In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The North Battleford Vikings clocked the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones 91-23. The Vikings broke to a 21-0 lead and romped. Tori Heinemann paced the Vikings with 25. Alex Butler led the Cyclones with 5. …………………………………………………… The Melfort Comets dispatched the Yorkton Regional Raiders 48-38 after leading 13-4, 23-17 and 38-27 at the quarters. The Raiders rallied within two in the final frame but the Comets pulled away down the stretch. Trisha Neher and Erika Peterson each scored 11 to pace the Comets. Robyn Bendfeld led the Raiders with 16. Comets coach Penny Anderson said her troops overcame a sluggish start but “fought hard. We led the whole game but were not as aggressive as we should have been the first half. We would get a 10 (to) 15-point lead and then they would close the gap again.” …………………………………………………… The Prince Albert St. Mary Marauders crushed the North Battleford John Paul II Crusaders 78-39 as Megan Manson scored 15 and Jada Oftedahl 14. Deidre Fonda paced the Crusaders with 9. Lyric Larose added 7. ………………………………………………………………….. The Moose Jaw A. E. Peacock Toilers dumped the Warman Wolverines 72-59 after leading 32-31 at the half and 54-46 after three quarters. …………………………………………………… The Wilcox Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Hounds clocked the Melville Cobras 80-36 after leading 32-10 after one quarter. Morgan Dool paced the Hounds with 21. Kelsie Rieger led the Cobras with 8. …………………………………………………… The Regina Luther Lions nipped the 7th-seeded Meadow Lake Carpenter Spartanettes 44-42 by dominating the boards. Megan Gilewich and Sonja Toman each scored 10 to pace the Lions. Madison Oystrick led the Spartanettes with 12. “It was just a really close game all the way to the end,” said Carpenter coach Andrea Halstead. Getting an early lead, Luther took control late in the game. The Spartanettes also featured Jordyn Lajeunesse and Denika Friderich. …………………………………………………… The Humboldt Mohawks whipped the Weyburn Eagles 67-26 after leading 28-2, 40-10 and 57-17 at the quarters. Paige Crozon paced the Mohawks with 26. Susan Skulski added 22. …………………………………………………… The Regina Archbishop M.C. O’Neill Titans edged the Swift Current Ardens 52-48 after leading 28-18 at the half.
In the quarterfinals, the North Battleford Vikings smacked the Melfort Comets 67-32 after leading 32-18 at the half. Kendra Humenny led the Vikings with 23. E Peterson paced the Comets with 8. “They put on some backcourt pressure on in the second half and we turned the ball over a few too many times,” Comets coach Penny Anderson said. “Normally, we have someone that hits the high double digits in scoring but it just didn’t happen this weekend. Scoring was pretty spread out and no one had that big game.”
The Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers edged the Prince Albert St. Mary Marauders 54-50 after leading 17-14, 31-22 and 45-40 at the quarters. In the fourth quarter St. Mary hit a three pointer to close to 47-42 but Peacock again responded to go ahead 49-42 with 6:29 left in the game. Megan Crone hit a big three to put Peacock ahead 52-45 with 1:20 left in the game. Madi Rice hit another three to go ahead 54-45. Megan Manson hit a three to bring St. Mary to 54-50.
The Wilcox Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Hounds stomped the Regina Luther Lions 82-34 as Ainsley MacIntyre scored 32. Megan Gilewich led the Lions with 10.
In the last quarterfinal, the Humboldt Mohawks dusted the Regina Archbishop M.C. O’Neill Titans 65-23 after leading 16-0, 35-15 and 46-21 at the quarters. Paige Crozon led the Mohawks with 26. Susanne Skulski added 20. The Mohawks played without starter Lindsay Larson (torn ACL)
In the semis, the top-seeded North Battleford Vikings dispatched the 5th-seeded Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers 72-59. “We are so proud of these girls,” said Peacock’s coach Renee Verge. “You have to give credit where credit is due and that is a very talented team that is very deserving. We made them work hard for that win and our girls fought very hard until the end and they left nothing in their tanks.” Both teams started the first quarter with some nerves as they missed shots and turned over the ball. The Vikings opened the game with a 10-0 run before the Toilers played tough defence to come from behind and pull ahead. The Vikings and the Toilers were tied at 16 after the first quarter. “We came in with a game plan and we executed our game plan,” said Verge. “We lost to a very talented team who is very deserving of the number one seed in the province.” The Vikings were able to pull ahead in the second quarter by using fast break points off turnovers and three-point shots. The Vikings continued to hold the lead throughout the game. “When you shake hands with the opposing coach and he says ‘wow, you made us work for that’…that is a team we lost to by 50 points five weeks ago and there was one point in the fourth quarter where we were only down by nine and that is very significant,” said Verge. North Battleford coach Bryan Cottini said the Toilers refused to collapse their defence and open up the perimeter. “We thought we had a game plan coming in. Peacock totally made me throw my game plan out the window. What we saw from them earlier, we didn’t see this time. They got a lot more aggressive on defence and their rebounding was good. Overall, they did a remarkable job and they upped their game.”
In the other semi, the Wilcox Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Hounds clipped the Humboldt Mohawks 70-61. “It’s always exciting,” said Hounds coach Wayne Morrison. “One thing you talk about all year is that you want to get to Hoopla. It’s such a great feeling when you get there. You still remember the times you didn’t get to Hoopla and what that feeling was like as well. It’s all a part of your journey with the players. There are times when you go through the drudgery of it, but that’s part of attaining your goal of reaching Hoopla. I can probably remember every game we’ve played at Hoopla.” The Hounds avenged a pair of midseason losses to the Mohawks. “We prepared so well for this one,” said Hounds star Ainsley MacIntyre, who scored 27 points and also spent large portions of the game guarding University of Utah-bound Paige Crozon. “We’ve been preparing for this all year. I think we played a really great game.” The decisive run came in the third quarter, when the Hounds blew the game open with a 17-3 run. Despite 30 points from Crozon, the Mohawks were never closer than nine the rest of the way. “We wanted it a lot and we went out and got it,” said the Dalhousie-bound MacIntyre. “This was the game we needed to bring it.”
In the bronze medal match, the Humboldt Mohawks defeated the Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers 56-48 as Paige Crozon scored 33. Megan Crone led the Toilers with 17. The Toilers, coached by Renee Verge, also included Madi Rice and Charlotte Williams-Greatorex. “We just take such pride. Both those teams worked for their wins,” said Peacocks coach Renee Verge. “We were in this game until the end.” Paige Crozon led the Mohawks throughout the game and she carried the momentum during the first half, driving to the hoop and shooting over top of Peacock’s defenders for three-point shots. “It’s great to end my Grade 12 year off with a medal and a great way to end the year,” said Crozon. “It was great to play them. They are such a classy team and they are such a hard-working team.” The Toilers were only down by four points at the half time break, but the momentum changed in the third quarter as Peacock came out shooting strong and the Mohawks let up defensively and turned the ball over, allowing the Toilers to not only get back into the game, but take the lead into the fourth quarter. “We told them to keep working on their game plan. We kept Paige Crozon to two points in the third quarter and our own team collapsed to take away the middle on the drive. Our defensive game plan really came together in the third,” said Verge.
In the final, the Wilcox Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Hounds dumped the North Battleford Vikings 82-69. The Vikings led 40-37 at the half. Morgan Dool paced the Hounds with 28. Ainsley McIntyre added 23. Kendra Humenny led the Vikings with 23. Coach Wayne Morrison was in his 18th appearance and 30th year of coaching. The Hounds trailed by 14 on the first quarter. A critical moment came when Hounds star Ainsley MacIntyre called an audible on the floor and switched checks so she could guard Kendra Humenny. After scoring 16 points in the first half, the Vikings star had only seven in the final two quarters. “The key was, we were able to stop them,” said Notre Dame coach Wayne Morrison, adding that from then on, “Cassidy Schmidt and Morgan Dool got some steals and we transferred those into points.”
The bronze medalist Humboldt Mohawks: Paige Crozon; Susanne Skulski; Lindsay Larson; Katherine Skulski; Tori Dickson; Kaitlyn Grieman; Brianna Smith; Mackenzie Mueller; Aime Schwinghamer; Amanda Wuchner; Brianne Hergott; Rachel Hergott; Danielle Wuchner; Haley Grieman; coach Kerri Archibald
The silver medalist North Battleford Vikings: Tori Heinemann; Kendra Humenny; Quinn Eberle; coach Bryan Cottini
The gold medalist Wilcox Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Hounds: Morgan Dool; Ainsley MacIntyre; coach Wayne Morrison