Courtesy Monty Mosher, The Chronicle Herald
Need a dark horse in your AUS women’s basketball bracket? Try the St. Francis Xavier X-Women.
Matt Skinn’s team quietly put together a 14-6 season in Antigonish and will be the No. 3 seed when tournament play opens tonight with the quarter-finals in St. John’s, N.L.
St. F.X. plays Saint Mary’s (8-12) in one quarter-final while host Memorial (12-8) faces Acadia (11-9) in the other.
Top-seeded and two-time defending champion Cape Breton (16-4) has a bye to the semifinals on Saturday along with No. 2 UNB (14-6). The final is Sunday afternoon.
The X-Women won five of six down the stretch. They thrive on defence.
The team ranked No. 1 in the AUS in points against, steals and turnover differential. They are led by Ashley Stephen, the team’s No. 2 scorer, leading rebounder, leader in assists and leader in steals, Sheryl Chisholm, the team’s top scorer and biggest three-point threat, and posts Kirsten Jones and Donisha Young.
"We are pleased with the improvement we have made this season and hope that can carry over into the playoffs," said Skinn. "Our defence will be the key. We are hoping to pressure the ball, force turnovers, and try to attack on any mistakes."
The defence will get a test from the Huskies and sophomore Justine Colley, the top scorer in the CIS who tied the conference record for scoring in a season with 515 points in 20 games. Colley also led the AUS in steals and assists.
Susanne Canvin gives Scott Munro’s team a strong presence on the boards with 10.5 rebounds per game.
"We will have to try and limit their attempts by holding more than our own on the defensive glass," said Munro. "Obviously, in the playoffs, the winning keys will be defence, rebounding and the ability to execute on offence."
Bev Greenlaw’s Axewomen also put together a nice season, winning five of their last seven. They split with Memorial last weekend in Wolfville.
It’s been a nice turnaround in Wolfville with a young team built around fourth-year star Emma Duinker starting to come of age. Abbey Duinker, Emma’s sophomore sister, second-year point guard Lindsay Harris and freshman guard Kristy Moore have all played key roles in Acadia’s resurgence.
It was an Axewomen team that lost 80 per cent of its scoring and rebounding from last year.
Ariel Smith, one of the team’s top shooters, has missed the past four games due to injury and her status for the weekend is unknown.
The Capers will sit back and watch the fireworks tonight knowing everyone in the field is chasing them.
Even after losing star Kelsey Hodgson off last year’s championship club, Fabian McKenzie’s team simply reloaded in 2010-11 and, with the return of fifth-year standout Kari Everett after Christmas, went 10-1 after a Jan. 14 loss at Dalhousie. First-year Caper Denisha Haywood led the conference in boards at 10.8 per game.