The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades men's and women's basketball teams strengthened their respective playoff positions after a clean sweep of the visiting MacEwan Griffins on Friday (Jan. 24) and Saturday (Jan. 25).
The women are inching towards clinching second place in the Pacific Division, which would mean UFV hosting both play-in round and quarter-final games.
The Cascades did themselves a big favour by a pair of lopsided wins over the Griffins on home court.
Friday saw the club jump out to a 41-18 lead at halftime en route to an 80-41 win. Guard Maddy Gobeil collected 26 points, six steals and five rebounds to pace UFV to the win. Julia Tuchscherer added 13 points and seven rebounds.
WBB | Maddy Gobeil puts away two more of her 24 points so far, and the Cascades lead 56-29 after three! pic.twitter.com/GmKIVVbQs4
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 25, 2025
The women shot 45.5 per cent and held the Griffins to just 30.4 shooting, including just 2/23 from the three point line. The Cascades dominated in the paint outscoring the Griffins 44-26 down low and the Cascades protected the ball with just nine turnovers.
UFV rode a strong second quarter on Saturday – outscoring MacEwan 22-8 – and finished with the 66-39 win.
Gobeil again was the star, with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, while J. Tuchscherer added 13 rebounds and seven points. The Griffins struggled from the field and made just 25 per cent (12/48) of their shots.
WBB | Cascades close out the weekend sweep over MacEwan! pic.twitter.com/152xmJytm8
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 26, 2025
The rebound game was all UFV, as they held a 51-27 advantage.
The women now sit at 11-5 on the season and remain in second place.
The men also had a big weekend, posting two big wins over the Griffins. Those victories were crucial for the club as they attempt to lock up a playoff spot.
Friday saw the men score a 39-point second quarter and pick up a 104-64 win.
Abbotsford's Dilveer Randhawa had the best game of his young Canada West career with 15 points coming off the bench. The Abbotsford Senior grad is in his rookie season with the Cascades. Dario Lopez added 14 and Clay Kurtz contributed with 13. Matthias Klim grabbed 15 rebounds and 12 points off the bench.
UFV shot 54.3 per cent in the win and the bench stepped up with 51 points.
"It feels nice to be able to get a 30 point win at home, and also contribute 15 points to the game. It's just a good team win overall, and I think the guys really needed one," Randhawa said. "We've been putting in a lot of hard work into practice, playing hard, rebounding hard, running the floor hard, so this one is a good one to get."
UFV's Jake Willemsen caught fire on Saturday, knocking down seven of 10 three point shots to lead UFV to a 93-61 win.
Willemsen and Lopez both finished with 23 points, while Ismael Hernandez added 15. The Cascades shot 46.5 per cent in the game and held MacEwan to 36.4.
MBB | Cascades close out their second win of the weekend against MacEwan! pic.twitter.com/d2hT8TR9OB
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) January 26, 2025
"Obviously shooting seventy per cent from three is a night, and he was two away from tying the program single-game record, so that's a night," stated head coach Joe Enevoldson. "I thought some guys really stepped up, and our bench just keeps getting a little bit better every night."
The men's record now bumps up to 7-9 on the season and they occupy the fifth and final playoff spot in the Pacific. They could finish as high as third if everything works out for them.
Both the men's and women's teams now head to Prince George for games against the UNBC Timberwolves on Friday (Jan. 31) and Saturday (Feb. 1).
