They may technically be the visiting teams at the 2024 Canada West women’s basketball championships, but both the TWU Spartans and the Victoria Vikes have some significant Abbotsford flavour.
The championships run from today (Feb. 21) to Sunday (Feb. 25) at the UFV Athletic Centre and feature the top 12 women’s basketball teams in the conference.
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Both the Spartans and Vikes tip-off today, with Victoria playing at 3 p.m. and TWU at 8 p.m.
The Spartans have five Abbotsford product on their team, which finished with a record of 12-8 and placed eighth overall.
They are led by Canada West second team all-star and Robert Bateman grad Jayden Gill, who led the Spartans in scoring with 17.3 points per game. Other Abbotsford talents on the team include: MEI grads Kailey Reimer, Gracie Corneau and Jazmin Avila, as well as Bateman’s Jenna Gill.
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Reimer was second on the team in rebounds and fourth in scoring, while Corneau ranked second in blocks and fifth in scoring.
The Vikes have Yale grads Tana Pankratz and Brooklyn White. Victoria finished with a record of 10-10 and finished 10th in the conference.
Pankratz was second on the Vikes in scoring with 14.1 points per game and first in rebounds with 7.4. She also ranked second on the team in assists. White shot .444 from the field and also ranked fourth on the team in rebounds.
If successful, Victoria and TWU will advance to the quarterfinals which occur tomorrow (Thursday).
The UFV Cascades, who have received a first round bye and begin action tomorrow, have W.J. Mouat grad Google Sidhu and MEI’s Kyla Smith on this season’s team.
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Continue visiting abbynews.com for more coverage of the tournament.