Courtesy Glenn MacDonald, The Chronicle Herald
They meet again.
Less than a week after St. Francis Xavier upset host Carleton in a regional final for a spot in the CIS Final 8 women’s basketball championship, the X-Women and Ravens will face each other in the opener of the national tournament Friday afternoon in Windsor, Ont.
"We definitely accept any matchup that they give us; I think it’s going to be a great game," St. F.X. head coach Matt Skinn said Wednesday afternoon as the X-Women were en route to Windsor.
"It’s exciting for us to be here. A lot of people would be just happy to be here. But we’re going to try to make something of this while we’re here and hopefully we can take this opportunity and run with it. The key is to hope that we’re not satisfied with what has happened and that we keep fighting."
St. F.X and Carleton each got a second chance at nationals by playing in one of three regionals last weekend in either Ottawa, Fredericton or Regina. Each regional winner would grab an invite to the Final 8, along with the four conference champions and a wildcard.
The X-Women, behind strong inside work by Donisha Young, shocked the Ravens 64-59 last Saturday to earn the Final 8 berth. It’s only St. F.X.’s second trip to nationals. The X-Women advanced in 1997 but lost both of their games.
All was not lost for Carleton, however. The Ravens earned the wild-card invitation and are seeded third for their first appearance at the CIS tournament. They will play in the first quarter-final at 2 p.m. (AT) on Friday.
The three-time defending AUS champion Cape Breton Capers — Nova Scotia’s other entry in the Final 8 — are ranked fourth for the tournament and open Friday night, 9 p.m. (AT) against the University of Toronto. The Varsity Blues advanced by winning the East Regional in Fredericton.
This will mark the Capers’ fifth appearance at nationals in eight years. They finished fifth last year but head coach Fabian McKenzie said this year’s edition is a more balanced squad.
"We have more size, balanced scoring, balanced rebounding and we do things a little differently in certain areas so we’re more prepared that way than in other years," McKenzie said. "In the past, we had some trouble with our depth and balance at the national level. Not so much this year."
The tournament host and No. 1-ranked Windsor Lancers and the second-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies are considered favourites for the Final 8, which marks the 40th anniversary of the national championship.
Also competing are the seventh-ranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, who face Saskatchewan in the quarter-finals, and the No. 8 Laval Rouge et Or, who’ll meet Windsor in the other quarter-final.
Every team competing in Windsor will be looking for its first CIS women’s hoops title, with the exception of Toronto, which claimed its lone banner back in 1986.
Semifinals are slated for Saturday with the medal games scheduled for Sunday.
A new national champion will be crowned on Sunday. The Simon Fraser Clan, winners of the last two CIS titles and five of the last nine, now compete in the NCAA.