In the opening round, held in Brandon: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Winnipeg Dakota Lancers nipped the 9th-seeded Winnipeg River East Kodiaks 49-46. The Lancers led 10-9 after one quarter. The Kodiaks led 24-20 at the half. The Lancers led 32-30 after three quarters. Taylor Thorkelsson paced the Lancers with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Maddie Radley added 9, Erica Flaten 6, Mackenzie Booker 5, Michelle Anderson 4, Kayla Nimchuck 4, Kaleigh Osadick 4, Sammie Halvorsan 2 and Kelly Dyck 2, while Katrina Houssin, Minlou Davis, Erika Kornberger and Victoria Esquivel were scoreless. Emily Loewen led the Kodiaks (coached by Jim Beveride) with 15 points and 11 boards. Carmen Konzelman added 10, Felecia Brown 9, Amber Warniski 8 and Isabella Selk 4, while Ashley Sagurski, Shelby Sweet, Alexa Driver, Jeanette Krahn, Aly Clark and Courtney Lawrence were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Winnipeg Sisler Spartans clipped the Winkler Garden Valley Zodiacs 61-37 after leading 15-14, 28-21 and 43-27 at the quarters. Kerri Kuzbyt paced the Spartans with 19. Charmaine Yumang added 18, Annie Lieu 10, Madison Flamand 4, Robyn Coffey 4, Pamela Zaldarriaga 2, Aailiyah Masapela 2 and Micah Santiago 2, while Marridel Cloma and Victoria Reyes were scoreless. Sarah Klassen paced the Zodiacs (coached by Robert Loeppky) with 18. Kelby Loeppky added 8, Abby Loewen 4, Megan Geisbrecht 2, Andi Hildebrandt 2, Erika Sawatzky 2 and Chelsea Gerbrandt 1, while Marissa Sawatzky, Maryssa Friesen, Madeline MacKnight and Nikki Geisbrecht were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans dumped the Winnipeg Miles Macdonell Buckeyes 65-51 after leading 17-7, 25-23 and 43-33 at the quarters. Kierra Coomber paced the Trojans with 16. Rachel Agius added 14, Emily Wankling 14, Kara Falkowski 8, Kelsey Robins 6, Maggie Hiebert 3, Indigo Adams Grant 3 and Genevieve Benoit 1, while Nicolas Murdoch, Sydney Reimer, Alexa Wermie, Jenna Einarson, Kendra Joyal and Caleigh Kiesman were scoreless. Hailey Buhler paced the Buckeyes (coached by Karl Schroeder) with 14. Ashley Goodwin added 13, Kendra Bommersbach 12, along with 13 boards, Shaylyn McMahon 8 and Cassidy Nicholls 4, while Kylie Bard, Fataba Mboma, Maddie Slivinski, Melanie Thera, Shannon Boyd, Nicole Desrosiers and Emily Janzen were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Winnipeg St. Mary’s Academy Flames edged the 11th-seeded Brandon Crocus Plains Plainsmen 73-67 after leading 28-16, 43-26 and 61-45 at the quarters. Alicia Ogoms paced the Flames with 28 points and 19 boards. Christa Aguinaldo scored 17, Ali Jansen 10, Alexis Bailey 9, Dayan Roeland 5 and Laura Ebbeling-Treon 4, while Jessie Augustus, Rachel Hill, Keauna Oliver-Hanna, Christine French, Madison Magnus-Walker, Alannah Thibodeau, Sydney Loewen, Megan Linton and Hazel Dela Cruz were scoreless. Brittany Wiebe paced the Plainsmen (coached by Barb Coulter) with 34. Jodie Baker added 11, Stephanie Hunter 8, Mary Thomson 5, along with 12 boards, Sarah Barclay 3, Abbi Robinson 2 and Jenna Malowski 2, while Zuleyma Fictoria, Taylor Ursel, Amber Hunter, Jordi Malowski and Danielle Currie were scoreless.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Winnipeg Westwood Warriors dispatched the 8th-seeded Winnipeg Dakota Lancers 67-54. The score was knotted at 17 after one quarter. The Warriors led 35-28 at the half and 50-46 after three quarters. Lauren Anderson paced the Warriors with 31. Kendall Johnson added 11, Mariah Barbosa 10, Julia Whitehead 7, Jessica Bourne 3, Bryn Vargas 3 and Nikki Majewski 2, while Shai Wood, Taylor Mackenzie, Sydney Shand, Haley Kirkbride-Taylor, Cassie Proshen, Jennifer Niblett and Erica Nickel were scoreless. Maddie Radley paced the Lancers (coached by Lindsay McLeod) with 16. Michelle Anderson added 13, Taylor Thorkelsson 9, along with 12 boards, Mackenzie Booker 7, Erica Flaten 7, Kaleigh Osadick 2 and Kelly Dyck 2, while Katrina Houssin, Kayla Nimchuck, Minlou Davis, Sammie Halvorsan, Erika Kornberger and Victoria Esquivel were scoreless.
The 4th-seeded Winnipeg Glenlawn Lions edged the 5th-seeded Winnipeg Sisler Spartans 55-50. The Lions led 14-13 after one quarter. The Spartans led 24-21 at the half and 42-34 after three quarters. Celecia Luckwell paced the Lions with 25. Emily Potter added 16, Jaime Brown 8, Kiara Hazell 4 and Laura McManes 2, while Alyssa Kidd, Hayley Langdon, Miranda Isaacs, Taeva Pathammavong, Carli Metcalf, Abby Scaletta and Megan Stark were scoreless. Kerri Kuzbyt paced the Spartans (coached by Michael Tan) with 23. Charmaine Yumang added 14, Aailyah Masapela 5, Pamela Zaldarriaga 4, Micah Santiago 2, Marridel Cloma 1 and Madison Flamand 1, while Robyn Coffey, Annie Lieu and Victoria Reyes were scoreless.
The 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders dumped the 7th-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans 54-43 after leading 13-9, 30-17 and 38-32 at the quarters. Kerilynn MacLennan paced the Raiders with 16. Jenilyn Monton added 10, Jayme Tully 8, Teigan Harrison 6, Tia Majewski 5, Aimee Harrison 4, Emma Ridd 3 and Abby Ackland 2, while Emily McNish, Erica Nixon, Mary Dorrian, Colleen Moyer, Kaylee Hondabura and Sami Gauthier were scoreless. Rachel Agius paced the Trojans (coached by Stacy Hawash) with 12. Kierra Coomber added 9, Kara Falkowski 5, Maggie Hiebert 5, Caleigh Kiesman 4, Emily Wankling 3, Alexa Wermie 2, Kendra Joyal 2 and Kelsey Robins 1, while Nicola Murdoch, Sydney Reimer, Genevieve Benoit, Atoosa Jalayeri, Indigo Adams Grant and Jenna Einarson were scoreless.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions nipped the 6th-seeded Winnipeg St. Mary’s Academy Flames 61-58 in overtime after leading 22-8, 34-24 and 49-30 at the quarters. The score was knotted at 51 after regulation play. Megan Noonan paced the Centurions with 17. Marissa Love added 14, Crystal Harms 7, Kayla Andrews 6, Brooke Pattyn 6, Edith Kamabu 5, Jaice Murray 4, Claire Harvey 2, while Cindy Ukasoanya, Jessica Waddell, April Klassen and Hayley Gusdal were scoreless. Alicia Ogoms paced the Flames (coached by Deb May) with 32 points and 31 boards. Dayna Roeland added 12, Alexis Bailey 8, Laura Ebbeling-Treon 2, Christa Aguinaldo 2 and Ali Jansen 2, while Jessie Augustus, Rachel Hill, Christine French, Madison Magnus-Walker, Alannah Thibodeau, Sydney Loewen, Megan Linton, Hazel Dela Cruz and Keauna Oliver-Hanna were scoreless.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Winnipeg Glenlawn Lions stunned the top-seeded Winnipeg Westwood Warriors 65-58 after leading 18-14, 31-22 and 45-37 at the quarters. It was the Warriors first loss of the season after 29 wins. The Lions had five players in double figures, including Emily Potter’s double-double. “It is (an upset). We played them earlier in the season, but everything changes at the end of the season,” said Laura McManes. “I think they had a lot more pressure, going undefeated into the semifinal, and we had nothing to lose.” Westwood forward Lauren Anderson said “it was a great season, going undefeated and having that success, but we’re extremely proud of ourselves. Not many teams can say they had an undefeated season. It sucks to lose it in the end. Usually we move the ball way more, we’re more aggressive on defence, and that just didn’t come out today.” Glenlawn had some key steals that turned into buckets on fast-break layups and guard Celecia Luckwell went 7 for 10 at the free-throw line to keep the Lions in control of the game. Kiara hazel said “I feel really ecstatic. It’s a great feeling. We never got down on ourselves and we did it as a team. I don’t know, we’re just ecstatic we’re going to the finals.” Warriors coach Sarah Lundgren said “it’s very disappointing. It’s not what we expected. But, Glenlawn came out and they played hard and did everything they needed to do. We just couldn’t make the early adjustments and our shots weren’t falling. Like I had said, it was anybody’s game and it just wasn’t ours today.” The Lions had Westwood on its heels from the get-go, stealing passes and converting them into scores. They jumped out to an early 18-8 lead before the Warriors stopped the bleeding, but only temporarily. “We planned to pay extra attention to Lauren Anderson and Nikki Majewski and tried to mix them up with a few other looks,” said Lions coach Bryan Kornberger. “We tried to get the ball inside and open up some driving lanes on offence, and our shots just fell — and they missed a lot, especially early. … We had a little success pressuring them early in the year and we thought if we could catch them off-guard a few times, we might get a few field goals and we got some open shots, and that was important. … Sarah Lundgren and the Westwood girls have been a great story this year. I really feel for them because Westwood’s all class. … She’s a brilliant young coach and they have some outstanding players. I’m real happy for us, and I’m really proud of Westwood, too.” Kiara Hazell paced the Lions with 14 on 7-12 from the floor, 10 boards, 2 blocks and 6 steals. Emily Potter added 13 on 6-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 20 boards and 4 blocks. Celecia Luckwell scored 13 on 3-16 from the floor, 0-9 from the arc, 7-10 from the line, 4 boards and 5 steals. Jaime Brown scored 12 on 5-19 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 0-4 from the line. Laura McManes added 11 on 5-13 from the floor, 9 boards, 3 blocks and 4 steals. Alyssa Kidd added 1 on 1-1 from the floor and 5 boards, while Hayley Langdon, Miranda Isaacs, Taeva Pathammavong, Carlie Metcalf, Abby Scaletta and Megan Stark were scoreless. The Lions hit 27-75 (.360) from the floor, 2-15 (.133) from the arc and 9-20 (.450) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 10 assists, 29 turnovers, 9 blocks and 18 steals. Lauren Anderson paced the Warriors with 21 on 9-20 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 19 boards, 2 blocks and 6 steals. Nikki Majewski added 17 on 8-17 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 8 boards. Mariah Barbosa notched 13 on 6-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Jennifer Niblett added 3, along with 4 boards, Julia Whitehead 2, along with 6 boards and Jessica Bourne 2, while Haley Kirkbridge-Taylor, Shai Wood, Kendall Johnson, Taylor Mackenzie, Bryn Bargas and Sydney Shand were scoreless. The Warriors hit 26-75 (.347) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 4-12 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 9 assists, 28 turnovers, 4 blocks and 16 steals.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders clubbed the 3rd-seeded Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions 56-41 after leading 9-4, 22-12 and 44-34 at the quarters. Kerilyn MacLennan paced the Raiders with 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 10 boards. Jenilyn Monton added 10 on 4-18 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc and 5 boards. Emma Ridd notched 9 on 4-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Tia Majewski added 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Abby Ackland added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 6 boards. Jayme Tully added 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 10 boards. Aimee Harrison added 2 on 1-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-4 from the line, 4 boards and 5 steals, while Kaylee Hondabura, Sami Gauthier, Teigan Harrison, Emily McNish, Erica Nixon, Mary Dorrian and Jordan Tully were scoreless. The Raiders hit 23-75 (.307) from the floor, 6-15 (.211) from the arc and 6-15 (.400) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 10 assists, 25 turnovers, 1 block and 14 steals. Brooke Pattyn paced the Centurions with 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 8 boards and 2 steals. Megan Noonan added 9 on 3-19 from the floor, 3-12 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 5 boards. Edith Kamabu added 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 4 boards. Jaice Murray added 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 9 boards. Kayla Andrews added 2 on 1-8 from the floor and 9 boards. Crystal Harms scored 2, Marisa Love 2, along with 5 boards and Claire Harvey 1, while April Klassen, Cindy Ukasoanya, Jessica Waddell, Ruby Aulakh and Hayley Gusdal were scoreless. The Centurions hit 15-62 (.242) from the floor, 3-18 (.167) from the arc and 8-17 (.471) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 8 assists, 39 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals.
In the final, the 4th-seeded Winnipeg Glenlawn Lions spanked the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders 54-42 after leading 19-9, 29-21 and 40-27 at the quarters. Lion Kiara Hazell said the win was for her grandfather Bob Hazell, a longtime coach at the school and member of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame (in three separate categories), who had died in August. “I was thinking about him a lot,” she said. “It was tough, but it was motivating. I wanted to do well for him.” After the final buzzer sounded, Hazell teared up “more than a little” thinking about how proud he’d be of her and her teammates. “He left an impression on me that will always be with me,” Kornberger said. “I know that he was really hoping that this would happen. He was her biggest fan and it’s truly one of those great stories. It’s a story of love. … He taught me how to keep my composure on the court and act responsible, and to not get down on myself if I don’t have a good game.” Hazell had also coached Lions coach Bryan Kornberger, who said: “I learned so much from her grandpa. A) How to coach basketball and b) how to treat people like you’d want to be treated yourself. He was a great man. He left an impression on me that will always be with me. … If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard over the last 48 hours that Bob was happily looking down, I would be a rich man.” A guard until last year, Hazell switched to forward when she joined Kornberger’s squad. That allowed her to flourish as an offensive threat who could focus on driving the ball to the basket rather than dribbling it up the court. She also stepped up her defence and rebounding this year, playing a key role in the Lions’ full-court press. “She was a real big part of our success,” Kornberger said. “She came a long way and had a tremendous amount of perseverance. Her teammates love her.” The Raiders struck first on the scoreboard opening with a pair of three-point buckets by Jenilyn Monton, but were in trouble after that. The Lions roared back on a 17-0 run, going inside lobbing ball after ball to 6-foot-5 Potter, who dutifully dumped them into the bucket. It was 17-9 and it was too much for the Raiders to make up. Once the fans got singing what appears to be their trademark cheer song, “I believe our team will win,” the Raiders were battling the electric atmosphere their fans created as well as the Lions. Potter had a double-double by the half. team. “She was huge for us, she got 20-something rebounds and she’s done that for us all season,” said Kornberger. “Everybody played their roll on the team and that’s what helped us win. Cece (Celecia Luckwell), our captain, her baskets on penetration in the first half were huge in getting us the lead and holding off the tide.” Oak Park took plenty of shots that just didn’t drop but were hurt most by a lack of rebounds. The Lions hauled in 37 defensive rebounds and turned many of those into key transition buckets. “We knew how bad we wanted it. It’s just overwhelming,” said Luckwell, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player. “With Emily’s height and our speed, we utilized everyone really well and I think that was a key. … “It’s overwhelming, it’s awesome. Knowing we were the underdogs, it just feels awesome. I don’t know, I’m just so overwhelmed with the experience.” For the Raiders, it was the third straight year Oak Park had a team in the final only to come away without a title. “I’m really proud of the girls, we gave up 17 straight points in the first quarter but we didn’t let it get us down, the girls never quit,” said Oak Park head coach Murray Brown. “We had great looks but sometimes the ball just wasn’t dropping in the hoop for us.” Emily Potter said “it’s overwhelming. It’s just an unreal feeling right now. … We started off 10-0, then kind of hit a rough patch, but got back to ourselves in the end and we knew we had it in us to beat Oak Park. It’s amazing. It feels great.” Kornberger credited Potter’s defence for making the difference. “Emily Potter had a major impact on the game with her rebounding and her blocking of shots was critical. It helped take away Oak Park’s inside game and that was huge.” Raiders coach Murray Brown concurred. “It’s tough for us to score against her. You like to penetrate but, all of a sudden, you run into her and it’s a different story than against most teams.” Kornberger said Luckwell’s “baskets on penetration in the first half were huge in getting us a lead. C.C. wills us to win and I’m very proud of her. She deserves that award.” The 17-point run set the Raiders on their heels. “We just couldn’t overcome that 17-point run they got after we got up 6-0. The next thing you know, it’s 17-6 and we never recovered from it, really.” Emily Potter paced the Lions with 23 on 10-18 from the floor, 3-8 from the line, 25 boards and 5 blocks. Celecia Luckwell added 13 on 6-17 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Kiara Hazell added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Laura McManes added 3, along with 5 boards and 3 steals, and Jaime Brown 2, while Hayley Langdon, Miranda Isaacs, Taeva Pathammavong, Carli Metcalf, Abby Scaletta, Megan Stark and Alyssa Kidd were scoreless. The Lions hit 22-56 (.393) from the floor, 0-10 from the arc and 10-26 (.385) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 10 assists, 35 turnovers, 6 blocks and 9 steals. Jenilyn Monton paced the Raiders with 13 on 5-23 from the floor, 3-14 from the arc, 6 boards and 4 steals. Kerilynn MacLennan added 8 on 3-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 13 boards and 3 steals. Emma Ridd added 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 5 boards. Abby Ackland notched 6 on 3-7 from the floor. Tia Majewski added 4 on 0-4 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 8 boards and 5 steals. Colleen Moyer added 2 and Jordan Tully 2, while Kaylee Hondabura, Aimee Harrison Teigan Harrison, Emily McNish, Erica Nixon, Mary Dorrian and Jayme Tully were scoreless. The Raiders hit 16-78 (.205) from the floor, 4-25 (.160) from the arc and 6-8 from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 9 assists, 26 turnovers, 1 block and 20 steals.
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg Westwood Warriors: Lauren Anderson; Kendall Johnson; Mariah Barbosa; Julia Whitehead; Jessica Bourne; Bryn Vargas; Nikki Majewski; Shai Wood; Taylor Mackenzie; Sydney Shand; Haley Kirkbride-Taylor; Cassie Proshen; Jennifer Niblett; Erica Nickel; coach Sarah Lundgren; assistant Kelly Whenham
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions: Megan Noonan; Marissa Love; Crystal Harms; Kayla Andrews; Brooke Pattyn; Edith Kamabu; Jaice Murray; Claire Harvey; Cindy Ukasoanya; Jessica Waddell; April Klassen; Hayley Gusdal; Ruby Aulakh; coach Allison Laferty; assistant Cathy Lethbridge; manager Jovana Tosivic, manager Bryanna Izzard
The silver medalist Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders: Kerilynn MacLennan; Jenilyn Monton; Jayme Tully; Teigan Harrison; Tia Majewski; Aimee Harrison; Emma Ridd; Abby Ackland; Emily McNish; Erica Nixon; Mary Dorrian; Colleen Moyer; Kaylee Hondabura; Sami Gauthier; Jordan Tully; coach Murray Brown
The champion Winnipeg Glenlawn Lions: Celecia Luckwell; Emily Potter; Jaime Brown; Kiara Hazell; Laura McManes; Alyssa Kidd; Hayley Langdon; Miranda Isaacs; Taeva Pathammavong; Carli Metcalf; Abby Scaletta; Megan Stark; coach Bryan Kornberger