The Columbia Bible College Bearcats women's basketball team has won a playoff game for the first time in school history and the biggest win in program history also qualifies them for the CCAA Nationals.
The Bearcats defeated the Douglas College Royals 57-50 in the semifinal on Friday (Feb. 28) and now will take on arch-rival the VIU Mariners in the gold medal game.
CBC was up 32-27 at halftime, but Douglas refused to go away and did manage to have the lead briefly in the second half. However, the Bearcats rebounding and ability to draw fouls inside was too much for Douglas. CBC outscored the Royals 18-14 in the final quarter.
Pacwest player of the year Elissa Vrugendhil collected 18 points, 14 rebounds and four steals. Eight of those rebounds were offensive boards and she especially dominated the glass in the fourth quarter. Kagari Tomita added 10 points and six rebounds for CBC.
The Bearcats shot just 26.2 per cent in the win, but had a 43-33 rebound edge and had 17 offensive rebounds. Second chance points were 17-4 for CBC. The Bearcats also earned 39 free throw attempts compared to just 20 for Douglas.
The CBC women's basketball team had never won a Pacwest playoff game before Friday. The win now means CBC and VIU will tangle for the gold medal.
The Mariners and Bearcats have significant history this season, as CBC head coach Taylor Claggett was removed from the bench after the Pacwest investigated an alleged transphobic incident with her and VIU player Harriette Mackenzie back in October. VIU and CBC were then scheduled to play each other in Abbotsford earlier this year, but the Mariners refused to play and claimed they did not feel safe playing at the Abbotsford school.
Claggett is not expected to be behind the bench in the gold medal game.
CBC originally was hosting the Pacwest basketball provincials, but the event was taken away from the school after the investigation and moved to North Vancouver's Capilano University. VIU defeated CBC the two times they played earlier this season.
Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
The CBC men's basketball team fell 77-63 to VIU in the semifinal game on Friday. The Bearcats did beat the Langara Falcons 78-72 in the quarter-final round.
CBC was led by Cam Carter, who recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. The Bearcats shot just 28 per cent in the loss and the VIU bench outscored the CBC bench 26-15.
For more on the event, visit pacwestbc.ca/championships/basketball_2024-25/index.
