Henri Dessureaux – Contributor

On Feb. 21, the Women’s Basketball team capped off their regular season with a trip down to Quebec City where they took on ULaval. With the Rouge et Or solidly in first place at 12-3-0 heading into the matchup, it would be a good test for the women to see where they stand before playoffs.

Laval would take an early lead on Bishop’s as the scoreboard read 20-12 in their favor after the first quarter. The next two quarters swung in Bishop’s favour by a margin of two points leaving the score at 45-39 for the Rouge et Or. The fourth quarter would once again swing in Laval’s favour as they walked away with a 66-52 victory over BU to cap off the regular season. Laurie Lafleur had a standout performance for Bishop’s as she registered an impressive 21 points in the loss, joined by Sabryna Purich who added 12 points of her own.

Following the finish of the regular season the team received their RSEQ semi-final matchup with McGill. The teams split their matchups throughout the year, winning two apiece. Because the Martlets finished higher in the standings this season, BU had to travel down to Montreal to take them on.

Tip-off took place on Feb. 25, as both teams made it clear that neither was gonna give the other an inch on the court. The first quarter swung just barely in McGills favour with a marginal 15-14 lead at the buzzer. The second quarter proved to be all Bishop’s as they outscored the Martlets by ten points and gave themselves a solid 29-20 lead at half. The third quarter would play out similarly to the first, this time with BU leading the quarter by a score of 11-10 and boosting their lead to ten points. The fourth quarter would see McGill catch fire on both sides of the court, as they would score 19 points in comparison to the Gaiters’ five. With that, the Gaiters’ season sadly ended by a close final score of 49-45.

While the team’s season may be over, it is important to recognize the women on the team who received individual awards from RSEQ this year, and give them their flowers. Three members of the team received all-star honours with Zou Bouthias and Eve Atchampone both making the first team and Laurie Lafleur getting named to the second team. On top of these honours, both Zou Bouthias and Eve Atchampone walked away with some more personal hardware of their own. Atchampone received the prestigious Defensive Player of the Year award, also known as “DPOY,” given to the player deemed the most impactful on defense over the course of the season. Bouthias meanwhile was awarded the Tracey MaCleod award, listed as being given to the player who demonstrates determination, perseverance and spirit in the face of adversity.

Despite the playoff loss, the team put together a fantastic season of basketball that was fun to watch the whole way through. We look forward to seeing what the team is able to put together next year with the returning talent. Thank you to all of the seniors for the countless hours logged on the hardwood, in the gym and travelling to and from games to represent this school in a way that truly showed the identity of Bishop’s. With that, the season comes to a wrap. Until next year!