ProSportFoto/Tony Lewis Friday’s game on March 7 saw the Canada West (CW) third-seeded University of Alberta Pandas basketball team go up against the fourth-seeded University of Fraser Valley Cascades, to secure their spot at the U Sports Nationals this coming weekend in Vancouver. The Pandas won by a landslide at 83 to 63.
“We executed very well and we hit the shots we needed to hit tonight,” Scott Edwards, head coach of the Pandas said.
Some powerful players for the game from the Pandas were Jayden Tanner, who secured fouls with smart maneuvers, Claire Signatovich, with her defence and command on court, and Morgan Harris, who guided the team from one end of the court to the other. Each had over a total 30-minutes of game time.
Powerful players for the Cascades included Maddy Gobeil, who is the third-ranked in CW for point per game, Julia Tuchscherer, who had a good defence and presence on court, Bernie Leda, who had quick feet, and lastly Nikki Cubacuo, who was unable to finish the game due to an injury, but was dominant on court against the Pandas.
First and second quarters
The first period saw Signatovich take the tip off. Although the Cascades scored first, Signatovich came back with a layup which was quickly followed by Annacy Palmer. The period started neck-and-neck, but with an 83 per cent success rate in their three pointers, the Pandas took the lead with three minutes left at 15 to 14. This lead just kept getting bigger, and the period ended with a ten point lead.
The first period was the first impression home fans got of the Cascades. There were some slip ups with traveling and loss of passes, which gave the impression that the Pandas had more control over the ball.
The second period saw a bit of a slow start with the first point going to the Pandas three minutes in. Although this started the momentum, the Pandas were still in a strong lead, with 32 to 24 points at three minutes left.
At this point the Cascades seemed to start to pick up their scoring game to close that gap. This was evident when they scored back-to back-threes, while the Pandas slowed down on threes. The second period continued with a ten-point lead for the Pandas.
Third and fourth quarters
The third period almost turned into a floor game with many athletes from both teams hitting the floor in a chase for the ball. The period started quickly. The Cascades really needed to regroup if they wanted a shot at catching up.
They might’ve taken this too seriously when it came to the shot box, as the shot box buzzer went off multiple times during this period. A few times, Cascades didn’t even try for a shot until the last second, which ultimately felt rushed.
This speed did also affect the Pandas. They seemed to be missing easy shots for a good while, with multiple tries at the basket and none going in. The need for this speed seemed unnecessary, and caused the loss of control for both teams.
Due to this and an injury for the Cascades late in the period, the third didn’t see much development. The Pandas did stay in the lead with 13 points over the Cascades.
Contrary to the second period, the Pandas scored seven points in the first three minutes of the fourth. Although the Cascades had multiple threes ,they weren’t getting any closer on closing that gap between them and the Pandas.
This is where Gobeil from the Cascades really took charge. She guided her team up and down the court while the rest of them seemed to lose hope.
Change of pace in the last two minutes
There was a change of pace in the fourth when both teams brought on two players that hadn’t played the whole game — Charley Arnold and Ankita Chopra for the Cascades and Brigette Olson and McKinley Pinnenga.
Arnold is a fourth year, while Chopra is a rookie. Were they brought on just for play time, or was it a last trick the Cascades tried to pull? Meanwhile, Olson is in her second year and Pinnenga is also a rookie. Seems like the Pandas put them in for playtime for their last home game for the CW 2024–25 season.
The fourth ended with a 20-point lead, doubling in the last two periods. The Pandas secured their spot at U Sports Nationals as seed eight. This marked their undefeated season at home.
