Thunder Athletics Weekly Recap - Week 18

Week 18 of the Thunder Athletics season had everything from cultural celebrations to games with heavy importance on the postseason. With only three sports playing over the week, each game was critical for Concordia (CUE). 

Basketball

Concordia made the long trip out to Grande Prairie to take on the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (NWP) last weekend. A big game for postseason positioning, both Thunder women’s and men’s teams were eyeing wins to keep themselves at the top of the standings or in the playoff hunt.

CUE women’s basketball earned a dominant 75-44 win over the NWP on Friday night, controlling the game from the opening quarter and building a 66-24 lead through three frames. Chloe Sutherland-Deklerk led the Thunder with 24 points on an efficient 10-for-14 shooting night, while adding seven rebounds, six steals, and a block in a strong two-way performance. Concordia’s depth was on full display with balanced scoring and 39 team rebounds, while their defensive pressure forced 33 NWP turnovers to seal the win on the road. The women followed that up by completing the weekend sweep with a commanding 86-37 victory over the Wolves on Saturday. Chloe Sutherland-Deklerk continued to boost her ACAC North Player of the Year candidacy, leading the Thunder with 28 points, five assists, and five steals, while Concordia’s pressure forced 40 turnovers and produced an impressive 27 steals as a team. Strong depth production from players such as Jenna Rinsky, Rylie Stewart, and Megan Jetzke helped the Thunder dominate all weekend.

The men’s basketball team also had a fantastic weekend, keeping themselves in the playoff hunt with two victories of the Wolves. CUE earned a hard-fought 63-59 road victory over NWP on Friday, holding off a late push to secure the win. Shak Jama led the Thunder with 26 points, while Malik Edwards added 19 and nine rebounds as Concordia controlled the glass with a 46-44 edge. Strong team defence limited the Wolves to only 10 points in the fourth quarter, helping Concordia close out the tight contest and start the weekend on a high note. The Thunder completed the weekend sweep with a narrow 76–75 victory over NWP on Saturday. Malik Edwards led the Thunder with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Roka Phalen-Baker added 19 as Concordia battled through a tight back-and-forth contest. Key defensive stops down the stretch helped the Thunder secure the one-point road win.

With the sweep of NWP women’s basketball is now an incredible 16-2, still in first place in the ACAC North Division. Men’s basketball is now holding onto the fourth and final playoff spot with a 7-10 record. With a bye weekend coming up, the next time both teams will play will be February 20th and 21st against the NAIT Ooks.

Hockey

It was an exhibition week for Thunder men’s hockey, as the team had the chance to play the Chinese National team in front of a sold out Clareview Arena. In a fantastic event that was the final game in the ACAC/Team China exhibition series, Team China won the game by a score of 7-4. After the Thunder jumped out to an early two goal lead in the first period, Team China came right back scoring three unanswered goals to end the period at 3-2. China continued to score at a high clip, potting three more goals in the second. The Thunder continued to push, getting the game to 6-4 by the final minutes of the third period, but an empty net goal sealed the win for Team China. 

Thunder Hockey heads into this weekend with two games against U of A Augustana. They’re currently tied with Portage College for the final playoff spot at 6-14.

Volleyball

Thunder volleyball took on The King’s University Eagles, a matchup with serious playoff implications for the women and pride on the line for the Men.

Both teams lost on Friday, with the final scores being 3-1 for the Women and 3-0 for the Men. Saturday was a similar story, this time with the Women being swept 3-0 and the Men picking up one set in a 3-1 loss. 

Emma Thompson had a strong performance for the women on Friday night, as she led the Thunder with 18 kills on .385 efficiency and adding 12 digs. Emma Tran was strong defensively all weekend, amassing a total of 42 digs over the weekend. For the men, Brodie Wight was a bright spot as he put up 13 kills and added 3 service aces in his return from injury on Saturday. Liam Frost also had two big games, putting up 15 assists on Friday and 28 assists on Saturday for a total of 43.

After the weekend, Women’s Volleyball now sits in fifth place, just outside a playoff spot behind Lakeland with a record of 7-10. Men’s Volleyball are now 2-15 on the season, and remain in seventh place in the ACAC North.