The Briercrest College Clippers are Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference bronze medalists for the second straight year.
The Clippers outscored the St. Mary’s Lightning 13-7 in overtime to take an 80-74 victory at the ACAC Final Four in Calgary on Saturday evening.
It was a heartening finish for Briercrest after they dropped a 54-49 decision to eventual champion Lakeland College in a game they had a late lead in on Friday night.
The Lightning had a comeback of their own in the final minutes of the bronze medal game, as the Clippers led by six with 3:14 to play but saw St. Mary’s chip away until they tied the game 67-67 with 1:33 remaining.
Briercest had a handful of chances to win the game outright -- including a couple of shots by high-scoring standout Amber Fichtner in the final 34 seconds -- but luck wasn’t on their side.
That wasn’t the case in overtime.
After being held to only two points in regulation, Dori Sunderland found the hot hand at the perfect time, scoring eight in the final frame. That included a dagger of a three-pointer with 2:48 remaining to give the Clippers a 74-67 lead, and while the Lightning were able to get within four points later in OT, the Clippers would hold on for the six-point win.
Briercrest got off to a good start, leading 19-17 after the first quarter and holding a 36-32 lead at the half. St. Mary’s made it a 53-52 game heading into the final 10 minutes, leading to the late-game dramatics.
ACAC South Division rookie of the year Asia Wells led the Clippers in scoring with 20 points, while Fichtner poured in 15 and was also a force on the boards with 13, including seven offensive rebounds. Sunderland, Brooklyn Martens and Hope Jordens had 10 points each, Hannah Matuszewski scored nine and hauled in 10 rebounds.
Lakeland College went on to win the ACAC title with a 61-50 win over The King’s University.
