Rattlers entering must-win territory

Tied for the last playoff spot and with two games in hand on the other team fighting for it, Medicine Hat College’s Rattlers certainly have a leg up on the post-season.

But the women’s basketball team still needs two wins in their last two weekends to make sure of it.

The 8-9 Rattlers host 11-6 SAIT tonight, 6 p.m. at the Snake Pit, while 811 Red Deer faces lastplace Ambrose (3-14). The key is that while the Queens’ regular season ends after Saturday, Medicine Hat then gets two games against Ambrose next weekend, plus they’ve got the tiebreaker should they be knotted up with Red Deer when it’s all said and done.

Medicine Hat fell 67-62 to SAIT last semester, so it’s not like they’re overmatched by the third-place team in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference South Division. The Trojans can lock up third spot with a win, but they’ll be in the post-season regardless.

Alicia Tan (14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game) and Stephanie Haynes (14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds per game) lead a balanced attack for the visitors. Megan Getz (17.6 points per game) and Kennedy Werre (15.4 points, 11.1 rebounds per game) anchor the Rattlers’ attack. In the 8 p.m. men’s game, Medicine Hat can clinch first in the South with a weekend sweep of fellow 14-3 SAIT. The Trojans boast the division’s highestscoring offence, but Medicine Hat has allowed a league-low 1,067 points in 17 games so far. The nationally third-ranked Rattlers won their first meeting of the season 74-61 and are coming off a pair of crucial wins over Lethbridge last weekend.

While both teams’ five starters average at least 10 points per game, SAIT’s John Smith is fifth in the league with 20.7 per game. Gui Fuck’s 16.8 points per game leads Medicine Hat.