WolfPack women confident heading into playoffs

Share this story

Tweet

The logical next step for the TRU WolfPack women’s basketball team is a first-round Canada West playoff victory, which can be accomplished this weekend in Calgary against the Dinos.

“Last year, we were just happy to be there. This season, we are happy, but we think we can push through and get to the next round,” said Jorri Duxbury, a third-year guard.

“That is our goal.”

TRU’s basketball women snuck into the playoffs for the first time in program history last season with a 9-9 record and were swept in a first-round best-of-three series by the Saskatchewan Huskies.

The WolfPack, who this season posted a 15-7 mark under head coach Scott Reeves, have every reason to believe they can get past the Dinos.

In the only meeting between the teams this season, TRU topped Calgary 69-60 in Kamloops on Jan. 12. It was one of only three losses on the season for the Dinos (19-3).

Game 1 of the best-of-three quarter-final series will be played on Friday, Feb. 22, with games two and three set for Saturday, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24, respectively.

Calgary is known for pressuring on defence and forcing turnovers, which TRU must avoid if advancing to the next round is in the cards.

“We have to play with composure,” Reeves said.

“We can’t get caught up in the tempo that they want to play at, where they are stealing basketballs and pressing us and getting us to turn it over. We want to have a stable, emotional state in the game.”

Keeping emotions in check will be a tall task for the Pack’s fifth-year players — Diane Schuetze, Tracy Kocs and Jen Ju, each of whom would love nothing more than to reach the Canada West semifinal in their last kick at the can.

“Being a fifth-year player is always tough,” Ju said.

“There is that whole emotional part of if. We aren’t looking at it as if this weekend is the end of our season. We are looking to really go far. We are so motivated right now.”

— with files from TRU sports information