In the wildcard game, the Steveston Packers clipped the Victoria Pacific Christian Pacers 60-43 as Virginia Watson scored 18, while nabbing 18 boards. Amanda Stewart added 6. The score was knotted at 12 after one quarter. The Packers led 24-22 at the half.
In the opening round, held in Kamloops: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Abbotsford Christian Knights dumped the Trail J.L. Crowe Hawks 61-44 as guard Melanie Ingwersen, at 5’4” the smallest player on the court for either team, led all scorers with 12 points, while teammate Lisa Bornhof, at 5’11” the tallest player on the court for either team added 11. Jenna Wilson and Rayanne Birkedal each scored 10 to pace the Hawks, who also included Ashley Fricke, Andrea Sidey. ………………………………………………… The Vernon Panthers dumped the Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens 77-62 as their one-two grade-11 punch of Jen Bridgeman and Kayla Forsyth struck for a combined 47 points, with guard Bridgeman getting 24 and post Forsyth getting 23. Panthers coach Malcolm Reid told the Vernon Morning Star that “it was a good team effort with all of our guards doing a good job getting the ball inside to Kayla. It wasn’t our best game. We played well in parts and had a great third quarter and played well enough to win.” Viqueens, a team with five B.C. titles in the history of the school, sharing top honors in titles with Victoria Lambrick Park, were led by senior forward Tyanna Gwilliam’s 14 points. The Viqueens (coached by Warren Cullum) also included Kristen Johnson. …………………………………………………… The Vernon Kalamalka Lakettes edged the Steveston Packers 43-42 (also reported as 42-41) after getting 21 points from senior forward Melaina Dolcetti. Virginia Watson finished with 18 to pace Steveston. The Packers, who notched just two points in the first quarter, argued that Watson was fouled on a layup on the dying seconds. Packers coach Les Hamaguchi told the Richmond Review that “pretty much everyone in the building thought we had been robbed. We came back from a 12-point deficit to go ahead in the fourth quarter but I guess we were pushing our luck too much.” The Packers (coached by Hamaguchi) also included Amanda Stewart, Blythe Pearce, Lindsay Greenwood, Melanie Sy, Andrea Chen, Heather Atkinson. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels crushed the Saltspring Gulf Islands Scorpions 73-43 as 6’2” veteran senior post Liz Cordonier scored 21 points and outscored Gulf Islands 18-4 in the second quarter to blow open an early close game. The Angels led 40-22 at the half. Grade-11 wing Stephanie Shea added 15 for the winners, while the Scorpions got nearly half their offence from grade-9 5-10 forward Kayla Gromme, who scored 21. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded and defending champion Vancouver York House Tigers whipped the Prince Rupert Rainmakers 84-26 behind the veteran leadership of Lisa Tindle (twice a B.C. MVP) and 2004 first-team all-star Robyn Wilson. Tigers emphasized their strength in an 84-26 rout of Prince Rupert Rainmakers, with Tindle scoring 25 and Wilson and Robyn Fashler each adding ten, as the York House bench shared heavily in the scoring. Senior forward Lauren Movold paced the Rainmakers with 11. …………………………………………………… The Prince George College Heights Cougars dumped the Nanaimo Cedar Spartans 72-43 in a battle between two zone champions. College Heights showed their clear superiority led by 6-0 grade-11 forward Erin Beckett with 28 points. Senior guard Christine Kennedy added 18. Senior guard Alex Stupich led Nanaimo with 19. The Spartans (coached by Dave Stupich) also included Sir Deboer, Holly Frederickson, Cassie Smith, Mary-Clare Kennedy. …………………………………………………… The 12th-seeded Surrey Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers upset the 5th-seeded Kamloops Westsyde Whundas 59-49 after getting 19 points from Grade-11 guard Grace Pawluk. The Panthers overcame a 25-25 second quarter deficit to dump higher seeded Westsyde. Tweedsmuir were up 27-26 by the half, with further scoring in the game provided by guard Nicole Law with 15 and 13 from Sandra Dario. Westsyde got 13 from post Danika Maartman and 10 by Meghan McGill and lost their third highest scorer, grade-10 Brittany Plotnikoff to fouls with seven minutes remaining. “I don’t know,” Meghan McGill told Kelowna Daily News. “We didn’t have any fire today. We came out strong and then we just … I don’t even know.” The Whundas led 19-11 after one quarter but the Panthers shifted to a full-court press in the second quarter and, led by Nicole Law, created a raft of runout layups as they took a 27-26 lead at the half. Panthers 6-2 post Sandra Dario dominated the second half. Although the Whundas rallied within one with 6 minutes to play, the Panthers closed it out with a 10-1 run. “It wasn’t our day,” said Whundas coach Ken Rife. “It’s the worst game we’ve played in months. We’ve been on such a roll; I guess every team is due for a bad game. And we had a bad game at a bad time.” The Whundas (coached by Ken Rife) also included Shannon Meyer, Chelsea Crockett, Danika Maartman, Shannon Meyers. …………………………………………………… The Surrey Fraser Heights Firehawks crushed the Penticton Princess Margaret Mustangs 72-57 as their senior-dominated roster demonstrated their experience. Jen Chao scored 25 and Stephanie Manuel 24. Jenna Kantz paced the Mustangs with 25.
In the quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded Abbotsford Christian Knights nipped the Vernon Panthers 59-52 as senior guard Melanie Ingwersen scored 11 of her 21 points in the second quarter when she hit three treys to put her club up 38-27 at the half. Vernon was unable to make a serious run to narrow the margin. The Panthers (coached by Malcolm Reid) included Kayla Forsyth, Raelyn Stanton, Kylah Lloyd, Andrea Bradshaw, Jen Bridgeman.
The 2nd-seeded Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels crushed the Vernon Kalamalka Lakers 75-44 after turning on the jets in the second half. They led 28-26 at the break but outscored Kalamalka 21-7 in the third quarter and 26-11 in the fourth quarter, with the surge led by wing Stephanie Shea with 15 of her team leading 23 points. Senior post Liz Cordonier kicked in with another 14. Grade 9 guard Emma Dolcetti led Vernon with 19. The Lakers (coached by Reni Dolcetti) also included Rebecca Tishenko, Melania Dolcetti.
The top-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers whipped the Prince George College Heights Cougars 65-44 by wearing their foes down with phenomenal depth. Prince George College Heights gave York House one of their tougher games of the season with six-foot forward Erin Beckett showing a nice shooting touch in traffic for 20 points, while senior guard Christine Kennedy was one player who Tigers couldn’t wear down, hitting for 16 points and running the offence for the losers. York House sometimes made full five player substitutions without losing much momentum, with fourth year star guard Lisa Tindle leading the way with 25 points. Melanie Gabanna added 11 and Robyn Wilson 10.
In the last quarterfinal, the Surrey Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers defeated the Surrey Fraser Heights Firehawks 60-51 as 6’2” Sandra Dario, the tallest player in the tourney, scored ten of her 21 points in the fourth quarter. Guard Nicole Law added 12 for Tweedsmuir, which trailed 45-38 after three quarters. Jen Chao led Fraser Heights with 22. Jenny Liao added 10.
In the semis, the 2nd-seed Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels thumped the 3rd-seeded Abbotsford Christian Knights 61-49 on a strong first half by senior Liz Cordonier. She scored 17 of her 21 points to propel Little Flower into another final, their 5th of the past six years. The Angels took control in the first half by forcing turnovers and getting more than their share of offensive boards. They led 36-26 at the break. The Knights rallied to within 38-35 on steals and runouts by Melanie Ingwersen but the Angels bridged the final two quarters with an 11-0 run to take command. Grade 11 wing Stephanie Shea added 18 and Lisa Cavey 9. Abby Christian Knights were led by senior Kelsey Broersma with 14. Melanie Ingwersen added 13 and Lisa Bomhof 10. The Knights closed to within three midway in the third quarter, before Little Flower restored their 10-point half-time margin. “We want to break the mold of our second-place finishes of the past few years,” Cavey told the Kamloops Daily News. “Maybe this year we can beat those Tigers and finish first. … We worked really well as a team on offence and defence and, as a team, we really brought it all together.” Teammate Shannon Tinkley added that “knowing that we can win, is a big thing. Mentally, I think we know that we can do it. I think they’re a little scared of us, so I think we have to just go out there and play our game.”
In the other semi, the top-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers crushed the Surrey Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers 59-41 to advance to the final in hopes of a 4th straight provincial title. Lisa Tindle scored 16, as did Robyn Wilson. Grade 10 guard Lisa Grierson added 10. York House led 27-6 by the end of the first quarter and 40-15 at the half but after an untypically lacklustre third quarter in which they were outscored 20-8, resumed control in the late stages of the game. Tweedsmuir, despite getting rocked early, did not quit and was paced by Grace Pawluk with 15 and Sandra Dario, a 6-2 post, with 10.
In the bronze medal match, the 3rd-seeded Abbotsford Christian Knights edged the Surrey Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers 65-61 as Jody Stewart scored 19. The Knights opened with a 19-5 run before the Panthers rallied back to a 26-23 lead at the half. But the Abbotsford Christian’s pressure defence proved the difference in the second half. Leading the Abby comeback were Kelsey Broersma and Lisa Bomhof with seven and six points respectively in the final quarter. Broersma, a senior guard finished with a game high 23, while point guard Melanie Ingwerson finished with 15. Abby outscored Tweedsmuir 25-16 in the final quarter. The Panthers first-half comeback was led by senior forward Vanessa Ybarra, who scored 8 of her 12 points in the first half. Nicole Law paced the Panthers with 19. Sandra Dario added 16 and Grace Pawluk 14.
In the final, the Vancouver York House Tigers walloped the Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels 66-38 to earn their fourth consecutive provincial crown. York House behind 15-8 after a quarter, but re-inserted their starters, who responded with a 40-6 run over the next two quarters, including a 32-0 run. Little Flower fell for the 9th time in 10 provincial finals and finished as runner-up in six of the previous seven years, including four times to York House. Lisa Tindle paced the Tigers with 22. Lisa Grierson added 14 and Robyn Wilson 13. Little Flower grade-11 wing Stephanie Shea scored 16. Shannon Tinkley added 7, including a 12-footer in the third quarter that stemmed a brutal 32-0 York House run. Tigers assistant coach David Prissinotti told the Kamloops Daily News that “Little Flower has a heck of a group of players, but they don’t use their bench much. We learned a few weeks ago that at the end of the first quarter, it’s going to be close and they may be up by eight. But we learned it’s a marathon, not a sprint and that’s our game plan. The way it played out today, it was true to form.”
The bronze medalist Abbotsford Christian Knights: Kelsey Broersma; Lisa Bomhof; Melanie Ingwerson; Jody Stewart; coach Keith Stewart; assistant Jackie Stewart
The silver medalist Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels: Shannon Tinkley; Hannah Staniszkis; Liz Cordonier; Kathleen Jyame; Michella Domo; Stephanie Shea; Lisa Cavey; Tiffanie Lee; Jackie Bull; Aline Bennett; Lauren Whitehead; Kelly Ireland; coach Linda Hardy; assistant Richard Cannon; assistant Caroline Cannon
The gold medalist Vancouver York House Tigers: Lisa Tindle; Brooke St. Germain; Michiko Evans; Robyn Fashler; Shannon Trainor; Melanie Gabanna; Devon Edgar; Emma Myers; Robyn Wilson; Tory Hislop; Katrina Lum; Meredith Briggs; Jennifer Kalil; Stephanie Scott; Gena Leaf; Lisa Grierson; coach Winston Brown; assistant David Prissinotti