Krause and the Queens defeat Broncos at RDC

Brent Forster - RDC

Saturday at RDC, the Queens hosted the Olds College Broncos, and it was a reversal of fortune from Thursday. Days ago, the Queens nearly completed a comeback but they were eventually shaded by a single point. On Saturday, the RDC Queens jumped out to a lead and held off a charging Broncos team by one point (49-48).

The Queens hit the court with energy. RDC moved the ball around and connected from the outside and the key. Eva Bonde hit a pair of three-pointers to give RDC a 12-4 lead. Emily White was effective in the paint and helped the Queens hold a 16-6 lead after the first.

The Broncos had their best offensive showing in the second quarter. Olds scored 16 points and RDC responded with 11. In the quarter, several student-athletes hit the scoresheet for RDC. Maya Parker connected from three. Emily White made a nice bounce pass to a charging Lauren Bailey who completed the layup. At the half, the Queens led 27-22.

Olds College outscored RDC 11-5 in the third quarter and took their first lead. At the end of the third, the Broncos held a one point advantage (33-32).

It was an exciting back-and-forth final quarter. With 3:30 remaining, the game was tied 43-43 and then Mary Krause took over. Krause, a Bachelor of Education student from Wetaskiwin, connected on 4 free-throws late to give the Queens a 49-48 advantage. As time was winding down, the Broncos' offensive leader, Brittney Thibeaux took a final shot that bounced off the rim and the Queens earned a home victory. 

Mary Krause was named the player-of-the-game for the Queens while Brittney Thibeaux earned the award for the Broncos. Krause totaled 8 points, 1 assist, 7 rebounds and made key shots when it mattered the most. Thibeaux finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. 

Maya Parker scored 10 points. Eva Bonde had 9. Emily White picked up 8 and was strong defensively.

Queens Basketball Head Coach Ken King appreciated the contributions from Krause. "Mary is performing at a high level of consistency which I'm proud of," said King. "We know what we are going to get out of Mary every time she plays." 

King was very pleased with the team effort. "We competed really hard and we have been for weeks now," said King. "The good thing is that we started out playing hard today. We really believe that if we compete hard consistently, we can beat anyone in the league if play smart."

King noted several strong efforts. "Emily's fifteen rebounds and seven steals were a huge contribution," said King. "I thought that Sandra Garcia-Bernal, Eva Bonde and Maya Parker all played well defensively which often goes unnoticed."

The fifth place Queens (6-7) will host the second place Medicine Hat Rattlers (11-3) in a pair of games next weekend. Friday, February 2, the two teams will square off in the RDC Main Gym at 6:00 p.m. In a rematch, they will face each other again on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Saturday was also the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Make Some Noise Campaign for mental health, which was recognized at the basketball games. Representatives from the sponsor, RBC, and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Central Alberta were present to speak and help with give aways in the RDC Main Gym.