The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades women’s basketball team is off to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to participate in the 2011 Canada West “Final Four.” This marks the first appearance by the Cascades women’s basketball program in Canada West’s “Final Four” tournament. The Cascades coming off their first ever Canada West playoff series victory, a two game sweep of the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, in the Canada West quarterfinal, will also be making an appearance in the brand new inaugural CIS Women’s Basketball National Regional Championship Tournament, the following weekend of March 11-13, 2011.
Below is the were each of the four Canada West teams will go after next weekend:
1st Place and CW Champions advance directly to the CIS Final 8 in Windsor March 18-20.
2nd Place hosts a 4 team CIS Regional Championship March 11/12.
3rd Place travels to a 4 team Regional Championship March 11/12 hosted by the Central Region (OUA #2 will host).
4th Place travels to a 4 team Regional Championship March 11/12 hosted by the Eastern Region (AUS #2 will host).
Below is this weekend’s Canada West “Final Four” schedule hosted by Saskatchewan Huskies:
Friday, March 4
6:15 pm #4 Fraser Valley vs #1 Saskatchewan
8:00 pm #3 Alberta vs #2 Regina
Saturday, March 5
6:15 pm 3rd Place Game
8:00 pm 1st Place Game
The UFV cascades have made tremendous gains in one year. Last year (2009-10) they finished 2-16 and this year enter Canada West’s Final Four with a 14-12 regular and post season record. While Head Coach Al Tuchscherer gives all the credit to his assistant coaches Anthony Luyken and Denise Tuchscherer and the team, he has been working long hours with the team, recruiting and planning for a long run at the CIS title down the road.
“I’m really happy for the girls. Their excitement to learn and adapt really came through this weekend. They are a close team and they love to play hard for each other. Obviously this is a historical win for our women’s basketball program. The turnaround from last year’s tough season to today is really remarkable and is a testament to their belief in each other and the work they have put in over the past 12 months specifically,” said Tuchscherer on his team’s sweep of Winnipeg.
“We don’t have anything to reference this against. so the intrigue of the unknown is really exciting. This was one of our goals to start the year, which may sound crazy coming from a team with so few CIS wins over the past 2 years. But they’ve literally been carrying around this goal everywhere they go for the past 6 months. They believe in the team and they believe they belong in this position. It’s going to be interesting, three of CW elite/established programs and the new guys. We have to be an overwhelming underdog again this week but at this point I think that’s exactly where we are most comfortable,” said Tuchscherer on playing in Canada West’s Final Four tournament next weekend in Saskatoon.
The next two weeks will be exciting around the University of the Fraser Valley campus. This Canada West season saw both women’s programs Soccer and Basketball participate in the conference “Final Four” tournaments and advance to participate in CIS Championship action at either the Regional or National level. This is only the fifth year the Cascades teams have been participating in Canada West and the CIS.
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