Mackenzie Farmer goes hard to the hoop against Trinity Western on Saturday (Chris Lindsey photo).

March 8, 2022

Three Stars: Farmer, Hunter and Kilbreath earn honours

MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Women's basketball student-athlete Mackenzie Farmer is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after her performance over the weekend in the Canada West playoff tournament in Calgary.

Farmer recorded 38 points in a pair of playoff games against UBC-Okanagan and Trinity Western and was driving force across the board as the Griffins made the second round before bowing out to the higher-ranked Spartans.

Mason Hunter of men's basketball and Noelle Kilbreath of women's basketball are the second and third stars of the week, respectively.

It's the fourth time this season Farmer has appeared on the Three Stars list, following a second star nod on Dec. 7 and previous first star wins on Feb. 1 and Feb. 15.

Hunter appears for the third time in 2021-22, following a third star on Oct. 12 and a second star on Feb. 1.

Kilbreath makes the list for the fourth time, after she was named second star on Oct. 5, and first star on Nov. 16 and Jan. 18.

1^st STAR: Mackenzie Farmer, F, women's basketball

Sherwood Park, AB, fourth-year, Arts

Farmer was a huge reason why the MacEwan Griffins advanced past the opening round of the playoffs with a 69-63 win over the UBC-Okanagan Heat on Friday, producing one of the best single-game playoff performances in program history.

Her 26-point night on 9-for-21 shooting, which didn't even include a three-pointer, is the third-most in a playoff game since the Griffins joined Canada West in 2014.

Farmer also added eight rebounds, five steals and two assists in 36 minutes on the floor.

In Saturday's 77-71 loss to Trinity Western, she scored 12 points, adding five rebounds, a steal and an assist in 35 minutes on the court.

The performances came after Farmer was named to the Canada West third all-star team last Thursday.

Mason Hunter looks for an opening under pressure from the Trinity Western defence in their Canada West playoff match last Thursday (David Moll photo).

2^nd STAR: Mason Hunter, F, men's basketball

Sherwood Park, AB, fourth-year, Commerce

The veteran forward was clutch for the Griffins in their playoff opener against Trinity Western last Thursday, scoring a game-high 21 points in their 115-78 defeat.

Hunter shot 7-for-17 from the field, jarring three three-pointers in the contest as he did his best to keep the Griffins in it.

He added four rebounds and an assist in a game-high 34 minutes played.

Additionally, Hunter's leadership was crucial for a young Griffins team full of rookies experiencing their first playoff action.

Noelle Kilbreath led the Griffins with 46 points combined in their two playoff games on the weekend in Calgary (David Moll photo).

3^rd STAR: Noelle Kilbreath, G, women's basketball

Calgary, AB, second-year, Science

Kilbreath led the Griffins with 46 points combined in a pair of playoff games in Calgary over the weekend as the second-year guard showed off her tremendous talent level, scoring in a variety of ways.

The Calgarian particularly shone in her home city in Saturday's 77-71 loss to Trinity Western when she produced 29 points – the second-most by a Griffins player in a playoff game since the team joined Canada West in 2014.

She also added a rebound, two assists and two steals to balance out 11 turnovers in 39 minutes on the floor.

In Friday's 69-63 win over the UBC-Okanagan Heat, Kilbreath bucketed 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting, adding four rebounds, three steals and two assists in 26 minutes.