Ahlstrom sisters lead basketball Huskies to Canada West Final

The U of S Huskies women’s basketball team is hosting the Canada West Final for the second year in a row.

The team sealed the deal with a stunning 76-72 semi-final win against the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday night.

“(It was a) huge character win for us…UBC was playing fantastic basketball,” head coach Lisa Thomaidis said with a sigh of relief.

Heading into the match-up, the teams seemed dead-even. The T-Birds finished the regular season in third place, with a 16-4 record. The Huskies held a slight advantage at second place with 18 wins and only two losses.

From the opening quarter, it was clear that neither team was going to let their playoff run end without a fight.

Saskatchewan started off with the momentum. They went on an eight point run to open the first quarter thanks to layups from four of their five starters.

However, the visitors cracked the goose egg with a Jessica Hanson swish from outside to make it 8-3. From there, they were able to pick up steam. Thanks to solid free throw shooting and good work on the inside, they were able to finish the first trailing by only one point. The score was 22-21.

The second saw much of the same back-and-forth action, but the Huskies wouldn’t let go of their lead for the entire first half. They headed into the locker rooms at halftime with a 38-36 advantage.

Another three-pointer from Hanson just fourteen seconds into the third quarter gave UBC their first lead of the game. Contributions from Canada West All-Star Keylyn Filewich and Kate Johnson let them storm to a 10-0 run to start the frame.

The U of S managed to keep them from holding onto a double-digit lead for long, but 26 per cent shooting from the field led to their opponents taking a 57-52 lead into the final quarter.

“We were really struggling around the basket to finish. We had every look we wanted, but it was just one of those nights,” said Thomaidis.

The pressure was high, but her team had no intentions of giving up.

U of S forward Summer Masikewich took the first points of the frame with a skillful layup under the net, but was answered just ten seconds later by Filewich on the other end of the court.

Fifth-year Huskies Sabine Dukate and Megan Ahlstrom both hit the net to tie the game up at 59. They would retake their lead under a minute later with a rattling three-pointer from Ahlstrom’s younger sister, second-year guard Carly.

The lead switched hands three times, until the T-Birds were able to bring their advantage to 72-66 with just over three minutes left.

However, they wouldn’t take another point for the rest of the night. Two baskets up close from Masikewich made it a one-score game. Then, with 33 seconds left, Carly Ahlstrom sunk another three to take the 73-72 lead.

Free-throws from Carly and Masikewich sealed the deal, as their team finished with the four-point victory.

The Ahlstrom sisters led the home team throughout the night. Megan took home 21 points and six rebounds, while Carly registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The younger of the two thinks their chemistry played a big part in the team’s success.

“(Megan) is one of my biggest role models. She has helped me both on and off the court, and I’m just honoured to play with her,” Carly said.

“It was a scary night for sure, but I trusted my teammates, I trusted my coaches, and we really came together and were able to pull it out.”

Other key players included Masikewich (17 points, eight rebounds), Dukate (13 points, four assists, three rebounds) and Libby Epoch (11 assists, nine points, four rebounds.)

Filewich led the way for the Thunderbirds with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Hanson collected 16 points, three assists and three rebounds.

Saskatchewan will be facing the Alberta Pandas, who finished the season in fourth place at 16-4. They pulled off an 80-78 upset against the first-place Calgary Dinos to secure their place in the Canada West Final.

The Pandas handed the Huskies one of their two losses in the regular season, but coach Thomaidis is still confident heading into the game.

“It’ll be nice to have them at home… we’ll be ready for them and have a whole week to prepare.”

The game is tentatively scheduled for Friday night at the Physical Activities Complex at the University of Saskatchewan.