Brian Swane, Special to Canada West
SASKATOON – It's almost as if winter can't turn to spring on the prairies before the Saskatchewan Huskies and Regina Cougars meet to determine who's best in Canada West.
For a fourth straight year the provincial rivals are going head-to-head in the Canada West women's basketball championship, with this year's edition set for 7 p.m. Friday at the Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon.
You can watch the game on SaskTel max TV channels 49/349 in Saskatchewan, TELUS Optik TV on channels 998/9998 in Alberta and British Columbia, and Canada West TV.
The host team has won each of the previous three matchups, Regina hoisting the Valerie Girsberger Trophy last year after Saskatchewan captured back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.
This is the seventh time since 2009 that these teams have met in the Canada West post-season: five times for the championship and twice in the semifinal round. Combined, they have brought an era of dominance to the Land of the Living Skies, where the conference's champion in women's basketball will reside for a sixth time in seven years.
As if they weren't familiar enough with each other already, the Huskies and Cougars crossed paths just four weeks ago, on the final weekend of the regular season in Regina, where the home team notched a pair of victories over Saskatchewan, 82-76 and 78-64. They also played at Regina's Cougar Classic pre-season tournament, in October, with the Huskies winning 80-73.
Both teams are heavy on experience, with veterans who have been through these battles before. Respectively, Saskatchewan and Regina have 10 and 6 student-athletes in at least their third year, while Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis is in her 20th season and her Cougars counterpart, Dave Taylor, has been on the job since 2006.
The Huskies feature 2018-19 Canada West First Team All-Star guard Sabine Dukate, the conference's leading outside shooter with 67 three-pointers this season, and second teamer Summer Masikewich, who has three double-doubles in four playoff games. Regina is led by guard Kyanna Giles, who was just named a First Team All-Star for the second straight year and ranks among the top 10 in Canada West for points, rebounds, and steals.
Both teams will move on to represent Canada West at the U SPORTS Final 8 Women's Basketball Championship, March 7-10 in Toronto. It will be Saskatchewan's 11th and Regina's ninth appearance at nationals since 2008.