CCAA Championship Match - NAIT Ooks 76, VIU Mariners 71

 An overtime classic saw the Cinderella NAIT Ooks overcome a ferocious atmosphere in the Vancouver Island Gym to defeat the host Mariners 76-71.

The gym was at full capacity and blue-clad fans remained loud throughout the entire game as many students, families, and locals came to see if the Mariners could find themselves victorious on home court. NAIT fans were joined by Lakeland supporters in cheering on the Edmonton squad.

In the first quarter, the Ooks leaned heavily on shots from beyond the arc, and took a 23-16 lead into the second quarter based largely on going 6-15 from distance. Fifth-year guard Aphia Ward, who hit on 3 of 6 three-point attempts, came off the bench to push NAIT’s early lead.

The Mariners began to claw back in the second half as guard Ranika Guyton executed a number of smooth finishes at the hoop. However, the Ooks maintained their lead into the halftime break by shooting at a 43.8% clip, and NAIT led 39-35 at the break.

As with VIU’s earlier games in the tournament, the Mariners pushed hard for a comeback in the second half. Forward Shayce Johnston drew a number of fouls with hard drives in the paint and hit on 8 of 9 free throws in the third quarter. NAIT lost some momentum by only hitting on 1 of 8 three point attempts, with each miss sending the home crowd into a frenzy. VIU took a 56-54 lead into the fourth quarter.

What the crowd assumed would be the final frame was a tough, ragged affair with the athletes showing the wear of a top-level three-day tournament. While the players continued to fly up and down the coart—marshalled by VIU’s Amber Lease and NAIT’s Carly McHard—only 20 points were scored between the two teams as NAIT shot 23.5% and VIU shot 15.8%.

NAIT held a 65-63 lead for nearly the final two and a half minutes of the quarter before a Ranika Guyton layup brought the Mariners even and the crowd—most of who were already standing—fully to their feet. A late VIU layup attempt and a NAIT three-point attempt at the buzzer both missed and the teams were off to overtime, tied at 65.

In overtime, the teams traded early buckets before a Carly McHarg three-pointer gave NAIT a lead it would not reliquish. A Lucy Wilde layup upped the NAIT advantage to 72-69 and the Mariners were forced to foul the Ooks down the stretch. Aliyah Johnson and Lucy Wilde made good on their free throws—sandwiching a late CJ Buckley basket—and the Ooks celebrated a 76-71 win.

Aphia Ward—who scored a game-high 20 points and finished 6 for 14 from three—was named player of the game for NAIT. Shayce Johnston, who earned a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds, was named player of the game for VIU.

For Ooks head coach Todd Warnick, this game brought his CCAA coaching career full circle. He began his collegiate head coaching experience in this same gym by coaching the VIU Mariners (then known as the Malaspina University-College Mariners) men’s basketball team, with whom he earned a CCAA bronze medial in 2004-05. He now finishes his CCAA coaching career with a national title in the same gym before taking on the coaching reins with Thompson Rivers University.

Bronze Medal Match - Lakeland Rustlers 86, Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers 73

The Bronze Medal Final game pitted the Champlain Cavaliers against the Lakeland Rustlers. Both of these teams saw their losses come on the first day to the eventual Gold Medal finalists, which made for an interesting narrative for the evening’s games.

The game started out with an early lead taken by Lakeland, before momentum swung in the favor of the Cavaliers. A standout early on was Divine Dibula, who made her first five field goal attempts to net her 10 points, allowing the Cavaliers to take a decent sized lead.

Rustlers All-Canadian selection Tori Dugan fired back after Dibula’s impressive run, hitting two impressive 3 point shots to shrink the Cavaliers lead to only two points at the end of the first. The Rustlers took over the 2nd quarter, using their sharpshooting and defense to hold a 25-8 advantage over their opponents in the quarter, finishing the half up by a solid margin.

The third quarter was a different story, with the Cavaliers returning to their early game form, having an 8 point advantage over the quarter. The fourth quarter saw the gap in scores tighten, with the Cavaliers getting within striking distance. Unfortunately for them, in a physical game with plenty of calls, Cavaliers team scoring leader Divine Dibula fouled out, pushing momentum in the favour of the Rustlers. After a game of ups and downs for both sides, Lakeland’s Rustlers found themselves on top, and with bronze honours.

The player of the game selections were completely dominant, with dueling excellent performances. The Rustlers’ selection for the award was Tori Dugan, the All-Canadian Player of the Year who received the Player of the Game honour in back to back games. Dugan completed the game with 27 points, four 3 pointers, and 9 assists. Selected for the Cavaliers was Divine Dibula, who efficiently dropped 22 points, shooting 10 for 16 from the field.

The Rustlers head home with bronze medals, finishing an incredible season on one final well earned win. The Cavaliers can hold their heads high as well, as they competed hard in four games over a three day span.

Match 10 - Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers 62, Dawson College Blues 59

The second bronze semi-final match was between the Dawson College Blues and the Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers. Both teams had participated in some thrilling matchups in the previous days’ matches, so this game was sure to be another intense one.

The first half was a defensive battle, with one of the lowest scoring paces at halftime for a game of this tournament. Nobody was slacking on their own end, and the constant pressure made it difficult for both teams to score. Free throws proved to be important, as both teams found themselves at the line often.

The second half of the game saw some more offensive highlights. Cavaliers forward Fatima Diop pulled off a beautiful shifty move to score a layup for her team halfway through the third, only to be immediately answered by a smooth three by Lily-Rose Chatila. There were highlight-worthy defensive plays as well, with an impressive block by Darah Fleurgin being one of the best in the tournament. The game stayed within one possession for almost the entire fourth quarter, with an insane shot clock buzzer beating shot with 4 game seconds left proving to be the decider.

Darah Fleurgin was the player of the game for the Cavaliers, as she not only hit the game winning shot and made a highlight reel block but also put up a 13 point, 11 rebound double double. For the Dawson Blues, Hans Sara Baily put up 12 points and 8 rebounds to keep her team within reach of the lead.

The win over the Blues sent the Cavaliers to the bronze medal game, where they looked to bring home the hardware.

Match 9 - Lakeland Rustlers 75, MSVU Mystics 53

To start off the final day of action, MSVU’s Mystics took on Lakeland’s Rustlers for a spot in the evening’s bronze medal matchup. Both teams looked to put on a show and make their traveling cheering sections proud.

From the tipoff, the game was dictated by the Rustlers. They came out fast, and put up plenty of points in a variety of ways. The Rustlers saw plenty of production from many of their players, especially Bilge Topaloglu early on, who utilized her excellent finishing abilities to score early and efficiently. They were defensively quite sound as well, holding the Mystics to only 6 points in the first, and 16 at the half. The Mystics did not slow down either however, as even when they were down by a decent margin, they gave full effort every play and did not look like they were out of the game by any means.

The Player of the Game selections from each team were players who both had excellent seasons, two of the best collegiate players in Canada. All-Canadian and CCAA Player of the Year Tori Dugan represented the Rustlers, leading the team with her playmaking ability, notching 7 assists to go with her 5 points. Dugan excellently read passing lanes during the game, as she finished with an impressive 6 steals. This outstanding performance was just one of many in an outstanding year for Dugan, as it adds to an impressive trophy case. The Player of the Game selection for the Mystics was All Canadian guard Kelsey Crocker, who helped keep her team in the game with 12 points and 7 rebounds.

The win over the Mystics meant that the Rustlers would participate in the evening’s bronze medal championship game.