Rattlers women’s b-ball preaching effort heading into playoffs

By JAMES TUBB on March 4, 2022.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat College Rattlers women’s basketball team has grown over the season.

Head coach Clayton Neilsen said he thought they would be more successful in the first semester than they were, but turned it on in the second half to finish 8-8 on the year. He said they’ve grown over the course of the season and it’s coming at the right time.

“That’s what you need to do as you get closer to playoffs is show a bit of improvement, everybody embracing their role and playing to their ability and I think we’re doing that quite well right now,” Neilsen said.

The women’s basketball team finished the season on Feb. 18 with a 65-48 win over Briercrest College. Their first game of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference playoffs goes tonight when they host the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens.

Neilsen said effort is the word they’re focusing on heading into the game.

“Just making sure our effort is coming at a really high level and starting off the game with hopefully more pace than them,” Neilsen said. “Looking at their last two games that they played with less effort, they’ve lost. The game they came out flying and shooting, they won. So I think that’s a good lesson for us to know we have to come out right away or it could be a really long night.”

One player Neilsen will rely on in the playoffs is fifth-year forward Katelyn Rozdeba. The Medicine Hat product had a dominant season for the Rattlers, leading the ACAC in points per game, rebounds per game and total rebounds. In 15 games she had 222 rebounds with the next closest player having 36 fewer with one more game played.

The Rattlers coach said it’s been good having one person they can rely on to do the heavy lifting.

“Right from the start she’s been that leader where she gets 20 rebounds and 20 points and is pretty consistent all year,” Neilsen said. “That’s the consistency you want from your leader and between her and Aby (LaRochelle), they’ve brought that and I hope we don’t need too much of that Friday but if we do, hopefully it comes.”

Rozdeba said she’s not one to look at her own stats but has enjoyed her season and has heard her name mentioned along the ACAC MVP award.

“I’m not really someone that looks at my stats or pays attention to that,” Rozdeba said. “But it is exciting and I’ve heard that a little bit. It’s a big goal and a big reward at the end of playing here for five years. It is exciting to look forward to.”

Rozdeba and LaRochelle have played basketball together since they were in Grade 7, representing the McCoy Colts in high school before joining the Rattlers in 2017.

LaRochelle said being a Rattler for five seasons, even if one was taken away by COVID-19, is something she says she would never regret.

“It’s an amazing experience and it’s going to be so sad when it’s done because I’ll never play competitive basketball again,” LaRochelle said. “It’s been quite a while and its going to be quite sad when it’s over but I’m so blessed and so fortunate that I had the opportunity to be able to play.”

The Rattlers women’s basketball team’s playoff game against Red Deer gets underway at 6 p.m. at the Big Marble Go Centre. If they win against the Queens, they’ll take on St. Mary’s University Saturday at 6 p.m.

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