Huskies women’s basketball team ready to go for national championship

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team is just three wins away from winning their second national championship in program history.

An 18-2 record left them at the top of the national rankings for most of the season. Despite tough matchups against the Victoria Vikes and UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West playoffs, they powered through to take a 62-51 win against the Alberta Pandas to win the conference final for the second year in a row.

On Thursday night, they will go up against the host Carleton Ravens in Ottawa as the top-ranked seed in the USports Top 8.

For fifth-year guard Megan Ahlstrom, it’s a particularly special tournament. It’s her last year of eligibility for university basketball, and she won the national title with the Huskies in her first year back in 2016.

She’s primed and ready to go for the repeat.

“For everyone involved, whether it’s their first or last year, that’s pretty much all we’ve been working for all season, so it would be amazing to accomplish that,” she told 650 CKOM.

“It’s obviously an honour to be here. We have a couple of people who have never been to nationals, too, which is really exciting. A lot of us have been here, so we know what’s at stake. We’re really excited for the games to come.”

The first matchup against Carleton is a favourable one for the Huskies. They finished second in the East division of the Ontario University Athletics league with a record of 15-7, and were beaten by the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarterfinal.

However, hosts upsetting the top-ranked seed is a common occurrence in the history of the USports Top 8.

Despite not having played the Ravens this season, fourth-year guard Summer Masikewich is looking forward to the matchup.

“It’s definitely tough, but we’ve already been preparing to play them and making sure we know the scouts,” she said.

“It’ll be exciting because it’ll be in front of a good crowd, which is good for us.”

Masikewich finished this season with 17.4 points per game, good for seventh in Canada West, and 9.1 rebounds per game, placing her at ninth in the conference. She led the Huskies in both categories.

In her leadership role, she’s confident in her team’s ability to move forward through the tournament.

“I don’t feel pressure because I know that I have my team behind me. I play every game for them and with them, and I know they have my back.”

You can catch the game online at 7:00 Thursday night.