Weekend Recap: Intense weekend of play

There was plenty of action hosted by Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks this weekend. Basketball played in a home-and-home series against the St. Mary’s University Lightning on Friday and Saturday. The first South Regional of futsal also took place in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium from Saturday to Sunday afternoon.

Women’s basketball

Jan. 31 WBB | Kodiaks 49 vs STMU 71 

The Kodiaks hosted St. Mary’s University in front of a large crowd on Friday night. The Lightning got off to a quick start in the game, despite a strong defensive presence from players like Annah Westrop (fourth year, General Arts and Science, Lethbridge), who led the team in rebounds. St. Mary’s was able to capitalize on the Kodiaks’ early turnovers and missed shots.  Summer James (third year, Exercise Science, Mountain View,) sparked some life with a three-point shot to narrow the gap, but the Kodiaks were unable to fully close the distance. Despite some solid plays from Nyla Butler (first year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) who made key defensive rebounds, the Kodiaks couldn't overcome a strong St. Mary's offence. By halftime, the Kodiaks found themselves trailing 42-21.

Going into the second half, the Kodiaks fought hard to stay competitive against the Lightning. Key Kodiaks players like Paighton Kumson (second year, Correctional Studies, Edmonton) and Nyomi Heins (first year, Open Studies, Diamond City) secured crucial offensive rebounds and created second-chance opportunities. Chase Wells-Creighton (first year, Exercise Science, Stand Off) kept the energy high, pushing for points. Despite these efforts, the Lightning managed to maintain their lead ending the game 71-49.

Players of the game:

LPK: #5 Annah Westrop

STMU: #2 Maitlynn Miller

Feb. 1 WBB | Kodiaks 44 vs STMU 87

The Kodiaks travelled to Calgary for day two of the home-and-home series against the St. Mary’s University Lightning. The Kodiaks pushed hard and came out competitive with Wells-Creighton making her offensive presence known. James also was a heavy hitter with a big three-pointer and a fast break layup, which helped keep the game within reach. Throughout the first quarter, Bailey Blackmore (first year, Bachelor of Nursing, Magrath) and Halle Aleman (first year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) had defensive rebounds and steals, but the Kodiaks struggled to capitalize on those opportunities, ending the first quarter down 22-14. The second quarter saw Aleman and Westrop add to the scoreboard as they found their offensive rhythm. Despite solid team defence and contributions from all players, the Kodiaks faced a tough challenge as St. Mary’s built a bigger lead late in the second quarter, leaving the score at 47-23 at halftime.

The Kodiaks showed some resilience in the third quarter, with Westrop making key free throws and a layup to contribute to the score. Blackmore hit a three-pointer to bring the score a little closer, while Wells-Creighton and Butler made defensive rebounds and had solid plays. In the fourth quarter, Heins delivered a couple of crucial shots and free throws, but the Kodiaks couldn't close the gap as the Lightning replied with a string of three-pointers. Despite some turnovers from the Lightning and defensive stops from Aleman, the Kodiaks couldn't recover, and St. Mary's sealed the game with a dominant 87-44 win.

Men’s basketball

Jan. 31 MBB | Kodiaks 64 vs STMU 100 

The Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks men played host to the nationally ranked St. Mary’s University Lightning. The Kodiaks struggled in the first half against the Lightning, with key players fighting to get into a rhythm. Ryker Dewsbury (second year, General Arts and Science, Raymond) and Colson Lake (fourth year, Business Administration, Eagle, Idaho) were active on the boards, with Dewsbury grabbing multiple rebounds and Lake contributing some layups. The Kodiaks found some success from the free-throw line, with Dewsbury and Corey Banks (first year, Architectural Animation Technology, Canmore) scoring. Despite a late three-pointer from Levi Balderson (first year, General Arts and Science, Welling) and a couple of key steals from Lake, the Kodiaks couldn’t close the gap, as St. Mary's led 47-33 at the end of the first half.

The Kodiaks tried to gain momentum early in the second half as the St. Mary's University Lightning surged ahead. In the third quarter, Cody Tollestrup (second year, General Arts and Science, Magrath) and Ryan Degner (fourth year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) led the Kodiaks’ efforts with key rebounds and timely scoring, while Degner added a jump shot and free throw to keep the team within range. Jackson Wright (second year, Business Administration, Claresholm) also contributed a layup and offensive rebounds. However, despite their best efforts, turnovers and missed opportunities allowed St. Mary's to build a substantial lead. In the fourth quarter, the Kodiaks tried to rally with contributions from Balderson, who hit a three-pointer, and Wright, who added a layup. The Lightning continued to capitalize on defensive stops and fast breaks. Despite some strong individual performances, including from Tollestrup, the Kodiaks were unable to recover, and the game ended with a final score of 100-64.

Players of the game:

LPK: #11 Ryker Dewsbery

STMU: #2 Pelumi Ajayi

Feb. 1 MBB | Kodiaks 78 vs STMU 76

The Kodiaks travelled to St Mary’s for a redemption match on Saturday evening. The first quarter saw early Kodiaks efforts from Treyden Barton (third year, General Arts and Science, Raymond) and Degner, who each contributed key baskets to keep the game close. Wright proved to be especially impactful, adding points and grabbing rebounds throughout the quarter, including a pair of jump shots to keep the Kodiaks within reach. The second quarter saw consistent contributions from Lake, who hit a jump shot early on and followed with several offensive plays. Wright continued to lead, scoring again and contributing assists, but despite strong defensive efforts and key rebounds from the Kodiaks, including multiple from Balderson, the Lightning managed to pull away slightly by halftime, 35-28.

In the third quarter, after a slow start, the Kodiaks' offence began to click, with Rylan Adrian (second year, Massage Therapy, Lethbridge) and Balderson contributing crucial baskets. Adrian made an important layup to cut the deficit, while Balderson hit a timely three-pointer and grabbed key rebounds. Lake also had a big impact, hitting a three-pointer and continuing to apply pressure on the Lightning defence. Turnovers and missed opportunities dogged the Kodiaks, as the Lightning capitalized on fast breaks and controlled the pace. In the fourth, with the score tight, Balderson hit another three-pointer and Adrian made some key plays down the stretch, but a series of free throws and clutch shots from St. Mary's kept them in the lead. As the clock wound down, Wright stepped up, hitting a crucial free throw to give the Kodiaks a 78-76 victory, sealing a dramatic finish for the team.

Women’s futsal

Feb. 1 WFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 0 vs SAIT 7

Feb. 1 WFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 7 vs RDP 1

The Lethbridge Kodiaks hosted the first South Regional of the season. From their opening match, the Kodiaks were in tough as the faced off against the SAIT Trojans who ultimately went undefeated throughout the regional. Goalkeeper Samantha Demchuk (fourth year, Nursing Bachelor Degree, Whitehorse) was named the player of the game after stopping more than 20 shots throughout the match. The Kodiaks were able to quickly regroup as they played the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens in their second match of the day. The Kodiaks offence was putting in the work and were hard to stop. Hannah Bradford (first year, General Arts and Science, Abbotsford, B.C.) was named player of the game after scoring the first goal and energizing her team.

Feb. 2 WFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 3 vs OC 6

Feb. 2 WFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 5 vs AMB 2

On the second day of the regional, the Kodiaks faced the Olds College Broncos. The Kodiaks scored less than a minute into the match thanks to Gracee Valgardson (second year, General Arts and Science, Lethbridge). Khloe Jankowiak (second year, Business Administration – Accounting, Lethbridge) was named player of the game for this match after scoring the team’s other two goals. Unfortunately, the Kodiaks couldn’t stop the Broncos offence, allowing six goals in the game. In the Kodiaks last match of the regional, they were able to regroup and defeat the Ambrose University Lions. The team had another quick start to the match scoring its first goal less than a minute in. Valgardson was named player of the game after scoring two goals.

Men’s futsal

Feb. 1 MFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 1 vs RDP 3

Feb. 1 MFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 4 vs SAIT 4

The Kodiaks men’s futsal team opening day didn’t go to plan for the team. Their first match was against the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings, a back-and-forth game with no goals until the second half. Kodiaks goalkeeper, Adam Krisko (first year, General Arts and Science, Lethbridge), was named player of the game after coming up with critical saves including a penalty kick to keep the game close. In their second match against the SAIT Trojans, the Kodiaks had a slow start allowing the Trojans to pick up four goals. It wasn’t until the 14th minute of the second half that Jaxon Uhl (third year, Business Administration – Management, Lethbridge) put a goal on the board for the Kodiaks. The team scored three out of  their four goals with less than two minutes left, making for a dramatic ending. Bronson Schlichter (first year, Exercise Science, Lethbridge) was named player of the game after contributing one goal and one assist.

Feb. 2 MFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 5 vs OC 5

Feb. 2 MFUT | South Regional #1 | Kodiaks 9 vs AMB 7

Day two of the regional started with the Kodiaks playing the Olds College Broncos. The Broncos were first to score but Nikola Baljak (second year, Engineering Design Technology, Calgary) was able to tie it up for the Kodiaks. Both Wilson Ntignee (fifth year, Business Administration, Bori, Nigeria) and the player of the game, Jake Marshall (second year, General Arts and Science, Nelson, B.C.), scored two goals each in their tied game. In their last match of the day, it was a back-and-forth game against Ambrose with both teams trading goals until each had six. The Kodiaks were able to pull ahead with the help of Marshall contributing three major goals. Schlichter was named player of the game for the Kodiaks for his well-rounded contributions on offence and defence.