Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – It's one week into the Canada West women's basketball campaign and the MacEwan Griffins are possibly facing the toughest test they will endure all season.
They're travelling to Saskatoon, Sask. for a weekend series vs. the U SPORTS No. 2-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies for matches on Friday (5 p.m. MT) and Saturday (4 p.m. MT, both Canada West TV).
Essentially, what better litmus test could a young team get to see where they're at early in the 2023-24 season?
The Huskies, led by reigning Canada West player of the year Carly Ahlstrom, are 2-0 after beating U SPORTS No. 5 Alberta twice on the road last weekend.
"Saskatchewan's always tough with very talented players and a tough team, so it's an opportunity for us to go in and see where we're at and test ourselves a little bit," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams.
It's also a chance for them to build off of their last outing – a narrow 55-51 loss at home to Mount Royal University last Saturday where their gritty defensive play was on full display.
"Absolutely," agreed Adams. "The way we competed on Saturday night is certainly something we can build on and take some momentum from that game and carry it forward to Friday night in Saskatchewan. We saw a lot of really positive things, a lot of areas they're continuing to grow, so it's just continuing to work on that and build on that and take another step forward."
The Griffins' opening weekend saw the team make a dramatic improvement from Friday to Saturday, losing 76-41 on the first night before almost beating the Cougars on Night 2.
There are plenty of areas to clean up, though, most notably offensive execution as the Griffins' field goal percentage was below 30 per cent both nights.
"We loved the change we saw in our defensive pressure and intensity from Friday to Saturday night, so I think that's something we can continue to look at and build on, perhaps capitalizing on more of the opportunities we create for ourselves," said Adams. "A lot of the shots, you say 'if only that would have dropped' or 'if we'd made that one, it might have made a difference here or there.' So, just capitalizing on the opportunities given to us and recognizing those moments (is key)."
