It would have been fitting if Craig Beaucamp and Dani Sinclair had the Bachman Turner Overdrive classic Takin鈥� Care of Business piped into McKinnon gym during the University of Victoria Vikes basketball practices this week.
With just four games left in the regular season 鈥� including a home-and-home series with arch rival UBC next weekend 鈥� it鈥檚 all about playoff positioning for both Vikes teams now as they head to Calgary for key games against the Mount Royal Cougars tonight and Saturday.
Beaucamp鈥檚 UVic men hold down second spot in the sa国际传媒 West standings with a 13-5 record. The top two teams will host best-of-three first-round playoff series against the third- and fourth-place teams from the Prairie Division. The UBC Thunderbirds, winners of their last 10 games, lead the Pacific Division standings with a 16-2 record. But even with an outside shot at finishing first, Beaucamp says his team can鈥檛 look past a gritty Mount Royal team that has struggled in its first CIS season, currently sitting second-to-last with a 3-15 record.
鈥淪ure, those last two games against UBC could be big, but only if we do our job this weekend,鈥� said Beaucamp, whose club is on a six-game winning streak.
鈥淎nd it won鈥檛 be easy. Mount Royal鈥檚 record is a little deceiving in that they鈥檝e played a lot of close matches, especially at home. They are an athletic team, which poses a lot of challenges for us.鈥�
And no matter what third-place Fraser Valley does this weekend, a pair of wins at Mount Royal would lock up at least second spot for the Vikes.
鈥淥ur two goals have always been to make the playoffs and then host a first-round series, so this weekend we can accomplish that,鈥� Beaucamp said. 鈥淥bviously, first place would be nice and you would then have a chance to host the sa国际传媒 West Final Four, but really, with the cross-over playoffs, top two is what you aim for, and we get that by coming out [today] and playing a real strong game.鈥�
Terrell Davis continues to lead the way for the Vikes. The fourth-year forward from Las Vegas is ninth in sa国际传媒 West scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. The Cougars top scorer is Awet Abraha who is 17th in sa国际传媒 West scoring with a 14.9 average.
Sinclair鈥檚 women鈥檚 Vikes locked up a playoff spot last weekend. They sit in fourth place with a 13-5 record, but the playoff-bound teams are bunched up with Fraser Valley leading the way at 15-3, followed by UBC at 14-4 and Trinity Western at 14-5.
A pair of games against the 5-13 Cougars could be just what the Vikes need to jump into one of the top two spots.
鈥淲e know we control our own fate [in terms of finishing in the top two], and that鈥檚 always what you want,鈥� Sinclair said. 鈥淏ut if we don鈥檛 do what we鈥檙e supposed to do this weekend, we lose that and then have to rely on getting help, and that鈥檚 not something we want to do.
鈥淪o we鈥檙e taking this weekend very seriously.鈥�
The Vikes bring the conference鈥檚 fifth best offence into Mount Royal, led by Debbie Yeboah鈥檚 18.2 points per game. And even though the Cougars are one of the lowest scoring teams in sa国际传媒 West (60 points per game), Sinclair knows when you鈥檙e on the road, nothing comes easy.
鈥淎ny time you play on the road, especially back-to-back, it鈥檚 very tough,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd Mount Royal is a very big and physical team so we鈥檒l have our work cut out for us.鈥�
