LLOYDMINSTER – A historic season has come to a close for the Lions.
The Lambton Women’s Basketball Program won the Silver Medal at the 2024 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships in Lloydminster, Alberta. It marks the program’s first-ever medal on the national stage, and they won it during the program’s first appearance in the National Championships.
In the Championship Game, the Lions dropped a hard-fought contest to the hosts from Lakeland College in front of a packed house inside the Lakeland College Gymnasium, 64-55.
Following the game, three Lions were honoured with Tournament All-Star awards. Guard Maddy Bishop (Windsor, Ont.) was named a Second Team Tournament All-Star. Forward Brett Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) and wing Breanna Pretty (Sarnia, Ont.) were named First Team Tournament All-Stars.
The Silver Medal at Nationals caps off a season to remember for the Lions on the hardwood, one that was filled with plenty of firsts.
In the regular season, the Lions put together a 14-2 record to finish atop the West Division standings for the first time. Then, in the postseason, the Lions secured the right to host the 2024 OCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four. Wins over Niagara and Algonquin secured the program’s first OCAA Gold Medal, exacting some revenge on last year’s Silver Medal finish.
The win punched their ticket to the 2024 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships, which was another program first. Wins over The King’s University Eagles and the Geants de Saint-Jean sent the Lions to the Gold Medal Game, where they met the hosts from Lakeland College in the final.
In front of a sold-out crowd inside the Lakeland College Gymnasium, the Lions showed resilience and perseverance over the full 40 minutes. With the crowd against them, the Lions never wavered and continued to fight through to the final buzzer.
After going down by double-digits late in the first quarter, the Lions continued to fight as they tried to take a lead of their own. They cut the deficit down to four points at the half after outscoring the Rustlers by three in the second frame.
In the third quarter, the Lions came out strong as they looked to take a lead of their own for the first time. A three-point jumper with under a minute to go in the third quarter from Emily Van Hooft (Sarnia, Ont.) gave the Lions a brief one-point lead, at 40-39. The Rustlers answered back on the next possession, and the game went back and forth into the fourth.
The Lions took a slim lead midway through the fourth quarter, at 51-50, but Lakeland answered back once again and took a lead for good. The Lions fought down to the final buzzer, but the Rustlers came away with the 64-55 win.
With their Silver Medal, the Lions have now picked up three medals in the last two years across OCAA and CCAA competition, and they have their sights set on more hardware in the immediate future.