Young Women's Basketball Huskies squad shows promise in weekend split
It can be hard to truly value a win in the first week of the regular season, but for Head Coach Dwayne Vigilance and the Keyano Huskies Women’s Basketball team, Saturday’s win and resulting weekend split was exactly what his squad needed and deserved.
“That was a great win for our young kids. I’m very proud of them,” Vigilance said. “I think it means everything; just for their confidence. They’ve been grinding and working hard, and I’ve been tough on them.
“This is just a really good basketball team that we beat, and I’m very proud of our kids.”
Friday, the Huskies narrowly fell in their home opener by a 68-64 score to the Medicine Hat College Rattlers but rebounded well to earn a 74-69 win in overtime the following night.
With a young squad, reflected in two rookies earning the start Friday, the Huskies fell behind against the Rattlers after three quarters, but won the fourth quarter 19-9 to bring the final score within four.
Jaylynn Twin and transfer Ryley Bullock tied for the team lead with 13 points each as the Huskies shot 46.3 percent (25-for-54) from the field. Though there was just a one-point difference in free throws, going 10-for-23 as the Huskies did leave 13 points on the court that could have turned the tide in the game; an early lesson for the squad.
“We were down a little bit, and they dug back in after Emma went out,” Vigilance continued. “We feel short, but I think they took that resiliency into [Saturday’s] game and we came out with a win.”
A hotly contested Saturday game saw both teams surge throughout the game before the Huskies were able to pull away in overtime.
After taking a two-point lead through one quarter, the Huskies were challenged by the Clippers, who claimed a one-point lead at half. The Huskies wrestled back the lead in the third, only for the Clippers to equate things in the fourth.
The Saskatchewan-based program had held a 63-61 lead until Bullock stepped up with two free throws late in regulation to tie the game.
“I just took a deep breath and thought ‘pressure is a privilege’,” Bullock said at the moment. “It’s a privilege I’m on the line right now and I just breathed and I did what I knew I can do all day; make free throws.”
Bullock wasn’t the only late-game star for the Huskies as Alexis Kemp scored five of her nine points in the extra frame. With increased playing time came a strong stat line as well with Kemp challenging some marks from her rookie season in just two games.
“She’s coming into her own,” Vigilance said of Kemp. “She finished the year like she started this year. I’m very excited for her.”
Through one weekend, the Huskies may be resigned to a familiar fate as last year with a split, but in the scope of this year’s squad, there’s plenty to be hopeful towards.
“I think we really turned it around this weekend,” added Bullock. “We had a tough loss yesterday, but today we were able to pull it together and really come out in the second half and assert our dominance.”
The Huskies return to the home court this coming weekend, hosting the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves for a pair of games Friday and Saturday at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm Friday and 1:00pm Saturday.