Final regular season standings (10): Fraser Valley (17-1); Langara (15-3); Okanagan (13-5); Thompson Rivers (10-8); Capilano (10-8); Malaspina (8-10); Northern British Columbia (8-10), Kwantlen (5-13); Camosun (2-16), Douglas (2-16)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Camosun Chargers: Jen Loraas-Pletsch, Tina Pulez, Reiko Sakabe, Kyla Fiddick, Stephanie Palin, Ashley Stubbs, Rebecca Beaton, Janet Collier, Carla Delisle, Erin Russell, Kelsey Penny, coach Irene Wallace, assistant Trinity Folland, assistant Leanne Montgomery
Douglas Royals: Sarah Herbert, Cleopatra Onyejekwe, Kathleen Wirtanen, coach Ed Lunn
Kwantlen Eagles: Kristin Leuszler, Michelle Roots, Sophie Robinson, coach Jon Acob
Northern British Columbia Timberwolves: Laura Foster, Christina Neufeld, Lindsay Anderson, Heather Hausot, coach Loralyn Murdoch
In the quarterfinals, the 6th-seeded Malaspina Mariners defeated the 3rd-seeded Okanagan Lakers 68-52 as Michelle Stoney scored 14, Krystal Hawksworth 13 and Denise Wilson 13. Mariners coach Vivian Kingdon told the Nanaimo Daily News that in “the first half, we were right up with them the whole half. Things just weren’t clicking. We were hesitant on offence. The second half, we started out the same, then we slowly chipped away at them. Michelle Stoney made some crucial three-point shots. … Okanagan basically got frustrated.” Michelle Stoney was chosen player of the game for Malaspina, while Jenni Dorward was chosen player of the game for Okanagan. Schuylah Merrick paced the Lakers with 15. Angie Robson added 15, Michelle Storey 14, Meghan Faust 4 and Brianne Hathaway 2. The Lakers (coached by Heather Semeniuk) also included Angie Robson, Amy-Lynn Adams.
In the other quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Thompson Rivers Sun Demons defeated the 5th-seeded Capilano Blues 68-59 as Morgan Stoner was chosen player of the game. Michelle Stiphout was chosen player of the game for Capilano. Tosha Hassel, a 6-0 post, notched 12 points and nabbed 10 boards for the Sun Demons. “She’s been our best player for the last month,” Sun Demons coach Jeff Speedy told the Abbotsford Daily News. “And she’s sicker than a dog. We have three kids with the flu and they can barely move or breathe.” The Blues opened with a 14-2 run but rookies Denise Kraljevic and Randy DeGagne came off the bench to rally the Sun Demons to a 35-32 lead at the half. “They really jump-started us,” said Speedy. Elizabeth Hunter led the Sun Demons with 24 on 8-8 from the line and 11 boards. Stoner scored 9. “Her stats weren’t great,” said Speedy. “But, of her nine points, she hit some key shots — a three and then a steal and layup in the second half. She was great defensively, too.” The Blues (coached by Paul Chiarenza) also included Gillian Brooke, Michelle Stiphout, Samantha Coutts, Allison Omland, Kate Begley, Lisa Iwamoto, Joey Lee, Cassie Anderson, Karen Wickson, Laura Ryan and Kelly Laird.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Langara Falcons defeated the 6th-seeded Malaspina Mariners 83-65 as Jessie Evans was chosen player of the game. Denise Wilson was chosen player of the game for Malaspina after scoring 23.
In the other semi, Jamie Born scored 15 and was chosen player of the game as the top-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades defeated the 4th-seeded Thompson Rivers Sun Demons 53-46. Lauren Alonzo added 12, while nabbing 9 boards, while Natilee Brown had 6 steals. Elizabeth Hunter was chosen player of the game for the Sun Demons after scoring 18. Lisa Peterson added 8, along with 8 boards. Sun Demons coach Jeff Speedy told the Kamloops Daily News that “I couldn’t be happier. We lost to the No. 1 team on their court. We had them down 10-2 to start and they came back to lead 27-24 at the half.”
In the bronze medal match, the 6th-seeded Malaspina Mariners clipped the 4th-seeded Thompson Rivers (Cariboo) Sun Demons 69-64 as Krystal Hawksworth scored 19, Denise Wilson 16 and Kirstin Knight 13, along with 18 boards. Mariners coach Vivian Kingdon told the Nanaimo Daily News that “it felt like we had control the whole game. We were confident. They were just keeping up with the intensity for the full 40 minutes. There were no lapses.” Kirstin Knight was chosen player of the game for the Mariners, while Dessa Gottfriedson earned the laurels for the Sun Demons. “We’ll never score more than 65 points in one game,” Sun Demons coach Jeff Speedy told the Kamloops Daily News. “We can’t be giving up 69 points.” Lisa Peterson led the Sun Demons with 20, along with 8 boards. Liz Chalmers added 12, Elizabeth Hunter 11 and Morgan Stoner 10. The Sun Demons led 35-32 at the half. The Sun Demons (coached by Jeff Speedy, assisted by Sukh Heer) also included Marchena Hembroff, Irene Wark, Tosha Hassel, Tanya Brasseur, Trinity Roy, Randi DeGagne, Denise Kraljevic, Amber Paulson, Angela Booy and Ashley Bedwell.
In the final, the top-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades defeated the 2nd-seeded Langara Falcons 50-46 in overtime as Cassie Born scored 11, while nabbing 6 boards, and Lauren Alonzo 8. Alonzo hit two free throws with 22.4 seconds to play to knot the score at 41. In overtime, Lindsay Strickland fed Alonzo for a layup, and-one, to give Fraser Valley a 48-46 lead with a minute to play. The Cascades then forced a shot clock violation and found Erin Lee for an insurance run out. Jaime Born told the Abbotsford News that “we played excellent defence but on offence, we didn’t execute like we should. We did enough.” Cascades coach Sandy Chambers said “Lindsay Strickland is one of the most unnoticed stars in this league. She plays a great control game for us. (As well, Natilee Brown’s defence), she stops every point guard in the league. … You don’t worry with those guys, after a while they just take one. Falcons coach Mike Clarke said “that’s a pretty skillful team. But it didn’t look like it tonight.” The Falcons led 21-19 at the half in the ugly, defensive affair. Lauren Alonzo was chosen player of the game for the Cascades, while Jennifer MacLeod earned the laurels for the Falcons.
The bronze medalist Malaspina Mariners: Denise Wilson; Tamara Stoney; Krystal Hawksworth; Kirstin Knight; Michelle Stoney; Allison Waine; coach Vivian Kingdon
The silver medalist Langara Falcons: Caroline Bearisto; Chrissy Dumas; Carlyann Scarr; Kellie Besseling; Lisa Roberts; Jennifer MacLeod; Jessie Evans; Sandra Harris; Ginny Evans; coach Mike Clarke
The gold medalist Fraser Valley Cascades: Kalisha Reid; Lindsay Strickland; Jaime Born; Natilee Brown; Cassi Born; Erin Lee; Shiloh Minor; Lauren Alonzo; Samantha Hill; Dawn Gosselin; Brianna Payne; Tanya Campbell; Nicole Hill; coach Sandy Chambers; assistant Carolyne Martinez