This season was always going to be special. Cascades WBB head coach Al Tuchscherer has been at the helm of the program for 24 seasons and has seen hundreds of athletes play for UFV, but this was going to be the final year that he would coach one of his own kids.
Julia Tuchscherer was a force in her final season as a Cascade. After the squad lost star players Nikki Cabuco, Maddy Gobeil, Google Sidhu, and Julia’s sister Deanna Tuchscherer to graduation after the 2024-25 campaign, it opened the runway for Julia to flourish. Now with more time and space on the court, the fifth year forward was able to take off in 2025-26, posting career highs in total points (340), minutes played (657), rebounds (172), and blocks (49). J. Tuchscherer’s dominance on the court this year showed up not only on the Cascades’ stat sheet, but put the rest of Canada West (CW) on notice as she led the conference in points per game (17.0), was second in blocks (49), and fifth in rebounds per game (8.6), all on route to a second straight Canada West First Team All-Star selection.
Despite J. Tuchscherer having her best season as a Cascade, the team struggled to find their footing as they finished the regular season at 9-11 and had to settle for the seventh seed in the CW playoffs. The Cascades jetted over to Saskatoon for the first two rounds, with the winner of the play-in round between UFV and the Mount Royal University Cougars going on to play the weekend host in the University of Saskatchewan.
And while Mount Royal had the better record at 10-10 in the regular season, the veteran experience of J. Tuchscherer and fifth year forward Esther Allison was too much for the Cougars to handle, as the Cascades took the lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Allison led the Cascades with 18 points on the night and shooting 8-11 from the field and picked up seven rebounds, while J. Tuchscherer put home 13 points, and led the team with seven assists and four blocks as the Cascades cruised to a 78-60 victory.
Even with momentum going for the Cascades after their play-in round victory, it did not carry through into second round as they fell the next day by a score of 95-58 to the number one nationally ranked and undefeated Saskatchewan Huskies. J. Tuchscherer led the team with 17 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the match, but her efforts were not enough to get past a juggernaut in Saskatchewan.
And while a second-round exit may be disappointing for a Cascades squad coming off back-to-back seasons where the team played for the CW bronze medal, winning in 2024, a loss to one of the best teams in the country is nothing to take lightly. And when taking on a team led by reigning U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Year, Gage Grassick, it was never going to be an easy fight as the battle-tested Huskies proved to be too much for the Cascades to handle. The Huskies had not lost a game in exhibition, regular season, and post-season play since Nov. 2, 2024 before suffering a shocking loss in the CW semi-finals to the Calgary Dinos, just one weekend after sending the Cascades packing.
And so, another Cascades season and a storied UFV career for J. Tuchscherer has come to a close. From a trip to the 2023-24 U SPORTS Final 8 to three separate Canada West All-Team selections, Julia made a significant impact on the Cascades program and her departure will leave big shoes that need to be filled. But with the Tuchscherer name still attached to the program, there is no doubt that this team will continue to compete for years to come.
