Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Heading into the stretch run of their 2022-23 season, the MacEwan Griffins women's basketball team is looking to finish on a high note.
Just four games remain in the Canada West careers of graduating seniors Mackenzie Farmer and Shannon Majeau, while the rest of the roster is looking to build and grow for next season.
MacEwan heads to Lethbridge for a pair of games on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m., both Canada West TV).
The playoffs are out of reach for the 2-14 Griffins, so it will all be about finishing strong. Lethbridge is 5-11, chasing UNBC (6-10) for the final post-season position in Canada West.
"I wouldn't be lying if I said that we certainly have had some things thrown our way that were unexpected and it's been disappointing that that has, at times, impacted our performance," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams. "But there's still a lot of opportunity for us to build and grow. For our veteran players who are getting set to end their careers, it's to end on a high note and leave their legacy as to who they are when they came into this program and what their goal was in establishing who we are and what we're about.
"As a group, we want to collectively build some momentum knowing that we have some young players making some big contributions and getting a lot of opportunity."
A spate of injuries meant the Griffins played last weekend's series in Manitoba with only eight players and there's a good chance this weekend will be a repeat of that.
"So much of it just depends on your perspective and how you choose to frame it," said Adams of the team's unexpected late-season adversity. "On one hand, you could look at it as 'woe is us' – eight players, two of them among our leading scorers and big minute getters, not being able to be on court with us last weekend.
"But I'm really proud of how our group has taken it as a challenge and have seen it as an opportunity for some other people to step up. Really, the team in general has taken a collective approach to saying, 'OK, this is where we're at and how can we continue to grow and improve and still get better and compete?' "
Following their final road trip of the season, the Griffins will finish the 2022-23 campaign at home against Regina Feb. 10-11.
