WBB | Ahlstrom, Huskies on target in semifinal win

Written by Dan Kinvig for UFV Athletics

ABBOTSFORD – Carly Ahlstrom and the Saskatchewan Huskies were so hot from downtown in Saturday afternoon’s Canada West semifinal clash with the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades, you half-expected the ball to burst into flames as in the classic 1990s video game NBA Jam

The Huskies’ obscenely hot shooting from the perimeter in the first quarter transformed the complexion of the game. They drained seven three-pointers in the first six minutes of play, five of them coming off Ahlstrom’s fingertips, racing out to a huge early lead that proved insurmountable on their way to an 84-50 win at the UFV Athletic Centre.

Saskatchewan, the No. 1 seed in the CW playoff draw and the No. 2 team in the U SPORTS national rankings, emphatically punched its ticket to the national championship tournament in Edmonton in two weeks’ time. They face the Alberta Pandas on Sunday (3 p.m., CanadaWest.tv) to decide the conference title.

The host Cascades, who had been seeking their first trip to the CW final since 2014, will instead battle the UVic Vikes for bronze (1 p.m., CanadaWest.tv), and the stakes could hardly be higher – the winner will earn an automatic national championship berth.

“We have not shot the three very well for a long time, so we just keep waiting every game – maybe today is going to be the day,” Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis said with a wry chuckle afterward. “And today was the day. Carly was unbelievable – that’s what she can do. She’s a special player, and I was happy that she was able to bring it on a night like tonight.

“UFV, we have a lot of respect for. We were worried about their size and how they were going to pound it inside against us. They’re a very good team, so we’re very fortunate we shot the ball like we did.”

Ahlstrom lit the fuse on the Huskies’ game-opening pyrotechnics – the 2023 CW player of the year poured in 17 points in the first quarter, and Sask shot an eye-popping 70.6 per cent from the field including 7-of-11 from long distance. 

At the other end, the Cascades struggled to find their rhythm with Sask’s Andrea Dodig face-guarding UFV leading scorer Maddy Gobeil. 

At the conclusion of the first quarter, the Huskies were up 31-12, and they continued to cook in the second, extending the lead as high as 32 and taking a 52-25 lead into halftime. Ahlstrom had 22 points at the break, while Julia Tuchscherer was a bright spot for UFV with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.

The Cascades had more offensive flow coming out of the locker room, carving eight points off the Huskies’ edge at one point, but they were never able to get back to within striking distance. Starters for both teams were on the bench by the midway point of the fourth quarter, and Saskatchewan re-extended its lead down the stretch.

Ahlstrom finished with 27 points, Tea DeMong had 18 points and five assists, and Logan Reider contributed 11 points for the Huskies, who won the rebounding battle 39-21.

Julia Tuchscherer and Natalie Rathler tied for team-high scoring honors for the Cascades with 11 apiece, and Gobeil finished with 10 points. 

“Every single defensive miscue we had seemed to be a three,” UFV bench boss Al Tuchscherer analyzed. “Then we started playing defence a little bit panicky, trying to do too much. Now you’re over-helping and over-rotating, giving them naked looks on the perimeter, and they’re knocking them down one after the other.

“Obviously they’re a first-class operation over there, and they’ve been playing in these games for many years. This is old hat to them, and the stage was a little bit too big for our squad today. We weren’t ready to compete right out of the gate, and it took us a half to realize what was happening . . . It’s tough to learn those lessons.”

While a CW championship is not in the cards for the Cascades this year, Tuchscherer noted they have an incredible opportunity in front of them on their home court Sunday.

“We need to put this behind us, like right now,” he noted. “In 15 hours or whatever it is . . . we’ve got UVic, who’s playing really well right now. They’re on a high, so we can’t be emotionally down. This is an opportunity for us. Let’s go.”

Thomaidis, looking ahead to the championship match-up vs. Alberta, noted that the Pandas have “done a really nice job this tournament.”

“They’ve run the table so far, and a quality team, Canada West defending champs,” she observed. “We’re going to have to bring it tomorrow and be ready to compete. They’ve got great size as well, and it’ll be a great battle.”