Women’s basketball says goodbye to long-time players
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
Going into this weekend, the Royals knew that their playoff spot was secured, and a top two finish was theirs. In fact, it was impossible for them to move up or down in the standings. With that in mind, and the playoffs right around the corner, it was a bit of rest week for Coach Steve Beauchamp and his team.
Facing the Quest Kermodes in their last road game of the year, the Royals came just a little short. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, though. More simply, it was the lack of importance linked to the game. That and the fact that a couple of the Royals’ top scorers sat the game out, and the other top players played limited minutes. Simply put, the game wasn’t too important, but it was for the Kermodes.
Playing for their playoff seedings, the Quest Kermodes had everything on the line. Any sort of slip up meant that they could potentially drop into the sixth seed and be placed against the third best team in the PACWEST. With that sort pressure on the Kermodes, they turned their play on to a new level and triumphed over the Royals, 70–62. It was a disappointing loss for the Royals, but by no means too surprising.
The Douglas squad returned home the next day to play their last home game against the Langara Falcons. Along with it being their last game of the regular season, it was also Senior’s Night. Senior’s Night has long been a night where the Royals take time to honour their players that are playing their last home game of their career with the Royals. This year, the Royals honoured Adelia Paul, Garaline Tom, and Jettie McLaughlin.
Adelia has been a long-time playmaker for the Royals. Her five years with the team have been filled with trial and tribulation, but her dedication to the program has been unwavering. You would be hard pressed to find a player who has given more of her time to giving back to the Royals and her community.
Similarly, Garaline is also finishing her fifth year with the Royals. Her path was also one paved with difficult choices and situations. However, she has always found her way back to the Royals and found ways to make her presence a positive one for the team.
Jettie, although not in her fifth year with the team, is graduating from a fifth year program and will no longer be with the team next year. During her four years with the team, Jettie was always a very reliable player. If you needed someone to put a couple of buckets down during a crucial moment in the game, you would turn to Jettie.
A small ceremony was held before the game, honouring the players. Once the game started, it was sort of like the Kermodes game, but nothing like it at all. The game meant nothing to the team on the standings, and the game meant a lot to the Falcons. But it was something about playing their last home game of their career that pumped up the seniors.
Jettie McLaughlin finished the game with a season high 17 points and 24 minutes. Garaline Tom finished with 9 points and 12 rebounds, a season high. And though Adelia Paul was limited to only 20 minutes on the court, probably due to Coach Beauchamp resting her a bit for playoffs, she left her heart out on the court. All of this lead to a nice 71–61 win for the Royals to cap off their season. Now, they get to rest a bit before the playoffs begin next week.
