If you’re a fan of university basketball, there was plenty happening in New Brunswick’s capital city last weekend with the Helen Campbell tournament attracting four teams to Fredericton.
Hosted by the University of New Brunswick Reds, there were plenty of present and former members of the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association in action.
UNB won its own tournament, going 3-0. University of Ottawa Gee Gees were 2-1, St. Francis Xavier University X-W0men 1-2 and University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, 0-3.
Former Freeze guard Kylee Speedy was named tournament MVP, getting back on the court after 18 months rehabbing a knee injury, Former Freeze Katie McAffee, returning to university basketball for her fifth season of eligibility was named a tournament all-star alongside Freeze players Allie McCarthy and Bailey Russell of Ottawa.
UNB defeated Atlantic University Sport rival St. Francis Xavier, 56-40, to finish undefeated. Speedy and McAffee both finished with a dozen points. Reds’ Zoe Olscamp of the MWBA’s Lake City 56ers of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Preston had 10 rebounds and two points in 16 minutes of action.
The Reds defeated the Gee Gees, 84-74 behind 23 points from former Freeze forward Katie Butts. McAffee had 13, Speedy 10 and former Freeze teammates Ann Bastien and Maheva Ngassam had seven apiece.
The Reds also toppled Lethbridge, 75-46 with Seedy scoring 16 and Butts adding 13.
McCarthy and Russell, dubbed the Splash Sisters, both yielded 27 points to lead Ottawa past Lethbridge, 88-59.
Russell had 13 for Ottawa and McCarthy a dozen in a 59-58 win over St. FX.
Mali Straker of the MWBA’s Port City Fog of Saint John had 15 and Lake City’s Abby Mercer scored 14 in the X-W0men’s 83-50 win over the Pronghorns.
– Kylee Speedy returned to action for the first time in 18 months and earned tournament MVP honours. (DWinston Photo)
