by WorldTribune Staff, March 16, 2025 Real World News
Without their suspended head coach and having endured a season of forfeits and sanctions because a man playing for an opposing women’s team said he was targeted for excessive fouls, the Columbia Bible College women’s basketball team won the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women’s national championship.
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women’s national champion Columbia Bible College BearcatsThe Columbia Bible College Bearcats defeated St. Mary’s University, 77-70, on Saturday night to win the title for the first time in program history.
Head coach Taylor Claggett was suspended and the team lost its right to host the PACWEST Athletic Conference tournament after allegations in October of abuse from a man playing for the Vancouver Island University (VIU) women’s team.
The feud started during an Oct. 25 game between the two teams, which VIU won 69-56 after Harriette Mackenzie, a male who identifies as a female, scored a game-high 19 points. Five days after that game, Mackenzie posted an Instagram video alleging that Claggett “cornered one of our athletic staff and went on a tirade about how I shouldn’t be allowed to play.”
Mackenzie also alleged he was targeted in a deliberate hard foul by a Columbia Bible player.
“I got two-hand chucked to the ground by No. 13 without a play on the ball in sight, then head coach Clagett can be seen applauding in support,” Mackenzie posted.
In response, Claggett posted her own statement on Instagram, claiming Mackenzie’s statements were inaccurate.
VIU forfeited a later game against Columbia Bible, citing safety concerns for Mackenzie.
VIU and Columbia Bible would play again in the conference tournament, and Mackenzie was again a dominant force as he scored 21 points to lead VIU to the conference championship.
Both teams qualified for the national championship tournament, but VIU lost to Mohawk College in the first round on Wednesday. Mackenzie’s Instagram account, the platform that initially shared the allegations against Claggett and Columbia Bible, was found to be deleted that same day.
En route to the championship, Columbia Bible’s Bearcats defeated Quebec’s Géants de Saint-Jean, 67-61, on Wednesday; stunned the second-ranked SAIT Trojans, 63-55, in the semifinal on Thursday, and capped it off with the 77-70 win over Alberta’s St. Mary’s University Lightning on Saturday.
For Columbia Bible in the championship game, Elissa Vreugdenhil, the tournament MVP, scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Grace Park scored 20 points with six rebounds and four assists to claim player of the game honors, while Madeline Beerwald scored 20 points with eight rebounds.
The title completes a remarkable turnaround for a program that suffered through a 54-game losing streak from 2018 to 2023 and had never won a conference playoff game prior to this season.
CBC wins 77-70 and the @cbcBearcats are @CCAAsportACSC national champions for the first time ever pic.twitter.com/EHMEeaKnUo
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 15, 2025
Timely: Defund Fake News
The American Free Press is Back!
Canadian Christian women’s basketball team wins championship after abuse allegations from trans opponent added by Editor Two on March 16, 2025
View all posts by Editor Two →
Source link