SPORTS mclennonb@douglas.be.ca Split Blues Soup Playoff pot contin- ues to bubble. Brian McLennon, OP Sports Editor. In Friday night’s 58—63 loss, a slow start saw the Royals’ Women’s Basketball team fall behind early by as many as 11 points. Capilano’s Jaclyn Flaten drained three consecutive 3 point- ers to shift the momentum to the Blues. Costly turnovers and poor perimeter defense had the Royals constantly on their heels. Halfway through the first half, the’ Royals made a line up change and put in a defensive unit known through- out the week in practice as the “White” team who quickly turned the double digit lead into single digits: By the end of the half, the Blues only had a 2-point lead over the Royals. The second half saw the lead change hands a couple of times as the intensity picked up at both ends for both teams. Unforced turnovers and 50 percent foul shooting by the Royals, coupled with two consecutive 3-point shots by Capilano’s Kelsey Anderson, proved to be the dif- ference as the Blues held on to defeat the Royals by five points. Know sports? Able to read and write? Then we want yo Write for the OP Sports section! Contact Sports Editor Brian Mclennon at mclennonb@douglas.be.ca and soon the wonderful world of sports writing will be yours! Leading the Royals were Bridget O’Brien with 20 points and 5 rebounds, Tara McNeil with 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Gillian Weinrath with 8 rebounds. In Saturday night’s rematch, the Royals came out on fire. Falling back into a half-court man defense stifled Capilano’s perimeter play. The Royals went ahead by as much as 20 points, but costly turnovers in the final five minutes of the half saw the Blues pull within 11 points. “ wie The second half started just like the first with the Royals going up by as many as 17 points. Capilano made a final push to close within 9 but it wasn’t enough as the Royals held on for the 62-52 victory. Leading the Royals in this game were Tara McNeil with a double double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Tara also led the team with 5 assists and 3 steals. Bridget O’Brien also recorded a double double (14 points and 10 rebounds), while Gillian Weinrath added 15 points. These games had BCCAA playoff implica- tions, as there is a current fight between Capilano, Douglas, Kwantlen, and the University of Northern BC for the three remaining provincial berths. The 10-point vic- tory means that the Royals have the tiebreak over the Blues for a provincial berth. The Royals also have the tiebreak over UNBC, and with Kwantlen and UNBC meeting this week- end, provincial berths and rankings are still up for grabs.