In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seed Salmon Arm Jewels thrashed the 16th-seeded Prince George Polarettes 85-26. Salmon Arm used their running game to full advantage. Erin Gibbons, the Salmon Arm point guard who’s the best player in the province, had only to play 16 minutes, but still managed 12 points and 9 assists. Thirteen of the Jewels’ 15 players played at least 10 minutes, and the same number scored at least two points. “We played well today. And it’s not like we haven’t been through this before,” Gibbons told the Vancouver Province. Marilyn Brockman paced the Jewels with 27. Amy Kuhn led the Polars with 12. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Victoria Mount Douglas Rams dumped the 14th-seeded Cranbrook Mount Baker Trojanettes 58-40 as Lindsay Anderson scored 27. Shannon McKay led the Trojanettes with 12. “This game time (8:30 a.m.) is a little nerve wracking. We knew what happened to Lambrick Park last year and that was definitely in the back of our minds,” Anderson, who pilfered 11 balls, told the Vancouver Province. The Trojanettes also included Alana Kemble. …………………………………………………… The 12th-seeded Victoria St. Michaels University Blue Jaguars stunned the 5th-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers 69-61 as Kim Lobb scored 33 on 12-16 from the floor and 14 boards. She was the only Blue Devil to score in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter when St. Michaels took command. Joann Nash dished 11 assists. Nikole Longhi led the Ramblers (coached by Don Herman) with 35. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers crushed the 15th-seeded Prince Rupert Charles Hays Hurricanes 91-68. Rosalyn Hicks paced the Pipers with 16. Kim Burias led the Hurricanes with 20. The Hurricanes also included Krista Johnson, Denise Wilson. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Maple Ridge Thomas Haney Thunder dumped the 9th-seeded Nanaimo Dover Bay Dolphins 75-55. The Thunder struggled to handle Dolphins Nicole Brown and Allison Roberts early and even trailed 29-27 at the half. But they went on an 18-4 run in the third quarter to take the lead and coasted home. Shareane Heuring paced the Thunder with 22. Rochelle Liem added 15. Nicole Brown led the Dolphins with 22. The Dolphins also included Allison Clelland, Julie Mackey, Gill Martin, Rochelle Braganza, Jamie Blunt. …………………………………………………… The 13th-seeded Richmond J.N. Burnett Breakers edged the 4th-seeded Mission Heritage Park Highlanders 68-65 as Leslie Manzano scored 17. The Breakers took command with a 15-3 run in the second half. Rachael Peters led the Highlanders with 22. The Highlanders also included Dani Langford. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts defeated the 7th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 58-54 as Julie Smulders scored 31. “A month and a half ago, I didn’t think we had a chance at being here,” Lord Byng coach Jim Day told the Vancouver Province. Dana Friesen paced the Eagles with 18. Jocelyn Reimer added 13 and Katie Hall 12, along with 10 boards. The Eagles also included Dawn Gosselin, Jodi Skeels. Eagles coach Tim Smith told the Abbotsford News his troops looked past the Grey Ghosts to a matchup with Argyle. “We were pretty anxious to get a crack at them (after a four-overtime loss in a midseason tournament) and feeling pretty good about our chances.” MEI led 20-16, 3026 and 46-40 at the quarters. “We just couldn’t get a safe enough lead,” said Smith. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded New Westminster Hyacks defeated the 11th-seeded Port Moody Blues 56-44 as Kris Jack scored 21. Danielle English led the Blues with 13. The Blues also included Kelly Devlin.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels defeated the 8th-seeded Maple Ridge Thomas Haney Thunder 56-44. Salmon Arm pounded the ball inside to wear Thomas Haney down, and it certainly worked in their favor, as the Thunder could only manage four points in the fourth quarter. “Everyone on our team is capable of stepping up and we all did,” Jewels forward Marilynn Brockman told the Vancouver Province. “We knew what we had to do and we did it. Games aren’t usually this good in the quarterfinals.” Salmon Arm point guard Erin Gibbons added: “That’s probably the best game that we’ve played in all year, and we got to have most of the fun in it.” The Thunder keyed on the explosive Gibbons. So the Jewels continually looked inside to Brockman and Sherri Savage, and all the battling under the hoop seemed to tire the Thunder. Brockman finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, Gibbons counted 18 points and Savage had 11 points and 14 rebounds. “They remembered last year. They were out to get us,” said Thomas Haney point guard Rochelle Liem. “I do think we scared them this time. It would have been great to win in my graduating year, but we’ve still had a good season and we played our hearts out.” Thunder coach Winfred Liem told the Vancouver Sun that “all credit to Salmon Arm – they played well and they will probably win the tournament. I will always be very proud of the effort we put up today, but we cannot be sad losing to a team like Salmon Arm.” Jewels coach Terry Michell said “rebounding, shooting and ball control were three of the keys we talked about going into the game and we executed all of them pretty well. Haney is noted for taking a lot of threes, so we knew that rebounding would be very important.” Gibbons noted “we pretty much stuck to our game plan. Haney’s a good team and you have to play disciplined ball against them.” The Sun added that two questionable calls proved the difference. First, a charging call against Grade 9 guard Lauren Liem, and then a whistle that coach Liem was still trying to figure out after the game. “I won’t comment on the calls except to say that they came at very crucial points in the game,” said Liem. Rochelle Liem paced Haney with 11. Lauren Liem added 10. The Thunder (coached by Winfred Liem, assisted by Jo-Ann Liem) also included Karlene Liem, Shareane Heuring, Bianca Salazar, Stephanie Van De Walle.
The 2nd-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers nipped the 10th-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts 54-50 in overtime. “Whoa,” Argyle point guard Rosalyn Hicks told the Vancouver Province. “We knew that this game was going to come down to who wanted it more, and for three and a half quarters they wanted it more than us.” The Grey Ghosts looked like they had won it in regulation, when Jennifer MacLeod converted an easy lay-in in the waning seconds. The referees ruled it had come after the buzzer, prompting the extra period. Argyle could only manage two buckets from Ashlee Dobbe in the extra period, but Lord Byng couldn’t muster a single point. “I don’t think we took them lightly,” said Hicks, who scored 14. Backcourt mate Jennifer Wickson notched 16 points and 11 rebounds. “They really just seemed to want it more.” The Grey Ghosts (coached by Jim Day) also included Julie Smulders, Jenn MacLeod.
The 12th-seeded Victoria St. Michaels University Blue Jaguars defeated the 13th seeded Richmond J.N. Burnett Breakers 61-47. Kim Lobb nabbed 21 boards for the Blue Devils. The Breakers (coached by Bill Lambert) also included Pauline Manzano, Leslie Manzano, Kristen Cook, Jenny Beckman.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Victoria Mount Douglas Rams dispatched the 6th-seeded New Westminster Hyacks 53-48. The Hyacks had just five players reach the scoresheet, and two of them, including star Kristine Jack, fouled out in the fourth quarter. Mount Douglas shooting guard Lindsay Anderson led the winners with 27 on 9-15 from the floor and 14 rebounds. The Rams led 29-28 at the half. The Hyacks included Kristine Jack, Amelia Sandoe, Carly Burrus, Stephanie Huber, Lisa Roberts.
In the semis, the 3rd-seeded Victoria Mount Douglas Rams defeated the 2nd-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers 74-56. The Pipers led 38-36 at the half but the Rams held them to just 2 points in the fourth quarter. Grade 11 post Jen Diane scored 18 in the first half and finished with 27. Lindsay Anderson added 19. “The coaches like to platoon us a lot, which gives us a lot of playing time right from the start of the season,” Diana told the Vancouver Sun. “They make the Grade 11 players feel as much a part of the team as the Grade 12s. Playing time isn’t decided on age or grade with this team.” Rams co-coach Mike Metcalfe said “we don’t claim to have invented it (platooning), but we’re strong advocates of it. We think it’s important to get every player involved right off the bat from the start of each season. Time and time again, it pays dividends down the road. … I think they (the Pipers) like to freewheel and we decided at halftime to meet them at half court and press them there. Our kids did a good job in containing them most of the second half.” Ashley Dobbe paced t*he Pipers with 13. Jenn Wickson added 10 and Adriane Harrington 10.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels dumped the 12th-seeded Victoria St. Michaels University Blue Jaguars 73-57. Bree Archibald paced the Jewels with 24. Erin Gibbons added 22. Kim Lobb scored 36 for the Blue Devils. “We only had one consistent scorer tonight (Lobb). I have no problems with us losing tonight because Salmon Arm was the better team. The best two teams in the tournament are playing in the final and that’s how it should be,” Blue Jaguars coach Ian Hyde-Lay told the Vancouver Sun. The Jaguars also included Joann Nash, Kathryn Watson.
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers defeated 12th-seeded Victoria St. Michaels University Blue Jaguars 74-49 as Jenn Wickson scored 30 on 13-17 from the floor. The Pipers held St. Michaels star Kim Lobb to just 17 points, and just 4 in the first half. Argyle matched up well with Lobb, defending her with 6-1 Ashlee Dobbe. The Pipers led 35-24 at the half. Lobb told the Vancouver Province that “I don’t think the games have been about me trying to get points, about our team trying to win. I’ve been our leading scorer for most of our games this year, so we were just trying to do the things that would make us successful. Everybody had to play their part.”
Argyle guard Jennifer Wickson hit 13-17 from the floor as she scored 20. Lobb “probably played the best she’s played all year in this tournament and that’s the sign of a good player,” said SMU coach Ian Hyde-Lay, who was at the helm of the Blue Devils because shortly before the tournament, Scott Carr got a teaching job in China and had to leave the school. “Obviously, she’s always had the athletic ability. But she’s shown at this tournament that she can score from both inside and outside.” Lobb noted “I think I’ve had three games in a row with 20 points, but I’ve never had three with 30.” Point guard Joann Nash added 14. The Blue Devils (coached by Hyde-lay) also included Kanoux Larsen, Krystal O’Bryne, Kathryn Watson, Donna Lee, Jelena Mrdjenovich, Vania Gamache, Kelly Cox, Olivia Ibell and Jenn Woodland.
In the final, the top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels defeated the 3rd-seeded Victoria Mount Douglas Rams 82-80 in overtime as point guard Erin Gibbons hit a runner in the lane with 6.4 seconds to play. The Rams had forced overtime when Lindsay Anderson hit a Hail Mary three-pointer with 1.2 seconds on the clock. Gibbons was elated after leading the Jewels to their first title since 1979. “I was thinking I’d better score or I’d better get fouled or something. I’m in shock. I really don’t know what to say. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” she told the Vancouver Province. Both teams shot over .500 from the floor as they broke a tournament record for points in a title match. Gibbons shattering the championship scoring record as she notched 42 points to best the 32 Tanys Gerrard of Centennial had scored in 1988 and Megan Magee of Windsor had scored in 1989. Gibbons hit 7-10 from the arc. “I think it’s the best final ever,” said Salmon Arm coach Terry Michell, who was a rookie head coach when the Jewels won in 1979. “But I’m biased. I’m saying that because we’ve won.” The Jewels had taken a 72-69 lead with 6.6 seconds left in regulation when Gibbons hit a pair of free throws. But Mount Douglas in-bounded a long bomb to Anderson, who hit the tying trey. Prior to overtime, Michell told his troops: “I knew that we were on a roll. I just told the girls we had five minutes to go.” The teams traded the lead in the extra session until Gibbons winning runner. Anderson missed a last prayer but said “I’m proud of the way we played. No one really gave us a chance.” She finished with 35 points. “Terry deserves this as much as any of us,” Gibbons, a Grade 12 student who was picked the tournament’s most valuable player, told the Vancouver Sun. “This is the best way to end off a high school career. It was a great game.” The Rams had been molded by Brett Westcott, whose claim to fame previously was coaching Spectrum to a 68-65 upset of Salmon Arm in the 1995 finale. He was in the stands Saturday night, unable to take his spot on the bench because of a suspension stemming from disagreements with parents. “We had our turn and they had theirs. They deserved it,” said Anderson. Gibbon’s winning runner was breathtaking. The ball was inbounded to her under her hoop and, as she made her way down the court, the entire crowd at Capilano College rose in unison, coming to their feet as she passed by, like a weird version of the wave. When the ball left her fingers, everyone in the building was on their feet. When it passed through the hoop, pandemonium struck. “I knew that it was going in,” said Salmon Arm backcourt mate Ronni Johnson. “Erin’s been there for us so many times this year.” Gibbons had given the Jewels a 72-69 lead with 6.6 seconds to go in regulation with a pair of free throws. Mount Douglas inbounded the ball the length of the court to their star, Lindsay Anderson, who drained a three-pointer just before the buzzer sounded. Gibbons scored a tournament final record 42 points, going seven of 10 from three-point range. She also had 10 assists, 11 rebounds, two steals and four blocks en route to being named most valuable player. Anderson connected on 14 of 20 shots from the field on her way to 35 points. “I’m crying and I don’t know why,” Gibbons said afterward. “We were in the provincial finals, in the juniors, when I was in Grade 10, and we lost by three, so this was just a great win for us – definitely I will never forget this game.” Dave Hutchings was at the helm of the Rams as the Victoria association had suspended Brett Westcott for a year over a dispute with parents in the 1995 campaign.
The bronze medalist North Vancouver Argyle Pipers: Jennifer Wickson; Rosalyn Hicks; Michelle Longpre; Ashlee Dobbe; Adriane Harrington;
The silver medalist Victoria Mount Douglas Rams: Lindsay Anderson; Jen Diana; Angela Kendall; Allison Moore; Ursula Andiel; coach Dave Hutchings; (coach Brett Westcott)
The gold medalist Salmon Arm Jewels: Erin Gibbons; Jaime Latham; Ronni Johnson; Marilyn Brockman; Sherri Savage; Tennille Brown; Erin Reed; Carolyn Cartwright; Bree Archibald; Alison Browne; Christel Mueller; Crystal Cartwright; Krista Bridge; Sarah Howard; Tanya Goodwin; coach Terry Michell; assistant Tanya Kupkee