CHAMPIONS!
Cougars beat Pandas 94-85 to claim CIAU women's basketball title
Mar. 12, 2001 - Regina Leader-Post
By L-P Sports Staff
The fourth time was the charm for the University of Regina Cougars.
The Cougars, who had failed in their bids to win the gold at the three previous CIAU women's basketball tournaments, finally claimed the title Sunday with a 94-85 win over the Alberta Pandas in Edmonton.
The Cougars' best finish over their previous three visits was third in 2000.
"I don't think any one of those years needed to be made up for," fifth-year guard Heather Dedman said from Edmonton. "Every team was different."
"We learned something every time we were here. We took baby steps to get here. To finish it off like this is great."
"Live and learn," added Cougars head coach Christine Stapleton. "Every single experience from the last three years has helped me develop as a coach and helped all of the players who were here before. We took what we learned from those years and put it together here this weekend."
Stapleton said the previous appearances taught the Cougars "to be very focused and unflappable" and to play more as a team. To Stapleton, the fact that seven players finished in double figures Sunday was proof that the lesson had been learned.
"We've been working toward this game since that loss (to the Calgary Dinos in a CIAU semifinal) last year," said Stapleton, whose club avenged that loss with a 71-67 victory over the Dinos in one of Friday's semifinals.
"We made the kids more accountable and I worked a lot harder. I worked the same amount, but I did more in the way of preparation. Then the girls took responsibility for taking what we were teaching them and executing it in the game plan."
The national championship was the first in basketball for the U of R and its third overall. The men's wrestling teams claimed Canadian titles in 1997 and '98.
Regina went 20-2 during the 2000-01 GPAC-Canada West regular season and won the GPAC title with a sweep of the Manitoba Bisons in the best-of-three conference final.
The Cougars – who had been the CIAU's No. 1 team for most of the season
– went to Edmonton ranked second, but they were the class of the field.
Regina bombed the McMaster Marauders in a quarterfinal on Thursday, disposed of Calgary on Friday, then bounced the host Pandas.
"We had incredible teamwork," said Regina guard Cymone Bouchard, who was named the 2001 tournament's most valuable player. "We came prepared for every game and knocked them off one game at a time. We came into the final confident, knowing what we had to do."
And with last year's tournament fresh in their minds.
"We all remember how crappy it felt to lose in the semifinal last year," Bouchard continued. "It gave us that extra drive this year to be the best we could be."
The Cougars fell behind 4-0 in the early stages of Sunday's game, but they overcame that deficit with an 11-0 run – and they never trailed again. Regina led 50-39 at the half and staved off the Pandas' rally in the second half.
Dedman scored 24 points for the Cougars, who got 14 from Becky Poley, 13 from Phoebe De Ciman, and 12 from Corrin Wersta. Cathy Butlin led the Pandas with 30 points.
Stapleton, who's in her eighth season with the Cougars, said she didn't feel any more pressure to win a national title because of her team's previous appearances. Instead, she pointed to Queen's Golden Gaels head coach Dave Wilson – who was making his first appearance at nationals in 20 seasons – and said she felt blessed to have been in four straight CIAU tournaments.
The championship was the third of Stapleton's career. She won back-to-back titles as a player with the Laurentian Lady Vees in 1990 and '91.
"The two as a player were different," she said. "When you're playing, you just show up at the gym and do what the coach tells you. This is very meaningful because I've worked with this team from the ground up."
Jana Schweitzer, meanwhile, got in on the ground floor. She and Leah Anderson won a CIAU title in their first year of eligibility with the Cougars.
"I'm just lucky," Schweitzer said. "I came on to a great team with great players, great people and great coaches. It's unbelievable."
On Saturday, Calgary won the bronze with an 82-60 victory over Queen's. The Victoria Vikes finished fifth after beating the Dalhousie Tigers 75-62.
