Final regular season standings (9): Mount Saint Vincent (21-3); Mount Allison (x-x); UNB-Saint John (17-6); St. Thomas (x-x); King’s (x-x); Nova Scotia Agricultural (x-x); Moncton (x-x); Atlantic Baptist (x-x);
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Atlantic Baptist Blue Tide:
Moncton Blue Angels: Frederique Pettigrew,
In the quarterfinals, the 4th-seeded St. Thomas Tommies defeated the 5th-seeded King’s Blue Devils 50-47 in overtime. Down 39-42 with 2 seconds left on the clock in regulation time, STU’s Laura Drombolis netted a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. Players of the Game were Jessica Wagner from Kings and Kendra Hunter from St. Thomas. The Blue Devils also included Heather Stilwell.
In the other quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded UNB-Saint John Seawolves dumped the 6th-seeded Nova Scotia Agricultural College Rams 79-48. The score at the half-time was 47-22 for UNBSJ. Seawolves were led by player of the game Julie Edwards who netted 12 points and had 7 steals. NSAC’s Player of the Game was Jillian Isenor with 19 points, 2 steals and 3 assists. The Rams also included Jessica Mitchell.
In the semis, the host and 3rd-seeded UNB-Saint John Seawolves stunned the 2nd-seed Mount Allison Mounties 57-54. The Seawolves led 31-25 at the half. Mount A mounted a comeback and moved ahead 49-48 with just over two minutes to go. Seawolf Meaghan Wood nailed two field goals to regain the lead for UNBSJ. Julie Edwards sealed the deal for the Seawolves by hitting 5 of 6 foul shots during the last minute of the game and was named Player of the Game for the Wolves. UNBSJ’s ACAA League MVP Jacqueline Kennedy led the Seawolves in scoring with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while all-conference player Brandy Jones chipped in with 12 and Meaghan Wood added 10. Leading the Mounties offense were all-conference players Maria Seman (20 points) and Meghan Craig with 16.
In the other semi, the 4th-seeded St. Thomas Tommies defeated the top-seeded Mount St. Vincent Mystics 62-57. Player of the game Erin Monahan led a balanced Tommies’ attack with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. In the last couple of minutes of the game, the Mystics battled to within 4 points, but fell short at the buzzer. Helping the Mystics staying in the game was player of the game Ashley Gould, with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
In the final, the host University of New Brunswick-Saint John Seawolves defeated the St. Thomas Tommies 63-51 to earn their first crown since joining the league in 1993. The Seawolves led 21-19 at the half and took command in the second frame. Jacqueline Kennedy paced the Seawolves with 20. Pauline Waggott added 9 blocks and 11 boards and was chosen player of the game for the Seawolves. Kendra Hunter was chosen player of the game for the Tommies after scoring 13. Erin Monahan also scored 13. The strong post game was complimented by the tenacity of the perimeter defense spearheaded by Seawolves Julie Edwards, Brandy Jones and Meaghan Wood. The Tommies battled hard the entire game, but struggled in keeping the Seawolves off the offensive boards. Kennedy was elated. “I’ve seen this team grow and I couldn’t be more proud of these girls and of my own accomplishments. It’s amazing to see a team come from seven wins as the record to going to nationals four years later, it’s incredible,” she told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. Brandy Jones added that “I’m in a euphoric state right now.” Pauline Waggott said “it just hasn’t sunk in at all yet, I’m sure it will later this week when we have practice.” Coach Bob Bonnell said “we kept just saying, don’t think about winning, think about the things you have to do to win.”
The co-bronze medalist Mount St. Vincent Mystics: Ashley Gould; Sarah Rudderham; Wendy Hutchinson; Jenna Dunn;
The co-bronze medalist Mount Allison Mounties: Meghan Craig; Maria Seman; Ali Duret;
The silver medalist St. Thomas Tommies: Erin Monahan; Kendra Hunter; Laura Drombolis; Hannah Hamilton; Karen O’Rourke;
The gold medalist UNB-Saint John Seawolves: Julie Edwards; Brandy Jones; Jacqueline Kennedy; Lindsay Church; Meaghan Wood; Pauline Waggott; Amanda LeBlanc; Jill Dean; Kim Gustafson; Jill Balser; Stephanie Crawford; coach Bob Bonnell; assistant Patti Doyle; assistant Lori Graham; manager Lyndsay Armstrong