Final regular season standings:
N (7): Grant MacEwan (20-4); Grande Prairie (19-5); Augustana (19-5); Red Deer (11-13); Concordia (6-18); King’s U. College (6-18); NAIT (3-21)
S (6): Final South regular season standings: Mount Royal (19-1); Lethbridge (17-3); SAII (12-8); Prairie Bible (6-14); Medicine Hat (4-16); Briercrest Bible (2-18)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Briercrest Bible: Shellie Dykshoorn, Sarah McLaughlin, Amy Kuhn, Suzanne Korthuis, Adrianne Hau, Kristy Koop, Melissa Wilde, Ellen Sabo, Natalie Arkell, Randy Lett, Shannon Martin, coach Curtis Plitt
Concordia: Shawna Siemens, Becky Kleinmann, Rachel Vachon, Kyla Munn, Bonnie Hommy, Carissa Smith, Marta Pietucha, Shawne Russell, Ursula Andiel, Ginger Morrison, Melissa Black, Lois Wright, coach Scott Edwards
King’s University College: Christie Darius, Erin Wisselink, Angela Regier, Kelly Frost, Janelle Schenk, Jessica Broersma, Lena Zuehlke, Jillian Gawley, Tracey Webb, Alison Calder, coach Jackie Frost
Medicine Hat: Pamela Gottselig, Dana Skorenki, Sarah Nosworthy, Lisa Moser, Alyssa Chomick, Amy Toews, Heather Harasymchuk, Janice Moch, Claire Tomczyk, Kassey Russell, Courtney Currie, Megan Lattimer, Jessica Newman, Erin Stinson, coach Brian Kannekens
NAIT: Amber Smart, Brandy Ryder, Mandy Squire, Jessica Clarke, Sandy Emmott, Vanessa Ilchuck, Wendy-Ann Belle, Dawn Polanski, Marcy Theroux, Amanda Nichols, Kelsey Cheruk, Carolyn Cartwright, Lorraine Stelk, Jane Odegaard, Cindy Mohn, coach Ron Hopkins
In the quarterfinals, the Grant MacEwan Griffins defeated the Prairie Bible Pilots 85-35; 62-56 (2g-0). The Pilots (coached by Michael Shaw) included April Stewart, Deb Krause, Naomi Nevakshanoff, Mary Fehr, Stacey Steeves, Rachel Schnieder, Angela Morales, Shirley Larson, Naomi Smith, Kari Spicer, Marie Neufeld and Abbie Price.
The Mount Royal Cougars defeated the Red Deer Queens 53-60; 58-50; 62-47 (2g-1). ………………………………………………………… In game one, Red Deer clipped Mount Royal 60-53 as Jessica Barnes scored 12 and Jody Potts 12. Queens coach Sharon Hamilton told the Red Deer Advocate “when you’re not overly skilled you have to focus on being aggressive and playing with everything you have. Tonight we just did that.” Barnes said “Sharon put together a game plan where we worked hard on help-side defence on their post players. We knew if we could keep them outside it would give us a chance as they don’t seem to have a dominate outside shooter.” The Queens hit 2-12 from the arc and 24-30 from the line. The Cougars hit 1-10 from the arc and 6-13 from the line. Cougars coach Donovan Martin said “we knew that Jody Potts is a handful at the best of times. But if you’re not ready to play, she’ll kill you and that’s exactly what happened tonight. In face, their whole team was ready to play and for some reason, we weren’t. The first half, we didn’t do anything right.” Hamilton said “our achilles heel all season has been our second half. We’d go into the break content with what we had accomplished, then let down. Tonight, the girls were extremely focused and while they made a run at us, we didn’t let it bother us.” Barnes said “we were all pumped at the half but Sharon came in and kept us grounded.” ………………………………………………………… In game two, the Cougars evened the series with a 58-50 win as Sarah Howard scored 24. Jody Potts led Red Deer with 22, along with 11 boards. Jessica Barnes added 11 and Marily Judson 10. Mount Royal coach Donovan Martin said the win “was still too close for comfort. But obviously, it was much better than Wednesday night. Red Deer is playing really well, better than I would have guessed at any other time this season.” Queens coach Sharon Hamilton told the Red Deer Advocate that “we had a couple simple baskets that simply wouldn’t go down for us. … We played hard from the beginning. As predicted, Mount Royal was a different team that what we saw Wednesday. They were ready for us. But give our girls credit. They had jumpt and didn’t back down from them one bit.” ………………………………………………………… In game three, the Cougars took the series with a 62-47 win. Jody Potts led the Queens with 21. The Queens (coached by Sharon Hamilton) also included Trina Spence, Marilyn Judson, Jessica Barnes, Brianne Webb, Melanie Wecker, Afton Stephenson, Ruth Fitzsimonds, Cali Payne, Erin Wright and Nichole Sehlstrom. Hamilton told the Red Deer Advocate that “we played hard but just didn’t have enough fuel in the tank. Offensively, we didn’t have enough scoring and to give Mount Royal credit, they came ready to play and proved why they’re the number one-ranked team in the south.”
The Grande Prairie Wolves defeated the SAIT Trojans 60-38; 62-45 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Grande Prairie stomped SAIT 60-38 (also reported as 60-39). Wolves coach Kelly Ohlhauser told the Grande Prairie Herald Tribune that “we knew coming in that it was going to be the classic matchup. In fact, we wrote on the board before the game that our advantage is speed and we have to make sure we capitalize on that. I think in good portions of the game, we were able to assert that on them and were playing hard enough that we were limiting their size advantage. They’re going to get some baskets inside. But I thought we played really hard and we battled.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Grande Prairie took the series with a 62-45 win. Wolves coach Kelly Ohlhauser told the Grande Prairie Herlad Tribune that “they were hitting some shots (in the first half) and our shots weren’t going down. They got the jump on us but we didn’t waver from the game plan. We kept up the pressure and I was really confident with our speed. We started a little slow but we persisted.” The Trojans (coached by Avery Harrison and Rae Fehr, manager Franci St. Maria, therapist Jaimie Bessant) included Leisha Bonine, Jenn Kutchoski, Susan Stefan, Paige MacPherson, Asha Forrester, Cynthia Charlesworth, Tammy Dubinsky, Sharla Madigan, Bobbi Bachynski, Megan Leach, Stacey Kaluta, Shianna Birrell, Jenelle MacDonald, Linda An and Krystal Fahie.
In the last quarterfinal series, the Lethbridge Kodiettes defeated the Augustana Vikings 69-59; 66-40 (2g-0).
…………………………………………………… In game one, the Kodiaks dumped the Vikings 69-59. “We have to capitalize better on our turnovers we created which we didn’t this game,” said Kodiak coach Brad Karren. “In the playoffs anything can happen where there’s a little more pressure. They weathered the storm and it was nice to see they really focused.” The Kodiaks’ outside shooting was clicking early with Kimberly Bridge hitting from beyond the arc for a 19-9 lead. With Rebecca Jackson, Jennifer Judd and Jesse McMillan hitting mid-range jumpers, the Kodiaks maintained a double-digit lead until Viking guard Nicole Jarman hit a trey and Shelley Pozerniuk a driving layup to rally Augustana within 39-38 at the half. “Our team almost flows right through Lana and Shari (Jonker),” said Karren. “Lana is so effective on our press and on defence that it hurt us when she was out. We knew they would go on a run. They’re a good team and that’s why they’re here. (Pozerniuk) is a first team all-star. We knew she’d be tough, she’s considered the best player in the North.” Brown appeared to suffer an injury early in the second half. “I sort of landed on my hip and elbow after getting hip checked,” said Brown. “I could feel it a little while I was running and jumping but 1 wasn’t worried about it and just played through it.” Pozerniuk hit a trey to give the Vikings a 51-50 lead but the Kodiaks responded with an 11-0 run. Viking guard Leanne Shenton nailed a trey to cut the margin to 63-58 with four minutes to play. But Jonker drove the lane for a three-point lead to give the Kodiaks a seven-point lead with 2:30 remaining. “We did pretty good sucking it up in the second half and getting that first win under our belts,” said Brown. Jonker was chosen player of the game for Lethbridge after notching 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Brown added 10, as well as 10 boards and 7 steals. Pozerniuk led the Vikings with 17. Wilson added 12. …………………………………………………… In game two, Lethbridge completed the sweep with a 66-40 win after outrebounding the Vikings 55-23. “We really discussed before the game how we wanted to do three things: play tough defence, run the floor, and box out and I think we pretty much did all three,” said Kodiaks coach Brad Karren. The Kodiaks had three consecutive steals, capped by an Alicia Dypolt runout as they took a 20-8 lead. Dypolt beat Shelley Pozerniuk off the dribble to give the Kodiaks a 39-28 lead at the half, while Dypolt, Nisha Nelson, Kimberly Bridge and Jennifer Judd gave Lethbridge a 34-7 rebounding edge in the half. “We came out with a belter frame of mind tonight. We got to see what they had to offer so we were a little better prepared to play than last night,” said Judd. “It was hard to defend them because they have tall players who can shoot the three but we managed to come through in the end.” Bridge pilfered the ball and lobbed a long pass to Judd for a layup that gave the Kodiaks a 54-36 lead in the romp. “Lethbridge is a very challenging team who just keep coming at you,” said Vikings coach Dawn Schooler. “They can get you do doing things that you don’t want to do. We play a half-court game absolutely; that’s our strength for sure and we weren’t able to do it.” Bridge paced the Kodiaks with 13 points, 9 boards and 6 assists. Shari Jonker scored 10. Shelley Pozerniuk led the Vikings with 13. Leanne Shenton added 11. The Vikings (coached by Dawn Schooler) also included Laurie Wilson, Pamela Reinke, Joy de la Paz, Trudi Lorenz, Miriam Mol, Nicole Jarmin, Sophia Thompson, Jamie Hemsing, Sarah Jo Watson, Kerbi McKnight and Colleen Biegal.
In the Final Four semis, hosted by Grande Prairie, the Mount Royal Cougars whipped the Grande Prairie Wolves 62-40. Wolves coach Kelly Ohlhauser told the Grande Prairie Herald Tribune that “we had been playing reasonably well, although we turned the ball over a few times in transition situations. That kind of hurt us but we were coming up with steals and we were rebounding tough. With the shots, we weren’t on fire but we were shooting well enough to hang in there. In the second half, we just went cold. We were 0-5 from the three-point line and 4-22 from the floor and 4-12 from the foul line. Those are junior high numbers.”
In the other semi, the Grant MacEwan Griffins clipped the Lethbridge Kodiettes 69-58. The Kodiettes rallied from an early deficit to take a 16-14 lead on a Lana Brown runout. But the Kodiettes soon found themselves in foul trouble. The Griffins began double-teaming Shari Jonker and took a 29-28 lead at the half. The teams were tied at 41 when the Griffins ripped off a decisive 9-2 run. Jonker said “they were really aggressive on the pressure outside and obviously, it paid off for them well.” Kodiaks coach Brad Karren said “we just didn’t get the calls. And then even when we got to the line, we didn’t make the shots.” The Kodiaks hit 15-31 from the line. “The little things cost us,” Kodiak Kimberley Bridge said. “We’ve got to refocus now. This loss was really hard for us but we want to get back in it mentally and play well tomorrow.” Shari Jonker led the Kodiaks with 20. Bridge added 10 and Lana Brown 9. “They were really aggressive on defence, they pressured us on the outside and it paid off for them.” Jonker said. “Their D really took us out of our game.” Kodiaks guard Kim Bridge told the Endeavour “we were having trouble moving the ball around so we may have been concentrating too much on our outside shooting, and that for us is really big.” Karren said “you never know what is going to happen in this game, I think we could have prepared ourselves a little better.” Shari Jonker said “they were really aggressive on the pressure outside and obviously it paid off for them well.”
In the bronze medal match, the Grande Prairie Wolves defeated the Lethbridge Kodiettes 71-66. The Wolves took an early 12-4 lead. Lethbridge rallied to tie the score at 31 at the half and appeared to be in command when they exploded for a 10-0 run early in the second half but then began tossing the ball away. The Wolves rallied from a late four-point deficit in the final two minutes. Lethbridge took a three-point lead but Esther Molina hit a trey to draw the Wolves within one and they took command down the stretch. Wolves coach Kelly Ohlhauser, who retired after the season after 17 years at the helm, told the Grande Prairie Herald Tribune that “Esther just stroked a three right on the girls’ head. Then over the last three minutes or so, Krista (Ciura) and Vanessa (Dunwoody) were both 4-for-4 from the foul line. We came up with some steals and just stopped them cold. It was a real gritty effort in a lot of ways. … It was a very good finish. It was tied at the half and the entire second half just went back-and-forth. We were down by four with about 2.5 minutes to go and it was just some real clutch play down the stretch. The five people out there, Esther, Vanessa, Krista, Christi (Gamble) and Jana (Siebert) just played flawless those last minutes.” Kodiaks guard Jennifer Judd told the Endeavour “they matched up well with us. It was a quicker pace than we are used to.” The Kodiettes (coached by Brad Karren) included Shari Jonker, Lana Brown, Kimberly Bridge, Rebecca Jackson, Jesse McMillan, Leslie Rosadiuk, Jennifer Judd, Nisha Nelson, Karma Jo Kubik, Deanna Dypolt, Jennifer Coutts, Crystal Cartwright, Alicia Dypolt and Lindsay Pike.
In the final, the Mount Royal Cougars dumped the Grant MacEwan Griffins 72-63. After watching Grant MacEwan star Carmen Gassner drop in 13 first half points, Mount Royal shifted to a zone that held Gassner to just four points in the second half and allowed the Cougars to pull out the win. “We had to do something. We couldn’t stop her one on one,” said Cougars coach Donovan Martin. “And these girls, they just have a tremendous amount of character. They said in the dressing room they refused to lose. They wouldn’t lose.” Trailing by four at the half, the Cougars began collapsing 2-3 players on Gassner while being more aggressive on the offensive boards. “They went to a zone to stop our inside game and we missed seven jump shots in a row,” said Grant MacEwan coach Erhayat Ozcan. “But the game came down to offensive rebounds. We couldn’t get enough and they got too many.” Meagen Atkinson put back an offensive board five minutes into the half to give Mount Royal a 36-34 lead. They quickly extended it to seven. The Gryphons twice fought back to regain a lead until their defensive rebounding finally did them in. Karen Debbink and Atkinson each scored off offensive rebounds as the Cougars turned a one-point lead into a 66-61 edge and two minutes to play. Debbink scored another offensive tip with a minute to play to seal the win. Meagen Atkinson led Mount Royal with 23 points. The Cougars hit 19-20 from the line.
The bronze medalist Grande Prairie Wolves: Andrea Kyle; Esther Molina; Chrysti Gamble; Jessica Schmidt; Krista Ciura; Jana Siebert; Vanessa Dunwoody; Jaclyn Hedges; Katrina Veeken; Nathasha Krukoff; Sarah Cassidy; coach Kelly Ohlhauser
The silver medalist Grant MacEwan Griffins: Alana Pyzyk; Carmen Gassner; Stephanie Stolk; Marcie Balay; Melissa Penner; Leah Hunt; Kelty Schwindt; Audrey Curran; Anna Kirillo; Laurissa Hood; Tamara Goodman; Melissa Mearon; Lynsey Nault; T.J. Wallsten; Alisha Johnson; coach Erhayat Ozcan
The gold medalist Mount Royal Cougars: Lauren Wallace; Sarah Howard; Elana Arnold; Meagan Atkinson; Karen Debbink; Erin Hogan; Joanna Card; Robyn Middlestead; Ashlee Guise; Andrea Mikus; Amy Sim; Gina Guimont; Teryn Allred; Amanda Cherniak; coach Donovan Martin