Another season of Wesmen basketball has come and gone. They earned no division crowns, no conference championships and national titles, however not all was lost for our two teams.

The women had a strong season, consistently competing with the top teams in the country. They finished with a 13-9 record and second in the division, after losing to Regina in the Great Plains Division Final.

The team earned national ranking at times throughout the season, and managed to persevere through second year guard Amy Ogidan’s injury early in the season. Ogidan, a standout in her first year, continued to develop, however her injuries stalled what looked to be a very promising season.

The season also saw the emergence of Catie Gooch as a top-level CIS guard. Catie contributed significantly in her first two years, but became a focal point of the offense this season. She led the team in scoring at the season’s end, averaging 12.9 points per game.

Supporting them were veterans Randie Gibson and Jessica Stromberg, who led the team in rebounding, averaging 8.5 per game. As well, Alex McIver continued to provide a quality presence inside.

This group of players, all of whom are eligible to return next season, should make the Wesmen a legitimate contender in the conference.

The highlight of their season was perhaps their victory against their rival the University of Manitoba Bisons in the semi-finals of the Canada West playoffs.

The U of M led by three with 38 seconds remaining in the decisive game of the series, when Amy Ogidan scored to narrow the lead to a single point. Then, with one second remaining in the game, Manitoba fouled Ogidan on an inbounds pass and she calmly drained both free throws to give the Wesmen the victory.

The game created one of the most memorable moments in recent Wesmen history.

The men’s team had no such playoff drama, as they fell 2-1 in games in their first round playoff series against the Regina Cougars. That series mimicked the entirety of their season, which saw a slew of losses mixed with a few wins, the most impressive of which came in a sweep of Regina late in the regular season.

They finished 5-17 and can thank their provincial rival the Bisons for keeping them out of the basement of the Great Plains Division.

Despite their struggles, the Wesmen still had some exceptional individual performances during the season, including Nick Lother’s 43 point playoff performance against the Cougars. The third-year guard finished the season averaging an impressive 18.4 points per game, which put him in the top 20 in the CIS.

Peter Lomuro, Mike James and James Horaska, finished second, third and fourth in team scoring, respectively, and are eligible to return in the fall.

A difficult season might have been expected though, as the Wesmen did lose last year’s top three scorers due to ineligibility and are looking to build from here on out.

Published in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 19, 2009)