SASKATOON – It’s been a dream season for the 12-0 Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team. So far, the team’s starters are doing the bulk of the heavy lifting but when they need a break, the dogs’ bench players are springing into action.
“We know our starting five is strong and our ability to go deep into the playoffs and have an impact beyond that is going to really rely on some production coming off the bench and we feel like we’ve got the athletes that can do it,” head coach Lisa Thomaidis said.
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The Huskies reserves have outscored opposing benches in nine of Saskatchewan’s 12 games.
Two relatively young Huskies, Sascha Lichtenwald and Megan Lindquist, are making the most of their chances coming off the bench.
“Megan’s exactly what we expected from her. She’s worked extremely hard to get to the point that she’s at now,” Thomaidis said.
“So she can knock down the perimeter three, she rebounds well, she’s tough inside because she’s used to being a post player in high school and can handle the ball a little bit better now too so really proud of her and how far she’s brought her game.”
Lindquist is steadily climbing the ranks of the Huskies lineup in her third season with the University of Saskatchewan. The former Holy Cross Crusader hopes to be a starter one day but wants to learn as much first.
“Right now, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can because I know that there will be a bigger role for me next year and that the more I can learn now, the better next year will be,” forward Megan Lindquist said.
Hopes are high for former St. Joseph Guardian’s standout Sascha Lichtenwald.
“Huge expectations for Sascha. The jump from high school to university though is such a huge one and then when it’s high school to one of the best teams in the country or CanWest, it’s that much greater so for her it’s been a big adjustment I think in terms of her first year and this year, we really want her to step up,” Thomaidis said.
The sophomore guard has seen her minutes double from her freshman campaign. Lichtenwald hopes to earn a starting role next season but for now she also wants to soak up as much information as she can from Saskatchewan’s fifth-year players.
“We’re missing so many players next year cause we have a lot of fifth-years so now everything I do here, I’m focusing mostly on this year, but for when it does transfer over, it’s kind of nice having them in my heart being like ‘this is what it takes to push yourself to that next level,’” Lichtenwald said.
The number-one ranked Huskies hit the road for a series with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen next weekend.
Jack Haskins contributed to this story