Huskies women’s basketball team begins quest for national title in Abbotsford

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team begins its drive for a third national championship Thursday night in Abbotsford, B.C. in the Canada West championship tournament.

The Huskies are ranked No. 2 in the country and best in Canada West after finishing the regular season with a 19-1 record. Their only loss was against the Regina Cougars on Feb. 2 at home.

Last year, the Huskies were upset in the Canada West tournament, losing to the Alberta Pandas in a semifinal.

Fifth-year Carly Ahlstrom is hopeful the Huskies can rebound after what was a disappointing finish to last season.

“I think we learned the hard way last year that the regular season doesn’t mean much when it comes to playoffs regarding your record,” said Ahlstrom, whose Huskies went 17-3 in 2022-23. “We just want to take it game by game going into playoffs.”

Saskatchewan last won the Canada West title in the 2021-22 season.

Ahlstrom knows the Huskies can’t take any team lightly this time around and doesn’t think any team they play against will be an easy out.

“I think we just have that mindset with every team going in. It’s playoffs – there’s never going to be an easy game. Every competition is going to be great competition,” she explained.

Ahlstrom credits her team’s quickness, pace and depth for the reason the Huskies have been able to dominate Canada West this season.

She also thinks the guidance of head coach Lisa Thomaidis has been a big reason as to why the Huskies are in a similar spot to last season.

“I think our head coach has a lot to do with that. She’s very level-headed and doesn’t take anything for granted,” Ahlstrom said. “She makes sure we’re earning everything we’re getting and making sure we’re going into playoffs with a one-game-at-a-time mindset.”

Thomaidis was named the Canada West coach of the year on Wednesday thanks in part to her team’s nearly perfect regular season.

She herself is ready to rewrite the story from last year.

“We had a great conference league season and the team is playing really well. They’re a very connected group,” Thomaidis explained.

Thomaidis is confident in her group’s ability to win the Canada West title this year, but made it clear she’s not happy with the current Canada West playoff format.

Last year, Canada West changed its format so that all 12 playoff teams have to travel to a neutral site to play a March Madness-style tournament.

The top four seeds get a bye in the first round and then must win every game they play in order to win the Canada West championship.

“It’s unfortunate we don’t get to play at home for a couple rounds,” Thomaidis said. “Finishing first in the conference, you should be able to garner some of that reward, but we’ll take it and have to go out to B.C. and win it on the road on someone else’s court. That’s what’s going to happen at nationals, so this is going to be good practice.

“The playoff system kind of keeps changing every few years, so I think people who follow Canada West basketball are confused about why they can’t keep things consistent. I’ve taken more questions about the playoff format and why it’s changing than probably any other subject this year.”

Thomaidis mentioned preparation will be different compared to the regular season, when teams typically only have to scout one opponent for a weekend compared to several in a short time span.

“All season you have a week to prepare for one opponent and now it’s completely different. Now you’re going into a tournament format where you’re preparing for six or seven opponents you could potentially play,” Thomaidis said. “It’s very different in terms of your preparation, so being able to adapt to that will be very important.”

Thomaidis and her squad know they can’t change anything and that this is the challenge they face. She thinks it’s important her team just focuses on themselves.

“You really have to direct the focus on ourselves,” she stated, “That’s the main thing for us – we have to play tough D, we’re working on our execution and for the most part it’s about just playing hard. It’s about playing together, being a team and responding to adversity and our team has shown this year we can do that.”

This Huskies are made up of a mix of veterans and young players who are still finding their way in Canada West. Thomaidis thinks that mix and experience will help them.

“We have a number of players who have now spent a couple seasons playing with one another. A few have won a Canada West championship (and) a couple have won a national championship. I think when you have that type of experience, it really goes a long way in situations like this,” she explained.

The Huskies will play the winner of the game Wednesday between UBC Okanagan and Trinity Western.

If Saskatchewan wins its quarterfinal, it will play one of Regina, Manitoba or Fraser Valley in a semifinal.

Men’s award winners

Two members of the Huskies men’s team won conference awards.

Easton Thimm was named the Canada West rookie of the year, while Alexander Dewar claimed the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.