Lethbridge Kodiaks basketball teams ready for nationals

Following stellar performances in the ACAC Championships, the Lethbridge College Kodiaks Basketball teams each earned the right to play at nationals later this month. The Kodiaks Women’s team dismantled every opponent they faced en route to an 85-54 gold medal win over the Saint Mary’s Lightning. Kodiaks Head Coach Brad Karren noticed a shift in his team as they played for the gold medal.

“Their demeanor in warm-ups was different than normal league games,” Karren said. “They weren’t the same laugh, giggle, and all that kind of stuff. “They were focused, there was no joking around. So I thought either they’re really nervous, or they’re really focused, but they were focused.”

The men’s squad upset a tough Medicine Hat team in the semi-finals, before dropping an 85-65 decision to the SAIT Trojans in the ACAC final.

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“People were writing us off,” Kodiaks Men’s basketball guard Cory Richardson said. “That we weren’t even going to get through Medicine Hat, or into the final to make nationals. So getting that far on its own is amazing. It’s what we wanted to achieve, and we did it.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "People were writing us off," Kodiaks Men's basketball guard Cory Richardson said. "That we weren't even going to get through Medicine Hat, or into the final to make nationals. So getting that far on its own is amazing. It's what we wanted to achieve, and we did it."

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association awarded two bids to the ACAC this year, meaning that despite the loss, the Kodiak men move on to nationals.

The women’s team didn’t have that luxury – they needed to win gold to advance. A team that hasn’t lost a regular season game in two years, wasn’t going to drop this one.

“Sometimes we’ve had times where we’ve just played hard for like 30 minutes,” Karren said. “But I told them, ‘we can’t do that tonight. We have to play hard the whole game.’ Give our girls credit, they did that.”

With the best teams from conferences across the country, the competition at nationals is going to be fierce.

“Every team is going to be tough,” Karren said. “Our girls know that though, and we’ll be ready for that. They’re focused in on that, but it won’t be easy and it’s a whole different kind of game over there.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Every team is going to be tough," Karren said. "Our girls know that though, and we'll be ready for that. They're focused in on that, but it won't be easy and it's a whole different kind of game over there."

The women move to nationals as one of the favourites to medal, while the men are hoping the underdog role suits them.

The CCAA Men’s national basketball championship starts March 16 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The women’s fight for a national title also starts on March 16, in Edmonton.