Unlikely Gold Medal Match-Up

#4 Douglas Royals vs. #6 Okanagan Coyotes – Saturday March 2, 5:30pm | WATCH HERE

It’s a gold medal match-up no one could have predicted as the Royals and Coyotes meet in the PACWEST championship game.

The Royals will play for gold for the first time since 2017 after a hard-fought defensive and physical upset victory on Friday over the top ranked VIU Mariners.  They shot 37% offensively using their “bigs” down low to upset the Mariners flow. The combination of Laini Glover, Jettie McLaughlin and rookie Mackenzie Dalphond were a major factor alternating shots and limiting second chance opportunities, something that will need to continue on Saturday.

This will be their third game in three days after a 63-55 quarterfinal victory over the Camosun Chargers on Thursday.  

For the tournament they are shooting 35% from the field and don’t seem to be a hurry offensively.  They will take a fast break when given the opportunity, but for the most part they have set up their halfcourt offence and run their plays through their post players. Both McLauglin and Dalphond have been terrific down low.

They face a Coyotes team that is in their second gold medal game in three years after winning in 2022.  These two are very familiar with each other meeting last weekend in the regular season finale.

The Coyotes are the sixth seed and host team taking advantage of some huge crowds feeding off their energy. Like the Royals, the Coyotes have used their post player to perfection as Elizabeth Henne continues to shine in her final PACWEST season.  She has been able to collect 30 rebounds in two games and has added 35 points.  What doesn’t show up in the stat line is her ability to be in the right place at the right time altering shots and giving the opposition fits when they have the ball.

On Friday the Coyotes upset the second seeded Capilano Blues after upsetting the third seeded CBC Bearcats on Thursday.   Guard Ali Martineau in her final season has been outstanding dishing the basketball and finding her open shots hitting some timely three-pointers. She was the Player of the Game in the win over the Blues.

These two schools have only met once before in the postseason, and it was in 2020 in a quarterfinal when the Royals won 77-54.

Both teams have already qualified for the CCAA nationals taking place in two weeks in Alberta.