The Olds College Broncos junior varsity women's basketball team came away from a recent pre-season trip to the West Coast brimming with confidence after beating the Camosun College Chargers in Victoria on Nov. 5, 71-68 in overtime.
The Broncos also played against Douglas College in Vancouver the previous day. Coach Sergey Shchepotkin said the Broncos took a while to adjust to the style of play against Douglas College, as both it and Camosun College play in the B.C. College Athletic Association. The association is B.C.'s equivalent to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, a step up from the Alberta Colleges Athletic League, which the Broncos currently play in.
“The first half against Douglas College was pretty tough for us because we didn't know the level and the game is pretty different. But when they understood everything, they played a really good second half,” Shchepotkin said, noting the Broncos lost that game by only six points.
In the game against Camosun, the Broncos trailed by as many as 18 points in the second quarter before rallying. Shchepotkin said at that point, he asked the team to simply play their game and not worry about what the Chargers were doing.
“I just asked the girls to play their game, not be worried very much about (the Chargers), try to enjoy the game and show what they can do,” he said.
The Broncos also changed the defence, employing a full-court press, which worked well.
“Our girls filled up with confidence and (realized) they could play (their game),” he said.
The Broncos managed to erase the deficit and led the game through much of the second half, until the Chargers knotted the game, sinking a three-pointer with just 12 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime.
Shchepotkin said he was concerned after the Broncos gave up the tying basket, because usually experience at a higher level will trump any confidence a lower ranked team has. But he said the players rallied and managed to find their confidence.
Zorica Djordjevic poured in 26 points for the Broncos, including four three-pointers. She also had four rebounds. Shallyn Nowakowski added 14 points and had four steals.
Shchepotkin said the team has high hopes for the season, possibly reaching the ACAL final. The team will be hosting a pre-season tournament Jan. 5 to 7 before tipping the season off on Jan. 13.
"I just asked the girls to play their game, not be worried very much about (the Chargers), try to enjoy the game and show what they can do."Sergey Shchepotkin, coach, JV women's Broncos basketball team
