Quest University basketball forward Krystal Schouten helped preserve the Kermodes playoff hopes by scoring a team record 40 points during an 86-69 victory over the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles in Surrey on Saturday (Feb. 6).
Schouten, who the British Columbia Colleges' Athletics Association named Female Player of the Week, also recorded 13 rebounds as the Kermodes rearranged player positions in reaction to multiple injuries.
"Krystal had a monster game," said head coach Todd Jordan.
Quest is in seventh place and battling Kwantlen for the sixth and final playoff spot. Having lost to Kwantlen 59-62 on Friday (Feb. 5), Quest needed the two points on Saturday, or else it would fall too far behind with only four regular season games remaining.
Quest not only notched the win, it also won the head-to-head points differential, which means it will move on to the playoffs over Kwantlen if the two teams end the regular season in a tie. Kwantlen currently has two more wins.
On Saturday, Quest had to play without guard Delainee Behrns, who sustained a concussion in the previous game when she tripped and hit her head on the floor while driving to the basket. Jordan said she is feeling better but may sit out this weekend. Meanwhile, back pain kept Brittany Harteveld from seeing much action on Saturday.
Jordan made adjustments, including moving Schouten out of her usual power forward position to small forward. Putting a bigger team out on the court worked well against Kwantlen, which has smaller players that rely on speed and three-point shooting.
Quest was able to contain Kwantlen's guards while nearly tripling the number of offensive rebounds.
"It helped us being able to go big because they could defend, and what really helped us was we were able to pound them on the offensive glass," he said.
Courtney Harpur contributed to the victory with 17 points, including three consecutive three-pointers that helped turn the game around in the third quarter.
Quest takes on the tough UBC Okanagan Heat on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 13 and 14). The games are being played on neutral court in Abbotsford because VANOC staff members are residing at the university during the Olympics.
Although the Kermodes, which have five wins and nine losses, finish the season against the winless Columbia Bible College Bearcats, Jordan anticipates at least one win is needed over the Heat to qualify for the playoffs. UBC Okanagan has won 12 of 14 games this season.
"They're not invincible. They're beatable so we've got a shot," he said.
The Quest men's team is in a similar position after giving up 64-65 and 63-75 losses to Kwantlen, which was playing with only eight players.
"It's frustrating that you have an opportunity and we just didn't take advantage of it," he said.
The Kermodes are tied with the Douglas College Royals for the sixth and final playoff spot. The teams split the two-game series but the Royals came away with a better points differential, therefore receiving the advantage in the case of an overall tie at the end of the regular season. Both squads have six wins and eight losses.
