News

This past weekend the Thunder Women’s Basketball team earned their first wins of the season. Looking to get out of the cellar, the Thunder women were hungry for the 'W's', as their first six contests had been so close, but the Thunder had been denied that first victory. As the first game tipped off at home on Friday night, King's came out soaring, taking an 8-2 early lead. The second unit of the Thunder gave the team a much-needed spark, as they rallied back to take the 16-10 advantage. “Our second unit really stepped up for us tonight.  They gave us the energy we needed and help us create the momentum going into the second half,” stated Head Coach Robbie Valpreda. As the second half began, the Thunder jumped all over the Eagles. The Thunder's 'press' really helped them get turnovers and steals and with every possession, the Thunder took advantage, going up as much as 20 points in the game. The Thunder were paced by 2nd year Guard Kendall Armstrong, who scored 10 pts and had 3 steals. “Kendall was great for us tonight. She can be our energy player; she’s tough and smart.”  Concordia went on to win the game 74-47, securing their first points of the season. “Our first win tonight was great. We played as a team and everyone contributed. When some of our players couldn't quite get it going tonight, others stepped up and supported their teammates,” concluded Valpreda. Congratulations to Kendall Armstrong for being Player of the Game.
Saturday night, the Thunder traveled to the 'Eagle's Nest' to compete for the second game of the weekend.  Going into the game the Thunder were still riding high from their first win, but had to remember that the Eagles were looking to do the same at home. "King's has great support from their fans and it can be a turning point as their players feed off that energy. We looked slow initially. Our defensive rotations were not great or at least not as good as they were last night,” said Coach Valpreda. The Eagles recognized that and were making every shot they took.  As the first half came to a close, the Thunder found themselves up by just two, 33-31. “Our speech at halftime is that we have to motivate ourselves to compete all the time, even when things aren’t going our way. We as a team need to power through, need to be focused, need to support each other. Our character is tested not when we're winning but when we find ourselves in tough situations.” Going into the second half, the Thunder got that message and jumped back out to a 12 pt lead. The Thunder’s advantage was their inside game as they were led by Post Ann Stewart, who had 14 pts, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. "Ann stepped up big for the Thunder and tonight, she was the energy the Thunder needed."  Concordia went on to win for the second night in a row, 65-55. "Tonight, we weren’t as sharp as previous games but that’s ok. Sometimes we're going to have games like that but we stuck with it and got the win. Everyone contributed in the scorer's column. This was another complete team effort," concluded Valpreda. Congratulations to Ann Stewart for being Player of the Game.
The Thunder's next action will be up north as they will take to Highway 63 for a pair of games against the Keyano Huskies on the 20th and 21st.