The Olds College Broncos women’s basketball team travelled to Quebec City for the CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship, Olds College’s first appearance since the 2012-13 season. The Broncos came into the week incredibly focused and prepared, and the end result was the school’s first-ever national championship in any sport.
In their tournament opener on Thursday, the Broncos faced off with the PACWEST-champion Vancouver Island University Mariners. The Broncos flexed their muscle defensively, holding the Mariners to 15 per cent shooting (12-80) from the field en route to a 61-37 victory to advance to the semifinal on Friday, where they played the Dawson College Blues.
In an instant classic, the Broncos and Blues traded blows throughout the game, though the Broncos found themselves down with just over a minute to play. Olds College found a way to dig deeper, and a pair of critical free throws from Kristina Bajovic in the final 16 seconds pushed the Broncos to a 71-70 victory and a trip to the gold medal game, where the host Dynamiques de Sainte-Foy awaited.
With the hometown crowd heavily tilted toward the Dynamiques, the Broncos kept their focus squarely on the game and what they needed to do, taking an early lead and withstanding every attempt Sainte-Foy made to push back. The Dynamiques were within one possession in the dying seconds, but free throws from Brittney Thibeaux and Alli Taylor pushed the Broncos to a 74-69 win, and the celebrations began as the Broncos captured CCAA gold.
Thibeaux had a week to remember in Quebec City; the Lake Villa, Ill. native was named the CCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year on Wednesday night, then followed it up with strong performances throughout the week to be named the championship’s most valuable player, punctuating her performance with 30 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the gold medal game. Bajovic and Kyla Adams also took home some additional hardware, as both were named to the First All-Tournament Team.
