Rattlers women finish seventh at basketball nationals

Somebody has to finish first and somebody has to finish last at any championship, and the Medicine Hat College Rattlers women’s basketball team wound up with the latter result.

The Rattlers lost 77-55 to the St. Mary’s Lightning Saturday at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in New Brunswick, finishing their week 0-3.

Shooting again plagued Medicine Hat, which made just 21 of 67 attempts from the field. By comparison the Alberta champion Lightning were 28-for-64.

Emily Wagner scored 27 points for St. Mary’s, which also got 15 from usual offensive juggernaut Montana Romeril.

Jordyn Kearly and Rachel Sherven each had 13 for the Rattlers.

Both Alberta teams had lost their first two games at nationals. Their conference is unlikely to get a wild card entry to next year’s national tournament because of their poor showing. But several players on each team were on the court in their respective colours for the final time, including Alberta player of the year Kennedy Werre, Courtney Henry and Morgan Muir from Medicine Hat. The Rattlers earned their way to nationals by beating Concordia and SAIT at conference finals. They lost to St. Mary’s for gold but already had their spot at nationals sewn up. Humber beat Dawson 68-61 in the final for its second CCAA title in the past three years.