In the opening round, held in Abbotsford and Clearbrook: …………………………………………………… The Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs dumped the New Westminster Hyacks 77-48 as Tanys Gerrard scored 25. Heidi Hanson led the Nyacks with 18. The Nyacks also included Jen Pallot, Nancy Armas. …………………………………………………… The Kamloops Westsyde Whundas dumped the Richmond Colts 74-65. With 6-2 centre Anna Mosdell taking command in the paint, Richmond took a slim lead after one quarter and kept within reach until the third frame, when Whundas forward Nadine Caron hit a pair of tough buckets to give Westsyde the lead for good. Caron told the Vancouver Sun that “I think with the caliber of the teams here and their ability to capitalize on their opportunities, a turnover becomes a four-point turnover. You miss your chance to score and the other team will go down and put the ball in. That’s the way the ball fell for a while and Richmond got back in.” Colts coach Bob Blount said “they beat each other up in the Okanagan league, and then they come down here and beat everybody else up. Westsyde has the depth and the experience of playing in the Okanagan Valley. The teams coming out of there are respected by everyone in the province, and with good reason. They just tired our starters out. We have been a good comeback team all season, but we haven’t been able to get that far ahead against the good teams after we do come back. There’s no gas left in our engines.” Caron noted that after losing to top-ranked Salmon Arm in the Okanagan League final and then dropping a wild card playoff to Vernon by 35 points, the Whundas entered the tournament with doubts. “Our confidence and pride were shaky after losing two straight. Today, we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could still win.” Whundas coach Bob Bridges credited Richmond with a tough outing. “They forced their way back into the game. That team is no slouch but at the same time, I thought we were spotty. I think it took us a little while to get back into the game we play. This was an important game for us. We’re capable of beating any team in the province but we really needed a push, a boost, to get us back on tract.” Caron finished with 34 points, including 16 in the final quarter. Westsyde led 39-35 at the half. Althought Westsyde’s Kerry Roberts was in foul trouble, reserve Devanee Peterson stepped in and performed well. Westsyde coach Bob Bridges told the Richmond Review that full-court pressure “is part of our style but it depends on the team. We knew that we had a lot of respect for Richmond, that you couldn’t let up on them because you knew they had the capability of closing the gap at any time.” The Colts tied the game at 47 but then tired. Bridges said “we finally got our break going back again. It’s been a while since we had our fast break moving and it took us about three quartres before we started to run. When we did, it changed the tempo of the game.” Colts coach Bob Blount said “we played our best but that’s a quality team. I felt they just tired our starters out. We had our break going because we press off the fast break and that’s what we did at the end of the first half. Our kids were fresh at the end of the first half but near the end of the second half. We just couldn’t do the same thing.” Mosdell led Richmond with 24. Donna Tretheway added 15, Leanne Reynolds 11 and Shannon Lovell 10. The Colts (coached by Bob Blount, assistant Lynn Blount) also included Debi Squelch, Corina Scorgie. …………………………………………………… The Vernon Panthers defeated the Nanaimo District Islanders 71-58 as Corinne Vanderwal scored 16 and Tracy Penno 15. The Panthers led 36-29 at the half. Bobbie-Jean Taylor led the Islanders with 19. Lisa Oakley added 10. Islanders coach Rose Jossul told the Nanaimo Daily News that “it wasn’t one of our better games. We gave up inches all over the court. We were certainly outsized and also didn’t play well at all. … We turned the ball over several times in the third quarter. Our guards didn’t handle their full-court press very well, which was surprising.” The Islanders (coached by Jossul) also included Susan Tomio, Dori Manley, Nicole Heisterman, Angel White, Jan Wilson, Zoye Geekie. …………………………………………………… The Cranbrook Mount Baker Trojanettes dispatched the Victoria Belmont Tomahawks 64-52 as Mary Lou MacDonald scored 23. Janice Halls led the Tomahawks with 14. The Tomahawks also included Kari Bacon, Dana Kingshorn. …………………………………………………… The Maple Ridge Ramblers pounded the Prince George Duchess Park Condorettes 58-42 as Kim Lawson scored 17 and Lori Kroeker 10. Jodi Lecher led the Condorettes with 20. “The potential of winning was there,” Condorettes coach Annette Gamache told the Prince George Citizen. “Our juniors played extremely well, but our seniors were a little bit flat. They just seemed a little anxious, you know?” Gamache said her troops were also unaccustomed the officiating. “We got pushed around quite a bit under the basket. We just couldn’t capitalize on our inside shots.” The Condorettes also included Michelle Lo, Jennifer Lo. …………………………………………………… The North Vancouver Windsor Dukes crushed the Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 67-49 as Megan Magee scored 27. Karis Schmidt led the Eagles with 17. Jodi Borne added 16. The Eagles (coached by Rudy Thiessen) also included Tanya Friesen, Kristal Neumann. …………………………………………………… The Terrace Caledonia Kermodes defeated the Delta Seaquam Seahawks 50-44 as Michelle Hendry scored 18, Lisa Dams 10 and Jody Cox 10. The Seahawks led 14-9 after one quarter and 36-28 at the half. The score was knotted at 38 after three quarters. Alternately reported that Seaquam led 10-7 after one quarter and 28-26 at the half. Annette Lutz paced the Seahawks with 18. Lori Orstad added 12. The Seahawks (coached by Gord Collings) also included Stef Maclellan, Kristine Morton. …………………………………………………… The Salmon Arm Jewels whipped the Steveston Packers 57-41 as Camille Thompson scored 21. Lisa Anderson led the Packers with 17. Toni Shaw added 6 and Cindy Stolar 5. Packers coach Anne Gillrie-Carr was a no-show until the fourth quarter because of a stomach ailment so assistant Ian McTavish stepped in. McTavish told the Richmon Review that “early foul trouble has hurt us all year. That combined with the injury problem never seems to stop hurting us.” Gillrie-Carr ordered her troops in the fourth quarter to go into a press and they ripped off a 7-0 run. But Camille Thompson stemmed the bleeding to extend the Jewels lead to 50-38. McTavish said “we played this game well enough to win. We had the effort but we didn’t have the finish. We missed 7 or 8 layups in the game.”
In the quarterfinals, the Terrace Caledonia Kermodes stunned the top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels 63-62, marking the second straight season in which they’d upset the pre-tournament favorite. Post Michelle Hendry, who scored 23, expected nothing less than a run to the final. “We’re a better team this year. This is a close-knit team. We stayed together the whole game. We’re looking for the top. I don’t know if we’ll make it but I hope so,” she told the Vancouver Sun. Salmon Arm struggled from the field as they fell behind 20-10 after 10 minutes of play. But sharpshooter and point guard Loree MacPherson rallied them back to a 35-34 lead at the half. The Jewels built their lead to eight in the second half but Caledonia rallied on hot perimeter shooting by Jennifer Dow, Judy Cox and Jan-Marie Wilson, who eventually scored 10. Hendry said the Kermodes felt “sorry to see them lose because we’re all good friends. We had some games in Salmon Arm this season, and they came to Terrace to play us and we took turns billeting. But I’m glad we won.” Salmon Arm coach Terry Michell said there were no excuses. “We just couldn’t handle the pressure from their forwards. There’s no question if you’re number one, people play their best against you. I wasn’t disappointed. I thought we handled the pressure well.” Kermodes coach Hugh MacKinnon said “this year, the girls are keeping their temperament more in line,” MacKinnon said. “We have so much poise and character in that lineup. We have a couple of outstanding players (twin posts Michelle Hendry and Lisa Dams), but there are also players who came off the bench and did a terrific job for us today.” MacKinnon added that his guards provided the difference in the game, as did his troops resilience and poise. They “bent, but they didn’t break. Lesser teams would have collapsed when Salmon Arm came back the way they did.” Dam’s three-point play with 1:30 made it 63-62 for Caledonia and it was all over except for some desperate scrambling. Dams notched 12 for the Kermodes. Loree MacPherson paced the Jewels with 20. Jenny Wright added 15. The Jewels (coached by Terry Michell, manager Kelly Wood) also included Debra Porteous, Tandi Brown, Dianne Marriott, Lara Reynolds, Dee Dee Swenson, Bev Mayes, Camille Thompson, Barb Wayslow, Dana McDonald and Tanya Kupkee.
The Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs crushed the Cranbrook Mount Baker Trojanettes 76-50 as Tanys Gerrard scored 29 and Laura Bettcher 17. Mary Lou MacDonald paced the Trojanettes with 25. Holly Shortt added 9. The Trojanettes (coached by Bill Stephens, assisted by Kyra Conway) also included Tracy Bauer, Jodi Taylor, Carol Fields, Paige Lancaster and Suzie Gagne.
The North Vancouver Windsor Dukes whipped the Maple Ridge Ramblers 59-44 as Megan Magee scored 24 and Marie Vecsey 12. Darlene Kinney led the Ramblers with 11. Lori Kroeker added 10. The Ramblers (coached by Cindy Thompson) also included Candace Hudson, Kim Lawson, Sheila Negraiff, Heather Turner, Candice Hudson, Kim Lawson.
In the last quarterfinal, the Vernon Panthers defeated the Kamloops Westsyde Whundas 69-65 as Corinne Vanderwal scored 24 and Tracy Penno 14. Nadine Caron led Whundas with 25. Catherine Stewart added 10. The Whundas also included Michelle Douglas, Devanee Peterson.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs tough defence and Tanys Gerrard’s 22 points led an easy but somewhat ugly 50-39 victory over the 3rd-seeded Vernon Panthers. “It tends to happen that way when it gets down near the end of the tournament,” Centaurs coach Steve Pettifer told the Vancouver Sun. “The kids get tighter, but they work harder. … (And) we tend to make teams play that way.” The Centaurs took command in the final 10 minutes. Corinne Vanderwal paced the Panthers with 18.
In the other semi, the 4th-seeded North Vancouver Windsor Dukes defeated the 5th-seeded Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 57-44 as 6-3 grade 10 student Megan Magee scored 25. The Dukes led 21-16 after one quarter and dominated the second frame by a 16-2 count to take a 37-18 lead at the half. Michelle Hendry paced the Kermodes with 14, well under her average. Lisa Dams added 10. Dukes coach Jim Harrison told the Vancouver Sun that “I felt kind of bad about the way we set up our game plan to shut her down. But we didn’t want her to get a chance to show us how good she can be. … Today all of our kids played as good as they can and some of them played their best game of the season,” Harrison said.
In the bronze medal match, the Vernon Panthers defeated the Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 57-55 after leading 15-14, 26-24 and 38-37 at the quarters. Corrine Vanderwal led the Panthers with 17. Tracy Panno added 14. Tournament MVP Michelle Hendry paced the Kermodes with 27. Lisa Dams added 9 and Judy Cox 9. The Kermodes (coached by Hugh MacKinnon) also included Jennifer Dow, Jan-Marie Wilson, Melanie Jones.
In the final, the Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs repeated as champion after defeating the North Vancouver’s Windsor Dukes 71-59 as their superior conditioning proved the difference down the stretch. Centennial was paced by Tanys Gerrard’s 32 points. Laura Betcher added 23, Sheila Corbould 6, Tiffany Cooper 5, Maria Klassen 3 and Mirian Valois 2. Megan Magee paced the Dukes with 32. Marie Vecsey added 10, Tanya Haladner 10, Tiffany Chester 3, Michelle Blanchard 3 and Diane Osborne 1. “We didn’t even expect to be in the B.C.’s this year because we lost so many key players,” guard Laura Betcher told the Vancouver Sun. “But the coach believed in us. He kept telling us we could do it again.” Centaurs coach Steve Pettifer said “I felt we had a chance. I felt good about the kids that were coming back, although I don’t think anyone around the province expected much of them.” Betcher said “I think the reason we came this far was our conditioning. The coach had us running the full-court press, every game, all year long and it paid off for us.” Pettifer said “I give all the credit to the kids. They believed in whatever we were doing – they were willing to work hard to execute. There were a lot of practices this season where they weren’t happy with me, but this is what makes it all worthwhile. … What made me really happy about the team tonight was that we built up a fairly good lead without Laura (Betcher). We were up by as many as 18 points without her. I think that was a real tribute to the team.” Gerrard said “I was really nervous at the beginning of the game and when I feel that way I usually don’t play too well. But the ball went in for me right away and it got me into the game.” Dukes coach Jim Harrison said “Gerrard killed us. We went into the game intending to defend against Betcher and Gerrard just took over the scoring.” Betcher was able to contain Vecsey to 10. “We just had to close her down. That was my goal for the game.” Harrison said “they made it tough to get good shots for Marie. I’ve got no complaints about her. She got us to the final.” Pettifer told the Maple Ridge Tri-City News that “we maybe didn’t have as many outstanding players. But we had a nice team effort.” Harrison said “the press hurt us. We knew it was coming but we just didn’t break it.”
The bronze medalist Vernon Panthers: Corinne Vanderwal; Shelley Morrison; Tracy Panno;
The silver medalist North Vancouver Windsor Dukes: Marie Vescey; Megan Magee; Tanya Haladner; Tiffany Chester; Michelle Blanchard; Diane Osborne;
The gold medalist Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs: Tanys Gerrard; Laura Betcher; Sheila Corbould; Tiffany Cooper; Maria Klassen; Miriam Valois; Chrissie Flouris; coach Steve Pettifer