The Lambton College women's basketball team is vying for its first Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Championship as it welcomes three other teams to the area this weekend.
Lambton College will host the 2024 OCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four on March 2 and March 3 at the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex.
The Lambton Lions will play the Niagara Knights on Saturday at 5 p.m., and the Algonquin Wolves will face the St. Clair Saints at 7:30 p.m.
The bronze medal game will take place on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., followed by the gold medal game at 5 p.m.
"I'm feeling excited, not only for the team and the school but also the community," said Head Coach Janine Day.
She said the team stuck to their regular routines heading into this weekend just to provide "some normalcy" for the student athletes.
The Lions had a 14-2 record in the regular season to secure the program’s first west division title.
With seven new players on the team this season, Day said it took some time for the players to gel as a team but that changed around the Christmas break when they travelled to Ottawa.
"Since that trip to Ottawa, we've really seen a lot of progression and just that unity both on and off the court with this group," Day said.
With a mix of new and returning players, Day said the team is hoping to improve upon their OCAA silver medal finish from last season.
All Final Four games will be streamed online through the OCAA's website.
Tickets will be sold at the door on each day. Single-day tickets (for both games) are $10, and two-day weekend passes are $15.
This weekend's event marks the second time in the last four years that Lambton College has hosted a basketball provincial championship inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex, and a first for the women’s basketball program.
OCAA recently changed its format for Final Four hosts. Day said as the highest remaining seed in the west division, Lambton College was chosen to host the semi-finals and finals this year and next year the highest seed remaining from the east will host.
