Perfect in the regular season, the Rouge et Or of Laval University completed its journey in Quebec with two other victories in the playoffs to earn its pass to the Canadian women’s basketball championship.
With a flawless defensive performance against a powerful offense that had averaged 70 points per game in the regular season, the Rouge et Or defeated the Bishop’s Gaiters by a score of 56-33 on Saturday, in front of a crowd of nearly 2000 spectators at PEPS. They complete their season in the RSEQ with a perfect record of 18 victories.
“I never thought we would win our 18 games,” admitted head coach Guillaume Giroux, “but I told an assistant that if any team was able to do it, it was us. I wasn’t convinced, but our great depth made the difference.”
The end of the 2023 season served as motivation for the Rouge et Or. “The girls were on a mission,” said Giroux. They still had in mind their heartbreaking defeat suffered last year in the semi-final against UQAM. They beat us with a basket on the last possession of the game.
After erasing an 11-point deficit after three quarters, the Citadins scored a three-point shot with two seconds left in the game to escape with a 66-63 victory.
In addition to serving as motivation, this setback where the Rouge et Or let a six-point priority slip away with 1:34 left in the last quarter was also a learning experience. “The girls learned the hard way, but they gained experience,” Giroux explained. They managed the end of the match better this time.”
The defense shines
In a final between the two best offenses in the RSEQ, the defense made the difference. “I am damn proud of the girls’ defensive play,” summarized Giroux. With his powerful attack, Bishop’s scared me extremely. At the end of the season, we spent a lot of time on defensive preparation in training. In our last game at McGill, we blanked the Martlets in a quarter. I’ve never seen that.”
Player par excellence of the RSEQ, Léa-Sophie Verret once again stood out with a tally of 14 points to lead the Rouge et Or attack. “It’s a great story, Léa. She worked very, very hard.”
Photo Courtesy Red and Gold
Seeded in fourth place in the table of eight teams in anticipation of the national, the Rouge et Or will face, Thursday, in its first match the Alberta Pandas, host team of the Canadian championship and finalist in the Western Conference.
“The girls will have a great experience facing the host team in a full gymnasium,” Giroux said. That’s exciting. Sometimes the host team is weaker, but that is not the case this year. Because there were no surprises in the playoffs except Calgary which will nevertheless be present as wildcard, the best teams have passed and the table will be very, very competitive. Many years, it is decided between three formations, but that is not the case this year.
Champions of their respective conferences, the Saskatchewan Huskies (19-1), the Carleton Ravens (21-1) and the Saint Mary’s Huskies (17-3) are the three favorite teams in a table which brings together four teams from the West.
2024-03-03 23:09:05
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