Huskies repeat as Canada West champions; capture fourth title in five years

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team continued its decade of Canada West dominance, winning a second straight title with a 62-51 win over the University of Alberta Pandas Friday at the Physical Activity Complex (PAC).

Making the victory that much sweeter for head coach Lisa Thomadis was capturing both victories in front of hometown fans.

“It’s amazing,” Thomadis said after winning the program’s seventh conference title.

“To have people show up and come and support us, it really means the world. I think a lot of people wanted to see our fifth-years play for the last time in Saskatoon. It feels great. Never gets old.”

The Huskies have won four of the last five Canada West banners. Fifth-year players Sabine Dukate, Megan Ahlstrom and Vera Crooks played their final game in front of home town fans, winning for a fourth time in their fifth consecutive Canada West Final.

“It’s just such an awesome feeling. All that happiness. I started here, and to end here, it’s just amazing,” said Dukate, the 26-year-old Latvian.

Saskatchewan has lost only two times all season, but were in for some nervous moments against the Pandas second half push back.

“They had a tough night shooting in the first half, and then we knew they were going to make a run in the second (half), but we hung in strong,” Thomadis said. “I thought we got some key stops at the end that allowed us to build a little bit of a cushion.”

That cushion was made easier by a clutch three pointer from an unlikely sharpshooter.

With 2:26 remaining in the game, fourth-year forward Summer Maskewich gave the Huskies a 57-49 lead with a desperation heave as the shot clock was about to expire.

“I felt like I couldn’t hit a two (point shot), so maybe this three will go in and it did, so it felt like it was a little gift,” Maskewich said.

The near-capacity crowd jammed into the PAC went into a frenzy as Maskewich’s first three-pointer of the season fell, but Thomadis wasn’t all that shocked to see it happen.

“She’s worked on that shot. All last summer we had her shooting threes and getting comfortable been practicing that shot. What perfect timing for her to knock that down for her first one on the season,” she said.

Huskies guard Christy Fehr snips off a piece of mesh after winning the Canada West conference on Feb. 28, 2020. (Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)

After both teams showed some early jitters with a few nervous shots and careless turnovers, it was the Huskies who found its offensive rhythm.

Down 11-9 with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter, the Huskies were able to go on a 10-2 run to end the quarter up 19-13.

The offence would continue to roll in the second quarter with all six field goals in the frame coming from different Huskies players. A hounding defensive effort piled up blocks and created turnovers to limit the Pandas to five points in the quarter for a 32-18 lead at halftime.

Alberta would dwindle the lead down to just six points with a 13-2 run in the third quarter to make the score 38-33 with 3:53 remaining en route to a 43-41 score heading into the fourth.

Key three pointers from Dukate kept the Huskies in the lead until Makewich’s dagger gave the team the breathing room it needed.

The win marks the 13th season in a row Thomadis has led the Huskies to the U Sports Final 8. The Huskies are expected to claim the top seed of the tournament with its two-loss record.

Thomadis is expecting to lean on her’s team’s experience heading into nationals, especially after a swan song at home for the fifth-year trio.

“If I think too much about it I get emotional, for sure,” Thomadis said of her leaders. “For Vera, Sabine and Megan to win four Canada West championships out of five years, that says so much about them, and I’m so proud of them and happy for them to close out their careers with a championship.”