In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The Kelowna Owls nipped the Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks 75-73. The Hawks led 23-15 after one quarter, 42-37 at the half and 58-53 after three quarters. “I think we owned the boards but I haven’t checked yet,” Owls coach Lisa Nevoral told the Vancouver Province. The Owls won despite shooting a woeful 32 per cent from the field, and despite missing 18 of its 27 free throws. But they ripped down 43 offensive boards and had a 67-45 rebounding edge. Mouat dominated early and when Serena Sarowa knocked down a trey with 6:30 remaining in the second quarter, they led 36-22. The passivity of the Owls’ defence forced Nevoral to switch to a very aggressive zone look, and it paid instant dividends. Kelowna turned the defensive stops into 21-6 run. Owls’ 6-1 post Jaeda Stanhope, plagued by fouls, came off the bench late in the fourth quarter and scored back-to-back buckets despite her four fouls, putting her team up 67-63. The Hawks countered with a 6-2 run to knot the score at 69 on a pair of gritty drives to the hoop by Penielle M’Bikata and a steal and subsequent fast-break layup by Serena Sarowa. But Kelowna responded with a 5-0 spurt of their own to reclaim control, and held off Mouat in the final minute. Sarowa was playing with ankle injury. “She didn’t practice for several weeks, and was playing really short minutes (during the Fraser Valleys),” Hawks coach Tara Burton said. “This was her first full game back in a few weeks, and she was very good. … They were a rebounding machine. Most of their points were second-chance points. We talked about that going in, but in the second half, we couldn’t take care of it. They’re athletic, they’re long, and that’s a tough match-up for us.” Cassidy Kapaiwai and Carly Corrado each scored 14 to pace the Owls. Kiana Lalonde added 12, Brooke Briscoe 12, Jaeda Stanhope 8, Kaitlyn Lafontaine 8, Madison Barton 4, Kristen Fisk 2 and Jordan Nicholas 1, while Emily Eisner was scoreless. The Owls hit 27-82 (.316) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 9-27 (.333) from the line, while garnering 67 boards, including 43 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 19 fouls, 16 turnovers and 13 steals. Serena Sarowa paced the Hawks with 24. Penielle Mbikata added 20, Carmelle Mbikata 12, Jessie Gunther 10, Meldina Hadzonivic 5, along with 10 boards, and Amber Beasley 2, while Amrit Dhillon was scoreless. The Hawks hit 18-48 (.414) from the floor, 6-10 from the arc and 19-26 (.731) from the line, while garnering 13 assists, 19 fouls, 25 turnovers and 11 steals. The Hawks (coached by Tara Burton, assisted by Surinder Sarowa) also included Roma Sachdev, Vish Chilaka, Sonali Arora, Amrit Dhillon and Shalika Kataria. …………………………………………………… The Victoria Oak Bay Breakers dusted the Burnaby South Rebels 76-48 after leading 13-11, 38-21 and 59-29 at the quarters. Breakers grade 10 post Lauren Yearwood hit six of her first seven shots to set the tone. “It’s pretty scary to think she is grade 10,” said Oak Bay coach Rob Kinnear. “She has matured beyond her years on-and-off the court, she is a special kid. Our Grade 10s, her and (point guard) Morgan (Roskelly) are special kids and we ask them to do a lot. But you can see how close our team is. We have 11s and 12s who go unnoticed at times and they don’t carry a chip on their shoulder. It’s 14 girls working for one goal. There’s every reason in the world to be jealous of those two and those two have every reason to be cocky. But it’s such a cool group to work with. … I said to the girls before the game that it was good that they looked relaxed, because the coaches had not slept too well. The first game is always the toughest. Last year we came in full of confidence, and Argyle really beat up on us, so you never now. Burnaby South was a tough team, well coached, and they played us hard. They do everything right.” Lauren Yearwood paced the Breakers with 22 points and 11 boards. Chloe Campbell scored 14, Marissa Harrington 9, Madelyn Brunt 8, Danielle Cavelti 7, Morgan Roskelley 6, Ashley Dukeshire 4, Kinna Tuner 3, Liz Lira 2 and Gillian Briggs 1, while Katie Hanson, Patricia Reid and Kelly Young were scoreless. The Breakers hit 23-50 (.431) from the floor, 8-22 (.364) from the arc and 6-14 (.429) from the line, while garnering 57 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 15 fouls, 19 turnovers, 8 steals and 4 blocks. Stephanie Labbe paced the Rebels with 13. Pavneet Brar added 12, Manpreet Nijjar 11, Desiree Lister 8, Anna Maria Lukic 2 and Jasmine Manhas 2, while Lindsey Bolt, Rada Gordic and Amie Morrison were scoreless. The Rebels hit 12-45 (.267) from the floor, 4-15 (.267) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 14 fouls, 19 turnovers and 11 steals. The Rebels (coached by Merv Magus, assisted by Rosemary Magus) also included Mona Saib. …………………………………………………… The Langley Brookswood Bobcats clipped the Victoria Claremont Spartans 72-51 after leading 17-14, 35-24 and 52-33 at the quarters. Tayla Jackson, the Bobcats 6-2 post, dominated the Spartans. With guards Jessie Brown and Syd Williams unable to find the attacking angles, Jackson stepped up. “We don’t have as much height as we have had in the past and as the starting post, I have to get out there, play physical and rebound,” she said. “And there are so many good posts in the province right now.” Bobcats coach Neil Brown said “I told the team before the game that they did not have to win pretty, just win. An ugly win was okay. That’s what we did: we won ugly. [It was a] slow, grind-it-out win.” Jessie Brown paced the Bobcats with 24. Tayla Jackson added 18, Sydney Williams 9, Madi Heggie 7, Marissa Van Noort 5, Natasha Tadic 5, Louise Forsyth 2 and Kayla Hamel 2, while Milica Ceranic, Jaclyn Pauley, Dani Potesta, Lindsay Wand and Peyton Winslade were scoreless. The Bobcats hit 25-61 (.389) from the floor, 3-11 (.273) from the arc and 13-24 (.542) from the line, while garnering 59 boards, including 29 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 23 fouls, 22 turnovers, 11 steals and 1 block. Haley Cabral paced the Spartans with 17. Marissa Dheensaw added 9, Marissa Thalmann 6, Mia Brooker 6, Sarah Ablitt 4, Megan Edler 4, Maddie Walsh 3 and Rebecca Simmonds 2. The Spartans (coached by Shawn Dheensaw, assisted by Eric Rowe) hit 15-60 (.258) from the floor, 2-6 (.333) from the arc and 15-31 (.484) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 7 assists, 18 fouls, 24 turnovers and 13 steals. …………………………………………………… The North Vancouver Argyle Pipers clocked the Fleetwood Park Dragons 69-45 after leading 19-10, 32-18 and 54-30 at the quarters. Chelsea Dekleer paced the Pipers with 20. Robin Aulin-Haynes added 12, Sophie Swant 8, Allison Hamilton 4, Tina Mueller 4, Shalayne Scott 4, Charlie Lau 2 and Amanda Zayonc 32, while Keeley Bell and Anna Price were scoreless. The Pipers hit 26-51 (.438) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 14 fouls, 16 turnovers and 11 steals. Shilpa Khanna paced the Dragons with 15. Simran Bir added 11, Cyrille Butac 11, Simran Grewal 4, Robeen Jaj 2 and Caitlynn Mackenzie 2, while Reeghan Carrol, Jordyn Doi, Simi Lehal, Sonia Sahota and Reagan Smith were scoreless. The Dragons hit 14-40 (.288) from the floor, 3-19 (.158) from the arc and 8-14 (.571) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 5 assists, 12 fouls, 18 turnovers and 10 steals. The Dragons (coached by Dan Nayebzedah, assisted by Emily Wright and Pam Reynolds) also included Avneet Purewal, Kristen Brown, Natalie Morin, Gabi Musico and Jaspreet Mann. …………………………………………………… The South Kamloops Titans annihilated the Cranbrook Mount Baker Wild 101-18 after leading 32-3, 61-7 and 83-11 at the quarters. Maya Olynyk was forced to demonstrate her versatility when forward Emily Vilac took a face-first tumble at one end of the court and was rushed to hospital. With her 6-2 presence missing from the lineup, Olynyk was forced to go inside, where she dominated. “You have to be an all-round player,” said the sister of Gonzaga Bulldogs centre Kelly Olynyk. “So, I did what I could.” The Saskatchewan bound Olynyk said she was eager to join Lisa Thomaidis’ program. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she said, “but maybe it’s like finding your wedding dress?” Maya Olynyk paced the Titans with 28. Emma Wolfram added 12, along with 8 blocks, Daylynne Agar 11, Mieke DuMont 11, Emma Piggin 8, Anna Frenkel 7, Ashley Lamoureux 5, Kanesha Reeves 5 and Elizabeth Anderson 3, while Becca Peters and Emily Vilac were scoreless. The Titans hit 37-60 (.529) from the floor, 8-25 (.320) from the arc and 3-8 (.375) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 7 fouls, 5 turnovers, 10 steals and 9 blocks. Shaylee Rutledge paced the Wild with 6. Heidi Anderson added 4, Brody Thomas 4, Brette Baybutt 2 and Claudia Zulps 2, while Hanna Duffy, Marlize Fourie, Lauren Nilsson and Megan Tadey were scoreless. The Wild hit 5-31 (.156) from the floor, 2-14 (.143) from the arc and 2-5 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 4 fouls, 26 turnovers and 1 steal. The Wild (coached by Alan Nutini, assisted by Joe McGowan, Scott Harris, Caitlin Tadey and Kaylee Craig) also included Deanna Barnes. …………………………………………………… The Riverside Rapids dusted the Steveston-London Sharks 79-66 after leading 17-11, 39-26 and 58-48 at the quarters. The Rapids led by as many as 18 points in the first half but the Sharks cut that lead down to five points on two occasions, including at 67-62 with 4:40 remaining. “I’m more than pleased,” said Sharks coach Les Hamaguchi. “We were within five points with four minutes to go and had a couple of good looks at threes. If we could have made them it would have been very interesting.” Anmol Mattu was sensational, he added. “I’m sure she’ll say she missed too many shots, but it was pretty incredible. (Riverside’s) game plan was to play a special defence against her. Even though a lot of teams hadn’t seen us, all the pre-scouting basically says you’ve got to stop her. What they may not expect is she may be even better than what they first thought.” Fiona Beales paced the Rapids with 22 points and 12 boards. Dani Antiginani scored 17, Desha Puri 14, Vanessa Gee 12, Chelsey Sanchez 7, Shea Sanchez 5 and Tenika Thue 2, while Megan Dally and Tessa Needham were scoreless. The Rapids hit 29-59 (.427) from the floor, 3-16 (.188) from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 16 fouls, 14 turnovers, 6 steals and 2 blocks. Anmol Mattu paced the Sharks with 21 points, 13 boards and 13 assists to complete the triple-double. Aliya Prasad scored 20, Precilia Kong 8, Emily Ip 7, Alyssa Critchley 4, Shayla Kaplen 4 and Alyssa Graeme 2, while Johwena Si was scoreless. The Sharks hit 20-47 (.333) from the floor, 5-28 (.179) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 18 fouls, 17 turnovers and 3 steals. The Sharks (coached by Les Hamaguchi, assisted by Virginia Watson and Kari White) also included Joan Canave, Alexa Santiago, Michelle Koo and Joanne Li. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded North Vancouver Handsworth Royals dumped the 8th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 63-43. The Eagles led 17-11 after one quarter and 29-26 at the half. The score was knotted at 43 after three quarters. The Eagles broke to a 12-1 lead. “I didn’t think we were ever going to score,” said Handsworth coach Scott Palmer. “We couldn’t hit anything, so I told the girls that if we can’t shoot, then we better stop them. In a time out, we said they had to stop playing like North Shore princesses and work hard on the boards. It made a difference. We won this game with defence.” Handsworth went on a 26-6 game-ending run, while holding the Eagles without a point for the entire fourth quarter. MEI’s dynamic front-court duo of Taylor Claggett and Tessa Ratzlaff thoroughly frustrated the Royals en route to building a 14-point lead early, but Claggett picked up her fourth foul early in the second quarter, and even when she returned, the Eagles couldn’t re-discover their earlier chemistry. Eagles coach Rick Thiessen said “we saw probably the pinnacle of what we hope to become, but we’re not there yet. We had the game under control through three quarters against one of the top teams in the tournament, but we couldn’t finish it off. We had decent looks, but we just didn’t hit anything (in the fourth quarter). And then we panicked, started turning it over. Their experience was the difference.” Elisa Homer paced the Royals with 24 points. Abigail Dixon added 23, along with 12 boards, Lizzy Hamlin 8, Stephanie Pospiech 4, Aleia Gayton 2 and Delaney Steel 2, while Alanna Grace, Alanna Martin and Lianna Rushworth were scoreless. The Royals hit 27-80 (.289) from the floor, 1-17 (.059) from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 56 boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 17 fouls, 10 turnovers, 23 steals and 2 blocks. Tessa Ratzlaff paced the Eagles with 19 points and 29 boards. Taylor Claggett added 13, along with 13 boards, and Samantha Walton 11, while Ashleen Bajwa, Devina Gill, Livia Kilian, Tess Meyer, Jerica Pankratz and Aashna Sood were scoreless. The Eagles hit 15-50 (.295) from the floor, 3-11 (.273) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 62 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 12 fouls, 33 turnovers, 5 steals and 6 blocks. The Eagles (coached by Rick Thiessen, assisted by Michelle Funk, Corina Boes and Samantha Hawkes) also included Jodi Tilizitsky, Hannah Suderman, Ivneet Grewal, Grace Tadrous and Tori Parks. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers crushed the 15th-seeded Prince George Polars 74-51 after leading 20-9, 36-27 and 50-37 at the quarters. Kolbie Orum paced the Ramblers with 34 points and 16 boards. Kirby Marchand added 14, Jane Grisley 9, Shara Marchand 8, Katie Head 5, Devan Cousins 2 and Irene Tumaneng 2, while Selena Baptiste, Lindsay Charron, Natalie Rycroft and Danica Severinski were scoreless. The Ramblers hit 26-57 (.403) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 13-24 (.542) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 25 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 11 fouls, 17 turnovers, 17 steals and 8 blocks. Mavia Nijjer paced the Polars with 24. Jill Cole added 13, Olivia Letendre 7, Issy Bourque 3, Sukhpreet Buttar 2 and Amy Crossan 2, while Emily Aase, Jenny Ferrier, Alycia Goudy and Kelsey Videgain were scoreless. The Polars (coached by Ray Bourque, assisted by Mark Videgain and Tracey Cole) hit 13-39 (.333) from the floor, 7-21 from the arc and 4-7 (.571) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 14 fouls, 23 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks.
In the quarterfinals, the Victoria Oak Bay Breakers clocked the Kelowna Owls 73-50. The Owls led 17-15 after one quarter. The Breakers led 32-25 at the half and 50-38 after three quarters. A year earlier, Breakers post Lauren Yearwood had broken her ankle in the opening round of the provincial draw. So she was in tears of joy after the win over the Owls. “These provincials have been unbelievable. I am getting emotional, sorry, for how happy we are that we are in the top four.” Yearwood was all over the floor, making the right reads and decisions, while diving for loose balls. “The best feeling for me is really hustling to get a rebound, or knowing that I blocked out someone, and because I did a teammate got the ball. I just want to know that I worked my hardest on a possession.” Oak Bay coach Rob Kinnear also got solid play from 6-1 post Chloe Campbell and grade 10 point guard Morgan Roskelley. Kinnear said for Yearwood, “a big, to work so hard to get a catch, it’s not just ‘I am tall, I catch the ball’. The amount of work that goes in to getting a seal on your defender, and then to be unselfish to set up a teammate, that is the sign of a great player, not a good player. You see that with (South Kam’s) Emma (Wolfram) as well. Chloe is also playing out of this world for us, the way she is diving to the hoop. Unselfishness is taking us to another level.” Kelowna coach Lisa Nevoral noted that “(Yearwood) can move to the baseline and the middle with a great seal. And I thought Campbell did an awesome job posting up on the weak side of our defence. Those two kind of hurt us today.” Lauren Yearwood paced the Breakers with 23. Chloe Campbell added 22, along with 10 boards, Morgan Roskelley 16, Danielle Cavelti 4, Madelyn Brunt 2 and Ashley Dukeshire 2, while Katie Hanson, Marissa Harrington and Kelly Young were scoreless. The Breakers hit 29-51 (.561) from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 30 assists, 18 fouls, 19 turnovers and 12 steals. Kiana Lalonde paced the Owls with 15. Brooke Briscoe added 9, Cassidy Kapaiwai 6, Carly Corrado 6, Kaitlyn Lafontaine 4, Jaeda Stanhope 3, Emily Eisner 3, Jennie Evans 2 and Kristen Fisk 2, while Madison Barton and Jordan Nicholas were scoreless. The Owls (coached by Lisa Nevoral, assisted by Mandy Trenholm and Debra Sandberg) hit 11-46 (.263) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 16-31 (.516) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 12 fouls, 12 turnovers and 16 steals.
The South Kamloops Titans stomped the Riverside Rapids 84-44 after leading 29-11, 49-25 and 75-29 at the quarters. Maya Olynyk paced the Titans with 26. Emma Wolfram added 20, along with 23 boards and 9 blocks, Anna Frenkel 10, Emma Piggin 9, Kanesha Reeves 8, Mieke DuMont 7, Daylynne Agar 2 and Ashley Lamoureux 2, while Elizabeth Anderson and Becca Peters were scoreless. The Titans hit 23-47 (.456) from the floor, 8-21 (.381) from the arc and 14-20 (.700) from the line, while garnering 58 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 31 assists, 13 fouls, 13 turnovers, 19 steals and 11 blocks. Desha Puri paced the Rapids with 19. Tessa Needham added 9, Vanessa Gee 5, Chelsey Sanchez 4, Shea Sanchez 4 and Megan Dally 3, while Dani Antiginani, Fiona Beales, Meagan Cornish and Tenika Thue were scoreless. The Royals hit 8-46 (.250) from the floor, 7-14 from the arc, 7-12 (.583) from the line, 15 assists, 16 fouls, 24 turnovers and 14 steals. The Rapids (coached by Paul Langford, assisted by Alaina Brandsma, Kelli Langford, Caitlin Langford and Kendra Swan) also included Meagan Pelletier.
The Langley Brookswood Bobcats dispatched the North Vancouver Argyle Pipers 71-60. The Pipers led 15-5 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 22 at the half. The Bobcats led 48-40 after three quarters. The Bobcats went on a 15-8 run over the final 5:30 of the third quarter, getting great transitional push from guard Sydney Williams, and dead-eye three-point shooting from Jessie Brown. “This is the first time we played with this kind of heart and chemistry,” said Williams, whose team had trailed by 11 points early in the second quarter. “Jessie hit some awesome shots like she always does and I love her for that. I could really feel our chemistry, that we worked together and really wanted it.” Brown hit three triples over the game-changing run. “We started to hit shots in the second half and played better defence,” said Bobcats coach Neil Brown. Jessie Brown paced the Bobcats with 26. Tayla Jackson added 13, along with 11 boards, Sydney Williams 13, Lindsay Wand 22, Marissa Van Noort 6 and Madi Heggie 2, while Kayla Hamel, Dani Potesta and Natasha Tadic were scoreless. The Bobcats hit 13-42 (.317) from the floor, 7-21 from the arc and 24-39 (.615) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 23 fouls, 27 turnovers, 18 steals and 3 blocks. Sophie Swant paced the Pipers with 22. Chelsea Dekleer added 16, Claire Elliott 9, Robin Aulin-Haynes 8 and Allison Hamilton 5, while Charlie Lau, Tina Mueller, Emma Quinn, Shalayne Scott and Amanda Zayonc were scoreless. The Pipers hit 18-51 (.318) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 15-26 (.577) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 30 fouls, 28 turnovers, 18 steals and 2 blocks. The Pipers (coached by Anthony Fortunaso) also included Anna Price and Keeley Bell.
In the last quarterfinal, the Maple Ridge Ramblers nipped the North Vancouver Handsworth Royals 56-52. The Royals led 15-10, 32-24 and 42-37 at the quarters. “We tried to spread things out (on offence),” said Maple Ridge coach Don Herman. “They were (playing) triangle-and-two on Kolbie (Orum) and Jane (Grisley), our two bigs, and so the things that we were trying to run against them, it was all so congested. We couldn’t get them the ball, because there was too much help.” The junk defence had allowed the Royals to build a 24-12 lead. “So we decided to go five out, make them come out and get us a bit, instead of standing around waiting for them,” said Herman. “We cut, we reversed, and then we got the one-on-one matchups we wanted, if we entered (the ball) right away.” Quick passes to 6-2 Orum in the post got her on track. “After the first half, I didn’t know how we were going to win,” Herman said, “or how we were going to score. But Kolbie got the ball a bit more in the second half.” Shana Marchand hit a big jumper down the stretch, while injured guard Kate Head, playing just her second game since December and sporting heavy knee protection, scored two big fourth-quarter baskets in the post, including one that came on a baseline reverse layup. Kolbie Orum paced the Ramblers with 24 points and 26 boards. Shara Marchand scored 10, Kirby Marchand 7, Katie Head 6, Jane Grisley 5, Devan Cousins 2 and Danica Severinski 2. The Ramblers hit 22-55 (.369) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 6-13 (.462) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 15 fouls, 14 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Elisa Homer paced the Royals with 20. Abigail Dixon added 12, Delaney Steel 10, Lianna Rushworth 5, Lizzy Hamlin 3 and Alanna Grace 2, while Stephanie Pospiech was scoreless. The Royals hit 15-50 (.281) from the floor, 3-14 (.214) from the arc and 13-19 (.684) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 11 fouls, 7 turnovers, 8 steals and 1 block. The Royals (coached by Scott Palmer, assisted by Thomas Staron) also included Samantha Croll, Aleia Gayton, Alanna Martin and Jodie Nowell.
In the semis, the Langley Brookswood Bobcats thrashed the Maple Ridge Ramblers 63-49 after leading 21-11, 37-16 and 50-25 at the quarters. With the win, the Bobcats avenged a loss in the Fraser Valley championships. “They did a good job of taking Kolbie (Orum) out of the game,” said Maple Ridge coach Don Herman. “They had a better start. We just got behind, and missed some shots of our own, and they’re a really good team to try and come back.” Orum was unable to find her stride after picking up her third foul with 7:16 remaining in the first half. “Tayla (Jackson) won us the game, and Lindsay just played great,” said Brookswood guard Jessie Brown. “We worked hard today, and today we were all on.” With Orum on the bench for the remainder of the half, the Ramblers offense came to a grinding halt, scoring just five points the entire quarter and falling behind 37-16 at the break. “We kept her to one offensive rebound and that is big,” said Brookswood assistant coach Chris Veale. “Give Tayla credit. We get on her pretty hard, but tonight she stepped up and did a great job on Kolbie. We had a game plan today and they stuck to it. Lindsay had six steals tonight, and positionally, she was in the right spots. And then we hit some threes.” Brookswood opened the game shooting 6-10 from the arc, getting two treys apiece from Brown, Sydney Williams and Wand, and although they fell back into an 0-14 slump from beyond the arc to finish the game. “It’s amazing the energy a three brings,” said Veale. “We call them chick dunks. When a guy dunks in a game, they get all excited. Girls can’t do it. So, when we hit threes, it gets everybody going.” Jessie Brown paced the Bobcats with 19 on 6-15 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Lindsay Wand added 14 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 6 steals. Tayla Jackson notched 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 7 boards. Madi Heggie scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Sydney Williams notched 7 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Marissa Van Noort added 2, along with 5 boards and 2 steals, Natasha Tadic 2 and Kayla Hamel 1, while Dani Potesta was scoreless. The Bobcats hit 17-43 (.343) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 11-19 (.579) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 20 fouls, 18 turnovers, 14 steals and 1 block. Kolbie Orum paced the Ramblers with 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 13 boards, 4 blocks and 4 steals. Kirby Marchand added 13 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 5-8 from the line. Katie Head notched 11 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Shara Marchand added 10 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-11 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 2 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Devan Cousins added 2, along with 4 boards, while Lindsay Charron, Jane Grisley, Danica Severinski and Irene Tumaneng were scoreless. Grisley nabbed 5 boards, Charron 2 and Severinski 2. The Ramblers hit 9-33 (.271) from the floor, 7-26 (.269) from the arc and 10-17 (.588) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 18 fouls, 22 turnovers, 11 steals and 5 blocks.
In the other semi, the South Kamloops Titans clocked the Victoria Oak Bay Breakers 58-32 after leading 21-9, 30-16 and 43-18 at the quarters. Maya Olynyk paced the Titans with 23 on 6-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5-10 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Emma Wolfram added 20 on 7-17 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 22 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals and 8 blocks. Kanesha Reeves added 6 on 0-3 from the floor and 2-4 from the line. Anna Frenkel added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Emma Piggin added 2, along with 8 boards, and Mieke DuMont 2, along with 2 steals, while Daylynne Agar, Elizabeth Anderson, Ashley Lamoureux and Becca Peters were scoreless. The Titans hit 16-56 (.306) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 19-59 (.571) from the line, while garnering 59 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 16 fouls, 17 turnovers, 11 steals and 11 blocks. Chloe Campbell paced the Breakers with 13 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 11 boards. Lauren Yearwood notched 7 on 2-17 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 4 blocks. Morgan Roskelley added 6 on 3-15 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc and 6 boards. Danielle Cavelti added 4, along with 2 boards, and Ashley Dukeshire 2, along with 3 boards, while Gillian Briggs, Madelyn Brunt, Katie Hanson, Marissa Harrington, Patricia Reid and Kelly Young were scoreless. The Breakers hit 8-49 (.150) from the floor, 1-11 (.091) from the arc and 13-15 (.867) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 5 assists, 13 fouls, 19 turnovers, 6 steals and 8 blocks.
In the bronze medal match, the Oak Bay Breakers nipped the Maple Ridge Ramblers 53-50. The Ramblers led 11-9, 28-20 and 39-34 at the quarters. The Breakers rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to pull out the win. The Ramblers collapsed under Oak’s Bay’s pressure. “Open passes were just missed, dropped or just thrown out of bounds,” said Maple Ridge coach Don Herman. Lauren Yearwood paced the Breakers with 17 on 7-20 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 10 boards. Chloe Campbell added 13 on 4-13 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 10 boards, 3 steals and 5 blocks. Morgan Rosekelley added 9 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 6 steals. Ashley Dukeshire scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 9 boards. Danielle Cavelti added 4 and Kelly Young 4, along with 3 boards, while Madelyn Brunt, Katie Hanson and Marissa Harrington were scoreless. The Breakers hit 19-57 (.308) from the floor, 1-8 (.125) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 17 fouls, 27 turnovers, 11 steals and 8 blocks. Oregon State-bound Kolbie Orum paced the Ramblers with 28 on 10-17 from the floor, 8-11 from the line, 12 boards, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Devan Cousins added 9 on 2-10 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Shara Marchand added 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 3 boards. Kirby Marchand added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Katie Head added 1, along with 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Lindsay Charron, Jane Grisley and Danica Severinski were scoreless. The Ramblers hit 16-49 (.298) from the floor, 1-8 (.125) from the arc and 15-23 (.652) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 18 fouls, 34 turnovers, 13 steals and 4 blocks. The Ramblers (coached by Don Herman, assisted by Sacha Page, Fil Gregorio, Ciana Gregorio and Dave Semper) also included Melissa Fung, Gabrielle Cousins, Natalie Rycroft, Selena Baptiste and Irene Tumaneng.
In the final, the South Kamloops Titans dusted the Langley Brookswood Bobcats 59-49 after leading 17-14, 27-19 and 43-33 at the quarters. Gonzaga-bound post and tournament MVP Emma Wolfram was a defensive force, while Maya Olynyk’s versatility presented a challenge for any foe. “They are larger than life for me,” said Titans coach Ken Olynyk, Maya’s father. “That duo, the senior leadership they gave us was outstanding. But full credit to Brookswood. They played real tough today. (Head coach) Neil (Brown) gave them a great game plan. We made shots when we needed to, and we have Emma who is such a huge piece for our program.” Olynyk’s lay-in late in the third quarter pushed the Titans to a 42-25 lead. But the undersized Bobcats countered with an 11-1 run and with 3:13 left to play, Bobcats guard Jessie Brown hit a pair of free throws to trim the margin to 52-46. But Brookswood’s 6-2 post Tayla Jackson fouled out soon after, and although no team scored from the field over the final four minutes of the game, the Titans won it with a game-ending 12 straight trips to the free throw line. “It’s just awesome knowing that my last high school game was winning the provincial championship game,” said Wolfram. “I am just glad our team pulled together and did it. I just played basketball this week. I didn’t think about it because I knew it would get me nervous.” Olynyk said “back-to-back wins is always tough and these kids deserve a lot of credit. But I also think it’s a real testament to (Thompson Rivers University head coach) Scott Reeves who started the Young Guns (youth basketball) program in Kamloops. All of our girls are a product of it, and right now we have some good ball happening.” Emma Wolfram told Kamloops This Week “that was our goal — to end our high-school careers on a win. Knowing that it was a provincial championship made it even better.” Co-coach Sean Lamoureux said “it was a great team effort. Emma and Maya led us, but we had everyone contribute for us. When Brookswood cut the lead to six in the fourth quarter, Ashley Lamoureux nailed a three-pointer to push the lead back to nine points. We had so many kids make big plays in the final.” Neil Brown said his troops need a few favourable calls. “Our kids are young, small… I thought we played well. We needed favourable refereeing and we didn’t get it. We needed them to call some fouls on their big kids and they didn’t. We thought there were plenty of chances to call fouls and they chose not to, but we can’t complain. … Syd Williams, she’s one of my favourite kids. She just keeps trying hard physically – never stops. She’s an emotional leader for us. She doesn’t care how big someone is, she just fights. I think the rest of our kids can learn a lot from playing with Syd for a year, and for some two years, too.” Emma Wolfram, who was chosen MVP and defensive MVP of the tournament, paced the Titans with 16 on 7-16 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 18 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 7 blocks. Maya Olynyk added 15 on 5-13 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5-8 from the line and 4 steals. Emma Piggin added 12 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-8 from the line and 7 boards. Anna Frenkel scored 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 13 boards and 2 assists. Mieke DuMont notched 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Ashley Lamoureux added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 assists, while Kanesha Reeves was scoreless. The Titans hit 19-52 (.288) from the floor, 2-21 (.095) from the arc and 15-24 (.625) from the line, while garnering 66 boards, including 29 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 8 fouls, 15 turnovers, 9 steals and 8 blocks. Sydney Williams paced the Bobcats with 17 on 1-6 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Jessie Brown added 12 on 1-6 from the floor, 2-14 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Tayla Jackson added 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Lindsay Wand scored 10 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2 boards, while Madi Heggie, Marissa Van Noort, Dani Potesta and Natasha Tadic were scoreless. Van Noort nabbed 2 boards and dished 4 assists. The Bobcats hit 8-30 (.254) from the floor, 8-33 (.242) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 18 fouls, 24 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks.
The bronze medalist Oak Bay Breakers: Lauren Yearwood; Chloe Campbell; Morgan Rosekelley; Ashley Dukeshire; Danielle Cavelti; Kelly Young; Madelyn Brunt; Katie Hanson; Marissa Harrington; Kinna Tuner; Liz Lira; Gillian Briggs; Emma Koloska; Patricia Reid; coach Rob Kinnear; assistant Reese Pribilsky; assistant Ella Macquisten
The silver medalist Langley Brookswood Bobcats: Sydney Williams; Jessie Brown; Tayla Jackson; Lindsay Wand; Madi Heggie; Marissa Van Noort; Dani Potesta; Natasha Tadic; Louise Forsyth; Milica Ceranic; Jaclyn Pauley; Peyton Winslade; Kayla Hamel; coach Neil Brown; assistant Chris Veale
The gold medalist South Kamloops Titans: Emma Wolfram; Maya Olynyk; Emma Piggin; Anna Frenkel; Mieke DuMont; Ashley Lamoureux; Kanesha Reeves; Becca Peters; Elizabeth Anderson; Daylynne Agar; Emily Vilac; Christine Clyde; coach Ken Olynyk; coach Sean Lamoureux; assistant Corey Yamaoka; assistant Jane Wolfram; manager Christine Clyde