Posted: Mar 07, 2026
Bronze Medal
The bronze medal game opened with quick scoring as the SAIT Trojans struck first with a three-pointer, followed by a basket from #5 Varga. Concordia answered by getting to the free-throw line before working the ball inside for two baskets, including one by Bowman and another by #7 Bowman to settle the Thunder into the game.
SAIT continued to attack the paint, with #20 Sparks knocking down a pair of free throws. Concordia's #2 Cleland then battled through traffic to score inside. Varga soon created a turnover, stealing the ball and racing the other way before drawing a foul on the fast break to earn a trip to the line.
The Thunder began to find their rhythm offensively as #17 Hummel scored on short drives on back-to-back possessions. Varga responded with a driving layup of her own, then repeated the effort on the next trip with a convincing fake pass before finishing at the rim. Sparks followed with a steal and went coast-to-coast, finishing with a jump-stop layup.
Trojans' #7 Hammermaster got on the board with a jumper after recovering a loose ball, and Sparks followed with an acrobatic finish near the rim. She then grabbed her own rebound on the next possession and powered through defenders to score again.
#8 Sutherland-Winkler converted after a steal and full-court push for Concordia. The teams continued to trade baskets, with Wallace scoring for the Trojans before the Thunder added another inside basket. After an entertaining back-and-forth first quarter, SAIT led 22–19.
The second quarter continued with strong drives to the basket. Concordia's #8 Sutherland-DeKlerk scored on a determined drive through contact, while SAIT's Kearl answered with a diving layup. Thunder's #12 Winchell converted a layup at the other end, and Hummel followed by finishing after grabbing an offensive rebound.
For the Trojans, Sparks scored again on a well-timed feed inside, and Kearl followed with another driving layup on the next possession. Concordia's #11 DeKlerk managed to score on a desperation attempt after recovering a loose ball. The Trojans were assessed a technical foul during the quarter after their coach became animated on the sideline; SAIT responded with a find of Sparks alone down the floor for an easy layup.
The Thunder continued to move the ball effectively. #10 Stewart finished a reverse layup, and Sutherland-DeKlerk delivered a beautiful pass while driving to set up Hummel inside. SAIT's #11 Van Winkle closed the half with a smooth pull-up mid-range jumper, but Concordia held a narrow 37–34 lead at halftime.
The second half opened with Bowman stepping into a shot after a convincing fake to score two for the Thunder. The Trojans responded by attacking the paint, with Sparks converting another basket on a strong drop-step move. Kearl then knocked down a three-pointer, tying the game at 41 with five minutes remaining in the quarter.
Concordia regained momentum with a well-executed inbound play that saw #9 Jetzke cut to the basket for a layup. Jetzke scored again on the next trip with a feed into the paint. Varga answered by taking the ball coast-to-coast for a fast-break layup for SAIT, but Jetzke struck again with an off-balance shot in the middle of the key. Sutherland-DeKlerk then added a three-pointer to help the Thunder extend their lead to 52–47 by the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter began with physical play that sent both teams to the free-throw line. Hammermaster opened the scoring for the Trojans with a strong drive, and Wallace followed with a three-pointer. Concordia responded immediately as Sutherland-DeKlerk hit a three of her own, then converted twice more inside after excellent passes into the middle of the key. Stewart added another transition basket as the Thunder began to take control.
Hammermaster stopped the run briefly with a three-pointer for SAIT, but Concordia answered with back-to-back inside baskets from Hummel and Stewart. The Trojans called a timeout trailing 66–57 with four minutes remaining, but Hummel continued her strong play by stealing a rebound and scoring the putback.
SAIT fought back with a quick surge. Kearl knocked down a three-pointer, and Sparks was fouled on the same sequence, converting the bonus free throws for a quick five-point swing. Sutherland-DeKlerk halted the momentum by pulling up in the key, faking a pass, and knocking down a smooth jumper.
Sparks answered with another strong drive through contact, and Wallace bailed out the Trojans with a tough one-step fadeaway as the shot clock expired. In the closing seconds, Bowman calmly sank two free throws while SAIT fouled to stop the clock.
Hammermaster drained a step-back three with just one second remaining to pull the Trojans within four, but it wasn't enough. The Concordia Thunder held on to secure the bronze medal with a 77–71 victory.
Players of the Game
Trojans – #3 Jaida Wallis: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Thunder – Georgia Bowman: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Trojans – #3 Jaida Wallis: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Thunder – Georgia Bowman: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals