Depth has proven to be the ballast to lift the Douglas College Royals to some heady heights.
It helped carry them over the top on Saturday, when the New West-based women’s basketball team powered past the Capilano University Blues 70-63 for the PacWest provincial title.
The Royals rarely wavered in their pursuit during the six-team tournament in Squamish, riding the hot streaks and stretches of a deep lineup that counts a great deal on those who start the game on the bench.
It was the women’s program’s first provincial win since 1993.
“I can’t say how proud I am of the team,” said head coach Steve Beauchamp. “We received contributions from everyone, and a big part was when players came off the bench we got scoring, defence, blocks – we got an extra boost.”
Fourth-year vet Amber Beasley led all Douglas shooters with 17 points, while tourney MVP Rachel Beauchamp counted 15 points and 16 rebounds to go with four blocks.
While the two teams were deadlocked after one quarter, the Royals edged ahead by four points at halftime, then put the pedal to the floor in the third quarter, out-scoring Cap 16-9 to grab an 11-point cushion heading into the final frame.
While they held a slim edge in the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Blues 51-48, Douglas scored 22 points off turnovers and got 16 points from the bench.
Ellen Fallis counted 14 points, while New West native and fourth-year post Jettie McLaughlin came off the bench and contributed nine points and 11 rebounds.
“Jettie’s been pretty consistent every time she steps on the floor, same with Garaline (Tom),” said coach Beauchamp. “When she comes in it changes everything up but it makes a real good mix.”
In their three regular season encounters, Cap won the first two by margins of nine and six points. In their previous meeting a couple of weeks ago, Douglas turned the
tables and handed the Blues a 57-51 defeat. While it gave the Royals a confidence boost as they finished at 14-4, two games back of their North Van rival, Beauchamp was a little concerned it may have invoked a spark of motivation for Capilano.
“I thought by beating them it could work as an incentive for them to get better, and they did,” he noted. “But I think we also got better.”
While he wasn’t thrilled with the number of turnovers Douglas had in the final, the other side of the coin was that when Capilano turned over the ball the Royals capitalized.
“Our focus was to minimize their three-point ball and while they got a lot of good looks, we forced them inside more than they liked, and we played a smart game defensively.”
His daughter, a third-year player, continued to dominate the boards to end the two-game series with 31 points and 31 rebounds.
“(Rachel) has got a pretty simple game: looking to score from inside, and win the battles on the glass,” said the coach. “Teams key on her and she’s become a better passer because of that attention.”
In the semifinal, Douglas knocked off Vancouver Island 56-43, spreading a two-point advantage after one quarter into 12 points in the third frame. Rachel Beauchamp tallied 16 points and 15 boards, while Fallis netted 10 points and six assists. Sarah Jorgenson, who joined Fallis on the provincial all-star team, contributed eight points and 10 rebounds, as did McLaughlin.
Coach Beauchamp said Beasley and Fallis provided key leadership during each big game.
“(Beasley) had two really strong games, and from a leadership perspective she took on the tough assignments and checked some of the best offensive players in the province,” he said. “(Fallis) played a very complete game both offensively and defensively.”
Both Rachel Beauchamp and Jorgenson entered the B.C. tourney after missing the final two regular season games due to injuries. It provided extra floor time for both McLaughlin and Tom, as well as others, and their efforts resonated with their teammates.
“(McLaughlin) has been
playing her best ball the last four games,” said the head coach. “She’s had lots of minutes and made the most of them, close to putting up a double-double. … When you get that kind of contribution from someone coming in, it pushes everyone else.”
Now the Royals turn their focus to Edmonton, where they will
represent B.C. at the Canadian
Collegiate Athletic Association championships, beginning March 16.
In his previous stint as men’s head coach, dating back nearly 20 years, Beauchamp guided Douglas to a silver medal and two bronze. He said the intensity at the nationals requires extreme diligence on defence and a quick ability to make changes.
“I recall you have to adjust quickly, because these are teams you haven’t seen before other than on film,” the coach said. “You don’t know teams and what you do know they’ll surprise you with different things. You have to recognize that teams will do that to us as well as be able to offensively and defensively make adjustments as the game progresses.
Douglas will open against the undefeated Lethbridge Kodiaks, who were ranked second in the nation prior to the start of the provincials. The Royals enter as underdogs, but coach Beauchamp feels comfortable with his squad’s ability to adjust on the fly.
“This is a pretty veteran group, but at the same time it’s the first time for all of them to get (to nationals),” he said. “I know that Ontario, Alberta and Quebec’s teams are higher ranked and favoured than we are, but I think we can use that to our advantage.”
