The 2023 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball championships thundered through Lethbridge as fans descended upon the city with gold in their eyes.
During the three-day tournament, eight teams battled on the court with the goal of becoming ACAC champions.
Lethbridge College was selected to host the event and all matches were played in the Val Matteotti Gym.
The second-seeded Red Deer Polytechnic Queens dominated all weekend as they managed to be crowned champions of the division following a strong win against the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings.
Peighton Melton, a forward for the Queens, was named player of the game for the gold medal match as she led her team to victory by scoring 13-points.
She says she was in a state of euphoria following the big win.
“I’m honestly really in shock right now. I wasn’t really paying attention that whole game. It’s hard to breathe to be honest,” said Melton.
The second year says her team had a tough run-in with the Vikings earlier in the season, so this game had to be approached differently.
“We basically just said that we were going to take it one quarter at a time and really slow things down and play the game at our pace,” said Melton.
Even though the team now has their eyes set on the National Championships,
Melton says the short-term plan is to celebrate and simply enjoy the moment.
During the weekend, Red Deer fans painted the north stand green while cheering on the women to their eventual gold.
One fan and player for the Red Deer men’s team, Cole Wicker, says it was well worth the drive to see his friends on the court.
“It’s great, like honestly just being in an environment like this and being able to support our girl’s team like this. When they’re making shots, like crazy good buckets, it’s easy to support for sure,” said Wicker.
On the south side of the bleachers, Augustana fans donned crimson red as they pleaded for a Viking comeback.
A large group of Augustana men’s players were seen and heard throughout the weekend as their extravagant celebrations filled the gym with energy.
Other fans supported their teams in unique ways as well.
One fan could be seen throughout the tournament wearing an eagle costume to cheer on the King’s University.
Perhaps the most flashy person at the tournament was the head coach of the Queens, Avery Harrison.
He was seen wearing a pair of shiny gold dress shoes before the gold medal game even began.
However, according to an article by the ACAC, published on their website on Mar. 4, 2023, Harrison has expected to win gold for months.
“I bought these in December for this game,” said Harrison.
Several players were thankful to have had a chance to play in the tournament, noting how important the event was to their teams.
Sydney LaTrace, a third year guard for the Clippers, says she was happy with the outcome in the tournament.
“I’m really excited to be here. This is a big deal for our team,” said LaTrace.
Another player, Megan Aleman, who originally hails from Lethbridge, is a first year guard with the King’s University Lightning.
She says it was exciting to be able to play in front of a home crowd, even if she wasn’t a member of the home team.
“It feels so good, I’ve got some family out here. I haven’t played in front of them all season so it just feels so good,” said Aleman.
The Queens fifth year forward Sandra Garcia-Bernal was named tournament MVP.
Meanwhile, Queens fourth year guard Heena Sidhu was named to the all-tournament team.
Melton had nothing but praise for her teammates, believing their hard work was what propelled them to ACAC gold.
“I love all of them, I’m so proud of everyone,” said Melton.
The Vikings claimed silver and they saw two players make the all-tournament team, Kamryn De Klerk and Teyah Fiveland.
After being awarded bronze, the Briercrest Clippers saw Amber Fichtner placed in the final spot of the all-tournament team.
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