After a frustrating night on the court, both Camosun Chargers basketball teams will be playing for bronze at the 2023 Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) championships on Mar. 4, 2023 at the Pacific Institute for Sport Education. The women tip off at 12:30pm and the men at 3:00pm.
The women’s team got down early to island rivals and reigning champs, Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners and could not recover, ultimately falling 67-44. Tegan Michel (Oak Bay High/Victoria, B.C.) had 10 points and Rhiannon Ware (Medicine Hat, A.B./Medicine Hat High) finished with nine points, seven rebounds and was named Camosun Player of the Game.
In a re-match of last year’s semi-final, the second seeded Chargers (12-6) faced the third seeded Capilano Blues (11-7). The Chargers struggled to match the Blues after being tied at the end of the first quarter and fell 80-70 in an exciting fourth quarter. Cole Belton (Belmont Secondary/Victoria, B.C.) led the Chargers offense with 16 points, followed by Isaiah Romanow (Oak Bay High/Victoria, B.C.) who was named Player of the Game for the team.
The women will face the Douglas Royals who fell to the Capilano Blues in the other semi-final. Chargers won both games during the regular season.
In the other men’s semi-final matchup, the Langara Falcons gave the nationally ranked first place Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners a scare when they tied the game early in the fourth quarter. They ended up falling 99-83 and will face Camosun tomorrow. The Chargers are 2-1 with the Falcons in the regular season.
The VIU Mariners and Capilano Blues will face-off for gold and a berth to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) at 3:00pm, while the men’s Mariners and Blues will compete for top spot in the league as both teams head to the national championship.
