In the wildcard game, the Brandon Crocus Plains Regional Secondary Plainsman clipped the Selkirk Lord Selkirk Regional Royals 60-50. The Royals (coached by Sue Gilmour) included Maegan Balagus, Caitlin Eames, Paula Egesz, Ana Gamero, Callista Howard, Juilia Ignagni, Jessica King, Annika Leoppky, Renee Partyka, Tess Skarban, Jillian Tompkins, Kelysian Warmington and Charlotte Wilmott.
In the opening round, held in Winnipeg: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Winnipeg Kildonan East Reivers nipped the 9th-seeded Winnipeg Garden City Fighting Gophers 68-67. The Fighting Gophers (coached by Bob Andruchuk) included Dayna Dubnicof, Sam Fangmann, Maddy Furber, Tyra Malanao, Czyelle Mas, Jenny Mok, Preslee Munroe, Skylar Nowrang, Micah Palapuz, Chloe Settee and Jessica Tran. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Winnipeg Dakota Collegiate Lancers clubbed the 12th-seeded Brandon Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School Plainsmen 62-32. The Plainsmen (coached by Adam Hartman) included Bailee Black, Erynn Buhr, Erin Clarke, Faith Clearsky, Paige Donald, Georgia Harder, Destiny Maluga, Chelsea Munro, Alyssa Norman, Sarah Olive, Tess Omeljanow, Tyra Procure, Alex Smale, Sharon Tan and Savannah Tasset. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Winnipeg Sturgeon Heights Collegiate Huskies dispatched the 11th-seeded Winkler Garden Valley Collegiate Zodiacs 68-59. The Zodiacs (coached by Dan Forte) included Mia Doerksen, Maddi Friesen, Kezra Gerbrandt, Gina Giesbrecht, Laney Harder, Steph Klassen, Amanda Neufeld, Talia Peters, Mani Preis and Flora Russell. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Winnipeg Miles Macdonell Buckeyes stunned the 7th-seeded Winnipeg Fort Richmond Collegiate Centurions 69-63. The Centurions (coached by Allison Laferty and Megan Johnson) included Eunice Adeloye, Autumn Agar, Shirliz Apiyo, Yael Blumenov, Mariam Elmoudi, Maria Gindy, Denise Huang, Ashleigh Laube, Dana McCormac, Victoria Shahnifar, Sonum Sidhu and Susan Su.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans clubbed the 8th-seeded Winnipeg Kildonan East Reivers 73-53. The Reivers (coached by Curt Bauer) included Gurleen Dhillon, Halle Fletcher, Aimee Garland, Moira Kennedy, Paige Morris, Ashwar Ngor, Jasmine Reynoso, Sanveer Saggi, Emily Savoie, Keirra Skolnik, Jenna Vilela and Kyana Wonnacott.
The 4th-seeded Winnipeg Westwood Collegiate Warriors defeated the 5th-seeded Winnipeg Dakota Lancers 49-40. The Lancers (coached by Eric Sung) included Amina Mohamed, Michayle Bottomley, Hannah Buhr, Hunter Cascisa, Ansa Chaudhry, Danica Dekleva, Christina Klysh, Keara Letain, Rebecca Mandamin, Emerson Martin and Haley White.
The 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders dusted the 10th-seeded Winnipeg Miles Macdonell Buckeyes 77-44. The Buckeyes (coached by Karl Schroeder) included Alyssa Baker, Brennah Doyle, Alyvia Flanjak, Mila Frolek, Sage Fronda, Jillian Legrange, Madeline Mann, Savanna Mighty, Sophie Rahn and Asia Scott.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Winnipeg Sisler Spartans bombed the 6th-seeded Sturgeon Heights Collegiate Huskies 77-31. The Huskies (coached by Alyssa Grant) included Britney Blunderfield, Sarah Boyd, Danika Coward, Kayla Dao, Shae-Lynn Dodds, Mikayla Doerksen, Sunday Dut, Amy Hill, Trisha Kanu, Anna Kernaghan, Lisa Kyanda, Cayla Sagun, Maggie Van Eerd-Cook, Marissa Waatainen and Emily Woods.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders dispatched the two-time defending provincial champion Winnipeg Sisler Spartans 68-45. The Raiders led 20-18 after one quarter. The Spartans led 31-29 at the half but the Raiders promptly took command and led 52-40 after three quarters. “With them, it’s all about containing Raizel [Guinto],” Raiders coach Murray Brown told Postmedia. “She’s a spectacular player. We just had to get the ball out of her hand, challenge her. If we could limit their scoring, we thought we could take advantage of our size inside, and we were able to do that.” Brown told the Winnipeg Free Press that “we made good decisions, we got the ball inside to Claire [Signatovich]. She went to work and we finally hit some shots. In the first half, we struggled to hit threes. We had a couple of threes (in the third quarter) and opened up the gap.” Claire Signatovich paced the Raiders with 18 on 7-17 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 19 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Emily Johnson added 16 on 7-14 from the floor, 2-5 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Deidre Bartlett added 12 on 4-16 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 7 steals. Lauren Bartlett added 10 on 3-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Jessica Dyck added 9 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 12 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Annaka Webber added 3 on 1-3 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc, while Emma Anton, Laura Wall, Catherine Marquez, Tess Poulton, Sam Courtney and Holly Klassen were scoreless. The Raiders hit 26-78 (.333) from the floor, 5-18 (.278) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 61 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 11 assists, 26 turnovers, 6 blocks and 20 steals. Raizel Guinto paced the Spartans with 24 on 9-32 from the floor, 4-16 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 12 boards and 8 steals. Kiara Rongavilla added 10 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Jasmine Esperanzate scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Brianna Tynes scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 11 boards. Alyssa Esperanzate scored 2 on 1-12 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc and 6 boards, while Kristin Sewell, Abby Arabe, Monica Man, Mikayla Desaulnier, Jasmine Lucero, Patricia Rodriguez, Mia Camagong, Jann Salmon, Shen Ricafort and Halle Ilagan were scoreless. Ma nabbed 5 boards, Lucero 3 and Desaulniers 2. The Spartans hit 17-72 (.236) from the floor, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 6 assists, 32 turnovers, 2 blocks and 14 steals.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans mauled the 4th-seeded Winnipeg Westwood Wildcats 81-34 after leading 16-0 to start and then 25-7, 42-20 and 67-26 at the quarters. The Trojans led by as many as 50. “Everyone got to touch the ball, everyone got on the floor,” Vincent Massey coach Stacy Hawash told Postmedia. “We got to see what we could do. This was a step towards the final. Every game is leaving your mark on the floor. We know Westwood was maybe not bringing their full complement, and we know what this next game is going to bring.” The Warriors were playing without three injured starters, including star Emily Dewey (torn ACL), Bettina Shyllon (torn Achilles) and Shemenu Dayassa (knee). Niyah Becker said “we’ve been working on our team chemistry a lot, playing off each other, hyping each other up. (We’re) a funny, unique bunch. Lots of different personalities. We just pick each other up. I’ve played with a lot of these girls for a long time, since we were like eight years old.” Warriors coach Sarah Lundgren said the injuries to her starters proved too large an obstacle to overcome. “Three of my main scorers. Three of the people we’re confident in having the ball in their hands at all possible times. They bring a little bit more intensity on defence … but the six players that stepped on the floor executed, they worked hard, they never showed signs of wanting to give up. … We’ve just had bad luck. It’s unfortunate to know what we could have been and what was taken away from us. But it’s an experience for the girls. They got to be part of this wonderful Final Four that we have. And they put every single bit of themselves on the floor, so I cannot be disappointed.” Hawash told the Winnipeg Free Press that her troops “definitely worked and it showed in the score. I know that Westwood was short some players but, I mean, we were able to run when we needed to run and execute what we needed to do.” Lundgren said “we went in with a game plan though and we executed. The girls did not give up for 40 minutes — so I can’t be disappointed in how my team showed up on the floor today.” Niyah Becker paced the Trojans with 18 on 8-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Deborah Nkiasi added 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Taylor Kleysen added 9 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 steals. Julia Schatkowsky scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Taylor Reynolds added 8 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Vanessa Lee scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 8 boards and 2 steals. Marine Paquet scored 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc and 2 boards. Amei Grant added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tania Wallack notched 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Jensyn Woitas scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor. Sarah Lamoureux scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 2 boards. Jessica Hartog added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 3 boards, while Alexis Grant, Kristen Dooley and Victoria Tachinski were scoreless. Tachinski nabbed 3 boards and dished 2 assists. Garcia dished 2 assists. The Trojans hit 36-89 (.404) from the floor, 5-23 (.217) from the arc and 4-12 from the line, while garnering 56 boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 23 assists, 17 turnovers, 10 blocks and 23 steals. Meagan Cancilla paced the Warriors with 12 on 4-23 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-6 from the line and 8 boards. Teigan Peters added 9 on 3-14 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 15 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Heather Herms scored 7 on 3-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 steals. Melissa McColl added 4 on 2-9 from the floor and 15 boards. Alicia Prociuk added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Trinity Handle, Camryn O’Dowda, Maya Sykes, Tatianna Handle, Vivian Bosa and Khali McDowell were scoreless. The Warriors hit 13-64 (.203) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 55 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 3 assists, 38 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders stunned the top-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans 81-67 after leading 22-13, 40-25 and 56-46 at the quarters. Raider guard Deidre Bartlett said it was cool to win a title with young sister Lauren. “It’s an amazing, indescribable feeling,” the tournament MVP told the Winnipeg sun. “We’re so close already. And we’re so grateful to share this, and our final game together, too. It’s such a great way to go out and a memory we’ll have the rest of our lives. The end of the end. I couldn’t believe it. It seemed so surreal at that moment.” Lauren Bartlett said “I love playing with my sister. We’re so competitive with each other — that’s the key to the game. That’s what it comes to: who’s more competitive, who wants to win more. At practice we’re pushing each other, and that’s how you win.” Raiders coach Murray Brown said “all we talked about at half-time was ‘get ready for them to come at us again.’ We knew they would. And sure enough, they did.” Massey opened the second half with a 10-0 run and drew within four. With the lead at six, Deidre Bartlett drained a long trey to extend the lead to 9. “That’s what she does,” Lauren said. “She shoots threes.” Brown said “our kids came through, made some huge shots. Diedre was spectacular, made some unbelievable shots. It was nice to come through. Every season, it doesn’t matter what the records are — once it’s Oak Park and Massey, it’s a war. It’s just something special.” So too the Bartlett sisters, he added. “It’s so much fun. Every day in practice we match them up against each other. They go at each other hard. They compete with each other and raise each other’s game. Then all of a sudden you put ‘em on the same team and they’re great teammates.” Massey star Niyah Becker said “we just knew we had to pick it up if we wanted to stay in the game … push through and find a way. Get energy, and the energy would translate into points. “We were kind of dead. No one rebounding. We weren’t really talking. It’s hard to come back from that.” Massey coach Stacy Hawash said nerves were a factor. “They worked hard all year. It’s just tough — it didn’t happen. We weren’t playing really well, and Oak Park did … they were hitting lots of shots and making steals. They came to play. We just weren’t quite at their level. Shooting definitely was a big part of it. And our defence just didn’t seem to be there, either. Hopefully they learn something from it and they move forward.” Deidre Bartlett paced the Raiders with 19 on 6-16 from the floor, 5-13 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Lauren Bartlett added 18 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 9-11 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Jessica Dyck scored 16 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 14 boards and 2 assists. Emily Johnson scored 12 on 3-8 from the floor, 6-7 from the line and 6 boards. Claire Signatovich added 12 on 6-17 from the floor, 9 boards, 5 blocks and 2 steals. Laura Wall added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 assists, while Annaka Webber, Emma Anton, Catherine Marquez, Tess Poulton and Holly Klassen were scoreless. The Raiders hit 26-69 (.377) from the floor, 8-17 (.471) from the arc and 21-28 (.750) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 14 assists, 26 turnovers, 6 blocks and 7 steals. Niyah Becker paced the Trojans with 32 on 12-28 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 4-9 from the line, 12 boards, 2 blocks and 4 steals. Julia Schatkowsky added 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Taylor Reynolds scored 6 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Alexis Garcia scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 6 boards. Vanessa Lee scored 6 on 3-15 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 0-2 from the line. Victoria Tachinski added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 5 steals. Deborah Nkiasi added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Marine Paquet added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards, while Jensyn Woitas, Taylor Kleysen, Kristen Dooley, Sarah Lamoureux, Jessica Hartog, Tania Wallack and Amei Grant were scoreless. Kleysen nabbed 5 boards and Wallack 4. The Trojans hit 27-90 (.300) from the floor, 6-20 (.300) from the arc and 7-19 (.368) from the line, while garnering 62 boards, including 28 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 8 assists, 24 turnovers, 3 blocks and 14 steals.
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg Sisler Spartans: Abby Arabe; Mia Camagong; Mikayla Desaulniers; Alyssa Esperanzate; Jasmine Esperanzate; Raizel Guinto; Halle Ilagan; Jasmine Lucero; Monica Ma; Shen Ricafort; Patricia Rodriguez; Kiara Rongavilla; Jann Salmon; Kristen Sewell; Brianna Tynes; coach Michael Tan
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg Westwood Collegiate Warriors: Vivian Bosa; Meagan Cancilla; Shemenu Dayassa; Emily Dewey; Heather Herms; Melissa McColl; Camryn O’Dowda; Teigan Peters; Alicia Prociuk; Bettina Shyllon; Maya Sykes; coach Sarah Lundgren
The silver medalist Winnipeg Vincent Massey Collegiate Trojans: Niyah Becker; Kristen Dooley; Alexis Garcia; Amei Grant; Jessica Hartog; Taylor Kleysen; Sarah Lamoureux; Vanessa Lee; Deborah Nkiasi Kuku; Marine Paquet; Taylor Reynolds; Julia Schatkowsky; Victoria Tachinski; Tania Wallack; Jensyn Woitas; coach Stacy Hawash
The gold medalist Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders: Emma Anton; Deidre Bartlett; Lauren Bartlett; Sam Courtney; Jessica Dyck; Emily Johnson; Tess Poulton; Claire Signatovich; Laura Wall; Annaka Webber; coach Murray Brown; coach Holly Kitchen