Over the past several weeks, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades women’s basketball team (WBB) has been preparing for the approaching season, competing in five pre-season bouts. There have been ebbs and flows to this early season action, a testament to teams ironing out their wrinkles and finding their identity as a unit.
Canada West’s new divisional format will see UFV competing exclusively against British Columbia teams in 2024-25. This departure from their traditional inter-provincial regular season matchups prompted the coaching staff to arrange a diverse and challenging pre-season lineup, seeking to provide valuable experience for potential play-off scenarios.
The U Sports pre-season journey began with a double-header against the University of Calgary Dinos. The first game, held on Friday, Sept. 20, was a closely contested battle. Despite a strong effort from the Cascades, they fell just short, with Calgary edging out a narrow 49-44 victory.
Saturday’s rematch proved to be more difficult for the UFV squad, as the Dinos controlled key matchups throughout the game. The final score of 68-51 in Calgary’s favour highlighted the areas where the Cascades needed to improve.
The outcome of the series set the stage for the team’s subsequent introspection and improvement, leading into their series against Laurier University.
The Cascades way
Two weeks later, the Cascades hosted Laurier University’s Golden Hawks. The first matchup on Friday, Oct. 4 ended in dramatic fashion, with the Cascades narrowly losing 80-76 in overtime — unable to overcome a 7-0 start to the extra period by the Hawks.
This loss, however, sparked a crucial moment of reflection for the team; a dispiriting outcome that became a catalyst for change. Post-game, head coach Al Tuchscherer challenged the team to fully embody what they call “the Cascades way.”
Nikki Cabuco, a fifth-year guard with UFV defined “the Cascades way” as the mentality of relentlessly applying pressure on their opponents, taking pride in being on every loose ball, and being the more physical team every time they step on the floor.
Third-year guard Bernie Leda added that “the Cascades way means playing with a chip on [your] shoulder.” She described it further by saying, “It’s being gritty, desperate, and not scared of getting your hands dirty, of doing the little things.”
Cabuco and Leda denote this attitude to be a collective standard held by the team and critical to their championship aspirations.
With a day separating the next matchup, the team had time to mull over the loss and arrive at the UFV Athletic Centre on Sunday ready to fully embrace a gritty, Cascades style of gameplay.
Sunday’s redemption
The team’s performance in the second match against Laurier was indicative of their approach to the early adversity.
Cabuco recounted that when Sunday arrived “we played like we’ve never played yet [this pre-season.]” The Cascades secured a convincing 82-61 victory, brilliantly showcasing their ability to respond and adapt.
Maddy Gobeil had a dominant performance, scoring 31 points on 11/21 shooting from the field, tallying 12 rebounds and three blocks. Fourth-year Esther Allison neared a double double tallying 13 points and nine rebounds, and Cabuco and Leda both scored in double digits to round out an all-around team performance.
Collectively, the Cascades shot an efficient 10/22 from three. A fulfilling outcome as it was an off-season goal of the team to increase their percentages beyond the arc.
The TMU game
The Cascades carried their newfound energy into their Friday afternoon match against Toronto Metropolitan University on Oct. 11 at UBC. From the tip, UFV demonstrated their intent to shoulder the same mentality they displayed the week prior and had carried into a week of practice. Seeking to prove to themselves that they are capable of playing “the Cascades way” on a consistent basis.
They did just that. The Cascades opened the game with a 12-0 run, and left Vancouver with a convincing win, beating the TMU Bold 83-64.
“This is what it’s all about,” Cabuco concluded, reflecting on the team’s growth. “This is how we should be feeling after every game where we can just go in there, play the Cascades way, make them feel us, and we get out. We take care of business.”
Looking ahead
The team is now travelling to Waterloo, Ontario, where they will face three inter-conference opponents between Oct. 17-19. The Cascades will play against the University of Windsor and University of Waterloo from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference, as well as Memorial University from the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference. The regular season kicks off at home against UBC on Halloween night.
