Final regular season standings:
East (9): Seneca (16-0); Algonquin (13-3); St. Lawrence-Kingston (11-5); Humber (9-7); Durham (8-8); Loyalist (6-10); George Brown (5-11); Georgian (4-12); Sir Sanford Fleming-Peterborough (0-16)
West (7): Algoma (9-3); Sheridan (9-3); Fanshawe (8-4); St. Clair (7-5); Niagara (6-6); Mohawk (3-9); Redeemer (0-12)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
George Brown Huskies: Niveal Pastrana, Josephine Agudo, Rochelle Reid, Brittney Griffin, Jessica Boyd, Hani Firin, Susan Teng, Celeste Scott, Kassandra Den Broeder, Alison Young, Kisha Roberts, Michelle Donaldson, Sasha-Lee Allen, Hayley Geller, Antoinetta Howard, Kimberly Tamar and Angela McFarlane.
Georgian Grizzlies: Chieko Moriyama, Beth Hedges, Andrea Little, Ayako Nada, Dana Marley, Courtney Okonsky, Kimm Kay, Karly Pomes, Samantha Lee, Amanda Watters, Kym Shelswell and Laura Bolton.
Redeemer Royals: Natalie Dumoulin, Kara McCarthy, Tanisha Vandenburg, Julie Honig, Sonya Vangameren, Aileen Hovingh, Natalie Armstrong, Angela Wiersma, Corianne Janssens, Courtney McDougall-Morris and Julianna Vyn.
Sir Sandford Fleming Peterborough Knights: Nikke Heseltine, Dayna Leclair, Arita Rasuma, Nadine Laforme, Laurie Stefani, Jess Barrieuau, Angelika Brezwan, Jessica Ward, Samantha Mochulla, Millicent Appia, Jennifer Coppola, Katie Burtschenko, Ashley Sharpe and Amanda France.
In the crossover opening round, the St. Clair Saints whipped the Durham Lords 63-44 after leading 31-24 at the half. The game saw Durham turn over the ball a phenomenal 37 times, allowing the Saints to dominate from the start. The Lords got off to a slow start, allowing the Saints to jump out to an 8 – 0 lead. They did manage to claw their way back, keeping the score within 10, but at the end of the first half, Durham was down 31 – 24. At the 10-minute mark in the second half, Durham managed to limit that lead to four as the Saints lead 43-39. At that point, the Lords had possession and two shots from the free throw line but were not able to execute. The Lords soon got in foul trouble and it was game over the Durham. Both Sam McConnell and Sarah Tice picked up four fouls and the Saints managed to shoot 10 for 14 from the line in the second half. The girls shot poorly throughout the match, going 14 for 43 from the field. They relied too much on their star player, Sam McConnell, who scored 30 of their 44 points. Even McConnell’s shooting was uncharacteristic as she went 9 for 14 from the line. Whitney Lucas paced the Saints with 14. Sophina Phillips added 12. Sam McConnell led Durham with 20 points on 9-14 from the line, 6 boards and 5 steals. Jill Leistra and Carly McGhie each added 4. The Lords also included Allison Chehowski, Krista Colley, Roxina Foster, Sarah Kendall, Sarah Tice, Ashley Visser, Carley Stevenson, Samantha Myers, Amanda Moore, Leisa Wilgosz and Katie Pabelico. …………………………………………………… The St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings crushed the Mohawk Mountaineers 74-41 as Bailey Lomas scored 28. The Vikings took command with a 13-0 run to open the second half. The Mountaineers included Lisamarie Iavarone, Erinn Belot, Katie Goodburn, Carrie Lawton, Melissa Zwolak, Ali Bettger, Lisa Arndt, Rachel Boyce, Jennifer Snider, Sinead Tozer, Amy Whitaker, Jennifer Bull, Regielyn Espinosa and Andrea Bonitatibus. …………………………………………………… The Humber Hawks defeated the Niagara Knights 63-51. The Hawks fell behind 21-10 in the first half but took command in the second frame. Felon Harris led Humber with 20. The Knights included Kaitlyn McKenna, Justine Rempel, Candice Hart, Jessica James, Allana Arundell, Dana Vandermark, Andrea Litke, Jillian Dominey, Sharna Shriver, Jennifer Overholt, Jamie Rylands, Jessica Cairns, Stephanie Mole and Jaclin Pino Martinez. …………………………………………………… The Fanshawe Falcons dumped the Loyalist Lancers 55-39. The Falcons held the Lancers to just 12 points in the first half. Taylor Knipe paced the Falcons with 16. Kara Muhlhausen led Loyalist with 18. The Lancers also included Larissa Dykstra, Erin Spencer, Stephanie Houle, Jordan McConnell, Amy Rose, Dianne Bouder, Ellen McCracken, Kristen Wells, Nicole Barnes, Jami Vangrootel, Terra Moon, Jody Williams and Andrea Bonner.
In the quarterfinals, the Seneca Sting defeated the St. Clair Saints 72-64. There’s a target on the back of their jerseys whenever the Seneca Sting take the court. As the defending Ontario Colleges Athletic Association champ, who romped through the East division regular season schedule with a 16-0 record, the Sting are a veteran unit, who may even have the talent to be competitive in the national tournament. That’s saying something given the OCAA has long been tagged the weak sister of the nation’s five community college women’s basketball conferences. Yet, justly so, as it’s been nine years since an OCAA team even won a single game on the championship side of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association draw. The Sting, though, are ranked sixth in the national coach’s poll and expected to roll through the OCAA postseason tournament, even though it’s being held on the home court of the two-time defending silver medalist and East division runner-up Algonquin Thunder. They certainly proved up to their billing. Seneca sped to a 19-point lead on a raft of transition buckets by Natasha Thombs but Saints guard Elisa Ruhl, refused to roll over, shifting into penetrate-and-pitch mode to generate open three-point looks and layups for her teammates while rallying St. Clair within 60-56 before Thombs ignited a decisive 11-2 run with a pair of steals for layups. Everyone guns for the champ, said Thombs. “We’re just here to play ball and do what we’ve done all season. We like to run. That’s our plan all the time, just to outrun our opponents.” Seneca coach Marcy Skribe said her troops must understand that the target on their backs gets bigger in the playoffs. “The teams that you see all year are different teams once you get to the OC championships. Everyone is playing for their life.” The Sting must also do a better job of retaining their focus, Skribe added. “I’d rather be the underdog. We’re supposed to win. We’re in a tough position and unfortunately, you’re going to feel the pressure sometimes. Or you get a lead and you tend to get comfy and allow teams back into the game. We let that happen too many times tonight.” Natasha Thombs and Heather Elchuck each scored 16 to lead Seneca. Charlene Siopsis added 11, Ashley Docking 10, Alana Vicks 10, Kate Weiss 3, Morgan Taylor 2, and Janice Lui 1, while Stephanie Chau and Grace Holland were scoreless. Elisa Ruhl led the Saints with 16. Lindsay Nield added 14, Kati Hamilton 14, Ashley Huston 10, Whitney Lucas 8 and Sophina Phillips 2, while Ashley Wickham, Brianne St. Clair, Karen Stephenson, Katherine Gatfield, Michelle Chauvin and Stephanie Robert were scoreless. The Saints also included Amanda McCarthy
The St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings dumped the Sheridan Bruins 80-68. The Vikings stunned West division co-champ Sheridan 80-68 by nailing 11-of-15 three-pointers. St. Lawrence’s midcourt traps forced a bushel of turnovers against Sheridan as they rallied from a 34-28 half-time deficit and then buried the Bruins with a 3-ball outburst, including six by Bailey Lomas, a pair by Rachel Niven, and singletons by Britt Pegg, Brandi Rink and Alison Callihoo. “I think it just came down to heart,” said Lomas. “We wanted it more.” Coach Tom Turnbull said the Vikings were jittery early. “The fire came in the second half. The spacing was much better and the ball started moving a little faster. We started taking more opportunity shots rather than hope shots.” Bailey Lomas led St. Lawrence with 22. Britt Pegg added 20, Rachel Niven 14, Alison Callihoo 9, Brandi Rink 7, Reanne Ogden 5 and Meghan Luider 4, while April Fox, Christine Sharrow; Shannon Johnston, Paige Shaver and Corisa Cluett were scoreless. Caity Wright paced the Bruins with 26. Jeralyn Esperitu added 14, Colleen Robertson 6, Caitlin Johannes 4, Karina Patterson 5, Maureen McIntyre 4, Christine Lovell 4, Cassandra Philips 2 and Amanda Kelly 2, while Charlene Diaz, Nadene Boothe, Jenny Magat, and Veneshia Morrison were scoreless.
The Algoma Thunderbirds edged the Humber Hawks 50-47 despite trailing 28-20 at the half. Melissa Stumpo hit a pair of three-pointers as Algoma exploded for a 14-4 run in the final four minutes to eke out an ugly win. Danielle D’Ettore led Algoma with 13. Monique Faulknor paced the Hawks with 13. Hawk Sarah Miller, who scored 11, had a chance to knot the score at the buzzer with a trey but the shot rimmed out. “We executed a play for Sarah that we had never done before,” Hawks coach Denise Perrier told The Coven. “We got the look, so we’re not hanging our heads.” Miller said “coming off the bench I thought, this is my time to do what I can do to help my team succeed. You just have to step up and take that role.” Perrier said her troops did “a great job” contained D’Ettore to 13. “We looked to double-down on her and help out.” The Hawks (coached by Denise Perrier, assisted by Paul Pearson) also included Meghan McPeak, Felon Harris, Roxanne Plummer, Rhonda George, Lisa Soodeen, Stephanie Browne, Karla Smith-Brown, Nadine Roberts, Kristina Harse, Khadija Noel, Karla Reyes, Josie Brackett and Melissa March.
In the last quarterfinal, the Algonquin Thunder clipped the Fanshawe Falcons 61-45. Sara Maybee shot Algonquin to an early 12-4 lead but Fanshawe rallied to within 24-22 at the half by pounding the ball inside to Taylor Knipe. Maybee promptly broke it open with a pair of treys. Algonquin soon led by 20 and romped. “We wanted to make a statement and I was just feeding off of everybody’s effort,” said Maybee. Coach Brian White was grateful. “She sparked us when we needed it.” Both teams got off to a slow start and neither could find the range. The Falcons utilized their big 6’3 post Taylor Knipe effectively and the Thunder had trouble containing her but did a sound job of pushing the ball up the floor and getting some transition hoops to take a 24-22 lead at the half. Algonquin came out with energy in the second half and got out in transition with regularity and then Sara Maybee hit a series of treys to get the Thunder on track as they wore down the Falcons and pulled away down the stretch. Kacie Blundell did an excellent job on Fanshawe’s second leading scorer Jessica Finlay limiting her to only 2 points. Maybee finished with 29 points on 5-8 from beyond the arc. Jenny Allen added 10, Bojana Bejatovic 6, Melissa Groniger 4, Ashley Page 3, Brigitte Gratton 3, Meg Doumouchel 2, Carine Perrier 2 and Ashley Faubert 2, while Danielle Bouder, Heather Croft, Lindsay Anderson, Kacie Blundell and Ilhan Hassan were scoreless. Taylor Knipe led Fanshawe with 21. Chelsea Brown added 14, Maggie Shepley 4, Penny Ackersviller 4 and Jessica Finlay 2, while Kayleigh Lucas, Brooke Symonds, Brittany Dale and Mitchell Pokrywa were scoreless. The Falcons also included Michelle Laflamme and Chantal Gagne.
In the semis, the Algoma Thunderbirds stunned the host Algonquin Thunder 69-66 with a 14-3 run over the final four minutes of play. Algoma set Algonquin on its heels early as Melissa Stumpo nailed a pair of three-pointers to ignite an 11-2 Thunderbird run. Sara Maybee settled her teammates, though, draining a 15-foot pull-up jumper that triggered a 14-point Algonquin outburst. The Thunderbirds began pounding the ball to Danielle D’Ettore in the low blocks to regain a five-point lead before coach Brian White shifted Bojana Bejatovic into the post to shut down the all-star. Bejatovic also caught fire on the offensive end and began draining mid-range jumpers to give Algonquin a 34-28 lead at the half. Bejatovic drove for several buckets, drained a three-pointer and commandeered the defensive boards as Algonquin extended its lead to eight before Thunder ballhandling miscues allowed Algoma to rally within one. Algonquin rebuilt an eight-point lead with four minutes to play by attacking the basket before mysteriously shutting down on both ends of the floor, appearing to tire and relinquishing a 10-0 run that gave Algoma a 64-63 edge with a minute to play. Maybee countered with a trey to give Algonquin the lead but D’Ettore notched the winning bucket on a putback rebound with 46 seconds to play and Thunderbirds added two free throws to ice the win. “We stopped looking to score and we stopped playing defence. There was no help. People were driving right down the middle untouched. That just killed us,” said White. D’Ettore paced Algoma with 25. Lara Stillin added 18, Melissa Stumpo 16, Jessica King 7, and Miranda Chaimbrone 3, while Kristy Aloe, Megan Petingalo, Abby DiDonato, Alica Miller and Jennifer Muio were scoreless. The Thunder planned to wear down the Thunderbirds with their depth and pressure defence, while Algoma sought to slow down Algonquin guard’s Sara Maybee and Jenny Allen with a triangle and two. But Algonquin eventually started getting the ball into the paint and took a 34-28 lead at the half. The teams traded buckets in the second half until the final three minutes and then Algonquin collapsed. Their help defence folded, allowing Lara Stilin and D’Ettorre started hitting some uncontested lay-ups. They then over-compensated and Algoma hit a trey to take their first lead since the first half. Sara Maybee countered with a trey with 45 seconds to play. But Algoma came right down and D’Ettorre took the ball strong to the basket and they went up 67-66. Algonquin turn the ball over and Algoma hit a free throw. The Thunder ran a play but it broke down. Still Jenny Allen had an open look but missed. Bojana Bejatovic got an offensive rebound but missed the put back and Algonquin was forced to foul. The Thunderbirds hit both and Algonquin missed a heave at buzzer to force overtime. Bejatovic led Algonquin with 20 points and 10 boards. Kacie Blundell and Jenny Allen chipped in with 8 points. Sara Maybee added 7, Brigitte Gratton 6, Ashley Faubert 6, Melissa Groniger 5, Meg Dumouchel 5 and Carine Perrier 2, while Ashley Page, Danielle Bouder, Heather Croft, Lindsay Anderson and Ilhan Hassan were scoreless.
In the other semi, the Seneca Sting outran the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 80-68. Full speed ahead, the Sting ran. And the pace was far too much for St. Lawrence-Kingston too handle. The transition game was the staple of the Sting’s run to an undefeated 16-0 regular season record, as well as the run to the tourney final, said guard Charlene Siopis, who’s phenomenal quickness and defensive savvy repeatedly generated transition scoring opportunities for Seneca. “That is what we do,” said Siopis. “We knew St. Lawrence played a similar game to ours and we just had to run our press break.” The Sting took an early 8-4 lead with a series of quick run-outs for transition buckets but the Vikings rallied back to a 17-14 lead off several beautiful feeds from Rachel Niven to Allison Calihoo for low-post layups. Seneca’s quick defensive traps soon took their toll, however, although the Vikings abetted the Sting cause with a propensity to commit unforced turnovers by overthrowing teammates or passing the ball crosscourt in desperation, without regard to whether a teammate was even in position to receive the pass. The Sting punished them for it with a 12-0 run featuring a pair of transition buckets apiece from Siopis and Ashley Docking. Bailey Lomas finally stemmed the bleeding by hitting a tough runner in the lane but Seneca continued to run its fastbreak clinic, notching three more transition buckets to build a 32-21 lead at the half. Heather Elchuk found Natasha Thombs for two quick run-out layups to ignite an 8-0 Seneca run to start the second half. With the Sting continuing to apply fierce pressure on the Viking backcourt, Siopis repeatedly flashing into the passing lines to pilfer the ball for layups and the entire squad crashing the offensive boards like demons, Seneca soon doubled up St. Lawrence 56-28. Nor did they ease off the pedal. At one point, they ripped off 18 unanswered points, and led by as many as 39, while sustaining their defensive intensity and blistering running game. Only a late three-point outburst from Calihoo and several steals by Viking guard Britt Pegg for layups made the final margin vaguely respectable. Sting coach Marcy Skribe said her troops masterfully dictated the tempo. “We knew if we had a controlled run in the first half, we’d be able to pull away in the second.” Heather Elchuk paced Seneca with 19. Charlene Siopis, Natasha Thombs and Ashley Docking each added 12. Tenesha Hardie scored 8, Grace Holland 6, Stephanie Chau 5, Alana Vicks 2, Morgan Taylor 2 and Janice Lui 2, while Kate Weiss and Ashley Bannister were scoreless. Alison Callihoo led the Vikings with 17. Britt Pegg added 15, Brandi Rink 6, Rachel Niven 4, Reanne Ogden 5, Corisa Cluett 3, Meghan Luider 2, and Bailey Lomas 2, while April Fox, Cristine Sharrow, Shannon Johnston and Paige Shaver were scoreless.
In the bronze medal match, the Algonquin Thunder nipped the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 60-59. Algonquin was flat early, allowing the Vikings to rip off a 15-0 run. The Thunder finally scored their first points after seven minutes of play but started to get the ball inside and Bojana Bejatovic went to work along the baseline, rallying Algonquin within 36-29 at the half. Jenny Allen and Bejatovic began aggressively attacking with the penetration dribble in the second half but the Vikings scrapped for loose ball and dominated the boards to retain a 55-48 lead with three minutes to play. But Allen hit a trey to ignite the comeback and Algonquin took a one point lead with a minute to play. The Vikings regain the lead with 14 seconds to play. Algonquin called time-out and Bejatovic took it strong to the hoop. Fouled on the play, she hit a pair of free throws with one second on the clock to pull out the win. Allen led Algonquin with 16. Bejatovic added 15. Mel Groniger added 8 and Ashley Page 7. The Vikings included Britt Pegg, Rachel Niven, Brandi Rink, Bailey Lomas, Alison Callihoo, Reanne Ogden, Christine Shavrau, Meghan Luider, Corisa Cluett, April Fox, Paige Shaver and Shannon Johnston.
In the final, the Seneca Sting stomped the Algoma Thunderbirds 75-56. The score was knotted at the half but the Sting pulled away with eight minutes to play. Natasha Thombs led the Sting attack, while Danielle D’Ettorre scored 31 for Algoma.
The bronze medalist Algonquin Thunder: Sara Maybee; Jenny Allen; Melissa Groniger; Bojana Bejatovic; Brigitte Gratton; Kacie Blundell; Meg Doumouchel; Ashlee Faubert; Carine Perrier; Danielle Bouder; Ilhan Hassan; Lindsay Anderson; Ashley Page; Heather Croft; coach Brian White; assistant John MacInnis; assistant Natalie Johnston; manager Jessie Simon; athletic director Ron Port
The silver medalist Algoma Thunderbirds: Danielle D’Ettore; Lara Stilin; Jessica King; Melissa Stumpo; Kristen Conway; Miranda Chaimbrone; Jennifer Muio; Alicia Miller; Kristy Aloe; Megan Petingalo; Amanda Vernelli; Abbie Didonato; coach Ed Green; assistant Robbie Green; assistant Ken Hamilton; trainer Bryan Dumanski; athletic director Mark Kontulainen
The gold medalist Seneca Sting: Nathasha Thombs; Tenesha Hardie; Grace Holland; Janice Lui; Vinia Raymundo; Carlene Siopis; Morgan Taylor; Kate Weiss; Alana Vicks; Heather Elchuck; Ashley Docking; Stephanie Chau; Ashley Bannister; Cherrida Brown; Rachel Marcus; coach Marcy Skribe; assistant Mervin Busby; assistant Craig Walker; assistant Liesa Coleman; assistant Lisa Best; manager Tamaar Haughton; therapist Jennifer Eldridge; athletic director Linda Stapleton.