Stop Chelsea McMullen.
When the UNBC Northern Timberwolves face the Camosun College Chargers in a quarterfinal game at the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association women's basketball provincial championship tournament today in Abbotsford, preventing McMullen from lighting up the scoreboard will be their top priority.
"She's a great player but there are certain things we know to do against her and we have to remember that and be focused when we go out on the court," said veteran UNBC point guard Christine Kennedy.
McMullen is a Prince George product who played for the Timberwolves in her rookie season, a year in which the team won its first provincial title and attended nationals in Nova Scotia. McMullen then sat out a year because of academic ineligibility. Later, she moved with her family to Victoria and started attending Camosun. There, she took the potential she showed at UNBC and developed into a true star. This season, her second with the Chargers, she finished second in the BCCAA in average points per game, behind only Jessica Franz of the Capilano University Blues. Franz averaged 23.11 points per contest and McMullen hit for 20.50 points per game. Both players were named to the league's first all-star team.
"We're going to limit the amount of times she has the ball in her hands," UNBC interim head coach Rachel Hulme said in reference to McMullen.
Provincials are being hosted by Columbia Bible College. The T-wolves and Chargers will tip off at 6 p.m.
The game will offer the Timberwolves a shot at redemption. After they beat the Chargers in Prince George for the 2007-08 provincial crown, they fell to Camosun in the next two editions of playoffs. In 2009, the Chargers ran to a 77-61 victory in the championship game. And, last year, Camosun upset UNBC in the semifinal round, 57-56. Both years, the Chargers went to nationals and the Timberwolves stayed home.
This season, the T-wolves and Chargers met twice and each team came away with a victory. In the games, played Feb. 4-5 in Victoria, UNBC won 77-59 and then Camosun prevailed 70-59.
"The first night we were shooting really well and the second night our shot was off so we were forced to go to the hoop more," Hulme said. "We kind of stopped playing as a team and started playing more individually so that will be one of our main focuses [in the playoff game]."
Added Kennedy: "We need to be aggressive and be the team we know -- start out from the get-go playing the defence that UNBC plays and also remember our focus on what we need to do against Chelsea."
The Timberwolves finished the season with a fourth-place record of 13-5, while the Chargers were fifth at 11-7.
In today's other quarterfinal game, the third-place UBC Okanagan Heat (13-5) will battle the sixth-place Langara College Falcons (9-9).
The top two teams -- the Blues (16-2) and Vancouver Island University Mariners (15-3) -- received byes to the semifinals.
If the Timberwolves beat the Chargers, they will meet the North Vancouver-based Blues on Friday night.
The championship final, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, will determine the B.C. representative at nationals, March 17-19 at Niagara College in Welland, Ont.
UNBC men waiting for opponent
A first-round bye in playoffs means the UNBC men's basketball team won't be on the court until Friday afternoon at CBC. The Timberwolves, the defending provincial and national champions, will take on the winner of a quarterfinal clash today between the Capilano University Blues (13-5) and Camosun College Chargers (8-10).
No matter who the T-wolves play, they'll be ready for business.
"The guys are excited about the playoffs," said UNBC coach Todd Jordan, whose team finished the regular season in second place with a 16-2 record. The Vancouver Island University Mariners were first at 17-1.
"We've had really good spirit in practices the last couple weeks," Jordan added. "The guys are looking forward to it -- this is what we've played for all year."
B.C. has two berths in the men's national tournament, so if the Timberwolves beat the Blues or Chargers, they'll get the chance to defend their Canadian championship. This year's tournament is March 17-19 at Durham College in Oshawa, Ont.
