a chance at retribution against UBC-O and, although they were ahead by three points at the half, they lost the game 64–67.
Teresa Hartrick had an amazing game with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kymber Gale put up an impressive 19 points for the Chargers.
Despite finishing the season on two losses, the Chargers are hopeful that they will be in prime playing condition by the time they get to the provincials. They play the fifth-ranked Capilano University Blues in the first round of the playoffs.
“We have the ability to win the game if we play the way we are capable of playing,” says Westcott. “We could also just as easily lose, as they have the league’s leading scorer and rebounder.”
The Chargers may be up against some tough players with the Blues, but Camosun has its own players that are among the top players in the league, like team veteran Kate Carlson, Hartrick, and McMullen.
McMullen is second in the league in average points per game. She’s looking forward to having a chance to repeat Camosun’s performance last year when they won the provincial championship.
“It would be a great game if we met UNBC in the finals again and came out with a win,” says McMullen. “We definitely don’t have the depth and experience last year’s team had. With this year’s team being mostly first-years, it will require a perfect performance for us to be defending champions again, but it is definitely possible.”
The Chargers will have their chance at provincial glory from March 4–6 in Nanaimo.
The VIU Mariners have hosted many major championships in the past, with six Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) national championships and several BCCAA provincial tournaments. Day passes are available and sportscanada.tv will be broadcasting a live webcast of the games.
Meanwhile, the men’s Chargers will be staying home at Camosun during the provincial playoffs this year. They finished the season in ninth place with a record of three wins and 15 losses and will not compete in the postseason.
Despite a disappointing season, the Chargers boast some of the top players in the league. Both Tyler Olsen and Blake Manbridge are near the top in BCCAA standings for average points per game.
Mansbridge was a big contributor in the men’s final two games against UBC-O. He had seven rebounds and 13 points in the Feb. 19 game.
Camosun kept the score close throughout the game, but couldn’t manage to pull ahead. The Chargers were playing with only three subs on their bench.
In their final game of the season, the Chargers just couldn’t get it together and the second half saw the Heat sail to a victory with a score of 104–67.
Ryan Erikson had an exceptional game with 19 points and 5 rebounds for the Chargers, while Mansbridge contributed 17 points.
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Congrats on the gig Erin! WTG!!!