It was a good news, bad news situation for the Quest University Kermodes women's basketball this week.
The good news, after a loss by the Langara Falcons on Saturday (Feb. 4), is that Quest has qualified for the postseason for the first team in the history of the program.
The bad news is that the Kermodes will be without star forward Katrin Sandbichler for the rest of the season and possibly the playoffs after she suffered a knee injury in Quest's 77-63 loss to UNBC on Saturday.
"Katrin Sandbichler went down with a knee injury in the second quarter," head coach Mike Woollard told The Chief. "She had played about 15 minutes and had 12 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals all in the first half. Best-case scenario is that it is dislocated and she will be back for playoffs; worst-case scenario it's an ACL and that is six to nine months after surgery."
Despite the loss to UNBC, Woollard said he was pleased with his team's effort.
"I thought we really battled hard out there," he said. "The girls would not back down and showed a lot of character on the floor. We played with a lot of energy and poise against a very good team but some missed opportunities early and 28 turnovers on the night were really the difference. Moving forward, we must take care of the ball better if we hope to get the win against the better teams in the country."
Nicola Hitchcock led the way for Quest with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Delainee Behrns contributed with 10 points and six assists. The team remains in fourth place with a record of seven wins and five losses.
The men's team continued its losing ways, dropping a 100-64 decision to UNBC on Saturday. Quest kept the game close after the first half but fell apart in the second, only scoring four points in the game's final quarter.
With the loss, the Kermodes dropped to zero wins and 12 losses on the season, but they have a chance to finally break the goose egg at home this weekend. Quest will host the two teams directly above them in the standings when Columbia Bible College comes to town on Friday (Feb. 10) and Douglas College visits on Saturday (Feb. 11).
The women's games starts at 6 p.m., while the men's games tip off at 8 p.m. on both days. at the Quest University gym. For more information on Quest athletics, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
