2023 WBB Championships: Day One Game Notes

March 2, 2023 - The 2023 ACAC Women's Basketball Championships, presented by Fox Drilling, officially gets underway today with four exciting quarterfinal matchups. The action in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium kicks off at 1 p.m. with Keyano College taking on Red Deer Polytechnic, and finshes off with the host Lethbridge College Kodiaks taking on Augustana at 8 p.m.

Tickets are available only at the door. Streaming is available at ACACTV.ca, with a full broadcast production from Lethbridge College's Digital Communications and Media students. Games can also be viewed on Telus Optik Ch. 1998. 

Read our game notes below to get ready for the action! 

Visit the tournament webpage for schedule and more info. 

1 p.m. - Red Deer Polytechnic Queens (S2) vs Keyano College Huskies (N3)

RDP enters as the hottest team in the ACAC, winners of 12 straight games - with their last loss coming on Nov. 26. However the Queens fell to the Huskies in the only regular season matchup between the teams, as Keyano came away with a 67-57 triumph on Nov. 18. Aggressive defense has been key for RDP, as they averaged 18.7 steals per game during the regular season, tops in the ACAC. Keyano’s Kaylynn Tucker is a threat from beyond the arc, nailing 37.5% of her three-point attempts, fourth highest in the conference.

ACAC Award Winners  

Red Deer

Amy Szymanek - All-Conference First Team

Keyano

Maja Besic - All-Conference Second Team

Zera Lynn Panesa - All-Conference Second Team 

3 p.m. CUE (N1) vs Briercrest (S4)

Concordia finished first in the north with an impressive 16-4 record, led by ACAC north player of the year Kaelyn Bryks who averaged 13.7 PPG. They won’t take their opponents lightly however, as Concordia narrowly defeated the Clippers 61-58 in their lone meeting of the season back on Nov. 4. The Clippers finished 13-8 and are looking to ride the momentum of a play-in game win over Olds College last weekend. Briercrest’s Amber Fichtner is a player to watch, as she averaged 10.9 rebounds per game and was second in the conference with a 52.6 FG PCT. It’ll also be a battle of the two ACAC coaches of the year as both Robbie Valpreda (CUE) and Anthony Skepple (BC) took home the award last night.

ACAC Award Winners  

Briercrest Clippers

Amber Fichtner - All-Conference Second Team

Brooklyn Martens - All-Conference Second Team

Head Coach Anthony Skepple - South Coach of the Year

Concordia Thunder

Kaelyn Bryks -  ACAC North Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team

Kourtney Oss - ACAC North Rookie of the Year, All-Conference First Team

Ry Cherniwchan - All-Conference Second Team

Head Coach Robbie Valpreda - North Coach of the Year

6 p.m. St. Mary's University Lightning (S1) vs The Kings' University Eagles (N4)  

Lightning struck often last night at the ACAC awards banquet as St. Mary’s Andria Stitt was named the ACAC south player of the year, while teammates Caitlin Wilde and Jazmyn Kellogg were also named to all-conference teams. STMU lost just three games all season, finishing 18-3. They led the ACAC in points per game, averaging 74.2. The King’s University (TKU) upset Lakeland in the play-in game to earn their championships spot and will be looking for an upset. STMU downed the Eagles 80-56 in their lone matchup on Feb. 10.

ACAC Award Winners  

St. Mary’s

Andria Stitt - ACAC South Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team

Maitlin Wilde - All-Conference First Team

Jazmyn Kellogg - All-Conference Second Team

8 p.m. Lethbridge College Kodiaks (S3) vs University of Alberta Augustana Vikings (N2)

The 14-7 Kodiaks will look to thrill the hometown fans as they kick off their tournament against Augustana. The teams recently met in Lethbridge on Feb. 10, with the Kodiaks coming away with a 78-64 win. Kitawna Sparks will be the offensive key for the hosts. The south division rookie of the year was second in the conference in points per game with 17.3 and first in FG PCT (61.5%). Augustana went 13-7 in the regular season and sport a balanced roster led by three all-conference team selections in Tayah Fiveland, Kamryn De Klerk and Mackenzie Mrazik. The sharpshooting Vikings led the ACAC in 3PT shooting percentage (30.2%) and were second in points per game with 73.7. De Klerk recently signed with the University of Lethbridge and will join the Pronghorns next season.

ACAC Award Winners  

Lethbridge College Kodiaks

Kitawna Sparks - ACAC South Rookie of the Year, All-Conference First Team

Augustana Vikings

Tayah Fiveland - All-Conference First Team

Kamryn De Klerk - All-Conference Second Team

Mackenzie Mrazik - All-Conference Second Team