The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens are playing on another level.
On Thursday afternoon the basketball team hit lucky number 13 on their winning streak that began in November.
The victory couldn’t have come at a better time as the Queens defeated the Keyano College Huskies in the ACAC Women’s Basketball Championship 73-63 in the quarterfinals at Lethbridge College.
Red Deer survived a late-game push by the Huskies to move on to the second round.
This secures the Queens a spot in either the bronze or gold medal game on Saturday. Which medal match they play in depends on the results of their semi-final game on Friday when they play the Briercrest Clippers at 6 p.m.
Against the Huskies, the Queens exploded offensively in the first half including a 28-point first quarter. They also added 19 points in both the second and third quarters to extend their lead.
In the final frame, Keyano College made a push out scoring the Queens 16-7 but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Queens’ guard Sandra Garcia-Bernal led the team with 19 points on nine of 13 shooting and added seven steals.
Rookie forward Peighton Melton added 13 points and seven rebounds of her own. Guard Amy Szymanek also contributed 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds.