Royals win 2nd-straight PACWEST bronze after comeback win vs. Blues

The Douglas Royals women's basketball team entered the provincial championships this season as the #4 seed in the conference. With only one returner this year amongst their young roster, this tournament marked the first collegiate championships for many on the team. After last Saturday's bronze medal victory, it is evident that they have not only gained their footing but also exhibited a relentless drive that will mark them as a threat for years to come.

The women played their first game last Thursday in a quarter-final matchup against the #5 seed Camosun Chargers. The game started out close on both sides with each team trading leads, but in the late 2^nd quarter Camosun continued to tally up the scoreboard and obtained a 32-23 lead at halftime. With their season on the line, the Royals women dug deep in a late 4^th quarter push and stunned the Chargers to complete the comeback in a 67-56 win that punched them a ticket to the semi-finals.

Friday evening's semi-final against the #1 seed VIU Mariners was a tough battle for the Royals women as they saw themselves going up against a team with very solid defense and intense offense. Douglas kept themselves in it for most of the game but ultimately could not best VIU, falling short 45-59.

The bronze medal game last Saturday afternoon was a great culmination of everything the Royals women had put themselves through in this tournament. Going up against the #2 seed Capilano Blues was not going to be an easy feat as the two teams set their eyes on the last spot on the podium. 

The game started out intense from the very beginning with both sides trading leads. However, in the late 2^nd quarter Capilano began to heat up, overtaking the Royals by a 6-point margin and carried that into halftime leading 32-26. This lead grew larger as the Royals continued to trail throughout the 3^rd quarter due to several missed key baskets and unenforced errors. The 4^th quarter began with the Blues leading the Royals by 13 points at 53-40. Fortunately, Douglas came in with a newfound burst of energy as they took the game into their own hands and made a comeback push to have the game within reach again.

Down 59-61 with 54 seconds left in the game, guard #10 Jenessa Knapp pushed through the Blues defense to make a critical layup that would tie the game at 61 apiece. Capilano would respond around 20 seconds later with another 2-point basket on their end which put them up 63-61 with 27 seconds left. However right after, guard #8 Karalee Antoine turned the game around completely with a huge banked three-pointer that gave Douglas a 64-63 lead. As the Blues rushed to their end in search of garnering any point in retaliation, forward #11 Laini Glover drew an integral offensive foul that gave the Royals possession with 10 seconds left. The women then capitalized on 2 more fouls committed by Capilano and sealed the victory via free throw points to finish the game 67-63.

With the comeback completed, the Royals women truly showed what it means to play for one another and never stop fighting until the final buzzer. Every player the court gave it their all and played a solid game to secure their second-straight bronze medal victory.

The team finished with a 34% field goal percentage. First-Team All-Star, All-Rookie member and PACWEST Rookie of the Year #10 Jenessa Knapp was named the Player of the Game after scoring 17 points in the win and #8 Karalee Antoine who made the turning point basket was right behind her after amassing 16 points. 

This tournament has promised nothing but a bright future for this Royals team, and it will be exciting to see what they have in store in the years to come.