Royals Face Falcons

Douglas Royals vs. Fanshawe Falcons – Wednesday March 18, 5:00pm PST

The PACWEST wildcard berth, the Douglas Royals are in Montreal for the CCAA national championship tournament this week.  They will open competition against the OCAA’s winningest program, the Fanshawe Falcons on Wednesday night.

The Royals are in a unique position coming into the tournament following a loss in the PACWEST gold medal game, one they would like to forget.  It will be extremely important for the Royals to get out of the gate quickly and score points early to give their confidence a shot in the arm. 

This will be the first meeting in school history and should be a defensive battle.  The Royals have been good for the majority of the season on the defensive side and can keep their legs fresh as a very deep team with several quality players coming off the bench.  They held teams to 55 points a game during the regular season.

On the other side, the Falcons are built on defence and culture, allowing 53 points a game.  As the 11-5 third seed in the Ontario West Division, the Falcons were given little chance to advance in the championship tournament. However, their defence came alive at the right time and in turn frustrated their opponents including perennial powerhouse, the Humber Hawks in the Conference final.  The Falcons beat the Hawks 72-61 to capture their 14^th Ontario crown, advancing to the national tournament. 

The Royals will need to play solid defence on Layla MacKenzie, who was named the Conference tournament MVP scoring over 21 points a game in the postseason.  Laini Glover and Mackenzie Dalphond will no doubt platoon to keep her in check.

Wednesday night’s winner will move onto the national semifinal while the loser heads to the bronze medal side of the bracket.