A 2023 Carman Collegiate Grad, Sydney Last is making a name for herself during her first year of University Basketball at Providence College.
The rookie player scored a career-high 17 points plus six rebounds during a recent game when her Providence Pilots dismantled Université de Saint-Boniface by a 79-22 count. With that victory, Providence finished first in their conference to end the regular season with a record of 11-1.
Last has been playing basketball for seven years, since she was 12 years old in Grade 7, following in the footsteps of her two older brothers, Cody and Bailey Last. After graduating from Carman Collegiate in 2023, Last joined the Providence College program out of Otterburne.
“My first season at Providence has gone really well,” said Last. “It is definitely an adjustment from high school as it is a much higher level than AA high school basketball, but it is a lot of fun.”
While playing high school basketball with Carman Collegiate, Last played point guard. However, since joining Providence, she has been playing both point guard and shooting guard.
“Our season has gone very well, but there is always room for improvement. As there are nine rookies on the team and Providence women’s basketball plays ‘the system,’ there are many of us on the team that are playing the system for the first year and are learning new things often. My team’s goals for the year are to win a banner or title.”
Last and her Providence teammates accomplished their goal this past weekend when they took home the NIAC Championship in Plymouth, Minnesota, from Feb. 23-25.
In the NIAC championship final in Plymouth, Minnesota, on the afternoon of Feb. 25, Providence returned from an improbable 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 59-54 over Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).
“In the break between the third and fourth quarter, our coach Joel Coursey said ‘history is not made yet’ as he wanted us to keep pushing no matter what the score was and to just believe. It feels unbelievable to have come back and won.”
Next up for Providence is the MCAC championship this weekend, where they will play against fellow Manitoba teams in Saint-Boniface and CMU. They have also qualified for the ACCAA Nationals in March by having a 50 per cent-win percentage in the regular season.
Standard Photos Rich Focus Media
