Final regular season standings:
East (8): Seneca (14-0); St. Lawrence-Kingston (10-4); George Brown (10-4); Georgian (9-5); Loyalist (6-8); Algonquin (4-10); Durham (3-11); Sir Sandford Fleming-Peterborough (0-14)
West (8): Sheridan (14-0); Fanshawe (10-4); St. Clair (10-4); Humber (8-6); Niagara (6-8); Algoma (4-10); Mohawk (4-10); Redeemer (0-14)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Durham Lords: Erin Emery, Jessica Newton, Jill Leistra, Ashley Visser, Samantha Jansen, Kim Slack, Laura Tomek, Nytasha Galick, Venice Watson, Kensha Stinchcombe-Brown, Sarah Lemaire, Sarah Ducase and Knoxanne Wignall-Savage.
Mohawk Mountaineers: Katie Daniels, Morgan Taylor, Michelle Abella, Casey Boggs, Tracy Lehane, Kat Ford, Brittany Brooks, Stacey Bourque, Jacqueline Shelley, Jennifer Snider, Jen Barkans, Safia Zane and Kayla Campbell.
Redeemer Royals: Hannah Roukema, Tanisha Vandenburg, Natalie Dumoulin, Kara McCarthy, Aileen Hovingh, Lindsay Balch, Katie Roth, Corianne Janssens, Kelly Vansligtenhorst, Angela Wiersma, Natalie Roukema, Kara Burns and Stephanie Roukema.
Sir Sandford Fleming-Peterborough Knights: Sarah Facey, Sabrina Fargey, Kaytlyn Dion-Hosie, Arita Rasuma, Jess Barrieau, Shannon Youngs, Kodi Worohey Sarah Llew-Williams, Millicent Appia, Danielle Mackay and Sherri Walker.
In the opening crossover round, the West 3rd-seed St. Clair Saints crushed the East 6th-seed Algonquin Thunder 80-52 as Sarah Stevens scored 29 including five 3-pointers and added 3 steals. St. Clair jumped all over the visitors from Ottawa and quickly built a double-digit advantage. The Saints held a 41-25 lead at half-time and were never really threatened. Jenae Grayer added 15 and led all rebounders with 11 including 6 on the offensive glass and 4 steals. Sara Levesque added 12, along with 18 boards. Guard Katie Goodburn scored 7 and dished 8 assists. Julia Horti added 7, Shannon Bedward 6, Laura Clement 2 and Ashley Huston 2, while Jennifer Williston was scoreless. Algonquin’s Ali Calihoo and Kristen Hibbert each scored 11. Jodi Cairns added 8, Ilhan Hassan 8, Julianne Murphy 6, Lina Aywas 5, Sam Wood 3, while Andrea Hutchinson and Nadine Hanna were scoreless. The Thunder also included Dalya Aywas, Candace Pronyk, Kara Brumm and Brittney Jackson. …………………………………………………… The host and West 4th-seed Humber Hawks thrashed the East 5th-seed Loyalist Lancers 64-54 as Trisha Taylor scored 13 and nabbed 5 boards. Maria Suriani added 13, Kaitlynn Paulley 12, Dakota Allen 8, Taylor Smith 5, Alyssa Ferreira 4, Holly Goddard 4, Michelle Commandant 4 and Jordana Brathwaite 1, while Meghan McPeak, Samantha Ralph, Mackenzie St. Pierre, Patricia Cole, Melissa Pinard and Kaela Stinchcombe-Browne were scoreless. Sara Maybee led Loyalist with 16. Dianne Bouder added 14, Brittany Denneny 13, Erin Rose 9 and Alex Dykhuizen 2, while Meagan Bender, Candace Durkee, Tanisha Ross, Jami Van Grootel, Jenna Crothers and Sheawna Lorch were scoreless. The Lancers also included Deborah Kelly. …………………………………………………… The host East 4th-seed Georgian Grizzles crushed the West 5th-seed Niagara Knights 64-50 as Summer Bly scored 20 and nabbed 16 boards. Courtney Okonsky added 14, Dana Marlay 13 and 12 boards, Samantha Wiltshire 9, Sydney Bakker 3 and Tonya Cailes 2, while Brianne Balkwill, Kelsie Wright, Chelsea Sheff and Dana Campbell were scoreless. Niagara star Jessica James was sidelined by an injury. Jenna Varga and Brandy Szockyi each scored 13 points to lead the Knights. Amanda Pepin added 11, Whitney Jackson 9 and Rachael Warn 4, while Andrea Antoszek, Caitlyn Ferguson, Kendra Killen, Natalie Campeau and Kristin Campbell were scoreless. The Knights also included Kristy Lee. …………………………………………………… The West 6th-seed Algoma Thunderbirds stunned the host East 3rd-seed George Brown Huskies 64-61 as Chelsea Nekuliak scored 20, Abby Didonato 16, Carolyn Fragale 10, Kayla Kiessig 6, Miranda Chaimbrone 4, Kristy Aloe 4, Erika Warren 2 and Lauren Wozney 2, while Mekwan Tulpin and Quazance Boissoneau were scoreless. Chantal Gray led the Huskies with 20. Lindsay Wagner added 9, Kamilia Isaac 9, Samantha Myers 6, Brenda Carachure 6, Nathalie Bagot 6 and Keisha Alexander 5, while Abiola Amsterdam, Joedie Failanga, Jessica Knight and Marika Phillips were scoreless. The Huskies also included Kerra Lain, Anne Pastrana, Siobban Reynolds, Celeste Scott and Natasha Reid.
In the quarterfinals, the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings dumped the St. Clair Saints 76-66. “It’s a great accomplishment for us,” said Calgary-born Vikings star Rachel Niven. “We’re always the underdog, but we always play our hardest and we always put it all on the floor. Tonight, we stayed positive and brought each other up.” The athletic Niven, the OCAA’s top scorer, elevated her game when her team was in trouble. A 12-point lead had dwindled to three 12 minutes into the second half when she hit a covered three-pointer. Then, with the lead down to four, she drove to the hoop for another clutch two, answering every St. Clair bucket with a great play of her own. Rachel Niven led the Vikings with 27. Bailey Lomas added 19, Cory Ridgley 18, Danielle Greek 4, Corisa Cluett 3, Kylie Stover 2, Chelsea Magladry 2 and Kari Stuart 1, while Alyssa Rodrigues was scoreless. Sara Levesque paced St. Clair with 19. Jenae Grayer added 14, Katie Goodburn 11, Ashley Huston 7, Laura Clement 6, Sarah Stevens 6, Shannon Bedward 2 and Julia Horti 1, while Jennifer Williston was scoreless. The Saints also included Lacey Anderson, Jessica Powers, Shannon Bedward and Keri Bagley.
The Sheridan Bruins clocked the Georgian Grizzlies 101-45. “It was really tough for us to stay poised and go one game at a time since we’d already been to nationals, but now that we’re here I think the girls are ready to play and we need to just go out there and do what we do,” said Sheridan coach Shane Bascoe. After conceding the first two points of the game the double blue responded with a 17-0 run over the next 5:33, taking command early on. They also had an 11-0 run that saw the lead balloon to 32-10, en route to a 53-26 halftime advantage. The second half was all about defence and saw the club clamp down on Georgian, limiting them to just 19 points. Bascoe says that a big key was the team’s ability to have individuals perform so well as a part of the team setting. “We got some fantastic performances today. Caity Wright’s play was huge for her as a leader. But overall, everybody was a contributor. It wasn’t just scoring, it was the defence, rebounding and just doing the little things. I thought the girls did a good job of spreading out the floor and having everyone factor in.” Caity Wright led Sheridan with 22. Nakia Arthur added 21, Hali Burns 16, Jenna Gonneau 12, Donisha Young 12, Sarah Moxley 8, Colleen Robertson 4, Felicia Peddie 2, Bojana Bejatovic 2, Alicia Ellis 1 and Jeralyn Espiritu 1, while Adjoa Atuahene and Vivian Essuon were scoreless. Summer Bly paced Georgia with 14. Dana Campbell added 11, Dana Marley 8, Samantha Wiltshire 5, Tonya Cailes 4 and Sydney Bakker 4, while Brianne Balkwill, Kelsie Wright, Chelsea Sheff and Courtney Okonsky were scoreless. The Grizzlies also included Holly Preweda, Tamica Adolph, Samantha Carty and Nef Hernandez.
The Seneca Sting defeated the Humber Hawks 62-48 as Ashley Docking scored 19, Samantha Evans 11, Natasha Thombs 10, Nicole Higgins 7, Kate Weiss 7, Shamira Kerlew 5 and Hailey Toner 3, while Heather Alonzo, Chara Benson, Sherise Inniss-Hall and Brittany Jamieson were scoreless. Patricia Cole paced Humber with 15. Kaitlynn Paulley added 10, Trisha Taylor 9, Meghan McPeak 5, Dakota Allen 3, Maria Suriani 3, Holly Goddard 2 and Taylor Smith 2, while Jordana Braithwaite, Alyssa Ferreira, Michelle Commandant, Melissa Pinard and Kaela Stinchcombe-Browne were scoreless. The Hawks also included Mackenzie St-Pierre, Samantha Ralph and Aindrea Barrett.
In the last quarterfinal, the Fanshawe Falcons stomped the Algoma Thunderbirds 66-39 as Julia Wolynski scored 15, Alison Griffiths 13, Patricia Thompson 13, Stephanie Kaspryzk 9, Kaitlind Dutrizac 8, Jordon Gubbles 4, Caleigh Hairsine 2, Alissa Medieros 2 and Stephanie Colizza 1, while Lauren Stewart was scoreless. Chelsa Nekuliak led Algoma with 13. Kayla Kiessig added 7, Kristy Aloe 6, Lauren Wozney 4, Erika Warren 3, Carolyn Fragale 3, Miranda Chaimbrone 2 and Mekwan Tulpin 2, while Abby Didonato and Quazance Boissoneau were scoreless. The Thunderbirds also included Brooke Smith.
In the semis, the Sheridan Bruins clocked the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 76-47 with a strong second half. “First of all, I tip my hat to St. Lawrence Kingston, I thought they did a very good job trying to nullify us as team,” Sheridan coach Shane Bascoe said. “It was a pretty scrappy game and I thought our girls took a little bit of time to get into it and they were too hyped up.” St. Lawrence (Kingston) head coach Andrea Blackwell was proud of the fight in her club, but admitted that the Bruins depth proved the difference. “We knew we were going to be in tough against Sheridan today, they’re a great basketball team. They just come at you in waves. We’re a good team, but our depth is limited. As soon as we started to fatigue a little bit that’s when their size, their depth and their talent really started to cause us difficulties. We have a short roster, we got a bit tired and that’s a great team. I’m so proud of the girls. They worked very hard and left it all out on the court.” Kingston-born Cory Ridgley led the Vikings with 12 points.
In the other semi, the Seneca Sting defeated the Fanshawe Falcons 53-41. Neither team shot the ball well, with the teams combining to shoot 29.6 per cent from the floor. Fanshawe however, struggled mightily with ball security committing 23 turnovers (18 in the first half) and head coach Matt White said that was what sealed their fate. “(It was) the worst game we’ve played this year. We spotted them 12 points (and) that was the difference in the end. We had (as many) turnovers in the first half (as) we did points; we didn’t come to play.” On the flip side Seneca head coach Craig Walker was pleased with his club’s defensive pressure and intensity, but would have liked to see more offensive polish. “I think we played well defensively, but struggled a bit at the other end of the floor. Still, a win’s a win and we’ll take it.”
In the bronze medal match, the Fanshawe Falcons edged the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 72-64. The Falcons led by 24 in the second half but the Vikings went on a 21-4 run, Fanshawe held on for the win. The Vikings included Rachel Niven, Bailey Lomas, Cory Ridgley, Danielle Greek, Corisa Cluett, Chelsea Magladry, Kylie Stover, Alyssa Rodrigues, Kari Stuart and Kristen Nourray.
The Sheridan Bruins, in just their fifth year in the OCAA, captured their second consecutive title by dumping the Seneca Sting 75-65. “It feels great, I mean we worked so hard trying to build a team that was going to be able to compete at the provincial level and low and behold we ended up being able to compete at the national level,” said Sheridan coach Shane Bascoe said. “Seneca, they (won the OCAA Championship) two years in a row, I tip my hat to them; they’re a great team, they work extremely hard and we did the exact same thing. It’s a good feeling, the girls worked hard for it and that’s why we won.” A Seneca 9-0 run (with Ashley Docking scoring all nine points) midway through the first half gave the Sting a 23-15 lead. But the Bruins responded with a 13-0 run, propelling them to a 35-28 lead at the half. “Basketball’s a game of runs, but I thought that we did a subpar job of stopping what they were doing well, which was beating us back in transition,” Bascoe said. “I didn’t think it was so much their half court stuff, I thought they just pushed the ball down the floor and we did an awful job in transition, so I guess that gives us something to work on in practice.” In the second half Seneca gave the defending champions everything they could handle, constantly battling back and even pulling within two. But the Bruins stayed poised and converted 14 of their 18 free throw attempts down the stretch.
The bronze medalist Fanshawe Falcons: Alissa Medieros; Stephanie Kaspryzk; Kaitlind Dutrizac; Caleigh Hairsine; Julia Wolynski; Stephanie Colizza; Jordon Gubbels; Andrea Wale; Patricia Thompson; Alison Griffiths; Lauren Stewart; Brigitte Wedemire; coach Matt White; assistant Erin Howarth; manager Heather Lister; trainer Jacquie Hardy
The silver medalist Seneca Sting: Shamira Kerlew; Kate Weiss; Heather Alonzo; Ashley Docking; Chara Benson; Sherise Innis-Hall; Natasha Thombs; Brittany Jamieson; Hailey Toner; Danjella Nizic; Samantha Evans; Nicole Higgins; Alana Vicks; coach Craig Walker; assistant Mervin Busby; assistant Lisa Best; assistant Fiona Cheng; manager Alan Vicks; athletic director Linda Stapleton
The gold medalist Sheridan Bruins: Hali Burns; Sarah Moxley; Caity Wright; Jeralyn Espiritu; Colleen Robertson; Donisha Young; Bojana Bejatovic; Nakia Arthur; Vivian Essuon; Alicia Ellis; Jenna Gonneau; Adjoa Atuahene; Felicia Peddie; coach Shane Bascoe; assistant Dawn Yearwood Weekes; assistant Amanda Kelly; assistant Veneshia Morrison; manager Courtney Silvera; therapist Heather Jakubczyk; varsity co-ordinator Wayne Fish; athletic director Jim Flack