The UFV Cascades may have come up short for the gold medal, but they did walk away from Canada West’s women’s basketball championships with a bronze. This stellar achievement will send UFV to the nationals, in part due to a pair of electrifying performances from Canada West first team all-star, Maddy Gobeil.
The Cascades began the tournament with a quarterfinal matchup against the Regina Cougars on Feb. 22. UFV controlled the game, cruising to a 62-53 win and outscoring Regina in the first three quarters before being outscored 17-15 in the fourth. Gobeil was a gamebreaker; scoring 22 points and shooting 50 per cent from the field through 39 minutes played for the home team. The victory marked their eighth win in a row, going back to the regular season, and the first time in 10 years that the squad has advanced to the semifinals.
The Cascades’ gold-medal pursuit ultimately ended on Feb. 24, with UFV falling to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the semifinals. The Huskies dominated the regular season and came into the playoffs as the first overall seed. They would ultimately go on to win the gold medal in the tournament. Despite the loss, the Cascades received efficient contributions from Natalie Rathler, who went 5-for-5 from the field scoring 11 points in 15 minutes. Julia Tuchscherer and Marijke Duralia both shot 60 per cent or higher from the floor, scoring 11 and 6 points respectively.
“I think the bronze medal game is just about competing and who wants it more,” said Gobeil, post-game. If that’s the case, then UFV certainly wanted their prize more than the Victoria Vikes, earning a 62-41 victory on Feb. 25. The Cascades stormed out of the gates with an 18-4 first quarter and a 39-13 first half, pacing UFV to punch their ticket to the national championships for the first time since 2014. Gobeil put on another sensational performance, netting 26 points and gathering 5 rebounds while shooting nearly 58 per cent from the field.
The 2024 U Sports Championships begin Mar. 7 in Edmonton, and will feature the top eight teams from across Canada. Congratulations to UFV’s basketball program!
