The Red Deer Polytechnic volleyball and basketball teams wrapped up the regular season this weekend.
The Kings basketball team dropped two straight games to fall to 12-9 this season.
On Friday they lost by a slim margin of 84-78 to the Lakeland College Rustlers followed by an 80-61 setback to the first-place Keyano College Huskies on Saturday.
Leading the way on Friday was first-year Deandre Rowe with 17 points and on Saturday forward Eduardo Crespo with 20 points against the Huskies.
The Kings, who claimed the final playoff spot in fifth place in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), will now head to the divisional playoffs for a chance to make it to the ACAC Men’s Final Four Basketball tournament.
The Kings’ journey will begin on Thursday, Feb. 22 at Briercrest College where they’ll take on the fourth-place Clippers at 7 p.m.
If they win they’ll head to St. Mary’s University on Saturday to play the Lightning at 7 p.m. with the opportunity to advance to the Final Four hosted by Keyano College, which begins on March 1.
The Queens basketball team split their weekend games on the road losing to the undefeated Lakeland College Rustlers 61-52 on Friday followed by a 68-64 victory over the Keyano College Huskies.
Guard Heena Sidhu notched 14 points on Friday but On Saturday forward Peighton Melton scored 20 points while grabbing 12 rebounds.
The Queens finished in second place in the ACAC south division with a 17-4 record. They earned a spot in the divisional playoffs and will now host the St. Mary’s University Lightning on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
The winner will advance to the ACAC Women’s Final Four Basketball tournament at Lethbridge College, which begins March 1.
On the volleyball side, the second-place Queens beat the Olds College Broncos on the road in four sets 25-20, 25-18,21-25, and 25-23.
Offensively, outside hitter Emma Holmes led the way with 16 kills and Autumn Roos added 10 kills.
The Queens, who finished in second place at 13-6, will now compete in the 2024 ACAC Women’s Volleyball Championship from Feb. 22-24 at Lethbridge College.
Their first game is set for Thursday against The King’s University at 6 p.m.
The Kings volleyball team defeated the Olds College Broncos on the road in straight sets 25-20, 25-17, and 25-16.
Red Deer’s Colby Nemeth was all over the court notching 12 kills, five digs, two service aces, two assists, and one block.
The Kings grabbed the top seed in the south division with a 16-3 record and are headed to the 2024 ACAC Men’s Volleyball Championship from Feb. 22-23 at Olds College.
The second-place Queens’ hockey team also had a successful weekend, which ended in a split.
They took down the NAIT Ooks in Red Deer on Friday 4-1 followed by a 5-1 loss in the rematch against NAIT on Saturday in Edmonton.
Brooke Skrypichayko, Avery Lajeunesse, Hayley Kolosky, Julie Wagner, and Rylee Mepham all found the back of the net through two games.
The Queens have already booked their ticket to the playoffs but will conclude the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 24 at home against the Olds College Broncos at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Kings hockey team will also wrap up the regular season next weekend at home with back-to-back games against Briercrest College in Red Deer.
The Kings have already secured their spot in playoffs but could potentially move into second place with a win or two.