In the opening round, held in Belleville: …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts clubbed the 16th-seeded Ajax Denis O’Connor Chargers 53-33 after leading 22-16 at the half. Riley Williams led the Colts with 15. Adaeze Okolie paced the Chargers with 20. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix whipped the 18th-seeded New Liskeard Timiskaming Saints 47-25 after leading 19-18 at the half. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints edged the 15th-seeded Fonthill E.L. Crossley Cyclones 54-47 as Anna Stilin scored 16, Samantha Hunt 11 and Abby Hurd 10. Stilin told the Sault Star that “we worked together and we worked hard.” Saints coach Jim Pedatella said “if you can’t find a way to win, you make a way to win. We just weren’t in a rhythm, offensively or defensively. And we struggled on various fundamentals throughout, fundamental I thought we gotten better at.” Kirsten Daley paced the Cyclones with 24. The score was knotted at 24 at the half. …………………………………………………… The 14th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs stunned the 8th-seeded Thunder Bay Hammerskjold Vikings 49-47 after leading 29-28 at the half. The Mustangs were led by Cassandra Nofuente and Chante Clarke, while Katie Ulakovich paced the Vikings. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Orillia Patrick Fogarty Flames dusted the 13th-seeded Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders 58-30 after leading 29-19 at the half. Kara Barsevich paced the Flames with 21. Melanie Enright led the Raiders with 12. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Kingston LaSalle Black Knights dumped the 17th-seeded Peterborough Holy Cross Hurricanes 48-33. The Hurricanes led 8-6 after one quarter. The Black Knights led 23-17 at the half and 36-26 after three quarters. Elizabeth Doag paced the Black Knights with 18. Jocelyn Anderson led the Hurricanes with 10. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics dumped the 12th-seeded Kemptville North Grenville Knights 40-29 after leading 34-9 at the half. Laura Doyle led the Celtics, while Darcy Hawkins paced the Knights. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Belleville Nicholson Crusaders crushed the 9th-seeded Rexdale Father Henry Carr Crusaders 50-28 after leading 15-8, 23-11 and 37-11 at the quarters. Jenni Thompson paced the Crusaders with 16. Bilqees Grant led Henry Carr with 10. Nicholson fell behind 2-1 before the game was a minute old but they scored the next 11 points and never trailed again in a dominating performance. Nicholson started slowly, by missing four of six free throws in the opening minutes (and 10 of 14 free throws in the first half). “We were really nervous at the start,” said Nicholson’s Hannah Taylor, “but we still started faster than we do in our normal games. We knew our offence would come, the offence always comes. Our defence can keep us in the games until the offence gets going.” Carr was shutout in the third quarter. “Our defence shut them down,” said Nicholson coach Justin Walsh. “That’s our hallmark. We try to play good defence all the time. We work hard on defence all the time. We had a great team effort,” said Walsh. Our defence shut them down, our outside shooters made shots and our point guard (Jenni Thompson) played great.” Thompson said “we started a little slow. We count on defence a lot and we just had to make better shots.” Walsh said “everybody did a good job. Our bench played really well and that allowed us to save our starters. It’s absolutely huge that the bench did so well.” Taylor said “we have to stay intense the whole game. It’s good to have one game under our belts, especially a win.” …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Strathroy Holy Cross Centurions clipped the 11th-seeded Manotick St. Mark Lions 29-19 after opening with a 10-0 run and leading 16-4 at the half. Amanda Medeiros paced the Centurions with 6. Kalyn McGregor added 6. Krista Wilson led the Lions with 5. “Overall, I was impressed. I think we could have beat them,” Lions coach Byron MacInnis told the Ottawa Citizen. “It was low scoring, but great defence at both ends.”
In the second elimination round: …………………………………………………… The 16th-seeded Ajax Denis O’Connor Chargers nipped the 18th-seeded New Liskeard Timiskaming Saints 46-44 after leading 14-9, 32-14 and 37-25 at the quarters. Adaeze Okolie paced the Chargers with 19. Sabrina Beauchamp led the Saints with 18. …………………………………………………… The 17th-seeded Peterborough Holy Cross Hurricanes edged the 15th-seeded Fonthill E.L. Crossley Cyclone 51-45 after leading 30-27 at the half. Katlyn Elliot paced the Hurricanes while Megan Climenhage led the Cyclone. The Cyclone also included Shalimar Stechyshyn, Meagha Lewis, Karen Sawchuk, Kirsten Daley, Laura Sawsula, S Marma, Melissa Kohli, Paige Campbell and Emily Gearing.
In the third round: …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts dumped the 12th-seeded Kemptville North Grenville Knights 48-32 after leading 29-11 at the half. Riley Williams paced the Colts with 22. Dallas Hawkins led the Knights with 12. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Orillia Patrick Fogarty Flames whipped the 9th-seeded Rexdale Father Henry Carr Crusaders 46-21 after leading 23-7 at the half. Courtney Bruce led the Flames, while Eva-Amo Mensah paced the Crusaders. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix defeated the 8th-seeded Thunder Bay Hammarskjold Vikings 41-33 as Sarah Slattery scored 16. Katie Ulakovic led the Vikings with 17. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Belleville Nicholson Crusaders edged the 14th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs 67-63 in double overtime. Nicholson led 15-11 after one quarter. Downsview led 30-22 at the half and 44-23 after three quarters. The score was knotted at 47 after regulation and at 58 after one overtime. Jenni Thompson paced the Crusaders with 32. Chante Clarke led Downsview with 28. Cassandra Nofuente added 15. Watson nailed three foul shots with 14 seconds to go in regulation, tying the game 47-47 and sending it into overtime. “I haven’t felt that much pressure in a while,” said Watson. “But I just kept telling myself, ‘Make the shots. Make the shots’.” Nicholson outscored Downsview 24-3 in the fourth period with Watson capping the comeback. The first overtime decided nothing but the Nicks put the hammer down in the last two minutes of the second extra frame with a pair of foul shots by Thompson giving the Crusaders a 62-59 edge. Thompson went backdoor for two more, 64-59, then Hannah Taylor sealed the deal with two more shots from the line. “I’d say the foul shooting made the difference,” said Watson, who scored 16. “We had to make them. They decided the game.” The third quarter was a nightmare for Nicholson, as Downsview ripped a 14-1 run. But Nicholson sparked their rally with a 10-0 run in the final period of regulation and the race was on. “We decided to run the ball,” said Watson. “We got some steals and forced turnovers. We’re good at that. We’re a fourth-quarter team.” …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints clubbed the 13th-seeded Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders 70-33 after leading 37-23 at the half. Samantha Hunt led the Saints with 17. Abby Hurd added 14 and Tianna Deluzio 11. Melanie Enright paced the Raiders with 10. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Kingston LaSalle Black Knights dumped the 11th-seeded Manotick St. Mark Lions 51-35 after leading 24-18 at the half. Elizabeth Boag paced the Black Knights, while Danielle Aucoin led the Lions. The Lions also included Kristina Menton. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics crushed the 16th-seeded Ajax Denis O’Connor Chargers 69-34 after leading 22-7, 45-18 and 57-25 at the quarters. Laura Doyle paced the Celtics with 17. Adaeze Okolie led the Chargers with 17. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Strathroy Holy Cross Centurions dumped the 17th-seeded Peterborough Holy Cross Hurricanes 48-38 after leading 9-8, 17-16 and 33-28 at the quarters. Allison Griffis, Nina Medeiros and Katherine Vanden Eltzen each scored 10 to pace the Centurions. Katlyn Elliot led the Hurricanes with 16.
In the quarterfinals, the 6th-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts stunned the 3rd-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix 54-36 after leading 27-14 at the half. Riley Williams paced the Colts, while Katie Fedchun led the Phoenix. The Phoenix (coach Pat O’Leary) also included Bryne-Lee Sorley, Melissa Giancaterino, Kira Lohnes, Heather McGhie, Sara Slattery, Amy Alderson, Francis Bonomi, Andjela Mamic and Jenn Giancaterino.
The top-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics clubbed the 10th-seeded Belleville Nicholson Crusaders 69-40 after leading 29-7, 44-17 and 60-24 at the quarters. Janine Deleon led the Celtics with 17. Jenni Thompson paced the Crusaders with 12. “They look to run and gun when they can and they are very intelligent on offense,” said Nicholson coach Justin Walsh said. “If they cannot get a fast break, they are patient on offence and usually get a good shot. They are also a very good shooting team with lots of experience. Their three key players have been playing senior for three years and most of the team have been playing together since grade five. … Bishop Mac is bigger and more experienced. We lost a lot of energy in that first game today. Hey, the girls had a great tournament. We were happy to get to the quarterfinals. I think the girls learned a lot.”
The 5th-seeded Kingston LaSalle Black Knights nipped the 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints 42-39 after leading 16-6, 24-18 and 35-26 at the quarters. Evelyn Graham led the Black Knights with 15. Elizabeth Boag added 10 and Katie Gordanier 10. Abby Hurd paced the Saints with 13. Samantha Hunt added 12. Hurd told the Sault Star that “we came out a little slow. We didn’t hit a couple of easy shots. Maybe if we did, things would have been different.” Saints coach Jim Pedatella said “they beat us on rebounds, for sure. But like I said, we had our chances.” The Saints (coached by Pedatella) also include Tianna Deluzio, Anna Stilin, Rachel McLean, Lexie Bordin, Kristina Dovigi, Jenalee Posteraro, Danielle White, Lauren Speakman.
In the last quarterfinal, the 7th-seeded Orillia Patrick Fogarty Flames dumped the 2nd-seeded Strathroy Holy Cross Centurions 40-27. Alexandra Clarke led the Flames, while Kalyn McGregor paced the Centurions.
In the semis, the 6th-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts stomped the 7th-seeded Orillia Patrick Fogarty Flames 49-33. Fogarty led 11-5 after one quarter. St. Clair led 19-17 at the half and 37-24 after three quarters. Riley Williams paced the Colts with 9. Jessica Drury added 9 and Ashley Bisson 9. Alexandra Clarke led the Flames with 10.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics whipped the 5th-seeded Kingston LaSalle Black Knights 76-51 after leading 22-4, 41-19 and 62-38 at the quarters. Laura Doyle paced the Celtics with 21. Bree Chaput added 16. Elizabeth Boag led the Black Knights with 15. Dionne Gaudet added 13.
In the bronze medal match, the 5th-seeded Kingston LaSalle Black Knights dumped the 7th-seeded Orillia Patrick Fogarty Flames 51-35 after leading 13-10, 26-19 and 37-24 at the quarters. Katie Gordanier led the Black Knights with 14. Elizabeth Boag added 11. Courtney Bruce paced the Flames with 12. Alexandra Clarke added 9. “We wanted to win a medal but we really wanted to win our last game of the season,” said La Salle’s Evelyn Graham. LaSalle coach Jason Reynolds said “we really came together as a team. We struggled around the middle of October, but we managed to put it all together this weekend.” Reynolds suggested that sometimes it’s better to win that last game even if it means bronze over, say, silver. “When you lose that final game, it can stick with you. This is a nice way for players like Liz Boag to end their high school careers– go out with a win.”
In the final, the top-seeded Guelph Bishop MacDonell Celtics defended their OFSAA crown by edging the 6th-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts 52-44. St. Clair led 12-11 after one quarter. The Celtics led 25-21 at the half and 44-33 after three quarters. Bree Chaput paced the Celtics with 21. Janine DeLeon added 14. Riley Williams led the Colts with 12. Jessica Drury added 11. “I think that our defence was the key in our Championship win,” said Bree Chaput. “Our team has been so successful because we always work so hard. Everyone on the team gets along so well, which is so key. We share the ball well, and work off of each other. We have all played together for a while, and I think that’s a key factor to our success. It feels just as sweet to win this year as last year. The hardest thing in sports is to repeat your success, so doing this was a huge accomplishment.” Celtics assistant Jim Lane said “one thing that was always there for us, all tournament long, was our defence. We do a lot of basketball fundamentals in practice. Shooting, ball-handling, passing, defence, footwork — all the tools players need to play the game. Our girls also have what I would call a good basketball IQ, so putting in offensive and defensive schemes is easier and quicker. Winning an OFSAA championship is a very difficult thing to do. Repeating as champions is even more difficult. We’re obviously ecstatic about repeating. Back-to-back has a nice ring to it. I told the girls before the game that there was an empty hole in our trophy case that needed to be refilled. I’m just so happy for the girls.” Colts coach Pete Kaija said “we had a shot, but they shoot the ball so well. We weren’t very deep, but I was pretty confident we’d get to the final – we’d beaten the No, 4 seed (Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil) by 20 twice this year. Our kids were very focused. They’d read over study sheets before games and talk about what they needed to do. In 20 years of coaching basketball, girls and boys, this is probably one of the nicest teams I’ve had and I’ve never seen a team get so much better from September to November. And the good thing was I was able to bring in a few junior players – we took five (Grade) 10s and a 9. We’ll be OK next year.”
The bronze medalist Kingston LaSalle Black Knights: Elizabeth Boag; Evelyn Graham; Katie Gordanier; Dionne Gaudet; Taylor Burns; Aria Compton; Kacey Hicks; Tessa Latchmore; Trisha Robinson; Kelsey White; coach Jason Reynolds; assistant Sheri Hodgins; assistant Paul Coulter
The silver medalist Sarnia St. Clair Colts: Riley Williams; Jessica Drury; Ashley Bisson; Emily Powell; Samantha Kaldway; Brittany Lewis; Taryn Bernier; Laura Brown; Jamie Holmes; coach Pete Kaija; coach A MacKay
The gold medalist Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics: Laura Doyle; Janine De Leon; Bree Chaput; Alison Morris; Caitlyn Reynolds; Andrea Priamo; Cheryton Bennett; Sarah Priamo; Logan Lane; Megan Phillips; coach Andy Chaput; assistant Jim Lane; assistant Deb Kewin