2004-05 OUA - women - From Naismith to Nash

REGULAR SEASON

EAST				WEST
Ottawa	16-6	27-11	Carlos Brown	Guelph	19-3	31-9	Angela Orton
Toronto	16-6	18-13	Michele Belanger	Brock	15-7	18-11	Chris Critelli
Laurentian	15-7	21-10	Mike Clarke	McMaster	15-7	21-12	Theresa Burns
Queen’s	13-9	16-19	Dave Wilson	Western	15-7	18-13	Mike Milne
York	10-12	11-20	Bill Pangos	Wilfrid Laurier	15-7	21-12	Stu Julius
Ryerson	6-16	8-24	Sandy Pothier	Waterloo	6-16	7-21	Mano Watsa
Carleton	5-17	6-21	Christie Lauzon	Lakehead	6-16	11-21	Jon Kreiner
RMC	0-22	0-23	Brad Schur	Windsor	4-18	4-22	Blake Handsor

Playoff non-qualifiers:

Carleton Ravens: Avely Serin, Ashley MacKay, Brooke Ritchie, Erin Mathieu, Dasa Farthing, Jessica Smart, Jyllian Grosse, Caitlin Sparks, Sarah Kennedy, Lindsay Turner, Jacqui Snyder, Judith Runnels, coach Christie Lauzon, assistant Mario Gaetano

Lakehead Thunderwolves: Debra Sandberg, Tara Boyce, Lindsay Taylor, Kathryn Verboom, Marissa Hudolin, Jaimie Jorgenson, Katerina Martinovic, Amanda Nesbitt, Melissa Famme, Laura Ruta, Kristi Huff, Dana DiCasmirro, Laura Drombolis, Jessica Bradley, coach Jon Kreiner

RMC Paladins: Crystal Myers, Kendra Bencun, Chelsea Braybrook, Carolyn Vallee, Kate Montambault, Lynette Leister, Jennifer Donofrio, Breanne Gibson, Mary Buhr, Dana Dempster, Rebecca Prescott, coach Brad Schur

Windsor Lancers: Nicole Green, Stacey Newbigging, Laura Aberhart, Diane Robbins, Kimberly Dillon, Samantha Leclair, Tamara Larson, Mindy Desjardins, Lisa Henry, Tatiana Danelon, Jessica Piroski, Jessica Yablonsky, Kristen Morrison, Kara French, Celina Boswell, Jennifer Wilson, Nicole Green, Kanita Keskich, Stefania DiPietro, coach Blake Handsor

In the East quarterfinals, York upset host Queen’s 40-36 at Bartlett Gym as Brenan Rurak scored 16 on 6-16 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc and 4-5 from the line. Laura MacCallum added 8 on 4-10 from the floor and 6 boards. Point guard Christa Lodge scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor and 10 boards. Mylaine Mageau scored 5, Sarah Brodie 2, Meghan Jarvis 2, Jaemie McCluskey 0 and Jodi Gram 0. Brodie also had 8 blocks. The Lions shot 16-52 (.308) from the floor; 1-12 (.083) from the arc and 7-15 (.467) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, 2 assists, 13 fouls, 11 turnovers, 4 steals and 8 blocks. Jen Bittner led the Gaels with 14 points on 3-6 from the arc. Amy Goodday added 12 on 5-12 from the floor and 13 boards. Sarah Cameron scored 8 on 3-12 from the floor and 6 boards. Jessica Selinger scored 2, while Nathalie Macneil, Jaime Dale, Amanda Northcott, Claire Meadows and Lindsay Robb were scoreless. Queen’s (coached by Dave Wilson) also included Jocelyn Manion, Sheila McNeill, Anne Murphy and Agnes Herra. The Gaels shot 12-60 (.200) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 8-9 (.889) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, 11 assists, 21 fouls, 9 turnovers and 6 steals. York led 19-12 at the half. The Gaels had defeated the Lions twice during the regular season and played well defensively. Coach Dave Wilson noted that “you would figure to win the game, holding your opponent to 40.” Indeed. But the Gaels only mustered 12 points in the first half, an all-time low in the era of the shot clock. Coach Wilson gave full marks to the Lions, who were expertly prepared by their longtime Head Coach Bill Pangos and assistant Eric Tiessen. “York really played tough interior defence,” he said. Brodie set the tone early, blocking three shots in the opening three minutes. “It was an incredible thing that six of our players went 0-for during the game,” Coach Wilson said. “You may occasionally expect for one or two of them to have that, but all six in the same game!? …I am not blaming the players, since our playmaking gave us plenty of good looks for the game.” York dictated the tempo in the low-scoring defensive affair, gang rebounding and protecting the ball while patiently working for the open shot. The Lions led 19-12 at the half despite shooting only 14 per cent from the floor. They maintained a 29-22 edge with seven minutes to play and Queen’s was inhibited by foul trouble plaguing Amy Goodday and Claire Meadows. Sarah Cameron rallied Queen’s to within 31-25 on full-court pressure. Jen Bittner hit a trey and converted a Nathalie MacNeil steal for a transition layup as the Gaels cut the margin to 31-30 with two minutes to play. But Brenan Rurak responded with a pair of buckets and the Gaels were forced to foul, sending Christa Lodge to the line, where she only hit 1-6. Bittner drained a trey to cut the margin to 36-33. Lodge hit one free throw and Bittner was fouled, hitting three free throws to bring Queen’s within 37-36 with 18.4 seconds to play. Rurak was fouled and hit both free throws and the Gaels attempt to force overtime with a trey bounced off the rim.

         In the other East quarterfinal, Laurentian edged Ryerson 69-65 as Tierney Hoo scored 27 on 9-17 from the floor, 7 boards and 4 steals. Cassandra Carpenter added 24 on 11-16 from the floor and 14 boards. Ashley MacSporran scored 7, Brianne Henry 6, Amanda McConnell 4 and Caitlin Blackadder 1, while Kate Walker, Lisa Roberts and Symone Wilson were scoreless. The Voyageurs shot 27-61 (.443) from the floor, 8-26 (.308) from the arc and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 22 assists, 15 fouls, 15 turnovers, 12 steals and 1 block. The Rams were paced by Justine Navarro’s 20 points on 9-13 from the floor and 7 boards. Amanda Redhead scored 13 on 6-13 from the floor and 20 boards. Stephanie Nelson scored 11, Christine Vuong 6, Jenna Clark 5, Kaitlyn Taylor 4, Tamara Alleyne-Gittens 4, Cathy-Anne Grizzle 2, while Lisa Greig was scoreless. Ryerson (coached by Sandy Pothier) also included Jovana Popovic, Jenna Fair and Rebecca Sinnesael. The Rams shot 28-53 (.528) from the floor, 5-11 (.455) from the arc and 4-6 (.667) from the line, while garnering 22 boards, 21 assists, 17 fouls, 19 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block. Laurentian’s Tierney Hoo opened with a trey but the Rams rallied to a four-point lead midway through the first-half on a slashing driving by Justine Navarro. But MacSporran and Carpenter key the Vees within reach, with Ryerson leading at the half 36-34. Hoo and Carpenter took control of the floor and with 15:25 remaining in the game the Lady Vees took the lead 43-42. With eight minutes remaining both teams were tied at 53 but Carpenter and Hoo hit the big shots down the stretch. “When it comes to games like this, we just have to work on getting all the jitters out. It got close a couple times tonight, but we settled down and made some key shots” said head coach Mike Clarke, “We did a good job taking care of the ball.”
         In the East semis, Laurentian knocked off host Toronto 70-58 as Tierney Hoo scored 19 on 6-17 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 3 steals. Brianne Henry added 13 on 6-15 from the floor, 5-10 from the arc and 5 boards. Cassandra Carpenter scored 13 on 3-12 from the floor and 13 boards. Symone Wilson scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor. Ashley Macsporran scored 5, Caitlin Blackadder 4, Lisa Roberts 3 and Amanda Mcconnell 2, while Kate Walker was scoreless. The Voyageurs shot 22-60 (.367) from the floor, 9-20 (.450) from the arc and 17-22 (.773) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, 15 assists, 17 fouls, 14 turnovers, 11 steals, including three each by Hoo and Wilson. Joanne Chehade, Julia Gaffield and Christine Cho each scored 13 to pace the Blues. Chehade hit 5-14 from the line and grabbed 12 boards. Gaffield hit 5-11 from the floor and 4 assists. Cho hit 5-8 from the floor and grabbed 7 boards. Vanessa Nobrega scored 10 on 4-9 from the floor and 5 boards. Tanya Callaghan scored 4, Kaila MacAlpine 3 and Amanda Vanleeuwen 2, while Jennifer Coens and Angela Hummel were scoreless. Toronto (coached by Michelle Belanger) also included Kristin Cullen, Ilana Weissberger, Kelly LaFontaine, Jasper Nagra, Rebecca Anidjar, Andrea Gay, Kaila MacAlpine and Natasha Barrington. The Blues shot 23-63 (.365) from the floor, 5-9 (.556) from the arc and 7-9 (.779) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 12 assists, 18 fouls, 19 turnovers, 6 steals and 2 blocks. The Lady Vees spent most of the first half in control of the game. Lady Vee’s veteran Tierney Hoo (Huntsville, Ont.) scored 10 points in the first half, while team mate Brianne Henry (Kitchener, Ont.) landed three consecutive shots from beyond the arc. The Varsity Blues found their momentum late in the half, but just in time to pull themselves three points ahead of the Lady Vees going into half-time. The score was 29-26 in favour of the Varsity Blues at halftime. Laurentian was determined to close the gap and take over the lead in the second half. Cassandra Carpenter (Kanata, Ont.) was a force to be reckoned with in deep, pulling down 11 defensive rebounds and setting up key plays that helped the Lady Vees pull ahead. The Vees extended their lead to as much as 10 points late in the half and forced Toronto to begin fouling with time winding down. Laurentian maintained that lead till the buzzer sounded, with the final score at 70-58. “We showed a lot of toughness tonight. It was our defence that pulled us back into the game and it was our composure that won us the game tonight.” said head coach Mike Clarke. At U of T, the Varsity Blues women got off to slow start and trailed 9-2 in the opening moments of their OUA East semi-final. However, some timely scoring from guard Julia Gaffield and forward Christine Cho gave U of T a boost and a 29-25 halftime lead. Laurentian jumped out in front early in the second half, but once again the Varsity Blues clawed their way back and held the lead for the very last time at 50-49. Three-point shooting from the Voyageurs however, proved to be the difference. Brianne Henry led the way with a 5-of-10 evening from beyond the arc. Laurentian closed out the contest on a 21-8 run and shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line down the stretch.
         In the other East semi, University of Ottawa coach Carlos Brown was worried that women’s basketball Gee-Gees might be looking past York. Turns out Brown almost had legitimate cause to be concerned. But his defending Ontario University Athletics postseason champs managed to pull out an ugly 59-48 win over the York Lions. The Gee-Gees prevailed despite going scoreless for a phenomenal 10 minutes in the second half. They did so, in large measure, because of stellar first half in which they essentially put the game out of reach of the offensively challenged Lions. “Everybody stepped up in that first half,” said guard Moriah Trowell. “Even the people who came in off the bench were knocking down threes. That’s what needed, a total team effort, particularly on defence. It’s playoff time, do-or-die.” Guard Kristen Moyle said the Gee-Gees experience proved the difference. “We kept our composure. We worked the ball around against their 2-3 zone and took the good shot, not just the first open shot. We really set the tone early in that first half and even though we eased up in the second, we made the shots when we needed them.” The Lions took an early 10-4 lead on a series of baseline jumpers by Laura MacCallum and Brenan Rurak. But the Gee-Gees’ full-court press began generating transition buckets and they began hitting open treys over the Lion’s 2-3 zone to take a 36-24 lead into the lockers. They stretched their margin to 19 early in the second half as Kristen Moyle, Hilary Foster and Miranda Killam drilled treys. But then they eased off the pedal and their offence went into hibernation. Yet the Lions were unable to capitalize as they also struggled to put points on the board. Still, York notched 12 free throws while the Gee-Gees were being held scoreless to rally within 11 before Trowell finally stemmed the bleeding with a driving baseline layup and the Gee-Gees hung on for the win. “The vets gave us the cushion in the first half and that’s what we needed,” said coach Carlos Brown. “We stalled a bit in that second half because we were trying to give some of our younger players some time on the floor in a playoff situation and give some of our veterans a rest. We had control all along.” Moriah Trowell, Hilary Foster and Kristen Moyle each scored 10 to lead the Gee-Gees. Trowell was 3-9 from the floor and grabbed 10 boards. Foster hit 4-7 from the floor, while Moyle was 4-9 from the floor and grabbed 4 boards. Nadia Brenko added 7 points, Julie Rodrigue 5, Miranda Killam 5, Veronique Martineau 4, Caroline Alain 4, Tina Ethier 2 and Jenn Labelle 2, while Moronike Laleye and Katie Laurie were scoreless. The Gee-Gees shot 21-57 (.368) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 10-14 (.714) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, 5 assists, 19 fouls, 11 turnovers, 4 steals and 5 blocks. Laura MacCallum paced the Lions with 21 points on 6-18 from the floor, 7-10 from the line and 5 boards. Brenan Rurak added 12 on 4-18 from the floor and 11 boards. Meghan Jarvis scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor. Christa Lodge scored 4 on 1-9 from the floor and 3 assists. Sarah Brodie scored 2 and grabbed 11 boards. Mylaine Mageau scored 1 and Jaemie McCluskey was scoreless. The Lions (coached by Bill Pangos) also included Marla Gladstone, Kimberly Gibbs, Brenan Rurak, Emily Van Hoof, Jodi Gram and Meghan Jarvis. York shot 14-56 (.250) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 16-27 (.593) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, 2 assists, 17 fouls, 10 turnovers, 6 steals and 5 blocks.
         In the East final, The Trowell Tornado whipped through Montpetit Hall, leaving naught but devastation in the ranks of the Laurentian Voyageurs. The incomparable Moriah Trowell rallied the host Gee-Gees from a 16-point first-half deficit to a miraculous 57-51 win over the Voyageurs. “We didn’t hang our heads when we got down,” said Trowell. “We were tight but we knew if we kept our heads, we’d start hitting those bunnies and we’d come back.” Fifth-year guard Kristen Moyle added that “sheer mental toughness” allowed the Gee-Gees to pull out the improbable win. “Even though we were down 16, we came out with no fear. We took a deep breath and we started playing our game. I think we just feel like we can’t lose when we’re playing with each other.” With Trowell riding the pines through most of the first half after picking up three quick fouls, the Gee-Gees offence sputtered. They shot like they were blindfolded and rebounded like they were handcuffed as Laurentian built a 22-6 lead and headed into the lockers with a comfortable 30-16 edge, thinking they’d finally shed the playoff hex that has plagued them over the past four campaigns, in which the Voyageurs have entered the postseason as the top-seeded favorites and promptly tanked. Yet, the Voyageurs had overlooked the effects of the Trowell Tornado, who set the tone quickly by knifing through a pair of Laurentian defenders for a layup, dished a pair of beautiful feeds to Julie Rodrigue for low-post buckets and ripped-down four defensive boards as the Gee-Gees opened the second half with a 13-2 spurt to rally within one. Although Lisa Roberts drilled a pair of treys as Laurentian clawed back to a 43-36 lead, it was quickly apparent that Trowell had re-ignited the entire Gee-Gees offence. Moyle and Miranda Killam each hit a pair of jumpers, while Trowell tipped-in an offensive rebound and slashed for another layup as Ottawa countered with a 17-6 run. Kanata-product Cassandra Carpenter notched an old-fashioned three-point play and Brianne Henry drove for a bucket as Laurentian again rallied to within 52-51. But the Gee-Gees weren’t to be denied. Hilary Foster buried a trey with 52 seconds to play to embed the dagger in Laurentian’s upset hopes before Killam iced the win with a pair from the line. “We didn’t want to be a one-time wonder going to nationals,” said Foster. “We knew that we were capable of winning the title again, if we put it together. We knew we had to create penetration lanes by bringing people up and that opened things up in the second half.” Coach Bobby Brown said the poise and leadership of his veterans proved the difference. “All you have to do, as a coach, is don’t get in their way. Let them do their job.” Brown added his troops were determined to duplicate the feat of the men’s Gee-Gees, who on Friday qualified for the nationals by dumping York 69-57. “I couldn’t let (men’s coach David) DeAveiro get to nationals without making sure that we followed suit. Being one of my mentors, I’d never have lived it down.” Trowell finished with 14 points on 7-14 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Miranda Killam added 13 on 5-12 from the floor and 8 boards. Julie Rodrigue scored 10 on 5-11 from the floor. Kristen Moyle scored 8 on 4-15 from the floor, 5 boards and 4 assists. Hilary Foster scored 7 on 3-11 from the floor. Veronique Martineau scored 3 and Jenn Labelle 2, while Tina Ethier, Caroline Alain, Moronike Laleye and Katie Laurie were scoreless. The Gee-Gees hot 26-70 (.371) from the floor, 1-9 (.011) from the arc and 4-5 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 10 assists, 13 fouls, 6 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks. Lisa Roberts paced Laurentian with 14 points on 5-7 from the floor and 4-5 from the arc. Cassandra Carpenter added 12 on 4-17 from the floor and 11 boards. Tierney Hoo scored 10 on 4-15 from the floor and 8 boards. Brianne Henry scored 5, Simone Wilson 5, Ashley Macsporran 3 and Amanda McConnell 2, while Kate Walker, Caitlin Blackadder and Shannon Chellew were scoreless. The Voyageurs hit 19-57 (.333) from the floor, 7-15 (.467) from the arc and 6-14 (.429) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, 8 assists, 14 fouls, 14 turnovers, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

In the West quarterfinals, McMaster defeated the visiting Waterloo Warriors 55-44 as Sarah Sterling scored 18 on 8-17 from the floor and 6 boards. Chiara Rocca added 12 on 5-15 from the floor and 11 boards. Deanna Hollinger scored 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 9 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Cari te Boekhorst scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor and 8 boards. Julia Critchley scored 6 and Andrea Venner 5, while Erin Stanley, Vanessa Casuccio, Julie Burr, Jenna Garbaty and Alicia Fidanza were scoreless. The Marauders shot 22-67 (.328) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 9-17 (.529) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, 7 assists, 19 fouls, 16 turnovers, 8 steals and 6 blocks. Julie Devenny led Waterloo with 14 points on 4-9 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 6 boards. Katie Tucker scored 10 on 3-11 from the floor. Gillian Maxwell scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor and 8 boards. Madeleine Noble scored 5, Nicole Tisdale 3, Kimberly Lee 2 and Kate McCrae 2, while Caroline Bearisto, Melanie Belore and Melissa Berg were scoreless. Waterloo (coached by Mano Watsa, assistants Andrea Thomson and George Hunsberger, strength & conditioning Lori Kraemer, manager Stephen Szostak, therapists Shauna Tsuchiya and Sara Powell) also included Feleshia Watson, Lindsay Offner, Katherine Wetmore and Heather Pietrobon. The Warriors shot 14-56 (.250) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 14-23 (.609) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 5 assists, 13 fouls, 15 turnovers, 12 steals and 2 blocks. Baskets were hard to come by in the first few minutes and by 17:08 Mac had a 4-1 lead with all points coming from the free throw line. At 16:50 Sarah Sterling got the first Marauder score from the field only to see Gillian Maxwell reply at 16:35 to make the score 6-3. A full minute passed before an Andrea Venner 3 got the Mac scoring going again. By 9:33 a 15-5 run by McMaster, finished with a steal and score by Deanna Hollinger, made the score 21-8. However, the Warriors kept in the game and despite some missed free throws, managed to get the gap down to single digits, 27-18, at the buzzer. Several minutes passed before McMaster opened the second half scoring with a 2 plus 1 from Sarah Sterling at 17:56. This started another scoring run by Mac and by 12:28 the Marauders had their biggest lead of the game, 39-22. At 9:51 McMaster still held a 17 point lead, 43-26, but at 9:40 a Madeleine Noble 3 started the Warriors on their own run. A 14-4 run by Waterloo would bring them within 7 (47-40) by 3:59. A pair from the line by Chiara Rocca and a 3 from Cari te Boekhorst at 2:21 took the steam out of the Warrior comeback and the Marauders went on to win. Marauders coach Theresa Burns told the Hamilton Spectator that “we battled. In playoffs, you just want to win. Whatever it takes. We had a very good 15 minutes and then the game got scrappy. The flow disintegrated for both teams.” Warriors coach Mano Watsa said “they went to the boards hard against us. Sarah Sterling and Chiara Rocca got the job done. We did our best to contain them.”

In the other West quarterfinal, host Laurier defeated Western 73-67 as Meaghan McGrath scored 19 on 5-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc and 5-6 from the line. Marie Guiney added 13 on 5-11 from the floor. Dee Channer scored 12 on 2-5 from the floor, 8-8 from the line and 12 boards. Kerri Jilesen notched 8 on 3-12 from the floor and 5 boards. Heather Sutherland scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Laura Taylor scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor and Dana Poder-O’Born scored 2 while Jillian Ritsma, Emily Conrad and Christine Gibson were scoreless. The Golden Hawks shot 22-59 (.373) from the floor, 7-15 (.467) from the arc and 22-25 (.880) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, 6 assists, 17 fouls, 11 turnovers, 9 steals and 6 blocks. Paula Romkey paced Western with 16 points on 6-10 from the floor. Karenina Aguilar added 15 on 3-7 from the floor. Julie Lamparski scored 11 on 5-18 from the floor. Cheryl Atkinson scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor. Alana Juzenas scored 6, Charlene Tortosa 5, Ashley Watt 5 and Rebecca McColl 2, while Rebecca Heeney, Sarah Lercara and Amy D’Ornellas were scoreless. Western (coached by Michael Milne) also included Bess Lennox, Laura Henrich, Mallory O’Leary, Charlene Camillo and Annelise Beaton. The Mustangs shot 22-61 (.361) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from the arc and 16-20 (.800) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, 13 assists, 20 fouls, 14 turnovers, 2 steals and 5 blocks.

In the West semis, Guelph defeated Laurier 75-62 as Stephanie Yallin scored 17 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 4 boards. Katie Guthrie added 15 on 7-9 from the floor, 6 boards and 3 steals. Heather Angus scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor and Sharon Hollinshead 10 on 3-7 from the floor and 9 boards. Jessica Nieuwland scored 8, Anne Marie Ssemanda 8 and Emily Peaker 7, while Emily Chan was scoreless. Guelph shot 27-46 (.587) from the floor, 7-14 from the arc and 14-23 (.609) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, 16 assists, 20 fouls, 18 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks. Laura Taylor paced Laurier with 20 points on 7-12 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 6 boards. Meaghan McGrath scored 11 on 2-19 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc and 3 steals. Maire Guinney scored 9 on 3-10 from the floor. Heather Sutherland scored 7, Emily Conrad 5, Sarah Zagorski 5, Kerri Jilesen 4 and Dee Channer 2, while Dana Poder-O’Born and Christine Gibson were scoreless. Laurier (coached by Stu Julius, assisted by Ann Weber and Kevin Duffy, manager Crystal Shadwell, student trainer Jennifer Kitching) also included Jenna Wulff, Jillian Ritsma, Laura Taylor and Elise Carruthers. The Hawks hit 22-69 (.319) from the floor, 3-14 (.214) from the arc and 15-21 (.714) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 13 assists, 18 fouls, 14 turnovers, 11 steals and 3 blocks. Both teams came out blistering to start the game, with Guelph scoring and Laurier quickly responding. The two teams put up a combined 75 points of offense in the first half, with Guelph enjoying a 42-33 lead at the break. The Gryphons shot a staggering 64% from the field in the first half. In the second half, the Gryphons quickly built up a 12 point lead, only to see the Golden Hawks chip away at Guelph’s lead, getting as close as 4 points. However the Gryphons would again build up their lead, leading by as many as 15 points with 3 minutes to play. Guelph would finish with the hard fought 75-62 victory, their 14th straight.
In the other West semi, host Brock defeated McMaster 65-50 as Jodie Ebeling scored 18 on 5-15 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc and 7 boards. Erin Allan added 17 points on 6-9 from the floor and 8 boards. Larkin Lamarche scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor and 6 boards. Allison Forbes, Trisha Hedges and Dacia O’Sullivan each scored 5, while Jenna Gonneau notched 3, Kalia Aguius 2 and Kyla Douras 1. Amanda Tofano, Vanessa Yates and Becky Gallant were held scoreless. The Badgers shot 23-50 (.460) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 15 assists, 15 fouls, 20 turnovers, 8 steals and 2 blocks. Badgers coach Chris Critelli told the St. Catharines Standard that “offensively, sometimes the shots are going to drop and (the opposition) is going to be all over Jodie (Ebeling) but if we play tough defence, nobody is going to beat us.” Sarah Sterling paced the Marauders with 16 points on 6-12 from the floor and 10 boards. Cari te Boekhorst notched 10 on 4-8 from the floor and 2 steals. Chiara Rocca scored 9 on 3-11 from the floor and 7 boards. Deanna Hollinger scored 7, Julia Critchley 6 and Fiona Cheng 2, while Andrea Venner, Vanessa Casuccio, Julie Burr and Jenna Garbaty were scoreless. McMaster (coached by Theresa Burns) also included Erin Stanley, Brittany Gardhouse, Alicia Fidanza and Claire Askew. The Marauders hot 20-63 (.317) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 10 assists, 20 fouls, 25 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks. McMaster’s game plan seemed clear from the tip as they triple teamed player of the year candidate Jodie Ebeling (Fenwick). Ebeling was able to get a three off in the opening minutes before having to dish to her team-mates. This was not a very bad option though as the Badgers would score on three straight trips down the floor. Ebeling twice drove to the basket before passing to a wide-open team-mate. The Badgers would hold a 37-24 lead at the half and did not let up in the second frame. Brock had captured both regular season matches between the pair and made it a season sweep with the victory. The Marauders got off to a fairly quick 4-0 lead on 2 Sarah Sterling baskets only to see Jodie Ebeling make the score 4-3 at 18:47. Chiara Rocca put Mac up 6-3 at 18:24 only to have Larkin Lamarche tie the score at 6 all at 18:06. Brock took the lead 8-6 at 17:37 and McMaster tied it at 8 all 16:44. The next 3 and a half minutes saw an 11-0 Badger run that would give them a lead, 19-8, at 13:03, that they would hold until the end of the game. Mac managed to get the gap down to single digits (21-13) at 9:36 but never got any closer. The half ended with Brock leading 37-24. McMaster got the first basket in the half from Fiona Cheng at 19:51 only to a quick reply from Erin Allan. Sarah Sterling got that one back at 19:05 but an 11-4 run by the Badgers in the next 7 minutes, to take the score to 50-32 at 12:11, essentially put the game out of reach. Brock had opened up a 21 point lead (57-36) at 9:45. The Marauders got some baskets in the remaining time but never closed the gap much until the final 3 minutes when a little flurry of baskets made the final score 65-50.

In the West final, host Guelph dumped Brock 72-56 as Sharon Hollinshead scored 27 on 10-12 from the floor, 7-8 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Stephanie Yallin scored 14 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 6 boards and 4 steals. Emily Peaker scored 11 on 4-6 from the floor and 4 steals. Anne Marie Ssemanda scored 9 on 9-10 from the line and 3 assists. Katie Guthrie scored 5 and Jessica Nieuwland 4, while grabbing 6 boards. Heather Angus scored 2, while Emily Chan, Ingrid Skolko and Kathryn Nevar were scoreless. The Gryphons shot 23-45 (.511) from the floor, 5-13 (.385) from the arc and 21-25 (.840) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 18 assists, 21 fouls, 18 turnovers, 15 steals, including 4 apiece by Peaker and Yallin, along with 1 block. Jodie Ebeling paced Brock with 15 points on 3-19 from the floor and 8-10 from the line, Erin Allan scored 13 on 5-11 from the floor. Larkin Lamarche notched 12 on 4-5 from the floor and 4 boards. Dacia O’Sullivan scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor. Amanda Tofano scored 3, while Trisha Hedges, Kaila Agius and Becky Gallant each scored 2. Allison Forbes and Jenna Gonneau were scoreless. The Badgers shot 17-48 (.354) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 18-22 (.818) from the line, while garnering 17 boards, 8 assists, 23 fouls, 19 turnovers, 11, steals, including 3 each by Tofano, O’Sullivan and Gonneau. In the early going the two teams traded baskets until midway through the half when the Gryphons opened up a 12 point lead. But the momentum shifted in Brock’s favour as three Guelph starters fouled out. Brock was able to get as close as 6 points, but a late 3 point basket by Emily Peaker allowed the Gryphons to take a 36-27 lead into the break. In the second half, the Gryphons quickly opened up a 12 point lead. With 11 minutes remaining Guelph stretched their lead to 18 points. The Badgers were able to cut the Gryphon lead to 10 points with less than 4 minutes to play, but the Gryphons would respond with big baskets and key defensive stops.

In the Wilson Cup final, host Guelph thrashed Ottawa 87-68 to win its first OUA title in 25 years. The Gee-Gees stumbled into a black hole, watching Guelph hit 27-of-35 free throws. Coach Carlos Brown declined comment on the officiating other than to say “it’s unfortunate my team was treated like rookie players instead of the veterans that they are.” Brown added that his troops seemed somewhat lethargic. “They outworked us on both ends of the floor. Offensively, they were outrunning us and we were a half-step behind.” Guelph broke to an early 12-5 lead by picking apart Ottawa’s 2-3 zone for uncontested jumpers by Sharon Hollinshead and Stephanie Yallin. Although star point guard Moriah Trowell was forced to the pines with a pair of quick fouls, the Gee-Gees rallied with perimeter bombs. Rookie Tina Ethier got things started with long trey. Hilary Foster added another and then Kristen Moyle got in the act, draining a pair from beyond the arc as Ottawa trimmed the margin to 20-19. But the one-way whistles appeared to rattle the Gee-Gees into careless passes, which the Gryphons exploited for transition buckets and a late 21-8 run, before Moyle drilled another bomb to cut the margin to 41-30 at the half. Guelph’s parade to the foul line continued unabated in the second half as the Gryphons extended their lead to 64-45. Although Ottawa stormed back to within 10 before Trowell fouled out, Guelph iced the win from where else but the foul line, hitting 11 charity tosses over the final four minutes of play. So pronounced was the discrepancy in fouls that the even pro-Guelph broadcast crew acknowledged the one-sided nature of the officiating. Ottawa, conceded Wilfrid Laurier coach Stu Julius, suffered from “several bad calls.” He later remarked, when Guelph was finally whistled for a violation, that the refs “had to call that one.” Sharon Hollinshead led Guelph with 21 on 7-10 from the floor, 7-8 from the line, 9 boards and 4 steals. Stephanie Yallin scored 18 on 6-11 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 6 boards. Jessica Nieuwland scored 15 on 5-8 from the floor and 4 boards. Anne Marie Ssemanda scored 10 on 3-10 from the floor and Katie Guthrie 10 on 4-7 from the floor. Heather Angus scored 7 and Emily Peaker 6, while Ingrid Skolko was scoreless. The Gryphons shot 29-56 (.518) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 27-35 (.771) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, 18 assists, 17 fouls, 12 turnovers and 12 steals. Kristen Moyle paced Ottawa with 22 points on 9-14 from the floor and 4-7 from the arc. Moriah Trowell added 20 on 7-19 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Julie Rodrigue scored 9 on 2-7 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 9 boards. Hilary Foster notched 6 on 2-6 from the arc and Miranda Killam 6 on 3-4 from the floor. Tina Ethier scored 5, while Caroline Alain, Veronique Martineau and Moronike Laleye were scoreless. The Gee-Gees shot 25-58 (.431) from the floor, 8-19 (.421) from the arc and 10-12 (.833) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, 9 assists, 23 fouls, 16 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block.

After the season, Georgia Risnita resigns as coach of the Windsor Lancers, although she has two years remaining on her contract. Hired as 24-year-old grad student five years earlier, she compiled a 25-81 record at the helm. “Clearly, we’re going to be looking for a lot more experience in a coach,” said athletic director Gord Grace. Risnita had been on a year’s leave while enrolled at teacher’s college in Toronto. She’d been replaced for the year by Blake Handsor.

The co-bronze medalist Brock Badgers: Jodie Ebeling; Erin Allan; Larkin Lamarche; Dacia O’Sullivan; Amanda Tofano; Trisha Hedges; Kaila Agius; Becky Gallant; Allison Forbes; Jenna Gonneau; Kyla Douros; Sarah Dillon; Alicia Belbeck; Vanessa Yates; coach Chris Critelli

The co-bronze medalist Laurentian Voyageurs: Lisa Roberts; Cassandra Carpenter; Tierney Hoo; Brianne Henry; Simone Wilson; Ashley Macsporran; Amanda McConnell; Kate Walker; Caitlin Blackadder; Shannon Chellew; Amy Solc; Jess Ross; Vanessa Jakola; Christi Bauck; coach Mike Clarke

The runner-up Ottawa Gee-Gees: Moriah Trowell; Hilary Foster; Kristen Moyle; Julie Rodrigue; Miranda Killam; Veronique Martineau; Tina Ethier; Jenn Labelle; Caroline Alain; Meghan Butler; Katie Laurie; Moronike Laleye; Leah Hubbard; Nadia Brenko; Sarah Tierney; coach Carlos Brown; assistant Murray Shoup; assistant Dawn Smyth; assistant Suzanne Baird; athletic director Luc Gelineau

The champion Guelph Gryphons: Sharon Hollinshead; Stephanie Yallin; Anne-Marie Ssemanda; Heather Angus; Emily Chan; Cristy Nurse; Emily Peaker; Ingrid Skolko; Angelique Rosenthal; Kathryn Nevar; Shelly Burton; Katie Guthrie; Jessica Nieuwland; coach Angela Orton; assistant Skye Angus; assistant Dean Huyck; assistant Angela Hrkac; assistant Ian Smith; trainer Drew Eidt; manager Sarah Teeter; strength & conditioning coach Dwight Griffith; SID Michelle Turley