SASKATOON – There’s something different about the Canada West women’s basketball standings this week. Next to the Saskatchewan Huskies name, under the “L” – the number one.
“The loss was a tough one to take but it really exposed some of our weaknesses that we knew were there,” said head coach Lisa Thomaidis.
After a 16-0 start to the season the Huskies hit a speedbump last weekend, losing in overtime to the Alberta Pandas. Although Saskatchewan came back and beat the Pandas the next night, the loss was a reality check for a team with national championship hopes.
“There’s so many things that we can improve on from Friday and I think we did that on Saturday,” said forward Dalyce Emmerson. “But we know that there’s still things we can work on, we know that there’s still so much that we need to get better at.”
“I think it was a good wake-up call for our team. There’s a lot of good teams in Canada West and this is not going to be an easy road from here on in, so it was great for us to play a tough opponent and it will be really good preparation for Regina because they’re a similar style of team,” Thomaidis said.
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Like Alberta, the Regina Cougars are also chasing Saskatchewan for top spot in the Canada West Pioneer Division. The Huskies are expecting another physical battle in the Queen City when they close out the regular season this weekend.
“I think that’s how it’s going to be from here on out. I know that people want to get physical with me, frustrate me and get in my head, so I think that’s good preparation for us all the way through,” Emmerson said.
The series against the Pandas provided the Huskies with a pretty good example of what they can expect down the stretch, as the competition gets tougher and the stakes get higher. While they’re disappointed to see their perfect season come to an end, the Dogs are hoping to use the loss to Alberta as a rallying point.
“Any time you go into playoffs undefeated, or into the last weekend of games undefeated, it’s always something that’s there and people talk about, so it could be a blessing in disguise that we lost one now,” said Thomaidis. “Rather have it now than later, for sure.”
And if losing their perfect season is the price the Huskies have to pay for a shot at national glory, they’re okay with that.
“We don’t want to peak yet. We want to be peaking in the playoffs and at the end of the year,” said Emmerson. “So yes, it was a good wake-up call for us. We may have needed that to get to where we want to be at the end.”
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