Final regular season standings:
East (8): Seneca (14-0); Loyalist (10-4); Algonquin (10-4); St. Lawrence-Kingston (8-6); Georgian (5-9); Durham (5-9); George Brown (4-10); Sir Sandford Fleming (0-14)
West (8): Sheridan (13-1); Fanshawe (12-2); Niagara (8-6); St. Clair (7-7); Algoma (7-7); Humber (6-8); Mohawk (3-11); Redeemer (0-14)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
George Brown Huskies: Asha Forrester, Brittney Griffin, Lindsay Wagner, Keisha Alexander, Jessica Boyd, Katie Root, Kamilia Isaac, Tishica Wright, Leanne Prade, Kassandra Den Broeder, Amy D’Ornellas, Siobhan Reynolds, Dorothy Foley, Samantha Myers, Jamie Yuen, Abiola Amsterdam, coach Sharon Butler
Mohawk Mountaineers: Melissa Zwolak, Lisa Marie Iavarone, Angela Brown, Stacey Bourque, Lisa Marie Arndt, Jenn Snider, Jacqueline Shelley, Nikki Melligan, Safia Zane, Rebecca Smith, Kayla Campbell, coach Kelly Dunham
Redeemer Royals: Natalie Dumoulin, Hannah Roukema, Tanisha Vandenberg, Katie Roth, Angela Wiersma, Corianne Janssens, Julia Bokma, Aileen Hovingh, Courtney Datema, Trish Simpson, Kristin Serrick, Amy Hansma, coach Denita Dyck
Sir Sandford Fleming-Peterborough Knights: Amanda Richards, Angelika Brezwan, Jess Barrieau, Caitlin Mellor, Nicole Nieuwenhuyzen, Megan Dupont, Sarah Llew-Williams, Vicky Thompson, Kodi Worohey, Millicent Appia, Laura Reimer, Ashley Sharpe, coach Shawn Whitney
In the crossover opening round: …………………………………………………… The Algonquin Thunder defeated the Humber Hawks 58-47. Algonquin got off to a slow start as they had difficulty resolving Humber’s 1-3-1 zone and did not find their best three-point shooter on early shots. But the Thunder tightened their defence and eventually generated a raft of transition buckets. Kacie Blundell also continued her hot shooting from behind the arc with a couple of treys as Algonquin built a 31-21 lead at the half. Algonquin began to dismantle the zone in the second half as Mel Groniger and Kristen Hibbert hit inside looks. The Thunder built their lead to as many as 20. Kacie Blundell and Jenny Allen each scored 13 to pace Algonquin. Allen added 12 boards. Mel Groniger scored 11 and nabbed 8 boards. The Hawks (coached by Denise Perrier) included Karen Fraser, Tina Flynn, Holly Goddard, Monique Faulknor, Brianna Rutty, Shauna Prior, Lisa Soodeen, Meghan McPeak, Elaine Fancy, Roxanne Plummer, Kash Labaziewicz, Nnika David, Semica Pascal and Samantha Washburn. …………………………………………………… The St. Clair Saints dumped the Durham Lords 60-48. The two teams played fairly even with neither team gaining much of an advantage in the first half. The teams traded leads when St. Clair trailing 24-22 used an 8-point run to the end the half and enjoyed a 30-24 lead at the break. Sarah Stevens hit two long range 3-pointers during that span. Stevens led all scorers at half-time with 16 points including four makes from behind the 3-point arc. In the second half, St. Clair managed to push their advantage into double figures but in the process committed a lot of fouls. Durham however only made 6 of 14 from the foul line in the second half and could not capitalize. Saints point guard Katie Goodburn had a strong second half with 14 points. St. Clair finished the game with excellent foul shooting and made 8 of 10 from the stripe to close out the win. Sarah Stevens finished with 20 points leading St. Clair in the win. Katie Goodburn added 16 points for the Saints. Meaghan O’Reilly led Durham with 20. The Lords (coached by Clayton Neilson) also included Jill Leistra, Erin Emery, Ashley Visser, Kimberly Slack, Cassandra Bacopoulos, Sarah Tice, Amanda Moore, Jennifer Blake, Sarah Kendall, Jillian Michaelis, Shenicka Hayes and Jennifer Callwood. …………………………………………………… The Niagara Knights defeated the Georgian Grizzlies 53-43. After being down by 4 at the half, the Niagara Knights went on a 9-point run to take over the lead midway through the second half and never looked back. The Grizzlies (coached by Robin Lawrence) included Summer Bly, Heather Stokes, Sarah Williams, Dana Marley, Andrea Little, Danielle Horvat, Julia Stokes, Dana Campbell, Amber Newton, Samantha Wiltshire, Jennifer Rajher, Melody Wardman, Laura Bolton and Rebecca Robitaille. …………………………………………………… The St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings whipped the Algoma Thunderbirds 86-37. The Thunderbirds (coached by Ed Green) included Lara Stilin, Kristy Aloe, Abby Didonato, Miranda Chaimbrone, Tiana Bucknell, Courtney Dubas, Quazance Boissoneau, Megan Petingalo and Micaela Gilbertson.
In the quarterfinals,
the Seneca Sting stomped the St. Clair Saints 74-34. The Sting jumped out to an
early nine-point lead backed up by an aggressive full-court press. Fifth-year
guard Stephanie Chau shot out the lights and third-year forward Tenesha Hardie
drove the basket hard for the Sting as each chalked up 12 points in the first
half. The Saints got their feet beneath of them after switching to man defense.
West Region 2nd team All-Star Sarah Stevens and six-foot forward Sara Levesque
led the Saints into the half scoring seven and six points respectively. The
Saints came out from halftime strong and saw some early success as they placed
the full-court press back on the Sting. But it was to no avail. Katie Goodburn
of the Saints and Stephanie Chau of the Sting were named as the players of the
game. The Saints (coached by Jimmy Parsons) also included Brianne St. Clair,
Misty Klie, Kati Vanmackelburg, Ashley Huston, Laura Clement, Becky Gray, April
Lounsbury and Sophina Phillips.
The Sheridan Bruins clocked the St.
Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 87-34. Bruins guard and West Region 1st team All-Star
Jeralyn Espiritu started the game on an 11-0 run of her own and her team would stretch
the lead to 15 points before the Vikings got on the board off the hand of their
second-year guard Britt Pegg who led her team with 11 points. But the Bruins
stayed strong on defense and continued to pick apart the Vikings’ defense from
inside and outside of the key as they jumped out to a 42-16 lead at the half.
The second half continued along the same storyline as the Bruins’ defense proved
to be too much for the Vikings to handle. The Big Kahuna Players of the game
were Sarah Moxley of Sheridan (13 points) and Danielle Greek of St. Lawrence (7
points). CCAA All-Canadian Hali Burns of Sheridan led all scorers with 22
points. The Vikings also included Rachel Niven, Christine Sparrow, Britt Pegg,
Bailey Lomas, Cory Ridgley, Brandi rink, Corisa Cluett, Reanne Ogden, April Fox
and Chelsea Magladry.
The Fanshawe Falcons edged the Algonquin Thunder 60-47. The Falcons and Thunder went back and forth for the entire game and had the score tied at 14 separate times. Algonquin grabbed their first lead of the game with just over 10 minutes left on a three-point shot by point guard Jenny Allen. But Fanshawe’s Chelsea Brown, who finished the game with 21 points (11 coming from the free throw line) to lead all scorers, tied the game again moments later on a three pointer of her own. Both teams ended up in foul trouble early in the first half which helped Fanshawe jump to a 35-31 lead by the end of the period. The second half played out very similarly fashion to the first, but the difference seemed to come when Fanshawe began pressuring the Thunder, causing them to turn the ball over on a number of subsequent possessions. Brigitte Gratton and Melissa Groniger were the leading scorers for the Thunder with 18 and 14 points respectively. Algonquin’s Jenny Allen and Fanshawe’s Alison Griffiths were selected as the Big Kahuna Players of the Game. The Thunder (coached by Brian White) also included Kristen Hibbert, Kacie Blundell, Dalya Aywas, Samantha Wood, Carine Perrier, Ashley Page, Ilhan Hassan, Leanne Lamothe and Courtney Okonsky.
In the last quarterfinal, the Loyalist Lancers defeated the Niagara Knights 48-41, led by the triple threat of Erin Rose, Sara Maybee and Kara Muhlhausen, who scored a combined 34 (five, 14 and 15 points respectively). The game was close throughout, but the Lancers’ outside shooting and Niagara’s foul trouble early on in both quarters proved to be too much for the Knights to overcome. Gritty play by Niagara’s Jessica James (10 points), Justine Rempel (10 points), Allana Arundell and Dana VanDerMark kept the Knights within striking distance during the second half. However, the final blow came from Loyalist’s Larissa Dykstra who scored eight straight points to put the Lancers up 47-41 with one minute left on the clock. CCAA All-Canadian Kaitlyn McKenna was held to nine points and spent much of the game on the bench due to her own personal foul trouble. The Players of the Game were Sara Maybee of the Lancers and Justine Rempel of the Knights. The Knights (coached by Ron Lemon) also included Candice Hart, Whitney Jackson, Allan Arundell, Jessica James, Dana Vandermark, Sharna Shriver, Natalie Campeau, Jenna Varga, Brittany Norris and Kendra Killen.
In the semi-finals, the Seneca Sting thumped the Fanshawe Falcons 63-45. The Falcons started the game strong by pushing the ball in low and jumped out to an early lead on the back of first-year forward Tiffany Wilbur who led all scorers on the night with 15 points. Fanshawe’s aggressive play continued at the defensive end of the court as they drew three charges in the first eight minutes of the game and held a six-point lead with 13 minutes left in the half. Foul trouble and Seneca’s tight man-on-man defence would begin to wear on the Falcons as the Sting’s Kate Weiss, who finished the night with 14 points, would kick off a 12-0 run and give her team their third, and final, lead with four minutes left in the first half. Seneca continued to extend their lead in the second half as their fifth-year guard Stephanie Chau got hot from behind the arc and dropped nine of her 14 points to lead the Sting as they outscored Fanshawe 37 to 24 in the frame. Chelsea Brown (5 points) of the Falcons and Ashley Docking (7 points) of the Sting were named the Big Kahuna Players of the Game.
In the other semi, the Sheridan Bruins whipped the Loyalist Lancers 69-45. The Bruins started the game on a seven-point run, setting great picks away from the ball to open up their outside shooters and pounding the ball own low to Sarah Moxley, who ended the night with 11 points, and Donisha Young, who led Sheridan with 17 points. The Bruins controlled both ends of the court and refused to let Loyalist’s triple threat of Sara Maybee (5 points), Erin Rose (14 points) and Kara Muhlhausen (6 points) get the Lancers’ offense running smoothly. Loyalist showed a spark of life coming out of halftime as they went on a 6-2 run, but Young re-entered the game for Sheridan and extinguished the Lancers’ spark by leading an eight-point run for her team. Loyalist’s Larissa Dykstra, who led her team with 17 points, and Sheridan’s Hali Burns, who chipped in 12 for the Bruins, were recognized as the Big Kahuna Players of the Game.
In the bronze medal match, the Fanshawe Falcons stomped the Loyalist Lancers 63-44. The Fanshawe Falcons and the Loyalist Lancers both had problems finding the bottom of the basket to start off the contes.t It was Fanshawe who would strike first as fourth-year guard Jessica Finlay scored six quick points to start the Falcons off on a 14-0 run against the Lancers. Loyalist finally put some points on the board when Sara Maybee knocked down a three-pointer with just over 12 minutes left in the first frame. First-year forward Brittany Denneny would keep the tempo high for the Lancers as she poured in nine of Loyalist’s first 13 points on strong drives to the basket and with good outside shooting. However Fanshawe’s hard work at both ends of the court would hold the Lancers down as the Falcons carried a 13-point lead into halftime. Kaitlind Dutrizac, Tiffany Wilbur, Jessica Finlay and Patricia Thompson each scored six points in the first half to lead the Falcons. Fanshawe started the second half much like they started the first, but this time the run was stopped at 11 points. The Lancers called a timeout with 11 minutes left and brought a lot of energy back onto the court as Sara Maybee hit a series of shots from behind the arc. But Fanshawe’s lead proved to be too much to overcome. Tiffany Wilbur and Alison Griffiths led the Falcons with 14 and 13 points respectively. Sara Maybee and Brittany Denneny each scored 13 to pace the Lancers. Erin Rose, the OCAA Rookie of the Year, was held to a single point. The Big Kahuna Players of the Game were Denneny for the Lancers and Ackersviller (8 points) for the Falcons. The Lancers (coached by Erik Anderson) also included Kara Muhlhausen, Larissa Dykstra, Amy Rose, Stephanie Houle, Terra Moon and Alex Dykhuizen.
In the final, the Sheridan Bruins dumped the Seneca Sting 74-59. Kate Weiss opened the scoring for Seneca on their first possession, but Jeralyn Espiritu responded for Sheridan as she knocked down a three off a pass from Sarah Moxley. With about 15 minutes left in the first half, the Bruins’ Nakia Arthur, who led her team with 19 points, hit back-to-back threes to put Sheridan up by four points. That would mark Seneca’s final lead of the game Arthur would hit another three with time running out to put Sheridan up by 16 heading into halftime. Seneca came out with tons of energy to start the second half, and the Sting’s high-pressure defence put the Bruins on their heels. Sheridan gave up six straight points on two turnovers, but All-Canadian Hali Burns out an end to the run when she found her teammate Nakia Arthur driving to Seneca’s basket. The Sting, led by Ashley Docking who finished with 15 points, kept pushing and their center Alana Vicks brought her team within nine points, but that would prove to be the closest that Seneca would get. The Big Kahuna Players of the Game were Kate Weiss (12 points), of Seneca, and Danisha Young (7 points), of Sheridan. The Bruins handed the Sting their first loss of the season. The Sting, who had been hot from behind the arc for the entire tournament, went cold as they shot 0 for 3 on their three-point attempts. Sheridan, on the other hand, hit 7 three pointers and shot 46 per cent from the floor.
After four seasons, Algonquin coach Brian White resigned. He had a regular season record of 43-15, two OCAA silver medals (2005, 2006) and a bronze medal (2007). He was also named OCAA East Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2008. He is replaced by assistant John MacInnis, who’d been with the Thunder for three years. John is entering his 10th year of coaching and has coached a wide range of age groups and teams. He started coaching out of high school in 1996 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and coached the boy basketball team at Dr. T.L. Sullivan Junior High. He then moved to the Senior Boys team at Memorial High School for two years and won the Cape Breton Division 2 Championship in 1997. He was also involved in the Cape Breton Showcase program and coached both the midget boys and juvenile girls’ teams. After taking some time off coaching to focus on school, he moved to Ottawa and was given an opportunity to coach the St. Joseph High School Jaguars Junior Boys team in 2002 and led them to the Tier II Ottawa final. He then joined the highly successful Gloucester Wolverine organization and coached the competitive midget boys’ team for two years before joining the Thunder in 2005. John is a certified NCCP Level 2 coach and has recently completed the Level 3 Theory and Technical programs and is currently working toward his Practical certification. He also is a senior basketball referee who has been officiating in Nova Scotia and Ottawa for over 10 years. John completed his BA at Cape Breton University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Dalhousie University in Halifax and currently works for the federal government.
The bronze medalist Fanshawe Falcons: Alissa Medieros; Penny Ackersviller; Kaitlin Dutrizac; Jessica Finlay; Chelsea Brown; Stephanie Colizza; Tiffany Wilbur; Leah Geertsema; Patricia Thompson; Alison Griffiths; Rose Rutter; Shu-Xian Li; coach Kevin Gordon; assistant Nathan Wilcox; manager Kim Glumac
The silver medalist Seneca Sting: Kate Weiss; Brittany Ryman; Ashley Docking; Alana Vicks; Brittany Jamieson; Morgan Taylor; Tenesha Hardie; Hailey Toner; Stephanie Chau; Janice Lui; Samantha Evans; coach Marcy Skribe; assistant Mervin Busby; assistant Craig Walker; assistant Lisa Best; assistant Natasha Thombs
The gold medalist Sheridan Bruins: Christine Lovell; Charlene Diaz; Jeralyn Espirutu; Donisha Young; Colleen Robertson; Bojana Bejatovic; Veneshia Morrison; Hali Burns; Sarah Moxley; Nakia Arthur; Caity Wright; Natalie Fearon; coach Shane Bascoe; assistant Dawn Yearwood-Weekes; associate Amanda Kelly; Manager Sasha Peddie; therapist Kelsey Stunden; athletic director Jim Flack; varsity co-ordinator Wayne Fish