A memorable fifth regular season anniversary is in the history books.
More history is to be written.
The Maritime Women’s Basketball Association is on the cusp of its playoffs, with all roads leading to Fredericton and the PRO•LINE Legacy Cup, set for the Richard J. Currie Center from June 20 to 21.
Four teams will meet in New Brunswick’s Capital City to claim the crown.
That’s the easy part.
The hard part is actually getting there and getting out of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with single game sudden-death semifinal showdowns.
The winner of those games in both provinces advance directly to the PRO•LINE Legacy Cup.
Ya’ll ready for this?
In New Brunswick, the Moncton Mystics celebrated the organization’s first regular season crown, finishing second overall with a 7-3 record. Fredericton Freeze earned second spot thanks to a late-season run, finishing with a 6-4 mark while Saint John’s Port City Fog was even at 5-5 and third. Reigning champion Miramichi HerIcanes finished fourth at 2-8.
That all means Moncton will host Miramichi in one provincial semifinal showdown. The date and time will be finalized this week at Crandall University.
Fredericton welcomes Port City to the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m., Sunday.
In Nova Scotia, Halifax Thunder is the regular season champion, finishing with a 9-1 slate. Halifax Hornets placed second at 6-4 and Lake City 56ers of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Preston third at 5-5. Expansion Truro Tidal Queens were winless in 10 trips.
That means Thunder hosts Truro and the Hornets and Lake City go head-to-head to punch tickets to Fredericton.
Dates and times are being finalized as teams secure venues outside of the Freeze-Fog clash.
Once in Fredericton, the top overall seed regardless of province, faces the fourth overall seed and second will be play third based on regular season standings.
Let the excitement build.
The MWBA playoffs have never disappointed.
Meanwhile, here are some News ‘N Notes from around the league:
*Thunder was the league’s highest scoring team, cashing in 890 points over the 10-game regular season.
*For that matter, the Nova Scotia regular season champion yielded the least amount of buckets with 627.
*One of the key moves the MWBA made this season was the no touch backcourt. It meant play didn’t need to be interrupted with officials handing the ball off in certain possessions in the backcourt, speeding up the game after baskets or out of bounds calls. It took a few games for players and officials to become comfortable with the new league rule, but it also turned games into track meets during the season.
*The league introduced three graduating high school players to each roster if teams chose to do so. The idea was to create even more sustainability for the NextGen. Some of those players showcased their skillsets as they prepare to play at the university level next season. It will be interested to see if the trend continues.
*Miramichi was hoping to have one of the MWBA’s top all-time players – Abby Miller – back for a game this season. Miller turned professional last season and spent the season in Portugal. The HerIcanes kept her on the roster, hoping she would get in a late season game or two to help its young players.
*All players across the league need to play in at least six regular season games to be post-season eligible.
*All PRO•LINE Legacy Cup final four games will be on Pay Per View through www.ao.live
– Moncton’s Bella Taylor and the Mystics host Miramichi to being the MWBA playoff season. (Tanya Everett Photo)
