Maritime Women’s Basketball Association hopes to break attendance, score record on Saturday

Maritime Women's Basketball Association to play Saturday. (Source: MWBA)

There are a number of records that could be broken at a basketball game at the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth this Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

The Maritime Women’s Basketball Association, MWBA, hopes to break its attendance record of 1,268 attendees at the game between the Port City Fog and Lake City 56ers. Now in its fourth year of operation, the amateur league consists of seven teams from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

“The main goal is to bring more awareness,” says Colter Simmonds, general manager of the Lake City 56ers. “It’s a fun atmosphere with talented players. History can be made as a community this weekend while supporting women in sport.”

Lake City 56ers point guard Courtney Donaldson could also become the all-time MWBA leading scorer if she makes 20 points during this weekends game.

“I’m honestly not too focused on breaking a scoring record – my team comes first,” says Donaldson. “I’ve got to let the game come to me. I’m just excited. My priority is breaking the attendance record. I’m trying to post online about it to get everybody out.”

Donaldson grew up in Kelowna, B.C. She played for Saint Mary’s University in Halifax for three years where they won the Atlantic University Sport Women’s Basketball Championship three years in a row beginning in the 2022-2023 season.

“A lot of these women played in the AUS,” said the 26-year-old. “It’s interesting having played against them and then playing with them. You get to see all the other competitors in a new light now. It’s a lot of fun.”

Mackenzie Smith has experience in NCAA Division 1 playing with the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks in Philadelphia. Originally from Shelburne, N.S., the 22-year-old guard said it’s great to play the sport she loves in her home province with her family in the audience.

“It’s very rewarding,” said Smith, who also played for Canada in FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series in 2024. “Obviously, playing over in the U.S. is really cool, I loved my experience, but I did miss home.”

MWBA players have experience in AUS, Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association, Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, and U Sports. While an amateur league, the MWBA’s website says it has ‘every intention on running it professionally’ with televised or live streamed games, sponsorships and social justice initiatives.

“They’re very competitive teams,” says Simmonds, who would like to see the league grow. “The MWBA is the only league of its kind in Canada where they have teams in different cities. People need to just really get out and support the league because we’re building and growing something special.”

The fan support so far has been huge for Smith, she said.

“It’s really cool for little girls to come out and watch these grown women playing and have something to look forward to as they grow,” Smith added.

Her teammate agrees.

“I think as a whole we got to do better in supporting young girls and women in basketball, treating them as athletes,” said Donaldson. “What I want for young girls is to be able to believe it’s ok to compete. You don’t always have to be nice. You don’t always have to be friendly in the game of ball. You can get after it and be competitive.”

The six-week MWBA season runs from the beginning of May until mid-June, ending with a championship weekend in Fredericton.

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