With the ACAA conference having the wild card spot for nationals, all the Tommies had to do was win one game at playoffs.
The St. Thomas women’s basketball team had another successful year, only losing one league game all season. This gave them a pass for the first round of playoffs, putting them through the semi-final round.
Due to Friday’s results in the quarter finals, they had to face the University of King’s College Blue Devils.
St. Thomas came out strong, but the game was brought to a halt two minutes in, as starting forward Katlyn Carver went down with a hurt knee, and was helped off the court before taken to the hospital. That put the Tommies down to nine players.
“Losing Kate was tough,” said Tommies head coach Fred Connors. “It took the wind out of our sails.”
St. Thomas kept a lead the whole game, but the Blue Devils were able to stay within arm’s reach. The foul situation became a real difficulty for the Tommies as they had three players with four fouls.
“They called everything,” said Tommies post Hilary Goodine. “We can’t change that, so we just need to control the controllables.”
Goodine was named player of the game, as she scored 21 points while pulling down 14 rebounds. The Tommies fought through the tough situation and were able to win 77-54.
“We adjusted when we needed to, and persevered through a tough playoff game,” said Connors.
The win puts the Tommies into the finals where they will face the Holland College Hurricanes on Sunday. The Tommies lost their only game of the season to the Hurricanes and will be looking for some revenge. Both finalists will be going to nationals, as the ACAA has a wild card spot this year that allows both teams in the championship game to move forward.
