Edmonton, Alta. (Mar. 9, 2024), Carleton Sports Info (Photo: Don Voaklander)
It's almost fitting that another great sports rivalry is set to take the court in a town known for the Battle of Alberta. On Saturday night, the Carleton Ravens and Queen's Gaels will meet for the eighth time in the past two seasons and tenth since 2021-22.
The Ravens know it won't be smooth sailing. The Gaels flipped a switch in last Saturday's Critelli Cup Final and rallied from 18-down at the half to push Carleton. But the Ravens could stand tall on the back of a pair of threes from Kali Pocrnic. The Ravens then shot 33.3% from beyond the arc in Thursday's quarterfinal against UFV with Pocrnic again shooting an absurd 5 for 7 and 71.4%.
The Gaels knocked off the AUS Champions from St. Mary's to advance to Saturday's game. Julia Chadwick went off with an all-time performance at the tournament scoring 25 points while collecting 27 rebounds. Emma Weltz and Laura Donovan chipped in with 13 and 10 points, while the Gaels shot only 36.5% as a team.
Ball control will need to be the key if the Ravens are to secure a trip back to the Final 8 Championship game. Carleton forced 22 turnovers which generated 25 points against UFV, not far from the 18 turnovers they forced out of the Gaels' hands last weekend.
Catch all the action as the Ravens and Gaels go head-to-head on Saturday at 10:00 p.m. EST / 8:00 p.m. MST on CBC Sports, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports YouTube Channel.
