The UFV Cascades season came to a disappointing end on Mar. 7, losing 83-63 to the University of Alberta Pandas in the Canada West (CW) Women’s Basketball (WBB) bronze medal matchup at the Saville Community Sports Centre. One year removed from clinching bronze for themselves, UFV’s bid for back-to-back U Sports Nationals berths was ultimately unsuccessful.
The Cascades jumped out to a 14-10 edge after Maddy Gobeil notched the game’s first basket driving to the hoop on a lay-up, but the Pandas responded with a 16-2 run and never looked back.Â
The Panda offence was paced by four players reaching double figure points: three-time CW defensive Player of the Year Claire Signatovich (19), Jayden Tanner (17), Morgan Harris (16), and Annacy Palmer (11). Alberta’s imposing frontcourt of Signatovich and Reece Hall were a problem for UFV, pulling down 10 boards each on the night.  Â
CW first-team all-star Julia Tuchscherer played the most of any Cascade on the night. She was a wrecking ball in the paint, shooting 64 per cent from the field and racking up 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.Â
Gaining national recognition for her performance against Calgary in the quarter-finals, Tuchscherer will instantly become the team’s top offensive option heading into next season.    Â
It was a quiet night for UFV’s graduating seniors. Gobeil, a CW second-team all-star, shot 38 per cent for 11 points while chipping in a team-high seven rebounds. Nikki Cabuco (3) and Deanna Tuchscherer (7), combined for just 10 points as the Cascades’ offence sputtered.
Prior to being ousted by the Pandas, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies denied UFV the chance to play for gold by a tune of 63-45 on Mar. 2. The Huskies went on to capture their second straight CW championship over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, 71-59; their 10th CW championship as a program.Â
The Huskies got past the Cascades without any outrageous scoring numbers from Gage Grassick, U Sports WBB Player of the Year. The Nan Copp Trophy winner managed just 7 Points (PTS) on 3-for-15 shooting from the field against UFV, well down from her season average of 18 points-per-game. Grassick’s talent was still on full display — the fourth-year point-guard neared triple double territory, gathering six rebounds and dishing six dimes.
The Pandas and Huskies went head-to-head in Final 8 quarter-final action on Mar. 13, with the top-seeded Huskies reigning supreme 67-58.
As UFV’s WBB team turns a corner in their development, only time will tell what the nucleus of the Cascades will look like next season.
