Final regular season standings:
East (10): Algonquin (18-0); St. Lawrence-Kingston (15-3); Seneca (11-7); George Brown (10-8); Loyalist (10-8); Centennial (9-9); Cambrian (6-12); Fleming (6-12); Durham (3-15); Georgian (2-16)
West (10): Fanshawe (16-2); Algoma (16-2); Humber (12-6); St. Clair (10-8); Mohawk (10-8); Niagara (8-10); Sheridan (7-11); Redeemer (6-12); Lambton (5-13); Sault (0-18)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Cambrian: Mollie Burnie, Kally Watmore, Larissa Rivard, Emilya Garvey, Katie Daniels, Nicky Prevost, Alexis Lewis, Kayla Odorizzi, Katie Andrighetti, Hillary Sutherland, Trish Taylor, Chantal McMahon; coach Bruce Cowtan
Centennial: Maryem Serradilla-Sonmez, Khree Fearman, Nicole Campbell, Kadeja Hughes, Denise Dunn, Tameca Blackwood, Hannah Belete, Tishanna Moore, Tamara James-Francis, Bernise Fernandez, Latisha Tappin, Jahmeela Stephenson, Madeliene Cruz, Shanice Szmidt, coach Carol Stephenson, assistant Chris Francis, assistant Francesco Malfatino
Durham: Kaela Stinchcombe-Brown, Mackenzie Mcfarlance, Keriann Sullivan, Alicia Del Fuoco, Stephanie Legebokoff, Kelsey Hare, Katelyn Shields, Kayla Marshall, Kenesha Stinchcombe-Brown, Brittany Walters, Erica Angelo, coach Tim Baulk, assistant Andrew Ilkiw, assistant Erin Emery
Fleming: Alyssa Edmonds, Simone Roesink, Tanvir Pannu, Julia Cameron, Olivia Hall, Michelle Boyer, Megan Savoy, Kelly Killoran, Kate Langer, coach Fred Blowes, assistant Kendra Killen, assistant Andrew Ross
Georgian: Kara Faulkner, Camisha Brown, Kasey Faulkner, Jelena Percy, Mackenzie Merkley, Mikaela Weir, Laura LaSalle, Agnes Bartosik, Meagan Grabowsky, Lauren Harris, Ashley Garcia, Jessica Tinney, coach Marnie Buchanan, assistant Kim Solorzano, student assistant Katie Wiggins
Lambton: Melanie Bouchard, Kara Moran, Lydia Kwan, Shawna Kolkman, Jessica Jardine, Riley Williams, Courtney Lundy, Tabitha Siegfried, Sara Williams, Karlie Adair, Emily McLachlin, Renee Gittens, Chelsea Wagner, Amy Wilson, Cara Weatherell, Jessica Drury, coach Peter Kaija, assistant Charlie Jackson, assistant Brandon Ford
Redeemer: Michelle Best, Jesseca Brown, Emma Evans, Larissa Smeltzer, Olivia Tulloch, Arica price, Bridget Bjorndalen, Esther Weima, Chantel Eade, Victoria Pickering, Morrisa Lychak, coach Rob Hooper; coach Greg Best
Sault: Alexandria King, Kelsey Greco, Cloe Martella, Amy-Jo Coulter, Tessa Kasch, Hailey Bomhof, Keisha Giroux, Jaclynne Hamel, Danielle White, Mandi Chiarello, Chantal Scherbak, coach Katie Hamilton, assistant Rachel Cobean, assistant Lauren Pekalski
Sheridan: Dainique Campbell, Renee Martineau, Sheneika Thomas, Fatima Shakil, Olivia Rodriguez, Karessa McQueen, Paige Holdsworth, Shylanda Saunders, Jade Mason, Haeven Durrant, Shanice Gouldbourne, coach Willie Delas, assistant Jeralyn Espiritu, assistant Colleen Robertson
In the crossover opening round, the George Brown Huskies (4th-East) edged the Mohawk Mountaineers (5th-West) 68-64. The Huskies opened with an explosive 18-2 run, led by third year guard Melissa Vilar, who scored 7. The Huskies held on to a 20-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The teams traded baskets in the second, scoring 11 a piece, to keep the advantage the same for the Huskies. They had a 31-24 led at the break. Shan Wilson was attacking the rim aggressively and drawing fouls. She was hot from the charity strip going 5-6 to total seven of the teams 11 points in the period. The Huskies looked in control of the game in the first half but in the second it was the complete opposite. The Mountaineers looked like another team outscoring the ice dogs 22-12 in the third quarter to lead by three points. Only second year forward Aindrea Barrett seemed to be able to buy a basket for George Brown netting eight of her 12 points. The Huskies would keep fouling in the third, totaling eight in the quarter, resulting in Mohawk going to the line nine times. In the fourth quarter, the lead went back and forth, changing hands five times. Mohawk built its lead to 61-57 with three minutes remaining but every Mountaineer was in foul trouble and George Brown rallied with a late run. Kayla Higgins stepped up scoring seven of her ten points in the fourth. She sparked the nine-point run to put George Brown up by four with 40.7 second left in the game. Mohawk coach Kevin Duffy said “I am truly proud of this team. We faced a ton of adversity this year with injuries and never used it as a crutch or an excuse. It was a very tough and hard-fought game and I give George Brown credit for their determined effort and compete level.” Aindrea Barrett and Quichell Barriffe each scored 12 to pace the Huskies. Shan Wilson added 11, Kayla Higgins 20, Aria Charles 9, Melissa Vilar 9, Angel Mbikay 3 and Cassandra Powell 2, while Kerry Hart, Olga Filimonova, Julie Kheidr, Kara Da Silva and Talita Campbell were scoreless. The Huskies hit 23-62 (.371) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 19-33 (.576) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 13 steals, 24 turnovers and 13 fouls. Rachelle Abella paced the Mountaineers with 17. Carissa Browne added 15, Katelyn Arbour 7, Porscha Hewitt 7, Daniella Randazzo 6, Lacey Wolters 4, Megan Campbell 4, Cynthia Mosca 2 and Natalie Fisher 2, while Shauna Ciannavei and Marina Ciannavei were scoreless. The Mountaineers hit 24-63 (.381) from the floor, 3-14 (.214) from the arc and 13-25 (.520) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 3 assists, 17 steals, 4 blocks, 17 turnovers and 14 fouls. The Mountaineers (coached by Kevin Duffy, assisted by Kelly Dunham, Megan Reid, Alison Drury and Kevin Karl) also included Kimithy Stilwell and Sylvia Mosca. …………………………………………………… The Loyalist Lancers (5th-East) edged the St. Clair Saints (4th-West) 69-65. St. Clair led 17-15 after one quarter. Loyalist led 37-33 at the half. The Saints trimmed the margin to one in the third quarter but Loyalist built it back to 56-51 after three quarters. Nikea Worrell paced the Lancers with 20 points and 10 boards. Jenni Thompson scored 17, Alexandra Aguiar 14, Martin Gauvin 12, Samantha Goff 4 and Kaneisha Coore-Edwards 2, while Sierra Cauley, Elesia Younie, Melyssa Holder, Haley Sisler and Shelby Clark were scoreless. The Lancers hit 27-56 (.482) from the floor, 9-18 from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 14 steals, 2 blocks, 32 turnovers and 21 fouls. Bienka Jones paced the Saints with 19. Kendyl Rizea added 17, Jaide Lyons 16, Kelly Rizea 6, Rachel Duic 3, Tori Schutz 2 and Angel Russell 2, while Chyanne Roberts-Luxford, Katie Rizea, Tracy Fick, Daniella Abrams, Kayla Langlois and Kenzie Merner were scoreless. The Lancers hit 23-68 (.338) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 15-28 (.536) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 21 steals, 1 block, 23 turnovers and 17 fouls. The Saints came out firing in the first quarter to take a 17-15 lead but trailed by four points at the half. “We just couldn’t get the job done,” Saints head coach Ken Ambrose said. “I don’t think we had our best game, but we had some really good shots. We just couldn’t finish. We knew what they had. We knew who their best players were. They just fought through our press. We had to keep making adjustments.” The Saints (coached by Ken Ambrose, assisted by Jovanoska Krusharovski and Royal Church) also included Deanna Dunn. …………………………………………………… In the last crossover, the Seneca Sting (3rd-East) edged the Niagara Knights (6th-West) 57-53. Paige Smith drained three treys in the final 1:37 to pull out the win for the Sting. Seneca executed their game plan early as they clung to a 12-8 lead in the first quarter. Niagara finished off the opening quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 14-12 lead. The Sting regained the lead at the half 29-26 before the Knights exploded in the third quarter. Niagara outscored Seneca 24-11 in the quarter with Shelby Johnston scoring nine for the Knights as they took a 50-40 lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, Seneca trailed the Knights 53-47 with 4:30 left on the clock. The Knights would not score another basket as Paige Smith made her first 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining to pull within three. A defensive foul proved inconsequential as Melissa Wolfrath missed both shots. Seneca took the ball down the floor, setting up Smith for a game-tying three which electrified the crowd with fifty-five seconds left. The shot hit both the heel and rim, popping a foot above the net, before finally falling. With a chance to regain the lead, Niagara’s offence faltered, setting up the heroics once again for Smith. From the same spot where she made her first deep shot, Smith completed the comeback with a trey with just 21.7 seconds remaining for a 56-53 lead. Niagara brought the ball up the floor and took a potential game-tying shot with rimmed out, only to get the offensive rebound. An errant pass sent the ball out of bounds with the clock showing just 1.7 seconds. Controversy followed as the Knights’ coaching staff brought to the referee’s attention a timeout they were not granted after the most recent Seneca basket. After a discussing with the scorekeeper, the Knights were granted a timeout and the clock was reset to 21.7 seconds. Niagara also regained possession. The Knights proceeded to turn the ball over with 15.6 seconds left and were relegated to fouling. Lauren Egglestone made her first free throw before intentionally missing the second. Time expired. Paige Smith led the Sting with 15. Lauren Egglestone added 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Sharika Smith and Ashley Nurse each scored 9. Nurse added 6 steals. Niagara was led by Shelby Johnston’s 12 points. Miranda Ross had 10 points and six rebounds while Allana Arundell scored 11 and dished 7 assists. Niagara coach Ron Lemon called game a “back-and-forth battle” that wasn’t decided until the final buzzer. “They didn’t shoot well from the outside. We had them under control in the first half, but they began to press us and we turned the ball over. It was a tough loss. The girls played really well. It was a good game for us.” The Knights (coached by Ron Lemon, assisted by Don Larman and Jessica Nieuwland) also included Christine Sears, Heather McKay, Kristin Oliveira, Kate Montgomery, Lauren van Leerzem, Melissa Wolfrath, Kaitlyn McPherson, Melanie Tanguay and Athiep Lual.
In the quarterfinals, the Algonquin Thunder (1st-East) thrashed the Loyalist Lancers 51-34. Both teams would show jitters in the first quarter, with neither team making a basket until the 6:08 mark. The Thunder built a 7-2 lead and after two huge blocks by forward Stacey Poapst, began to find their offensive touch and took an 11-6 lead into the second quarter. The Thunder started the second on an 8-0 run before Loyalist guard Jenni Thompson would hit a three to bring the Lancers back within eight points. The Thunder responded with another 6-0 run to make it 25-11 and then stretched their margin to 31-13 lead at the half. Algonquin thoroughly dictated the tempo in the second half and led 44-25 after three quarters. Abeer Farhat was chosen player of the game for the Thunder, while Samantha Goff earned the laurels for the Lancers. “We came out flat in the first quarter, but we knew our defensive pressure would wear them down from that point on and try to just push the ball and play our game, luckily it worked out for us,” said Farhat. As far as improvement goes, Farhat believed “The offensive game is where we need to improve. Our defensive effort was pretty strong today so all we really need to do now is hit those easy open shots when we get them.” Thunder assistant coach Laura Bond described the team in the first half as “in overdrive, so we just sat them down at halftime, got them to breath, and they started to play their game towards the end.” Thunder coach John MacInnis called it “a very ugly playoff game with lots of defence and physicality. We will take it and move on. Sandre Bascoe paced the Thunder with 13. Lindsay Whittaker added 8, Amber Burton 6, Trish Grey 6, Abeer Farhat 5, Lauren Carey 4, Jesa Rada 4, Holly Ryerse 3 and Sarah Ferguson 2, while Sarah Knowles, Samantha Lariviere, Brittney Phannenhour, Ciara Churchill and Stacey Poapst were scoreless. Nikea Worrell paced the Lancers with 10. Jenni Thompson added 7, Martine Gauvin 4, Samantha Goff 4, Shelby Clark 3, Sierra Cauley 2, Kaneisha Coore-Edwards 2 and Haley Sisler 2, while Alexandra Aguiar, Elesia Younie and Melyssa Holder were scoreless.
The Algoma Thunderbirds (2nd-West) whipped the Seneca Sting 64-26. The first quarter was a fast-paced contest that saw the two teams tied 8-8 with just over four minutes to go before guard Corina Bruni went coast to coast to finish with a layup that put the Thunderbirds up 12-11. The teams traded buckets until Algoma mounted a 4-0 run to make it 18-13 halfway through the second. A Laura Cooper block forced a Seneca timeout but Algoma went on a 16-7 run to take a 36-20 lead at the half. Cooper scored the first four points of the second half and Rhaelyn Gillespie added a trey to make it 43-20 for Algoma at the 5:35 mark in the third. Algoma’s defence did not allow Seneca to score a bucket in the third until Seneca Guard Sharika Smith would put in a layup in with 3:42 to go in the quarter. Algoma would take a 48-25 lead into the fourth. The Thunderbirds only allowed one point in the final frame. Corina Bruni was chosen player of the game for the Thunderbirds, while Ashley Nurse earned the laurels for the Sting. Bruni said “a playoff atmosphere can be a lot to handle, and mental focus is going to be key moving forward, and I believe as long as we keep that in check and stay together (like in the second half) as a team, we can be successful.” Algoma coach Ryan Vetrie noted that his troops played “with intensity the entire game” and controlled their emotions in the opening quarter. Corina Bruni paced the Thunderbirds with 15. Laura Cooper added 12, Meagan Delfre 8, Rhaelyn Gillespie 7, Brianna Mandolesi 7, Anna Stillin 6, Karissa Kajorinne 4, Amanda Orr 3 and Cheristy Aklwenzie 2. Lauren Egglestone paced the Sting with 7. Ashley Nurse added 6, Paige Smith 5, Sharika Smith 5 and Melissa Conroy 3, while Michelle Melgs, Tina Kagi, Estefania SaaKan Prieto, Melissa Arevalo, Caryl Munzara and Chanel Grellmore were scoreless.
The Fanshawe Falcons (1st-West) clipped the George Brown Huskies 67-52. George Brown looked solid early, scoring three buckets in transition to take a 7-2 lead. A Melissa Vilar jump shot at the top of the key would make it 9-4 for the Huskies with five minutes to go in the quarter. The Falcons countered with a pair of buckets but two Aria Charles free throws with 3 minutes to go would bump the Huskies back up 11-8. Fanshawe responded with a 6-0 run capped by a Janine DeLeon layup at the buzzer to give the Falcons a 14-11 lead after one quarter. The Falcons found their rhythm in the second quarter and opened up a 20-13 lead with seven minutes to go. Kayla Higgins missed a chance to trim the margin to two by fumbling a bunny layup, which led to a Stephanie Antwi runout and foul that gave Fanshawe a 23-17 lead. The Falcons promptly ran off a 17-8 run to take a 40-25 lead into the lockers. Fanshawe would then put the game out of reach in the second half with a superb shooting performance from behind the arc coupled with a stubborn defence that forced 11 second half George Brown turnovers. The Falcons led 59-41 after three quarters. Felicia Mazerolle was chosen player of the game for the Falcons, while Aria Charles earned the laurels for the Huskies. “Our execution will definitely be key moving forward this tournament. Our defence needs to get a bit better too seeing as we were in foul trouble all night. But considering we hadn’t played a game in ten days it feels good to gut out a win moving forward,” said Mazerolle, who paced the Falcons with 23. Rachel Jaworowicz added 10, Natasha Amo 8, Samantha Highgate 8, Allison DeBlaire 6, Janine DeLeon 5, Maddy Edwards 4 and Stephanie Antwi 3, while Samantha Iacoe, Nicole Carriere and Tanisha Bromfield were scoreless. Angel Mbikay paced the Huskies with 14. Aria Charles added 11, Shan Wilson 6, Aindrea Barrett 5, Kayla Higgins 4, Quichell Barriffe 4, Melissa Vilar 4, Kara Da Silva 2 and Cassandra Powell 2, while Kerry Hart, Olga Filimonova, Julie Kheidr and Talita Campbell were scoreless.
In the last quarterfinal, the Humber Hawks, who received a bye into the quarterfinals as host, stunned the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 66-61. The host Hawks came out hard, forcing three turnovers while building a 7-0 lead. Guard Michelle Asari added a layup and guards Maria Suriani and Marie Maranan hit back-to-back treys to build the lead to 10. The Hawks led 18-9 after one quarter. Humber dominated the boards while extending its lead to 24-15 before the Vikings clawed back to within 32-22 at the half. The third quarter would start out as a deadlock with both teams committing costly turnovers. Layups from Aycha Hammoui and Aleena Domingo would make it 42-24 with 2:45 remaining in the quarter. The Vikings would then go on a 10-1 run to make it 43-34 with under a minute to go in the quarter, capped by a Kathleen Chapman bucket off a missed free throw but the Hawks rebuilt their lead to 47-34 after three quarters. Humber started the fourth with yet another offensive run, outscoring the Vikings 11-8 in the first three minutes. Vikings guard Hayley Goudier hit a quick layup to make it 58-46 with five minutes to go, but the Vikings got no closer. Chioma Oriuwa was chosen player of the game for the Hawks, while Jessica Cetoute earned the laurels for the Vikings. “We were pumped up and ready to go and win this game. Keep our high energy going, rebounding and staying out of foul trouble. If we can do those three things we can go deep in this tournament,” Oriuwa said. Coach Ajay Sharma thought “the energy our team showed today was tremendous and for that I’m very proud of them. As long as we can limit our mental mistakes on turnovers and silly fouls, I believe we can beat anybody here this weekend.” Michelle Asara paced the Hawks with 12. Chioma Oriuwa added 11, Brenda Carachure 8, Aycha Hamaoui 8, Aleena Domingo 7, Marie Maranan 6, Patricia Cole 6, Mary Asare 4 and Maria Suriani 4, while Chenel Johnson, Kayla Suriani, Kerry Small, Jordana Mazzei and Natalie Hagopian were scoreless. Jessica Cetoute and Haley Gourdier each scored 11 to pace the Vikings. Lacey Knox added 10, Kathleen Chapman 8, Jacklyn Rodgerson 8 and Blythe Glutelius 5, while Alyssa Rodrigues and Keshia Conway were scoreless.
In the bronze quarterfinals, the Seneca Sting defeated the Loyalist Lancers 60-54. Both teams would start the game in an offensive rhythm but go cold midway through the first with the game tied 6-6. Loyalist would then take a 10-6 lead but Seneca would score two consecutive buckets to tie it back at ten off of an Ashley Nurse jump shot and two free throws. Jenni Thompson would then hit a short jumper to give Loyalist a 12-10 lead after one quarter. Seneca opened the second frame with a 9-5 run and two consecutive buckets by Seneca guard Saakan Prieto made it 21-17. A Jenni Thompson corner three rallied the Lancers within one, and then she added another trey to put the Lancers up 23-21 with four minutes remaining in the half. Thompson would continue to wreak havoc beyond the arc, hitting another corner three to put Loyalist up 30-25 with 1:30 left in the half. Seneca guard Tina Kagi hit a layup before Thompson notched a turnaround jumper that gave Loyalist a 32-27 lead at the half. Loyalist would go on a 9-2 run to go ahead 39-29 with 5:30 to go in the third quarter. But the Sting again showed their resilience and cut the margin to 41-38 by the end of the quarter on the efforts of Lauren Eggelstone. “We knew we were down. We had to talk more and rebound, we couldn’t keep giving them third and fourth rebound chances, and when we started doing that on both sides of the court, we were able to convert on our own chances as well and eliminate the deficit,” she said. The Sting completed the comeback after a Paige Smith trey made it 43-41 with eight minutes to play. The last few minutes would be a hectic back and forth match until Seneca would go up for good with a corner three by Melissa Conroy to make it 53-48 with two minutes remaining. Sting coach Craig Walker said “the game plan didn’t change I just believe we did a much better job of following it in the second half and the results showed. Whether it was guarding Jenni or the other four girls on the court, our team really bought into the plan and it resulted in a great win for us.” And Egglestone’s effort in the third quarter was exceptional. “She decided to just lay it all on the floor for us. This will be her last time playing for us so I think she (and Nurse) just wanted to do whatever they could to get the win for the team.” Lauren Egglestone was chosen player of the game for Sting, while Jenni Thompson earned the laurels for the Lancers. Ashley Nurse and Paige Smith each scored 14 to pace the Sting. Lauren Egglestone added 12, Melissa Conroy 7, Tina Kagi 6, Melissa Arevalo 4 and Sharika Smith 3, while Michelle Meigs, Estefania Saakan Prieto, Chanel Grellmore and Caryl Munzara were scoreless. Jenni Thompson scored 24 to pace the Lancers (coached by Chris Eligh, assisted by Ken Smith, James McCourt and Jon Dunlop). Nikea Worrell added 10, Haley Sisler 7, Alexandra Aguiar 4, Sierra Cauley 3, Martine Gauvin 2, Kaneisha Coore-Edwards 2 and Samantha Goff 2, while Elesia Younie, Melyssa Holder and Shelby Clark were scoreless.
In the other bronze quarterfinal, the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings dumped the George Brown Huskies 48-39. The Vikings led 13-10 after one quarter and 24-21 at the half, despite not making a trip to the free throw line. “I have no clue (how that happened). I noticed that too at the break. I guess we weren’t taking it to the rim hard enough and relying too much on the three-point shot which is our fault,” said coach Remy Simpson. Alyssa Rodrigues set up Lacey Know with an alley-oop pass to cap a 4-0 run. With the Vikings leading 30-25, Cassandra Powell would score in the paint to bring the Huskies within three with 5:06 to go. But the Vikings countered with another 6-0 run capped by a Knox layup and foul to take a 36-29 lead after three quarters. Knox would then hit a three at the top of the key that would put the Vikings up 41-29 with six minutes to go in the fourth. With the Huskies unable to get any sort of offensive rhythm, the Vikings coasted to the win. Lacey Knox was chosen player of the game for the Vikings, while Angel Mbikay earned the laurels for the Huskies. Lacey Knox paced the Vikings with 12. Haley Gourdier added 10, Jessica Cetoute 8, Jacklyn Rodgerson 6, Keshia Conway 5, Kathleen Chapman 4 and Blythe Glutelius 3, while Alyssa Rodrigues was scoreless. Aria Charles scored 14 to pace the Huskies (coached by Sharon Butler, assisted by Elaine Ticzon and Karine Nicolas). Melissa Vilar added 6, Angel Mbikay 6, Cassandra Powell 6, Aindrea Barrett 4, Quichelle Barriffe 2 and Kayla Higgins 1, while Kerry Hart, Olga Filimonova, Julie Kheidr, Shan Wilson, Kara Da Silva and Talita Campbell were scoreless.
In the semis, the Algonquin Thunder clubbed the Algoma Thunderbirds 60-38. Sandre Bascoe scored the first four of the Thunder’s six points as Algonquin built a 6-3 lead. Thunderbird star Corina Bruni promptly injured her knee and was forced to the bench and Algonquin extended its lead to 16-6 after one quarter. The Thunderbirds rallied with an 8-2 run as Laura Cooper and Megan Delfare each scored a pair of buckets. Cooper tied it with a nifty post move on Bascoe but the Algonquin post responded with a layup of her own though to make it 20-18 with two minutes to go in the half. “I believe throughout the game getting to the line was very important for us to really pull ahead and put this game out of reach,” said Bascoe. The Thunder took a 22-20 lead into the lockers and opened the second half with a 5-0 run capped by an Abeer Farhat trey. She added another jumper to ignite a 9-2 run and Thunder built their lead to 38-26 after three quarters and romped. Sandre Bascoe was chosen player of the game for the Thunder, while Laura Cooper earned the laurels for the Thunderbirds. Sandre Bascoe paced the Thunder with 20. Abeer Farhat added 10, Lauren Carey 7, Lindsay Whittaker 6, Amber Burton 5, Jesa Rada 5 and Trish Grey 2, while Holly Ryerse, Sarah Knowles, Samantha Lariviere, Sarah Ferguson, Brittany Phannenhour and Ciara Churchill were scoreless. Laura Cooper led the Thunderbirds with 12. Cheristy Akiwenzie added 5, Brianna Mandolesi 5, Rhaelyn Gillespie 4, Karissa Kajorinne 4, Anna Stillin 3, Corina Bruni 3 and Meagan Deffre 2, while Amanda Orr and Carlie Manners were scoreless.
In the other semi, the Fanshawe Falcons defeated the Humber Hawks 67-63. Maria Maranan hit a trey from the corner to give Humber an early 13-8 lead. Although they led 15-11 after one frame, Falcon Allison DeBlaire hit a layup to tie the game at 22-22 at the 3:52 mark. The Falcons soon took a 31-26 lead on a three-point play by Natasha Amo under the basket before Aleena Domingo pilfered the ball for a stutter step and layup to end the half. Humber opened the second half with a 9-0 run capped by a Chioma Oriuwa rebound and layup. Fanshawe countered with a 16-5 run, featuring 7-8 from the line, to knot the score at 44 and then DeBlaire stole an inbounds pass for a bucket to give the Falcons a 46-44 lead after three quarters. Humber responded with a three-point play by Chenel Johnson. A rebound and layup off of a missed free throw by Brenda Carachure put Humber up 52-48 with 8:05 to go. The Falcons again had the answer with an 8-0 run to take a 56-52 lead with five minutes to play. Humber tied it at 63-63 at 1:01. But a Janine DeLeon trey with 42 seconds remaining put Fanshawe up 66-63. Humber turned over the ball on the next possession and was forced to foul, allowing Falcon Samantha Highgate to hit a free throws to make it a two possession game with 18 seconds to go. “We really just came out here and fought, we didn’t get too high when we were up, didn’t get too low when we were down and really just stuck to our way of playing basketball,” said Amo. Natasho Amo was chosen player of the game for the Falcons, while Aycha Hamaoui earned the laurels for the Hawks. Natasha Amo paced the Falcons with 22. Felicia Mazerolle added 18, Janine DeLeon 13, Stephanie Antwi 7, Allison DeBlaire 4 and Samantha Highgate 3, while Rachel Jaworowicz, Nicole Carriere, Maddy Edwards, Samantha Iacoe and Tanisha Bromfield were scoreless. Aycha Hmaoui and Patricia Cole each scored 11 to pace the Hawks. Chioma Oriuwa added 10, Brenda Carachure 8, Chenel Johnson 8, Aleena Domingo 5, Michelle Asare 4, Mary Asare 3 and Marie Maranan 3, while Kayla Suriani, Maria Suriani, Kerry Small, Jordan Mazzei and Natalie Hagopian were scoreless.
In the bronze semis, the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings clipped the Algoma Thunderbirds 48-44. Algoma opened with a 7-2 run but the Vikings rallied to a 13-12 lead after one quarter. Haley Gourdier pilfered the ball and set up Lacey Know for a layup and then hit a trey, while Knox added five, as St. Lawrence took a 27-20 lead at the half. The Vikings opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run and extended their margin to 37-22 before Algoma responded with a 13-2 run, capped by a Meagan Delfre trey that cut the lead to 39-35 after three quarters. Anna Stilin hit another trey for Algoma in the opening seconds of the quarter to make it 39-38 Vikings. Laura Cooper would complete the comeback about a minute later with a mid-range jumper to make it 40-39, and Algoma would lead for the first time since early in the second quarter. St. Lawrence would regain the lead at 45-44 with a Jessica Cetoute layup at the 3:45 mark. Costly turnovers for the Thunderbirds would prove to be the deciding factor, with Cetoute grabbing a crucial steal with 20 seconds left in the game, to ice the win with a free throw. “It was very important for us to lock them down defensively and not panic in the last three minutes, I think those were the two big factors that allowed us to come away with the win this morning,” said Gourdier, who was chosen player of the game for the Vikings. Stilin earned the laurels for the Thunderbirds. Lacey Knox paced the Vikings with 14. Jessica Cetoute added 13, Kathleen Chapman 8, Haley Gourdier 6, Jacklyn Rodgerson 5 and Alyssa Rodrigues 2, while Blythe Glutelius and Keshia Conway were scoreless. Anna Stillin paced the Thunderbirds with 9. Laura Cooper added 8, Brianna Mandolesi 7, Meagan Delfre 5, Karissa Kajorinne 5, Rhaelyn Gillespie 4, Cheristy Akiwenzie 3 and Amanda Orr 3. The Thunderbirds (coached by Ryan Vetrie, assisted by Pat Murray and Joey Turco) also included Corina Bruni and Carlie Manners.
In the other bronze semi, the Humber Hawks whipped the Seneca Sting 66-43. Lauren Egglestone scored four as Seneca opened with an 8-4 run. But Jordanna Mazzei hitting a corner trey to rally Humber within 11-7 Seneca with 2:10 to go in the quarter and Brenda Carachure blocked a shot that led to a runout Hawk layup to cut the margin to 11-9 after one frame. Chenel Johnson tied it and then a Marie Maranan three at 8:01 put Humber in the lead 14-11. Another Mazzei trey and a Carachure three-point play gave the Hawks a 27-22 lead at the half. Two Chioma Oriuwa free throws made it 34-25 and the Hawks outscored the Sting 12-6 for the rest of the quarter to build their margin to 47-31. The Sting never threatened. “We really just focused on boxing out, we didn’t do that very well in the first half and by doing it in the second we were able to put up much better shots and eventually pull away,” said Patricia Cole, who was chosen player of the game for the Hawks. Sharika Smith earned the laurels for the Sting. Patricia Cole paced the Hawks with 14. Chioma Oriuwa added 13, Brenda Carachure 9, Jordana Mazzei 7, Marie Maranan 7, Chenel Johnson 6, Kayla Suriani 4, Michelle Asare 2, Natalie Hagopian 2 and Courtney Boyes 2, while Aycha Hamaoui, Maria Suriani, Kerry Small, Aleena Domingo and Mary Asare were scoreless. Lauren Eggleston and Sharika Smith each scored 12 to pace the Sting. Paige Smith added 7, Ashley Nurse 4 and Tina Kagi 3, while Michelle Meigs, Estefania Saakan Prieto, Melissa Arevaio, Melissa Conroy and Carylo Munzara were scoreless. The Sting (coached by Craig Walker, assisted by Mervin Busby, Ashley Docking and Samantha Evans) also included Chanel Grellmore.
In the bronze medal match, the Humber Hawks stunned the St. Lawrence-Kingston Vikings 62-57. “To win this game, in front of our fans, the feeling is beyond words right now,” said Humber guard Aycha Hamaoui. “We never got rattled, even in the first when we were down ten with their fans going nuts. We just stayed focused and paid attention to taking care of the ball and being extremely aggressive on defence.” Hamaoui did an excellent job containing OCAA player of the year Laura Knox. Humber got physical in the first with a couple questionable hits on Viking Lacey Knox, but Knox answered with a pair of early blocks. Alyssa Rodrigues notched a three-point play as the Vikings took an 8-4 lead. Another two quick baskets, including a three by Jacklyn Rodgerson, made it 13-4, and the Vikings took a 17-7 lead after one quarter. Humber soon got on track and an Aycha Hamaoui trey trimmed the margin to 19-18. The Hawks took their first lead on a transition layup by Chioma Oriuwa before a Keisha Conway trey at the buzzer gave St. Lawrence a 28-25 lead at the half. Neither squad led by more than three in the third frame until the Vikings got in foul trouble, allowing Humber to hit 7-10 from the line to take a 48-40 lead heading into the final frame. The Hawks led 55-50 with five minutes to play but Jessica Cetoute hit a pair of free throws to rally the Vikings within two before an Aleena Domingo layup would restore the lead at 57-53 with just over two minutes remaining. Knox would hit a crucial jump shot for the Vikings with 45 seconds to go to make it 59-57, but two more Chioma Oriuwa free throws would secure the bronze. Natalie Hagopian was chosen player of the game for the Hawks, while Jessica Cetoute earned the laurels for the Vikings. Chioma Oriuwa paced the Hawks with 17. Aycha Hamaoui added 12, Aleena Domingo 11, Natalie Hagopian 11, Michelle Asare 5, Patricia Cole 4 and Brenda Carachure 2, while Chenel Johnson, Kayla Suriani, Maria Suriani, Kerry Small, Marie Maranan, Jordana Mazzei, Courtney Boyes and Mary Asare were scoreless. Jessica Cetoute scored 21 to pace the Vikings (coached by Remy Simpson, assisted by Sarah McAuley and Amanda Piribauer). Jacklyn Rodgerson added 11, Lacey Knox 9, Haley Gourdier 8, Alyssa Rodrigues 3, Kathleen Chapman 3 and Blythe Glutelius 2, while Kashia Conway was scoreless.
In the final, the Algonquin Thunder smacked the Fanshawe Falcons 74-42. “This took a lot of hard work from 15 girls,” said Coach John MacInnis. “Our motto this year was ‘the mission’ and they really bought into that. They got off to a rocky start at the beginning of this tournament but they really showed their colours here today.” The Thunder only trailed once, when the score was 2-0. Tournament MVP Sandre Bascoe dominated. She was only two assists shy of a triple-double and finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals. Bascoe noted, though, that “I’m really not worried about the MVP award right now, I’m just happy our team came through with the goals we set to accomplish at the beginning of the year.” The score was deadlocked at 6 when Algonquin ripped off a 14-0 run to take a 20-6 lead after one quarter. Although the Falcons rallied within 20-11, Algonquin restored a double-digit lead on a Trish Grey layup off a Bascoe feed and then took total command. A number of beautiful flashes, cuts and passes that resulted in quick baskets from guards Jesa Rada and Samantha Lariviere and assisted by Abeer Farhat would leave the Falcons defence a step behind and down 35-20 at the half. Post Stacey Poapst repeatedly swatted away Falcon shots and the Thunder led by as many as 34 in the romp. Jesa Rada was chosen player of the game for the Thunder, while Janine DeLeon earned the laurels for the Falcons. Sandre Bascoe paced the Thunder with 20. Jesa Rada added 15, Amber Burton 9, Abeer Farhat 8, Stacey Poapst 7, Trish Grey 6, Holly Ryerse 3, Lauren Carey 3, Sarah Ferguson 2 and Samantha Lariviere 1, while Sarah Knowles, Lindsay Whittaker, Brittney Phannenhour and Ciara Churchill were scoreless. Felicia Mazerolle led the Falcons with 10. Natasha Amo added 9, Stephanie Antwi 6, Janine DeLeon 6, Samantha Highgate 4, Maddy Edwards 3, Allison DeBlaire 2 and Nicole Carriere 2, while Rachel Jarowicz, Samantha Iacoe and Tanisha Bromfield were scoreless.
The bronze medalist Humber Hawks: Aycha Hamaoui; Patricia Cole; Chioma Oriuwa; Brenda Carachure; Chenel Johnson; Aleena Domingo; Michelle Asare; Mary Asare; Marie Maranan; Kayla Suriani; Maria Suriani; Kerry Small; Jordan Mazzei; Natalie Hagopian; Casea Fuller; Kara Barsevich; Atissa Cronk; Courtney Boyes; coach Ajay Sharma; assistant Paul Pearson; assistant Kern Lewis; assistant Kingsley Hudon; therapist Kaylyn Ardiel; manager Fiona Laurie; coordinator James DePoe
The silver medalist Fanshawe Falcons: Felicia Mazerolle; Rachel Jaworowicz; Tanisha Bromfield; Nicole Carriere; Stephanie Antwi; Janine DeLeon; Allison DeBlaire; Natasha Amo; Maddy Edwards; Samantha Highgate; Samantha Iacoe; coach Matt White; assistant Kari Moreland; associate Brittany Denneny; trainer Michelle Ducharme
The gold medalist Algonquin Thunder: Sandre Bascoe; Abeer Farhat; Lauren Carey; Holly Ryerse; Amber Burton; Sarah Knowles; Samantha Lariviere; Jesa Rada; Sarah Ferguson; Trish Grey; Lindsay Whittaker; Brittney Phannenhour; Ciara Churchill; Stacey Poapst; coach John MacInnis; assistant Laura Bond; psychologist Kelly Adams; manager Laura Gini; therapist Kristen Sarlo; athletic director Ron Port