Victoria/Fraser Valley (Dan Kinvig) – WBB: Cascades sink Vikes to run win streak to six
The University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team continued to roll, defeating the Victoria Vikes 71-57 on Saturday evening at the UFV Athletic Centre.
It was the Cascades’ sixth straight victory, boosting their record to 14-2 in Canada West play, and they need just one win over their final two games of the regular season – Feb. 23-24 at UNBC – to clinch the West Division title.
Deanna Tuchscherer had another big night for the Cascades – the sophomore standout scored nine of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, and she moved up to third on the Canada West scoring list, averaging 17.8 points per game. Maddy Gobeil also excelled for the hosts, stuffing the stat sheet with 17 points and seven assists, and Natalie Rathler hit double digits with 12 points to go with five boards and two steals.
The Vikes mounted a fourth-quarter push led by CW scoring leader Ashlyn Day, who had eight of her 18 points in the final frame, and Aleah Ashlee, who scored a team-high 19.
But the Cascades, with Tuchscherer doing much of the scoring down the stretch, were able to close out their third straight win over UVic.
“I think the big lesson for us tonight is, you can’t let up,” UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer said. “Good teams that have players like Ashlyn Day are always going to be dangerous, right? We weathered that storm, and it took us a little bit, but we were able to right the ship and get things going in the right direction again and finish strong. That’s a real important lesson for us moving forward.
“I like the progress we’re making. I like that we’re getting better every weekend, and hopefully this upcoming week against UNBC we’re playing some good basketball as well.”
The Cascades took control of the game five minutes in, putting together a 13-0 run bridging the first and second quarters with Gobeil notching six points during that surge to go up 24-10. The Vikes responded with an 11-2 run of their own, which Ashlee ignited with a triple and capped with a fast-break layup. But after a timeout, UFV settled down and rebuilt the lead to 34-21 at the half.
The Cascades led by as many as 17 in the third quarter, but the Vikes scored 10 straight points – all coming off the fingertips of Ashlee or Day – to cut the deficit to 46-41 early in the fourth.
The hosts steadied themselves and methodically extended the lead back to double figures – Deanna Tuchscherer’s triple with 1:34 remaining was essentially the dagger, putting UFV up 64-51, and they cruised from there.
“Ashlyn Day is a heck of a player,” Coach Tuchscherer said, reflecting on the Vikes’ comeback attempt. “Some of the shots she made, I don’t think we could have defended it any better. She’s just a shot-maker, and kudos to her. It was pretty impressive to watch.
“When Deanna’s in an aggressive, attacking mindset, she’s really effective for us. She goes away from that a little bit at times – and we sat her a bit because of foul issues, and that took her out of her rhythm. But she came up big at the end.”
The Cascades celebrated a pair of graduating student-athletes, Victoria Jacobse (eight points, seven rebounds, three assists on the night) and Alexis Worrell (five points, three rebounds), in a post-game Senior Night ceremony. Both players have emerged as pillars of the program over their six years on campus, Coach Tuchscherer noted.
“I’m really proud of the players and leaders they’ve developed into over the years,” he said. “Both of them had a long road to get here, and they had to work hard to establish their roles. But we’re at the point now where we wouldn’t have the success we’ve had if they weren’t part of our team.”
MBB: Toor sets assist record in Vikes victory
A slow start cost the University of the Fraser Valley men’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as they dropped an 86-55 decision to the Victoria Vikes at the UFV Athletic Centre.
Vick Toor carved out a slice of Cascades history, setting a team record for career assists with 307, but the Vikes spoiled UFV’s regular-season finale, racing out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter. The Cascades battled back to get to within 14 points at the end of the third, but UVic pulled away again in the fourth.
UFV wraps up the regular season in third place in the West Division with a 9-9 record, and now await the identity of their playoff opponent. The red-hot Vikes (14-1), meanwhile, extended their win streak to 13 games.
“We knew UVic was a very good basketball team coming in, and we knew it was going to be tough,” Cascades head coach Joe Enevoldson said. “Ultimately we competed for 25 of the 80 minutes this weekend – the middle third of the game today. We’re going to have to compete for 40 minutes straight if we’re going to make noise in the playoffs.”
“We got off to a pretty rough start tonight, and credit to our guys – we had a lot more fight than we did the night before, in the second and third quarters. To cut the deficit to 14 was a testament to our guys, and that’s how hard we’re going to have to play moving forward into playoffs.”
The Vikes, coming off a 107-67 win over the Cascades on Friday, picked up right where they’d left off. Their defence smothered UFV in the first quarter, limiting the hosts to 2-of-18 shooting from the field, and a balanced attack saw seven UVic players hit the scoresheet as they built a 26-4 lead.
Toor and rookie forward Dario Lopez gave the Cascades a spark in the second – Lopez had nine points and Toor scored eight as UFV played the Vikes even in the quarter, but the deficit was still 45-23 at the break. Matthew Ellis led the Vikes with nine points in the half.
The Cascades found some traction in the third – they were within 54-36 after Jake Willemsen hit back-to-back threes, and Dylan Kinley came off the bench to pour in eight points in quick succession to cut the deficit to 58-44 heading to the fourth.
The Vikes, though, opened the final frame with six straight points, and the Cascades got into foul trouble early, which paved the way for the UVic to pull away down the stretch.
Toor provided a moment for the time capsule, though – with just over five minutes left in regulation, he dribbled to the top of the key from the right wing and found Jordyn Sekhon open beyond the arc. Sekhon drilled the shot to give Toor four assists on the night and 307 for his career, one better than the previous program record of 306 established by longtime Cascades standout Manny Dulay.
Kinley finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Toor (11 points) and Sekhon (10) also hit double digits.
Dominick Olivieri led the Vikes with 15 points, Diego Maffia had 13, and Elias Ralph scored 11.
After the game, the Cascades honoured graduating athletes Toor and Sekhon in a Senior Day ceremony.
“I said it in the locker room after the game – it’s been a tumultuous last little bit of their careers,” Enevoldson related. “New coach, a lot of new teammates, and I think they’ve handled themselves with the utmost class. Whenever you leave a program, your legacy can be positive, can be negative, can be anywhere in between. And they both left outstanding, positive contributions to this program – an outstanding legacy.
“Vick passing Manny for the assists record is a testament to his ability to pass the ball, and Jordy coming out and hitting the three, it was nice to see him get going in the third and fourth quarter. They went out and they competed tonight. Ultimately, at the end of the day, that’s how they’ll leave their legacy.
“And it’s not over – it’s not done. Obviously we have a couple games to go, and hopefully we can extend that run.”
