In the opening round, held at the College of New Caledonia in Langley: …………………………………………………… The Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens pasted Invermere David Thompson Lakers 80-37. The Lakers included Cindy Campbell, Denise Mathison, Verna Barnes. …………………………………………………… The West Vancouver Sentinel Spartans edged the Fraser Lake Cougars 36-32. Sonya Baker led the Cougars with 9. Lucy Silva added 8 and Laurie Cook 8. The Cougars also included Marna Plowman, Slavica Antunovich. …………………………………………………… The Aldergrove Totems escaped the Kamloops Westsyde Whundas 54-45. “I told them this was just another basketball team,” Westsyde coach Brian Sinclair told the Prince George Citizen. “I tried to keep them cool, relaxed and loose. There was no pressure on us at all.” Shari Sturmey paced the Totems with 30. Shelley Samuelson led the Whundas with 15. …………………………………………………… The Delta Pacers clocked the Prince George D.P. Todd Trojanettes 36-13. “They were scared stiff. Even against Vanderhoof, we’ve scored 29. What we needed was a few baskets to fall from us early but it went from bad to worse,” Trojanettes coach Art Reed told the Prince George Citizen. The Trojanettes included Kathy Mulligan. …………………………………………………… The Kelowna K.L.O. Cougars whipped the Langley Credo Christian Kodiaks 56-33 as Erminia Russo scored 16. Ina Bosscher led the Kodiaks with 11. The Kodiaks also included Trudy Dekker. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded West Vancouver Sentinel Spartans edged the 13th-seeded Fraser Lake Cougars 36-32 despite trailing 31-24 late in the fourth quarter. The Cougars included Lucy Silva. …………………………………………………… The Saanichton/Brentwood Bay Stelly’s Stingers dumped the Hazelton Spartlettes 56-42. The Spartlettes (coached by Claudette Lavoie) included Yvonne Hobenshield, Laura Wilson, Donna Rhindress, Carole Hobenshield, Teri Muldon, Julie Maitland, Carne Wilson, Cheryl Stewart and Laureen Wegret. …………………………………………………… The Vancouver Point Grey Greyhounds dispatched the Victoria Dunsmuir Demons 41-36. The Demons included Janet Moore. …………………………………………………… The Summerland Rockettes dumped the Salmo Falconettes 45-33.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens defeated the Vancouver Point Grey Greyhounds 63-32 as tourney MVP Susan Ewanick, later an assistant coach at U.B.C., scored 31. The Viqueens broke to a 20-0 lead. The Greyhounds responded with a 17-8 run but the Viqueens promptly took total command in the romp. They led 42-22 after three quarters. Wendy Atkins led the Greyhounds with 10.
The 3rd-seeded Kelowna K.L.O. Cougars dispatched the Delta Pacers 38-35 in overtime as Joni Franks hit three free throws in the extra session. Heather Campbell led the Cougars with 12 before being sidelined by an ankle injury. Arlin Toews led Pacers with 16.
The 2nd-seeded Aldergrove Totems whipped the Saanichton/Brentwood Bay Stelly’s Stingers 42-19 after holding them to six points in the second half. The Totems led 22-13 at the half. Stingers coach Peter Mason told the Prince George Citizen that “we gave Aldergrove a good game defensively. Aldergrove isn’t held to 42 points often. Offensively, we either shoot great or we stink. Wednesday, we shot about 45% (from the field) and today we were about 20% but a lot of it has to do with the kind of defence they (Aldergrove) play. They’re always on you with a hand in your face. A lot of girls are intimidated by the kind of defence they play.” The Stingers included Maria Mitchell.
In the last quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Summerland Rockets edged the West Vancouver Sentinel Spartans 41-40 in triple overtime. Rockettes coach Lloyd Christopherson told the Prince George Citizen that conditioning, and particularly, a rigorous pre-season, proved the difference. “Each player had to run 45 miles before the season and that was before we started practicing. Then we did about 25 bleacher laps and 90 sit-ups. … (The win) gives the team a real lift. And it shows they can stand pressure and you have to in this kind of tournament. The Spartans included Patty Hill.
In the semis, Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens defeated Kelowna K.L.O. Cougars 54-37 as Susan Ewanick scored 28. The Cougars faltered down the stretch in the absence of injured started Heather Campbell and Rose Leinemann. “I’m not going to say we’d have won if we had them,” Cougars coach Don McIntyre told the Prince George Citizen. “But it would have been a closer game. No excuses. We just finally wore down.” Erminia Russo led the Cougars with 10.
In the other semi, Leah Ellis scored 29 to pace the Aldergrove Totems past the Summerland Rockets 66-31.
In the bronze medal match, the Kelowna K.L.O. Cougars defeated the Summerland Rockets 49-23 as Erminia Russo scored 14.
In the final, the Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens capped an undefeated season by winning their second AA title and became the first team to win the AA title twice. The Viqueens defeated the Aldergrove Totems 52-46 as grade 10 student Susan Ewanick scored 18 and forward Nandi Nefat 19. Ewanick finished with 108 points in Vanderhoof’s four tourney contest as she captured the tourney MVP award. Vanderhoof coach Doug Harshbarger noted that “people up here figured Aldergrove would it because they have a better bench that we do. Maybe they do. But we didn’t need to go to our bench. All three of my big guns had four fouls by the end of the game. But they never did foul out. Nandi had four fouls after the first half. I never sat her down. I figured she can’t get baskets or rebounds on the bench.” Harshbarger told the Vanderhoof Chronicle that Aldergrove “did a great job on Sue to hold her to 18.” Totems coach Pat Lee said “Nandi is the one who hurt us. Vanderhoof played a great game. They did all of the things they had to do to win.” Nefat told the Prince George Citizen that “I wasn’t getting right into rebounds as much as I usually do, but everyone else helped out more. We worked as a team.” Harshbarger said leaving Nefat on the bench wasn’t an option. “You can’t score points on the bench. Nandi’s a smart kid and this was her last game in high school. You’ve got to play the kids who got you here.” Totems coach Pat Lee said “Maybe be got outcoached again. There were things I didn’t pick up on fast enough. It’s certainly not their (the player’s) fault we lost, so I guess you’d have to put the blame on me.”
The bronze medalist Kelowna K.L.O. Cougars: Erminia Russo; Arlin Toews; Heather Campbell; Rose Leinemann; coach Don McIntyre
The silver medalist Aldergrove Totems: Leah Ellis; Allison Wells; Sheri Sturmey; coach Pat Lee
The gold medalist Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens: Susan Ewanick; Nandi Nefat; Dianne Nefat; Ronda Van Dolah; Leianne Gouliquer; Denise Dickson; Nancy Chow; Kelly Thomson; coach Doug Harshbarger