BEST IN THE WEST — AGAIN
Huskies take fourth title in five years
They lined all four sides of the PAC, filled the seats, watched the University of Saskatchewan Huskies unfold their dynasty just a little bit more.
A packed house erupted with a wall of noise in the late stages of
Friday night’s Canada West final — celebrating the Huskies’ 62-51 victory over the Alberta Pandas in their one-game showdown. The victory gives the Huskies four conference titles in five seasons, six since 2011, and seven overall.
So the trophy is theirs, one more time.
“I came here, and I end here ... it’s just amazing,” said Huskies’ Latvian import Sabine Dukate, who netted 17 points in her final game at the PAC.
Dukate is one of three fifth-year seniors on the Huskies, and with nationals looming, she gets one final weekend with the team she’s spent so much time with over the last half-decade.
“Our girls kept reminding us fifth years, hey, last game! Its awesome to end like that, on our home court,”
Dukate said with a broad grin.
“If I think too much about it,” said Huskies’ head coach Lisa Thomaidis, “I get emotional. For Vera (Crooks) and Sabine and Megan (Ahlstrom) to win four Canada West championships out of five years ... that just says so much about them, and about our team.”
The Huskies led 32-18 at halftime, Alberta fought back within two, and Saskatchewan pulled it out with a spirited last couple of minutes. Summer Masikewich’s three-pointer put the hammer on the Pandas — it was her first of the season from outside the arch.
The Huskies will likely enter nationals with the No. 1 seed, but Dukate warned that people shouldn’t read too much into it.
“I feel like the rankings, at the end of the day, don’t mean anything,” she said. “All eight teams are the best in Canada, so we all go in, and it’s win or lose by every game. All we can do is go out there and (play) our best basketball game.”