In the Regina quarterfinals: …………………………………………………… The Marian Saints dusted the Martin Monarchs 67-24 as Sheila Brennan scored 18, Brenda Ash 11 and Cathy Gorman 11. Connie Eddy led the Monarchs with 6. The Monarchs (coached by Bev Todd) also include Maureen Trowsdale, Cindy Murphy, Bonnie Schauleffel, Donna Duff, Cathy Greenwood, Pam Jacobs, Tami Hubic, Tammy Crippin, Andra Harre, Denise Fisher. …………………………………………………… The Central Gophers clocked the Balfour Redmen 77-62 as Donna van Hagen scored 21, Linda Gay 18 and Cindy Clarke 17. Barb Steranka led the Redmen with 21. Lori Amos added 12 and Debbie Wright 12. The Redmen (coached by Linda Vail) also included Kim Littlemore, Denise Gettle, Janet Holmes, April Orton, Cindy Sievert, Janet Oram, Cheryl Crisianson. …………………………………………………… The Campbell Tartans whipped the Archbishop M.C. O’Neill Titans 72-43 as Sharon Douglas scored 21, Sue McKenzie 17 and Ingrid Bintner 12. Carol Osiowy led the Titans with 17. The Titans (coached by Mike O’Donnell) also included Barb Len, Sandy Shutick, Joan Ferner, Debbie Len, Bev Ackerman, Kathy Reinhart, Donna Donnelly. …………………………………………………… In the last quarterfinal, the Thom Trojans dispatched the Miller Marauders 73-65 as Deb Boris scored 23, Karin Winkler 17 and Lorraine MacCormack 11. Marauders coach Dennis Hall told the Regina Leader-Post that “they upset people all year. They’re a good team. Fourth is playing fifth, so there’s really not much to choose. The games we won over Thom in regular season were close games. They just came up big and won the close playoff game.” Rookie Trojans coach Henry Saucier said “my aim was to get the girls playing two-way basketball, which they are. I also said that once a team makes the playoffs, it’s a whole new season. … It was just a super effort by the girls, outstanding basketball.” Lori Larsen scored 16 to lead the Marauders. Charlene Walker added 15. The Marauders (coached by Dennis Hall) also included Mary Ann Hueser, Edwina Solomon, Susanne Nomura, Georgette Laliberte, Cheryl Frass, Leona Gautier, Rita Schmidt, Simona Mailhot, Marianne Szyndrowski, Eufemia Coppola, Val Fink, Leslie Hammond. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Marian Saints clipped the Thom Trojans 71-56 after leading 32-24 at the half. Lynn Kozicki led the Saints with 22. Sheila Brennan added 19. Susan Reddy scored 14 to lead the Trojans. Brooke Gray added 10. The Trojans (coached by Henri Saucier) also included Chris Koffler, Deb Boris, Karin Winkler, Lorraine MacCormack, Cathy Hutchinson, Martina Cain, Angie Hutchinson, Marilyn Maguire, Jeannete Groenendyk, Donna Hawrysh. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Central Gophers dispatched the Campbell Tartans 50-43 after leading 18-17 at the half. Brenda Nattrass led the Gophers with 22. Cindy Clarke added 10. Sharon Douglas paced the Tartans with 19. The Tartans (coached by Kelly Lovering) also included Sue MacKenzie, Ingrid Bintner, Shelley Johnson, Ellen Gyles, Tanis Comrie, Lisa Callbeck, Debbie Perry, Kathy Bateman, Wendy Offet, Barb Forsyth, Charlen Mironuck. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Marian Saints dispatched the Central Gophers 59-50 as Sandy Schamber scored 13, Brenda Ash 12, Sheila Brennan 8, Lynn Kozicki 6 and Fiona Adams 6. The Saints led 31-25 at the half and while four starters fouled out, the bench stepped up. Saints coach Debbie Ward told the Regina Leader-Post that “we haven’t had much of a chance to put in the bench too often in a situation like this. They have gone in when we got up in games but they saw more action than I figured they would. I was impressed with the way they came in and played, especially Sandy Schamber. She hasn’t played much this year. … Schamber played an excellent game. The whole team played well. There were a lot of fouls called in the game but we were going for the ball instead of watching the player too much.” Central forward Bette Wotherspoon said “our fast-break wasn’t working and Marian put a lot of pressure on our guards and we couldn’t get the ball into the forwards. It was a pretty good game, I thought.” Brenda Nattrass led the Gophers with 14. Donna Van Hagen added 11, Linda Gay 9 and Jan Britton 7.
In the northern and Saskatoon City playoffs: …………………………………………………… In the quarterfinals, the Aden Bowman Bears defeated the E.D. Feehan Trojans 56-50 as Terry Postlewaite scored 12 and Shelly Ready 11. Brenda Smith led the Trojans with 14. Judy Proctor added 13. The Trojans also included Glenda Schmidt. …………………………………………………… The Mount Royal Mustangs nipped the Walter Murray Marauders 24-23 as Linda Labatoff scored 7 and Debbie Fisher 7. Marj Orchard led the Marauders with 8. The Marauders also included Ryan Griffan, Kathy Rupko, Sherry Bowers, Alison Lang, Jean Crowle, Kathy Gray. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Saskatoon Bedford Road Redmen torched the Mount Royal Mustangs 67-39 as Sheryl Kleckner scored 22 and Marj Kerr 18. Nancy Kohut led the Mustangs with 14. Pat Harasymchuk added 10. The Mustangs also included Debbie Fisher, Denise Henick. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears dispatched the Evan Hardy Souls 42-37 as Shelly Ready scored 12. Patti Turner led the Souls with 14. The Souls also included Marla Addie, Sandy Menely, Mary Anne Hawrish. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Bedford Road Redmen clocked the Aden Bowman Bears 53-36 as Sheryl Kleckner scored 28, Bonnie McDonald 12 and Sharon Kleckner 10. Shelly Ready led the Bears with 9. Donna Waden added 6 and Rhonda Howey 6.
In the provincial semis, the Saskatoon Bedford Road Redmen defeated the Regina Central Gophers 64-52 to set the stage for a repeat of the 1976 final. Coach Irene Wallace told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix that “I really think it’s our turn this time.” Central shot poorly. Bedford Road was up by eight in the first half and 25-23 at the break. But Bedford Road’s Sharon Kleckner scored eight straight points to give Bedford Road a 54-47 lead. Bedford Road ripped off another 8-0 run later to expand their lead to 62-49. Sheryl Kleckner led Bedford Road with 24. Sharon Kleckner added 16 and Marj Kerr 12. Donna Van Hagen paced Central with 26. Cindy Clarke added 11. Wallace said “we like to use the fastbreak and press against teams like Central. But when you get into foul trouble, you can run into trouble. I thought our girls played a little scared because of the fouls. You have to play more conservatively in that situation.”
In the other semi, the Regina Marian Saints defeated the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears 60-38. Marian led 16-13 when Sheila Brennan and Diane Ruschiensky each hit a pair of buckets to expand the lead to 24-13. Marian led 29-21 at the half. A 14-0 run early in the second half made the outcome inevitable. Lynn Kozicki paced Marian with 23 points. Brennan added 12 and Ruschiensky 10. Janet Miniely led Aden Bowman with 13. Terri Postlethwaite added 10. In the provincials, the girls used a size-8 ball, which Regina teams were apparently used to but Saskatoon teams weren’t.
In the bronze medal match, the Regina Central Gophers dispatched the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears 45-37. The Gophers broke to a 10-0 lead and extended the margin to 25-6 at the half. Donna Van Hagen paced the Gophers with 10. Cindy Clarke added 8. Colleen Hattle led the Bears with 11. Terry Postlethwaite added 8. The Bears also included Shelly Ready, Donna Wasden, Rhonda Howey, Charlene Butler.
In the final, Regina Marian defeated the Saskatoon Bedford Road Redmen 55-53. Bedford Road suffered a five-minute scoring drought late in the second half and had trouble handling the ball in the final minute of play. Marian coach Debbie Ward told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix that “I expected the game to be that close because Bedford is the type of team that never quits and has the ability to get hot. They never quit. They just keep coming at you.” Marian was ahead 55-53 with eight seconds to play and had the option of taking free throws or in-bounding the ball from the sideline. Ward sent Lynn Kozicki to the line. But she missed all three shots. Bedford Road got the rebound but the lost the ball in a scramble at the top of the key. Bedford Road earlier had a chance to tie it with a minute to play but Sharon Kleckner lost the ball under the Marian basket. Ward later said “I made two bad mistakes during the game. I wish I had decided to take the throw-in on that last foul because we could probably have killed the clock. I also thought Sheila Brennan had four fouls and I sat her out for most of the early part of the second half.” She had three fouls. “But I told myself I wouldn’t worry about my mistakes after the game.” Lynn Kozicki scored 23 for Marian. Sheila Brennan added 10. Marj Kerr led Bedford Road with 18. Sheryl Kleckner added 14 and Sharon Kleckner 12. Marian led 29-21 at the half but Bedford Road cut the margin to 29-27 with a 6-0 run to open the second half. But they suffered a five-minute scoring drought and Marian moved ahead 37-29 at the three-quarter mark. Bedford Road rallied to 49-47 with four minutes to go. Marian moved ahead 55-49 before the last gasp by Bedford Road, which pushed the paced in an attempt to wear down Marian. Ward said “but we played a control type game which I was really happy to see. We carried the game to Bedford.”
The bronze medalist Regina Central Gophers: Donna Van Hagen; Cindy Clarke; Brenda Nattrass; Linda Gay; Jan Britton; Judy Clarke; Joanne Van Hagen; Kelly Smishek; Audrey Templeton; Ingrid Jors; Patty Orthner; Linda Gliem; coach Bette Wotherspoon
The silver medalist Saskatoon Bedford Road Redmen: Sharon Kleckner; Sheryl Kleckner; Marj Kerr; Bonnie McDonald; Brenda Hughes; coach Irene Wallace
The gold medalist Regina Marian Saints: Sheila Brennan; Diane Ruischinsky; Lynn Kozicki; Brenda Ash; Sandy Schamber; Fiona Adams; Elaine Young; Frida Mihalic; Cathy Gorman; Colleen Medernach; Monica Lukomski; Angela Chase; coach Debbie Ward