The Columbia Bible College Bearcats men’s and women’s basketball teams have completed an incredible turnaround and both squads compete at the Pacwest basketball championships later this week in Kelowna.
The women enter the tournament as the number three seed after a 14-10 season.
The impressive record is even more remarkable when you consider that the women’s team entered this season on a 54-game losing streak spread out over the last four and a half years.
New head coach Taylor Claggett did an excellent job recruiting and masterminding the program’s rise.
The women were led by forward Elissa Vreugdenhil, who was second in the conference with 15.5 points per game and first in rebounds per game at 14.3. She also had the second-best field goal percentage in the league at .456. Vreugdenhil ranked second in blocks per game (1.3) and seventh in assists (3.2).
Another top performer on CBC was guard Kagari Tomita, who was third in the conference at 15 ppg and second in three-point percentage at .364. She was also the best free throw shooter in the Pacwest at 80 per cent.
Yale Secondary grad and rookie Jay Hildebrand also had a solid season with 11.8 ppg (eighth overall) and also ranked seventh in the conference in blocks.
The women caught fire in January, winning five of six games including four straight and finished off the season with two wins over the Capilano Blues. They also had a home record of 9-3. This marks the first playoff appearance for the program since 2018. It’s also the best record ever for the women’s team in Pacwest play.
They tip-off the playoffs on Thursday (Feb. 29) against the host Okanagan Coyotes at 12:30 p.m. The teams meet four time this season, with CBC winning three of those games.
The men finished the Pacwest season at 12-12, the most wins in one season ever for the club. They enter the tournament seeded fourth.
New men’s team head coach Brandon Fields also did an outstanding job rebuilding a team that qualifies for the postseason for the first time since 2007-08.
The Bearcats were led by forward Damein Coleman Jr., who was ninth in the Pacwest with 13.3 ppg and led the conference in rebounds at 9.6. He also shot .488 from the field, good for seventh overall. Coleman Jr. led the Pacwest in blocks and was second in steals.
Sharpshooter Seth McKenzie was the best three-point shooter in the conference, hitting .397 per cent of his shots from beyond the arc. CBC also had strong seasons from Levi Van Egdom (10.5 points and .363 three-point percentage) and Spencer Dododza (9.4 ppg and 7.8 rebounds).
The men had a three-game win streak in November and finished the season winning three of the last four.
They open the playoffs against the Capilano Blues on Thursday (Feb. 29) at 3 p.m. The teams played each other four times this season, with both teams winning twice.
For more, visit pacwestbc.ca/championships/basketball_2023-24/index.