| (1) | Saskatchewan | 73 | ||||||
| (8) | Carleton | 59 | Saskatchewan | 76 | ||||
| (4) | Laval | 59 | Laval | 57 | Saskatchewan | 82 | ||
| (5) | Alberta | 52 | ||||||
| —–SASKATCHEWAN | ||||||||
| (2) | Brock | 72 | ||||||
| (7) | Calgary | 71 | Brock | 69 | U.P.E.I. | 64 | ||
| (3) | Ryerson | 70 | U.P.E.I. | 55 | ||||
| (6) | U.P.E.I. | 75 |
SEEDING
1. Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champions): 18-2 regular season / 3-0 playoffs
2. Brock Badgers (OUA champions): 17-5 regular season / 3-0 playoffs
3. Ryerson Rams (OUA runners-up): 18-4 regular season / 2-1 playoffs
4. Laval Rouget et Or (RSEQ champions): 12-4 regular season/ 2-0 playoffs
5. Alberta Pandas (Canada West runners-up): 16-4 regular season / 2-1 playoffs
6. Prince Edward Island Panthers (Atlantic champion): 17-3 regular season / 2-0 playoffs
7. Calgary Dinos (wild card): 18-2 regular season / 1-1 playoffs
8. Carleton Ravens (host): 15-7 regular season / 1-1 playoffs
In the quarterfinals, the 4th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or clipped the 5th-seeded Alberta Pandas 59-52. The Pandas led 16-13 after one quarter and 30-25 at the half. But the Rouge et Or dominated the third quarter, holding Alberta to just four points as they took a 39-34 lead and then held on for the win, icing it on critical buckets by Khaléann Caron-Goudreau, Kim Letang, Frederique Beauchamp and Maude Archanbault down the stretch. Rouge et Or coach Guillaume Giroux said “at the half, I tried to find something positive. We were only five points behind. We had quality throws, but our three best timekeepers [shooters], Khaléann, Carrie-Ann [Auger] and Maude were 4 in 23. I asked them to take better throws, simpler throws, and they put them in” Caron-Goudreau said “I think it was mental. I was stressed in the first half. I should have read the defense more easily, and my teammates helped me. On the bench, they told me to stay positive and that the shots would come back. Everyone has a role to play in a game and everyone did it in the second half, that’s why we won.” Khaléann Caron-Goudreau was chosen player of the game for the Rouge et Or, while Sydney Fedick earned the laurels for the Pandas. Caron-Goudreau paced the Rouge et Or with 17 on 7-13 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 19 boards, 3 assists and 4 blocks. Kim Letang added 11 on 4-7 from the floor and 3-6 from the arc. Carrie-Ann Auger notched 10 on 4-16 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 5 boards and 4 assists. Maude Archambault scored 8 on 2-20 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Frederique Beauchamp added 6 on 2-3 from the arc. Marie-Pier Champagne scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Leslie Makosso added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 3 assists. Lea Dominique scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals, while Elise Roy, Zahra Wajih, Djamilaa Amidou-Triquet and Gabrielle Raiche-Marcoux were scoreless. The Rouge et Or hit 22-74 (.297) from the floor, 11-33 from the arc and 4-10 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 14 assists, 16 turnovers, 7 blocks and 7 steals. Sydney Fedick paced the Pandas with 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 8 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Vanessa Wild added 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jenna Harpe notched 8 on 1-6 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Brooklyn Legault scored 8 on 4-11 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 steals. Claire Signatovich notched 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Morgan Mudge added 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Megan Tywoniuk scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Laurel Earl added 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc, while Mackenzie Cook and Neve Murray were scoreless. Cook nabbed 3 boards. The Pandas hit 20-68 (.294) from the floor, 6-13 (.462) from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 12 assists, 17 turnovers, 7 blocks and 10 steals. The Pandas (coach Scott Edwards, assistant Kelly Haggstrom, graduate assistant Isabel Ormond, fitness coach Stephanie Edison, therapist Brennan Mahon, student kinesiologist Sydney Dick, student kinesiologist Shelby Shapka, student kinesiologist Natalie Lockhart) also included Shae McCusker, Abby Morrison, Makenna Ledgister, Emma Kary, Julia Strigl and Marinya Marcichiw.
The 2nd-seeded Brock Badgers nipped the 7th-seeded Calgary Dinos 72-71 as Melissa Tatti drove for the winning layup with 25 seconds to play. The Badgers led 24-16, 39-35 and 57-54 at the quarters. They led by as many as 12 in the first half but Calgary rallied to trim the margin to four at the break and took the lead by five in the fourth quarter but faltered down the stretch. Badgers coach Mike Rao told Canadian Press that his players did “just enough. … What stood out about the game? The final whistle. That’s what stood out. [Calgary] shot the ball extremely well and they boarded extremely well so we had those two things to combat. I thought offensively we didn’t move the ball as well as we could have.” Badger forward Samantha Keltos said Tatti didn’t know she’d give Brock the lead when she scored the winning layup. “It was hilarious.” Dinos coach Damian Jennings said “we’ve got a style of basketball we didn’t quite execute the way we wanted to.” Keltos told reporters it was a great team victory. “Jess (Morris) and (Melissa) Tatti are both great shooters. I went up to Tatti after the game and said ‘we shared this.’ She didn’t even know we were up after she hit that shot. Jess knocks down the shots when we need her to and I’ve never played with a better point guard than Tatti. I love them both.” Dinos coach Damian Jennings said “you’ve got to be in these close games a number of times during the year to get the experience. We came back from 10 points down, but we were zero for five from the free throw line at half time. We hit them hard at the beginning I thought, but they came back and hit some big shots. It’s a single play that could be the difference in a 72-71 loss … It’s tough.” Dino Erin McIntosh said “we have to separate the feelings from right now, and what we thought we were going to accomplish to refocus and reset. I think that if anything, we are a team that can respond.”
Samantha Keltos was chosen player of the game for the Badgers, while Liene Stalidzane earned the laurels for the Dinos. Keltos paced the Badgers with 24 on 10-22 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Jessica Morris added 20 on 7-13 from the floor, 5-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Melissa Tatti notched 17 on 6-14 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 7 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Jenneke Pilling scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 6 assists. Sofia Croce added 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 5 boards, while Kristin Gallant, Destiny Paquin and Eden Ferraro were scoreless. Gallant nabbed 3 boards, dished 4 assists and pilfered 2 balls. Ferraro nabbed 2 boards. The Badgers hit 27-66 (.409) from the floor, 10-24 (.417) from the arc and 8-8 from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 16 assists, 9 turnovers, 4 blocks and 9 steals. Liene Stalidzane paced the Dinos with 18 on 7-19 from the floor, 2-10 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Bobbi-Jo Colburn added 13 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 5 boards. Erin McIntosh notched 10 on 4-14 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Reyna Crawford scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Laura Grabe added 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Sascha Lichtenwald scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 8 boards. Courtney Donaldson notched 3 on 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Michaela Nieuwenhuiz scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 5 boards, while Katie Upham and Clara Tapia Palacio were scoreless. The Dinos hit 27-73 (.370) from the floor, 12-35 (.343) from the arc and 5-12 (.417) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 13 assists, 14 turnovers, 5 blocks and 4 steals. The Dinos (coach Damian Jennings, associate Matthew Spencer, assistant Fatih Akser, shooting coach Ben Dowell, graduate assistant Freya Szmidt, graduate assistant Lauren Seabrook, athletic development coach Rich Hesketh, assistant athletic development coach Tamara Jarrett) also included Jordan Bonertz, Jordyn Cullum, Mya Proctor, Sandy Saunders, Brittany Janzen, Anmol Mattu, Taylor Featherstone and Azalya Forstbauer.
The top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies torched the 8th-seeded host Carleton Ravens 73-59 after leading 30-11, 46-32 and 58-43 at the quarters and demonstrating a healthy measure of savvy ball movement. “We knew we were going to be in for a battle tonight, we respect Carleton, we know they play really hard and it’s always tough playing the host,” said Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis. “I’m really pleased with our performance and glad that we came out as strong as we did to build a lead, and that was really important.” Sabine Dukate nailed a trio from beyond the arc as Huskies exploded to their first quarter lead. The Huskies led by as many as 21 before Carleton rallied to trim the margin to 14 at the half but the Ravens never seriously threatened. “I think our message [this] year has been to move the ball and that the more people’s hands it touches the better it will be and I think that showed tonight,” said guard Libby Epoch. “They were doubling our posts so them kicking it out was very effective.” Carleton interim coach Brian Cheng said “It was like a tsunami hit us the first time. I think it speaks volumes that we found a way to compete, and if we weren’t shell-shocked at the beginning … it might have been a way closer game.” Libby Epoch was chosen player of the game, for the Huskies, while Kali Pocrnic earned the laurels for the Ravens. Sabine Dukate paced the Huskies with 21 on 8-16 from the floor, 5-11 from the arc, 3 assists and 2 steals. Katriana Philipenko notched 13 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc and 2 assists. Summer Masikewich added 11 on 5-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Megan Ahlstrom scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Libby Epoch added 7 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 10 boards and 8 assists. Carly Ahlstrom notched 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 10 boards. Kyla Shand scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 7 boards, while Christy Fehr, Brianna Fehr, Claudia Lomba Viana, Janaya Brown and Vera Crooks were scoreless. Brianna Fehr nabbed 3 boards. The Huskies hit 27-63 (.429) from the floor, 11-31 (.355) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 18 assists, 13 turnovers, 3 blocks and 7 steals. Madison Reid paced the Ravens with 18 on 7-17 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 assists. Kali Pocrnic added 14 on 6-22 from the floor, 2-12 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists. Marlee Ball notched 11 on 3-10 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Emma Huff scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Dorcas Buisa added 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Emma Kiesekamp scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc, while Alyssa Cerino, Bryn Reynolds, Jaclyn Ronson, Navneet Sandhu and Jade Lyons were scoreless. The Ravens hit 23-74 (.311) from the floor, 10-37 (.270) from the arc and 3-7 (.429) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 10 assists, 8 turnovers, 2 blocks and 5 steals. The Ravens (interim coach Brian Cheng, assistant Michelle Abella, assistant Dean Petridis, assistant Eric Parthenais, assistant Abeer Farhat, strength & conditioning Nick Westcott) also included Mallory Katz, redshirt Taza Adebayo, redshirt Deanna Hinds and redshirt Karyne Jolicoeur.
In the last quarterfinal, the 6th-seeded Prince Edward Island Panthers, making their first appearance at nationals in 20 years, stunned the 3rd-seeded Ryerson Rams 75-70 after rallying from a 10-point deficit after three quarters. The Rams led 14-13 after one quarter. The Panthers led 29-28 at the half. The Rams led 56-46 after three quarters. National player of the year Jenna Mae Ellsworth told Canadian Press that “we didn’t give up one minute there. We were down in the third and we just kept battling.” Panthers coach Matt Gamblin said his team demonstrated “resilience and toughness. It comes down to who wants it more. I think these guys decided if we lose, we’re going to lose fighting and they fought hard.” Bronwyn Williams hit a hook at the buzzer to give the Rams their first quarter lead. Marin Scotten opened the second quarter with a trey, but the Panthers responded with buckets by Lauren Fleming, Carolina Del Santo and Ellsworth to ignite a 14-7 run that gave them a 27-21 lead. Ryerson responded with a 7-0 run but Ellsworth hit a pair of free throws to give UPEI a one-point lead at the half. The third quarter was a shootout between Lauren Rainford, who at one point scored 11 straight for the Panthers, and Scotten, who scored 12 of 14 Ryerson during one stretch and 5 of the Rams last seven points in the quarter as they built their double-digit lead. “Rainford showed a lot of resilience as well going through some tough moments there in the first half,” Gamblin said. “She’s usually guarding the other team’s best player or second best player and for her to open it up on the other end of the floor, it helped get us back in it.” Rainford said “I had a bad first half, so I just had to calm myself down at halftime and once I made the first one, my teammates kept feeding me so I just kept taking them. … The bigger and bigger it gets, the more people are keying in on our key players, so it just means other people have to step up and if that has to be me, that’s what I’m going to do.” The Panthers held the Rams to a single bucket for the first eight minutes of the final frame, while UPEI ripped a 12-2 run, including a pair of buckets from Rainford, as they took the lead for good. Ryerson drew within three down the stretch but the Panthers iced it at the line. “Coming into this game we had no doubts that we could beat this team,” she said. Rams coach Carly Clarke said “they changed their defensive matchup which disrupted our offensive rhythm a little bit, and that changed our flow and we struggled to get good shots.” Scotten said “it seemed we got a flow going but then our shots weren’t dropping and they started hitting shots and playing good defence and we couldn’t get what we wanted. It’s definitely disappointing, (but) I’m grateful to have spent such an amazing season with a great group of girls.” Ellsworth was chosen player of the game for the Panthers, while Scotten earned the laurels for the Rams. Ellsworth paced the Panthers with 22 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 13 boards and 5 assists. Reese Baxendale added 19 on 5-17 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Lauren Rainford notched 18 on 6-12 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Lauren Fleming scored 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 9 boards and 2 assists. Carolina Del Santo added 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 11 boards, 2 assists and 4 blocks. Karla Yepez scored 4 on 1-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Lexi Macinnis and Reilly Sullivan were scoreless. The Panthers hit 24-73 (.329) from the floor, 10-28 (.357) from the arc and 17-20 (.850) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 13 assists, 14 turnovers, 5 blocks and 6 steals. Marin Scotten paced the Rams with 31 on 12-29 from the floor, 4-12 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 10 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Hayley Robertson added 17 on 6-18 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Emma Fraser notched 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 7 boards. Bronwyn Williams scored 10 on 4-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Taite Cleland added 1 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists, while Stefanija Mrvaljevic was scoreless on 0-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 5 boards. The Rams hit 26-81 (.321) from the floor, 8-32 (.250) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 10 assists, 13 turnovers, 6 blocks and 11 steals. The Rams (coach Carly Clarke, assistant Jessica Roque, assistant Sherwyn Benn, assistant Vadim Levin, assistant Jason Sealy, student assistant Cara Tiemens, student assistant Keenan Bennaroch, student therapist Julia Perera) also included Jama Bin-Edward, Ayden Kristmanson, Rachel Farwell, Leyki Sorra, Eleanor Jones, Sarai Bailey, Chelsea Arruda, Aryn Sidhu, Latifah Roach and redshirt Kyia Giles.
In the semis, the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies spanked the 4th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or 76-57. The Huskies opened with a 7-0 run and limited the Rouge et or to just two field goals as they took a 14-6 lead after one quarter. Libby Epoch nailed a jumper, stole the ball for a runout and pilfered the ball and fed it up court as the extended their lead to 35-17 at the half and 53-37 after three quarters. Laval never threatened and the Huskies buried the Rouge et Or for good on back-to-back treys by Epoch and Sabine Dukate in the final quarter. Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis told Canadian Press that the team’s success wasn’t a product of “what I say I can tell you that for sure. They figure it out on their own and they get it done.” Thomaidis told reporters that depth and defence proved the difference. “It’s great to come out firing and feeling good about what we are doing offensively. We really locked them down defensively so that certainly builds momentum for us early on. … I think our team is quite a bit deeper than we were in 2015-16 (when they won the national title). We have many more weapons and people that can come in and I think we saw that tonight and that’s fun to play with and fun to watch.” Rouge et Or coach Guillaume Giroux said “we were perfectly aware that we were probably meeting the best team in the country. You had to play a perfect match. We had a lot of difficulty and our spacing was not good. We had no presence inside since Khalean Caron-Goudreau was very sick today. We are not looking for an excuse because we have met a very good basketball team. Our tournament is not over, we want to end in style.” Carrie-Ann said “of course our percentages weren’t there, but we just played against a damn good team. Yes, defeat hurts, but tomorrow, we still have a medal to go get, we must remain positive. We are national, we are in the top 4. Why not go for third place?” Megan Ahlstrom was chosen player of the game for the Huskies, while Carrie-Ann Auger earned the laurels for the Rouge et Or. Ahlstrom paced the Huskies with 16 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 6 boards. Libby Epoch added 12 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 7 boards and 7 assists. Kyla Shand notched 12 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 11 boards. Summer Masikewich scored 11 on 2-8 from the floor, 7-10 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Sabine Dukate added 8 on 2-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 boards. Carly Ahlstrom scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Brianna Fehr scored 5 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 6 boards. Katrina Philipenko added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 assists, while Christy Fehr, Claudia Lomba Viana, Janaya Brown and Vera Crooks were scoreless. The Huskies hit 25-66 (.379) from the floor, 7-14 from the arc and 19-26 (.731) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 13 assists, 13 turnovers, 3 blocks and 6 steals. Carrie-Ann Auger paced the Rouge et Or with 17 on 5-17 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Maude Archambault added 9 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 3 boards. Zahra Wajih notched 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 2 assists. Marie-Pier Champagne scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Kim Letang added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Khaleann Caron-Goudreau added 4 on 2-10 from the floor, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Elise Roy notched 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 steals. Leslie Makosso scored 2 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Lea Dominique added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Gabrielle Raiche-Marcoux scored 2 on 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Frederique Beauchamp and Djamila Amidou Triquet were scoreless. The Rouge et Or hit 18-69 (.261) from the floor, 10-30 from the arc and 11-12 (.917) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 12 assists, 12 turnovers, 4 blocks and 6 steals.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Brock Badgers pounded the 6th-seeded Prince Edward Island Panthers 69-55. The score was knotted at 20 after one quarter. The Badgers led 36-33 at the half as Samantha Keltos began to dominate the blocks. They opened the second half with a 9-3 run and to extend their lead to 45-36. But Carolina del Santo answered with a jumper, while Jenna Mae Ellsworth Reese Baxendale notched treys as UPEI drew within 52-48 after three quarters. Brock point guard Melissa Tatti, though, took command in the fourth, scoring 8 during a 12-0 Badger run. Brock soon led 64-48 and coasted to the win. Tatti told reporters that she had “never dreamed” the team would make the final. “I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else. My team is amazing. We’re an army. We never let our guard down and we play like we’re behind by 15 points every possession. … We had to lay the hammer down in the fourth.” Guard Kristin Gallant said “I’m the only one left from my first year. If you would have asked me in my first year, I would never have believed I would be here. The team completely flipped and I’m so happy and proud. I’m proud of myself that I stuck it out because not every year was super good. But it made me a better person and I’m tougher on the court and off because of it. … (Coach Mike) Rao has really been the best leader we can have. I think we’re all really buying in and that’s what a team does. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team that plays like a team as much as we do and it’s really nice because we have two of our Brock legends, Jessica (Morris) and (Melissa) Tatti, leaving this year. The least we can do is win it all for them.” Keltos said “when we’re up like that (double-digits in the final quarter), we never think that we’re up. To us it’s a close game,” said Keltos. “Just never let up.” Tatti noted that the Badgers fourth-quarter domination was a function of playing for a school coach who told her to read the game in the first half. “Then, when your team needs you, start doing what you can with what you’ve learned. … I’m a fourth-quarter girl for some reason.” Panther Jenna Mae Ellsworth said “I don’t like losing. But you have to move on and play tomorrow.” Panthers coach Matt Gamblin said “They executed better than we did. The little things we usually take care of, we didn’t. At this level, it doesn’t take much. All the teams are so good, and you can lose the game quickly.” Samantha Keltos was chosen player of the game for the Badgers, while Ellsworth earned the laurels for the Panthers. Keltos paced the Badgers with 23 on 10-20 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 17 boards, 5 blocks and 2 steals. Melissa Tatti added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 5 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Sofia Croce notched 10 on 5-9 from the floor and 8 boards. Kristin Gallant scored 9 on 3-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Jessica Morris added 8 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jenneke Pilling scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 5 assists, while Kyanna Thompson, Eden Ferraro and Elise Euale were scoreless. The Badgers hit 30-68 (.441) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc and 2-5 (.400) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 20 assists, 16 turnovers, 8 blocks and 8 steals. Jenna Mae Ellsworth paced the Panthers with 19 on 7-22 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 10 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Reese Baxendale added 14 on 4-13 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Lauren Fleming notched 7 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 9 boards and 3 assists. Carolina Del Santo scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Reilly Sullivan added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Karla Yepez scored 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 assists. Lauren Rainford notched 2 on 1-7 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 blocks, while Lexi MacInnis was scoreless. The Panthers hit 20-72 (.278) from the floor, 7-27 (.259) from the arc and 8-12 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 16 assists, 11 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the Prince Edward Island Panthers rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat the Laval Rouge et Or 57-50. The Panthers led 14-12 after one quarter on back-to-back treys from Reese Baxendale and Lexi MacInnis. But Frederique Beauchamp and Kim Letang nailed treys as the Rouge et Or took a 28-22 lead at the half. Laval opened the second half with an 8-0 run and led 41-23 in the third quarter before UPEI rallied to within 41-33 after three quarters after holding Laval scoreless for five minutes and receiving a late layup from Jenna Mae Ellsworth. Letang drilled a trey to open the final frame but Reese Baxendale countered with back-to-back treys to draw the Panthers with one, while fist-pumping to fire the crowd. “I just wanted to win so bad,” Baxendale later told reporters. “I wanted everyone to get hyped up and get excited over it.” Jenna Mae Ellworth soon added a pair of free throws to give UPEI the lead for good. “It’s been a long time since we’ve (UPEI) been here and to think our first appearance is in a bronze medal game and winning it, it’s pretty incredible,” Ellsworth said. Panthers coach Matt Gamblin said his squad never surrendered. “You never give up. We talk a lot about being resilient throughout the game, through the ups and down. It’s mental toughness, it’s belief in each other and it’s belief in what we’re trying to do. … When we were down 14 to 16 it didn’t look terrible, we were just missing shots. They just had to stay with it and they did.” Baxdendale said of her backcourt teammate Ellsworth that “we’re best friends off and on the court. We trust each other so much and it translates on the court.” Ellsworth said “I think we feed off each other’s energy. When she hits a big shot, I’m just as excited as she is. And when I hit a big shot, she’s just as excited as I am.” Rouge et Or coach Guillaume Giroux said “all year round, we made these kinds of mistakes, but we never paid for. Today, everything has collapsed on this type of error. It’s valuable, the girls deserved a better lot, but they shot each other in the foot. We pulled 24% of the floor. At this level, you cannot win. It’s a shame because this kind of team, we can beat them nine times out of 10.” Khaleanne Caron-Goudreau noted that “it is our fault. They had two good players, but we weren’t disciplined. We lacked focus and they wanted it more than we did. I did not think it was in the bag, but honestly, I did not believe that we could escape this match. I am disappointed for my coach, I am disappointed for the girls and I am disappointed for the Rouge et Or program.” Kim Letang noted “it may be my best performance in my career, but I don’t care. We didn’t go out with the medal, so my performance counts for zero plus a bar. It’s been a few games that our shots don’t fall. It didn’t get what we wanted.” Reese Baxendale was chosen player of the game for the Panthers, while Letang earned the laurels for the Rouge et Or. Jenna Mae Ellsworth paced the Panthers with 24 on 7-14 from the floor, 10-12 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Reese Baxendale added 17 on 5-18 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 3-7 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Carolina Del Santo notched 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 12 boards, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Lexi MacInnis scored 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Lauren Rainford added 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 4 boards and 3 steals. Reilly Sullivan scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Lauren Fleming notched 1 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists, while Ashleigh Marshall and Annabelle Charron were scoreless. The Panthers hit 18-61 (.295) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 16-25 (.640) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 13 assists, 18 turnovers, 4 blocks and 9 steals. Kim Letang paced the Rouge et Or with 16 on 5-15 from the floor, 4-12 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Carrie-Ann Auger added 7 on 1-9 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Maude Archambault notched 7 on 3-14 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 5 boards. Khaleann Caron-Goudreau added 6 on 3-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 18 boards, 2 assists, 5 blocks and 4 steals. Leslie Makosso scored 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4 assists and 4 steals. Frederique Beauchamp notched 3 on 1-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Elise Roy added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 0-3 from the arc. Zahra Wajih scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Lea Dominque added 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Marie-Pier Champagne and Josiane Prince were scoreless. The Rouge et Or hit 18-75 (.240) from the floor, 7-34 (.206) from the arc and 7-8 (.875) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 10 assists, 16 turnovers, 5 blocks and 12 steals. The Rouge et Or (coach Guillaume Giroux, assistant Francois Patenaude, assistant Hugo Boisvert, assistant Frederic Maucoronel, assistant Claudia Emond, therapist Laurie Coulombe, therapist Patricia Lantier) also included Djamila Amidou Triquet and Gabrielle Raiche-Marcoux.
In the final, the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies earned their second national title in five years by dusting the 2nd-seeded Brock Badgers 82-64 as tournament MVP Sabine Dukate drilled eight treys and the Huskies nailed 14 overall. “We played our best basketball at the right time,” Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis told Canadian press. “we really peaked at this tournament.” Thomaidis added her troops were devasted by a loss in the 2018 final but “I think sometimes it takes those kinds of disappointments to really learn from and propel you to greater performances. … (As well), we have a lot of weapons for other teams to have to stop and I think that was on full display.” Badgers coach Mike Rao said “they’re great inside, they’ve got great shooters, they’re athletic, they challenge the ball, they penetrate.” Dukate wasn’t dissuaded by a few misses early “I just kept shooting, coach said we had to take our shots and that’s my job on the team.” Thomaidis told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix that “for Sabine to hit eight three’s? Wow, to go in as a champion and go out as a champion, I’m so happy for her. For her to go into a championship gold-medal game and go 8-for whatever she was today, that’s such mental toughness and a sign of a competitor.” Dukate said capping her career with another national title is “just an amazing feeling and I’m so proud of my team in my first year and now my last year. We worked our asses off to be here. I’m so proud of my team.” Thomaidis said point guard Libby Epoch “was outstanding in this tournament. If there was a way to have two MVPs, I’d say that Libby would be our other one. She handled the ball so much and she made such good decisions and defended their best player.” Dukate said “I feel like we came to this tournament and played our best basketball and to our highest potential and it was great to see that every player took up shots that they had to and hit them with confidence. We haven’t played, like, any forwards who can shoot the three like that. So we had to adjust to that. it was a different style of game but we took care of the things coach (Thomaidis) wanted us to and we know how it ended.” Thomaidis said “we were a three-point shot away from not winning Canada West and not being here as the No. 1 seed, so that (last-minute win over UBC) was huge. It just goes to show that so many things have to go right. That’s what makes winning a national championship so special because any little thing can de-rail it. Fortunately for us, we stayed healthy, we played our best basketball, we had great team chemistry and it all came together at the right time. … The first one (national title) is always such an amazing feeling because it’s the first time you’ve ever done that. This one is different but still amazing. We’ve been here a number of times in the past five years and to know how much time and effort this team has put in, and the players have put in, to get back here and rebound from a disappointing performance last year, to come out with a national championship, it means a lot and I couldn’t be happier for them. They totally deserve it.” The Huskies took an 18-12 lead after one quarter by effectively pounding the ball into the blocks to Summer Masikewich. Badgers Samantha Keltos and Melissa Tatti rallied Brock to 31-29 lead, on a trey by Keltos. But Saskatchewan answered with a 16-2 run featuring seven points from Carly Ahlstrom and six from Dukate. The Badgers never rallied closed than five. Saskatchewan led 45-33 after three quarters and by as many as 26 in the final frame. Tatti said “I feel like we just put Brock on the map again. Not a lot of people believed in us, but we believed in us. I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back for my final two years, but I’m so thankful that I did. … For the last month we really started to peak. We started to share the ball, score, and just play with heart. Look where it got us.” Badgers coach Mike Rao said “thesegirls did some great things. They went against the odds. They just beat team after team, so I’m really proud of them.” Samantha Keltos said “it’s been fun showing people what we can do. We’ve been doubted this whole season, but we’ve been able to be here and show people what the Brock Badgers are all about.” Dukate was named player of the game for the Huskies, while Samantha Keltos earned the laurels for the Badgers. Sabine Dukate paced Saskatchewan with 24 on 8-15 from the floor, 8-12 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Summer Masikewich added 20 on 7-12 from the floor, 6-8 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Katriana Philipenko notched 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Libby Epoch scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Carly Ahlstrom added 9 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 10 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Megan Ahlstrom scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Kyla Shand added 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards, while Brianna Fehr and Vera Crooks were scoreless. Saskatchewan hit 29-66 (.439) from the floor, 14-35 (.400) from the arc and 10-12 (.833 from the line, while garnering 44, boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 7 steals, 3 blocks, 9 turnovers and 10 fouls. Samantha Keltos paced the Badgers with 21 on 7-18 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Melissa Tatti added 14 on 5-19 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jenneke Pilling notched 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Jessica Morris scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Elise Euale added 3 on 1-1 from the arc. Kristin Gallant scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 3 assists. Mary Ivison notched 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Eden Ferraro added 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Sofia Croce scored 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards, while Kyanna Thompson, Destiny Paquin and Kennedy Chisholm were scoreless. The Badgers hit 23-67 (.343) from the floor, 11-29 (.379) from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 10 turnovers and 13 fouls.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Sabine Dukate (Saskatchewan); Summer Masikewich (Saskatchewan); Samantha Keltos (Brock); Melissa Tatti (Brock); and Jenna Mae Ellsworth (Prince Edward Island).
The bronze medalist Prince Edward Island Panthers: Jenna Mae Ellsworth; Ashleigh Marshall; Madison Orser; Lauren Fleming; Lexi MacInnis; Reese Baxendale; Reilly Sullivan; Karla Yepez; Lauren Harris; Annabelle Charron; Carolina Del Santo; Sydney Whitlock; Lauren Rainford; coach Matt Gamblin; assistant Jay Mingrone; assistant Harris Campbell; assistant Carolyn Huggan; student trainer Danika Atchia
The silver medalist Brock Badgers: Destiny Paquin; Samantha Keltos; Mary Ivison; Meagan Charbonneau; Jessica Morris; Taylor Cumming; Jenneke Pilling; Melissa Tatti; Kyanna Thompson; Kristin Gallant; Eden Ferraro; Nicole Venhuizen; Sofia Croce; Kennedy Chisholm; Elise Euale; coach Mike Rao, assistant Ginny Cape; assistant Courtney McPherson; assistant Mackenzie Robinson; assistant Matthew Tang; assistant Rick Lostracco; assistant Cedric Kasongo; sports performance coach Taylor Tiessen; therapist Karen Millar; therapist Dan Caterini; student therapist Emily MacDonald; student therapist Abbey Hood Tidman; student therapist Aleiyah Miller; student performance coach Danielle Datzkiw; student performance coach Caitlynn Lefler; student performance coach Jennifer Winger; SID Stephen Leithwood
The gold medalist Saskatchewan Huskies: Libby Epoch; Christy Fehr; Carly Ahlstrom; Brianna Fehr; Sabine Dukate; Katriana Philipenko; Megan Ahlstrom; Kyla Shand; Claudia Lomba Viviana; Andrea Dodig; Summer Masikewich; Janaya Brown; Vera Crooks; redshirt Emma Engen; redshirt Erin Kehrig; coach Lisa Thomaidis; assistant Claire Meadows; assistant Allison Fairbrother; assistant Jacqueline Lavallee; video staff Tiegan Derksen; video staff Connor Jay; student trainer Claire McKenzie; student trainer Tagen Sevigny