This month featured plenty of thrills, cheers and tears of joy for the Lakeland Rustlers, but most of all, the completion of a vision decades in the making.
The women's basketball team completed their assignment on March 16, remaining undefeated through 26 games to win the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship on their home floor in front of friends, family, alumni and many more supporters of Rustler Nation. It was the perfect culmination of a busy, successful year for Rustlers Athletics, as well as a mountain climbed for the women's program, after finally winning an Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championship and coming close multiple times, but never quite reaching this pinnacle of collegiate competition.
Head coach Chris King, a member of the men's team for the late Phil Allen in the early 2000's, said it's unreal to see the transformation of basketball and the rest of the athletics department at Lakeland. In the second CCAA event ever hosted at the Lakeland Gymnasium (after women's volleyball winning silver in 2013), many years of hard work and sacrifice from past players and coaches culminated in arguably the most memorable Rustlers moment in history.
"Being a player and hear Phil Allen say we will win a national championship for basketball at Lakeland, to then come full circle and coach that team is an unbelievable feeling," King said. "I can remember being in this gym and hearing him say that multiple times."
"All the pressure of winning in front of friends and family, it's something they will never forget and it's something that fans, alumni and others who help and support Rustlers Athletics will never forget either."
Fourth year forward Alana Olson, who was a rookie on the first league title team in 2020 and a key member of the 2022 conference championship squad, said it's a different feeling than expected, but no less enjoyable. The 2023 All-Canadian added that the focus on completing their ultimate goal kept them from thinking about the pressure of maintaining their long winning streak.
"[As hosts], we were going to get there regardless if we only got to the play-in game or breezed through and I think in a weird way whenever we hear the word undefeated, it makes it seem like this wasn't hard for us," Olson said. "It was a battle the whole season to go undefeated and definitely wasn't easy, even if it looks like that on paper."
After winning their third ACAC banner, the Rustlers enjoyed a great production at the CCAA Championship Awards Banquet in the Lloydminster Campus Cafeteria. There, rookie point guard Hineaupounamu "Missy" Nuku (fresh off several ACAC accolades) was named a CCAA All-Canadian and the women's basketball Player of the Year, the second to receive the honour after assistant coach Tori Dugan earned the same distinction in 2022. King was named CCAA Coach of the Year for a second time, after also winning the award in 2022.
The opening round on March 13 was a solid first outing for the team, who won national bronze two years ago after losing in the quarterfinal game. Their opponent, the Okanagan Coyotes, were an upstart qualifier out of British Columbia, who gave a scrappy effort in the first half. However, the depth of the home side was far too much and the only undefeated program in the country showed why the rest of the contest, making multiple perimeter shots to lead by 34 going into the final quarter. Final score was 96-55, with the Rustlers shooting 47 per cent from three, much to the delight of the capacity crowd.
Rookie Caitlin Shillabeer had a spectacular national debut off the bench with 19 points, 12 of which came from behind the arc, along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Nuku and Olson added 18 and 21 points.
The following evening, Lakeland College faced the Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers out of Quebec in the second semi-final of the CCAA Championship. A sold-out crowd was in a frenzy for several minutes before the opening jump ball, after which both squads took the first quarter to settle into the game. In the second, quality defence helped the home side maintain their lead with a score of 31-22 at the half.
While the #1 seed continued to lead, intensity increased by the fourth, as the Rustlers barely held a ten-point lead over the Cavaliers. While Saint-Lambert outscored their hosts in the fourth, it was not enough, as the unbeaten streak continued in a 64-54 Lakeland victory. Somers was the Player of the Game, leading her team with 21 points, knocking down 11 of 13 free throws.
That veteran presence of players like Somers was a much-stressed focus from the coaching staff this year, after their early playoff loss in 2023.
"Last year we took for granted the culture a little bit and without an alpha leader, it didn't hold as much," King said. "This year was a renewed effort, we had a few veterans come back and help install that and that will be a continual focus for us to remain successful."
After a day off, the Rustlers walked out onto the gym floor one last time, with hundreds and hundreds of screaming Rustlers fans cheering them throughout warmups, many of whom had lined up hours before. While the home side was heavily favoured, they faced a difficult opponent in the Lambton Lions, the surprise Ontario champions who hadn't lost since Christmas and were playing in their first national championship after beating the King's University Eagles 76-67 in the quarterfinals and the Géants de Saint-Jean 62-45 in the semifinals.
Olson, who hails from Maidstone and grew up watching the Rustlers play, said it was surreal to have so many people there.
"My parents, brother, aunties and uncles, cousins, I had friends from home come too. That was the gym that I watched all these [great athletes] do these cool things in and to be the one on that stage, I'm not sure that will ever be replicated."
Nuku got things started with a deep three just seconds into the contest, before the Rustlers established their play early with quick passing and dominating the boards, grabbing 18 rebounds in the quarter and leading by a score of 21-14. In the second, the Lions countered with a full-court press and the pace drastically changed. At half, Lakeland's lead was reduced to 30-26.
Intensity and physicality increased in the third quarter, with the Lions bringing the score within one, before the Rustlers answered, going on a 5-0 run. The game remained close as Nuku was forced to sit several minutes with four fouls and the Lions scored two back-to-back three-point shots, which brought them into the lead. A costly foul by Lambton on forward Leena Garda (playing on an injured foot) allowed Lakeland a three-point play and the lead once again.
Fast break opportunities extended the hosts' lead, but the Lions' defence put on more pressure in the final quarter, giving them control of the ball and eventually a lead at 50-49. Nuku answered with another three to give the Rustlers the lead back. It was a furious next few minutes, with the Lions having multiple chances to tie and then take the lead, but Lakeland earned several key stops, including fifth year Ally Pilgrim making a huge block to prevent a breakaway layup.
King said depth played a big role in their victory, as the team played 10 players more than 10 minutes, with additional minutes for other reserves.
"This was one of those nights where pregame we said will be an Ally game and it was," he noted. "Leena also gave us some good minutes, everyone who came in gave us something."
"I saw several times in the third and fourth where Lambton players were asking for a sub or timeout, so our depth definitely wore them out in the end."
With the game tied 53-53 and less than 3:30 left, a great pass from Nuku to get reserve Veda Gottselig an open-scoring opportunity, put the Rustlers ahead for good. The Lions called a timeout with 0:41 left in the game, but Lakeland held strong, using their depth in multiple situations to secure CCAA National Gold. The final score of the game was 64-55, as pandemonium continued in the gym.
"It was cool to end the year on that challenge and win," Olson said.
The gold medal POG was Susan Ayaa, putting up an impressive 5 blocks, 10 points and 12 rebounds. Nuku had a team high 14 points, while Somers added 12 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 key steals and Olson led the Rustlers with 13 boards.
The tournament MVP was the fifth year, Somers, for her consistent, clutch play on both ends for the duration of the competition, very reflective of her career as a Rustler. Nuku was named to the All-Tournament 2nd Team, while Olson was selected for the 1st Team.
Days after the event King said it was a lot to take in still, but pride was a key feeling.
"Nothing but proud of our players," he said. "With basketball, everything has to go the right way, you could easily win or lose any game. To see us to succeed after being a 4-20 team, then scratching to get into playoffs, then scratching for a medal, this year was a reminder of how much we had to focus on culture."
In stepping back to view this journey to success for the program, King stressed that the sacrifices of many other players to wear the Rustler green laid that path.
"This group won this, but there's been dozens of athletes putting four or five years to help make this program grow. Now, everyone wants to come because we are one of the best, but it's not just because of this team, it's all of those teams."
As of now, women's basketball will be returning 13-14 players, losing at minimum their three fifth year guards in Somers, Pilgrim and Jaden Cook, along with other good players. While King acknowledged they'll need to add pieces, most of the core that helped win this CCAA title will be back next year.
"Our motto was feel and see it with your first time eyes this year," he said. "We're going to reintroduce that concept and not take things for granted, because everyone will be coming for us."
And Olson said it's already thrilling to look forward to her fifth and final year of college basketball, knowing that this group is coming back.
"I feel like the pressure has been alleviated for me having won a national championship, so feeling like I have people surrounding me that will make this upcoming season the best year is so exciting."
