Women's Basketball Huskies inch closer to second season with home weekend sweep of Thunder

Going two-and-a-half months between competitive games against their own division, the Keyano Huskies Women’s Basketball team didn’t look out of place one bit as they charged out of the gate in 2025 to a home weekend sweep of the Concordia Thunder.  

“It was a tough grind on Friday; Concordia played out the best they could,” Head Coach Dwayne Vigilance said. “They knocked down some shots, but it was good to get a win on Friday.  
 
“Moving over into Saturday, the kids put it together. We had to shrink our bench a little bit, but it was beneficial for us.”  
 
Friday, the Huskies won a narrow 66-59 result before expanding their margin of victory in Saturday’s 65-49 win.  
 
Maja Besic was the star of the weekend for the Huskies as the fifth year from Pancevo, Serbia. With 20 points and 15 rebounds Friday, she recorded her fourth double-double of the season. Saturday, she came within a rebound of another with 10 points and nine rebounds.  
 
It was still a full team effort as Emma Tomchuk added 15 and Kaylynn Tucker dropped 12 to also finish in double figures Friday. Saturday, Tucker and Arian Batallones tied for the team lead with 13 points each.  
 
A breakout game from rookie Alexis Kemp saw her record a season-high 11 points in the Saturday win as well.  
 
The Huskies also came out a more aggressive team, netting 15 steals to the Thunder’s seven. That mindset was a result of the team’s latest exhibition trip to the United States of America over the holiday break.   

“That’s a benefit of playing in the States,” Vigilance continued. “Playing in Montana totally changed our mindset in how we play. That’s why I like going away and doing those games.  
 
“Especially on offence, we’re very aggressive, which is going to bode well for playoffs.”  
 
That wins vaulted the Huskies to 8-4 on the season. While it doesn’t officially secure a playoff spot, the Huskies route to the second season keeps getting clearer and the distance wider between them and the non-playoff teams. 
 
Still, Vigilance is taking things one weekend at a time with eight games left in the regular season.   

“Right now my mindset is just to continue pushing on that second place,” he said. “I think we’re close. [If] we sweep down in Grande Prairie, that bumps us up and then you never know.  
 
“I think it’s still anyone’s race, but I think we get to control what we get to do.”  

The Huskies take to the road this coming weekend in Grande Prairie to take on the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves.