In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers dusted the 16th-seeded Kitimat Mount Elizabeth Eagles 112-32 after leading 36-7, 67-14 and 92-24 at the quarters. Laura Baker paced York House with 18. Alisha Roberts added 16, Roya Assadi 15, Amanda Defaye 11, Chantelle Robertson 10, Jesseca Eng 9, Mira Donaldson 7, Natalie Wallace 6, Carmalita Robertson 4, Claudia Balomenos 4, Chantal Africa 3, Cherub Lum 3, Danella Pena 2, Madison Slobin 2 and Taylor Mebs 2, while Ava Westergaard was scoreless. Kolynn Bolton paced Mt. Elizabeth with 7. Kristi Seaby added 6, Jaz Young 4, Adelia Paul 4, Miranda Ross 4, Casey Gero 3, Jennifer Nyce and Ehryn Bolton 2. The B.C. Northwest champs were no match for top-seeded York House. The 2009 B.C. runner-up Tigers, winners of six provincial titles in the past nine years, had 15 of 16 players hit the score sheet on a typically deep roster capable of wearing down many opponents through attrition. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Surrey Holy Cross Crusaders clocked the 9th-seeded Prince George D.P. Todd Trojans 77-56 after leading 18-16, 30-28 and 57-44 at the quarters. Lizette Gatlabayan paced Holy Cross with 14. Jasmine Sese added 13, Tessa Beauchamp 10, Cecile Ehman 10, Jeanneine Yngreso 9, Claudia Garzitto 9, Jessica Villadiego 8, Caitlin McNaughton 2 and Vanessa Vinluan 2 while Nerissa Davis was scoreless. Ashley McMillan paced D.P. Todd with 13. Danielle Steel added 11, Piper Hoekstra 10; Olivia Fotsch 9, Jamie Macfarlane 7, Sunita Bansal 4 and Katlyn Roberts 4, while Erika Danielsson, Petra Grundman, Brittany Sutton, Lianne Haws and Ashley Knudsen were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 13th-seeded Vernon Panthers clipped the 4th-seeded Campbell River Carihi Tyees 68-49 after leading 24-15, 35-26 and 49-38 at the quarters. Emily Kanester paced Vernon with 27 points and 15 boards. Michelle Smith added 16, Britney Walton 7, Katie Pepper 6, D’Atrah Hennessy 6, Hailey Jellema 3, Ailee Steichert 2 and Sarah Kopp 1, while Bobbie Jones and Angela Fraser were scoreless. Emily Bryant paced Carihi with 24. Emily Bailey added 8, Becky Weiss 8, Alyssa Jackson 8 and Shelby Huffman 1, while Rebecca Pulford, Mariah Holmstrom and Kate Dixon were scoreless. Island champion Carihi were never ahead after Okanagan third-place Panthers ran off ten straight points well into the first-quarter. “We talked about playing relaxed as there was no pressure on us and the importance of keeping our composure and blocking out…both we did excellent,” said VSS co-coach Bobby Mitchell. “I was really happy with all 10 girls as they all contributed and committed to the game-plan. The girls off the bench were huge, especially Katie Pepper, who had some timely baskets and finished with six points and three rebounds. Both D’atra (Hennessey) and Brittney (Walton’s) rebounding was huge for us as they did a great job keeping Carihi’s top rebounders off the boards,” said Mitchell. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens dumped the 12th-seeded North Vancouver Windsor Dukes 57-46. Nechako Valley led 16-12 after one quarter. Windsor led 29-26 at the half. The Viqueens led 43-39 after three quarters. Jessica Naka hit the crucial shot to end Windsor’s hopes with just over four minutes to go. Michelle Schmidt paced Nechako Valley with 23. Dana Clarkson added 13, Amanda Van Dolah 13, Sharon Johal 2, Katiya Fawcett 2, Brittany Stevenson 2 and Jessica Naka 2, while Tarysa McKee and Jalae Brophy were scoreless. Hayley Boulier paced Windsor with 16. Gabriela Koc Spadaro added 11, Lia Marining 7, Sierra Turner 7, Lindsay Harman 3 and Sarah Manshreck 2, while Adrianna Paiero was scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Vernon Clarence Fulton Maroons stomped the 15th-seeded Maple Ridge Sam Robertson Titans 78-41 after leading 21-4, 40-14 and 64-30 at the quarters. Cassandra Brown paced Fulton with 22. Danica Rybachuk added 15, Janice Phung 13, Garli Tingstad 11, Karlee Webb 7, Tavia Lochhead 6, Mallory Herzog 3 and Kelsey Thompson 1, while Jennifer Robertson was scoreless. Rachelle Broome paced Samuel Roberts with 16 points and 14 boards. Jordan Ashford added 9, Michelle Tshimanga 9, Shelby Lewis 4 and Rachel Trybuch 3, while Leya Beya, Carly Neeson, Leanne MacDonald and Haeley Williams were scoreless. The Maroons jumped out 34-4 lead and cruised. “We were rolling our lineup before the end of the first quarter,” said Fulton head coach Jim Inglis. “We just wanted to get acclimatized and get the nerves out of the way. Once you get one game under your belt, life kind of returns to normal.” …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights edged the 10th-seeded Nelson L.V. Rogers Bombers 75-69 after leading 26-11, 47-32 and 63-49 at the quarters. Lexi Der paced St. Thomas More with 36. Sarah Hughes added 14, Kamila Wojciechowski 13, Julie Thierman 8 and Charlotte Hagedorn 4, while Adrienne Cheung, Stephanie Johnson, Maggie Sylvester and Alison Staudt were scoreless. Annalisa Reynold paced L.V. Rogers with 22. Sarah Fuhr added 21, Lauren Mirva 17, Ghez Naka 3, Carling Chown 2, Kyndle Doolan 2 and Kiandra McLaren 2, while Rachael Moulson, Miyu Kimura, Michelle Jones and Emily Lockerbie were scoreless. Grade-11 post Lexi Der had 31 in the first half, to power the Knights to a 47-32 lead at the half, before Knights withstood a late Bomber charge to get to within 68-64. “We pushed right to the end, which was really good to see,” said L.V. Rogers coach Bruce Fuhr. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Mission Roadrunners clubbed the 14th-seeded Victoria St. Michaels Jaguars 48-29. St. Michaels led 9-6 after one quarter and 19-15 at the half. Mission led 30-24 after three quarters. Chelsea Reist paced Mission with 13. Theresa Jakobs added 11, along with 13 boards, Angie Toor 6, Ravel Gill 6, Hayley Toth 5, Jasmine Wells 4 and Jessica Daigneault 3, while Lisa Abercrombie, Ava Ulshoefer, Kayla Thomas, Shauna Clarke, Angela Mannoca and Rachel Verschuren were scoreless. Abbey Piazza paced St. Michaels with 9 points and 12 boards. Annie Pike added 9, Madison Hadfield 4, Sophia Ducharme 4, Cliona Quail-Bradley 2 and Emily Mulroney 1, while Montana Sawyer, Rebecca Mulroney, Kirsten MacLeod, Ciara Glen and Katrina Gong were scoreless. Mission’s five unanswered three-pointers in the second half were too much for the Jaguars. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres defeated the 11th-seeded Victoria Lambrick Park Pride 81-70. Lambrick Park led 22-14 after one quarter and 40-38 at the half. Sa-Hali led 66-50 after three quarters. Taiysa Worsfold paced Sa-Hali with 41 points and 12 boards. Nicole Karstein added 15, Brooke Simpson 8, Taylor Wale 5, Hilary Farren 4, Tess Naylor 4, Leanne Rustand 2 and Brooklen Lockwood 2, while Katherine Ranta, Laura Reid and Sarah Cooke were scoreless. Whitney Hamilton paced Lambrick Park with 19. Chelsea Strandlund added 17, Amy Acheson 15, Tyger Holt 14, along with 10 boards, Sam Postle 3 and Dora Kamau 2, while McKenzie Smith and Sara Lefebvre were scoreless. Worsfold had 17 third-quarter points to turn the game around. Lambrick Park had no answer for grade 11 guard Taiysa Worsfold, who Pride coach Rocky Vitale said was effective. “They go as she goes. But that could be their stumbling block when they move on. The other teams probably have seen her more than us, so they’ll have a better idea of how to stop her. Sa-Hali will have to come up with something more than just her.” Worsfold hit treys, found open teammates and fought hard in the paint,” said Sa-Hali coach Jody Vosper. The Pride got off to a hot start but the Sabres went on a 23-3 run to start the third quarter, and the Pride was never in it again. Vitale pointed to the youth of his team, which is one of the youngest in the draw, as the key. “The difference was that we have eight Grade 10 players on our team,” said Vitale. “Sometimes they play like Grade 10s, and they’re learning the pressure part.” Worsfold’s 41 points were the eighth-highest total in tournament history.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers crushed the 8th-seeded Surrey Holy Cross Crusaders 79-50 after leading 20-12, 43-18 and 62-38 at the quarters. Alisha Roberts paced York House with 21. Roya Assadi added 16, Chantelle Robertson 12, Jesseca Eng 10, Cherub Lum 5, Mira Donaldson 4, Laura Baker 4, Taylor Mebs 3, Carmalita Robertson 2 and Natalie Wallace 2, while Danella Pena, Madison Slobin, Amanda Defaye, Chantal Africa and Claudia Balomenos were scoreless. Bianca Palitti led Holy Cross with 10. Caitlin McNaughton added 9, Claudia Garzitto 9, Jasmine Sese 7, Jessica Villadiego 4, Nerissa Davis 4, Cecile Ehman 3, Tessa Beauchamp 2 and Vanessa Vinluan 2, while Lizette Gatlabayan and Jeanneine Yngreso were scoreless. The Tigers took an 8-0 lead at the start and never trailed in the game. Their top production came from grade-10 star Alisha Roberts. The Crusaders lost starter Jasmine Sese to fouls, along with Cecile Ehman.
The 5th-seeded Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens edged the 13th-seeded Vernon Panthers 41-38. Vernon led 8-6 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 16 at the half. Vernon led 27-24 after three quarters. In a low scoring, defensive game the Viqueens trailed by three points with just over a minute to go. Jalae Brophy scored a huge basket to make it a one-point game. Vernon scored again setting up a thrilling minute of basketball that brought the crowd onto their feet and the players storming the court. Dana Clarkson scored to make it a one-point game. Following a fatal turnover by Vernon, Amanda Van Dolah scored the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left, and an insurance basket by Sharon Johal capped the improbable comeback and vaulted the team into the final four for the first time in over 10 years. Viqueens coach Joel Muller was elated his troops poise. Dana Clarkson led Nechako Valley with 15 points and 11 boards. Amanda Van Dolah added 12, Jalae Brophy 6, Michelle Schmidt 4, Katiya Fawcett 2 and Sharon Johal 2, while Brittany Stevenson, Tarysa McKee and Jessica Naka were scoreless. Emily Kanester paced Vernon with 15 points and 11 boards. Hailey Jellema added 10, Britney Walton 5, Michelle Smith 4, D’Atrah Hennessy 2 and Bobbie Jones 2, while Katie Pepper and Ailee Steichert were scoreless. The Vanderhoof girls locked up in a tough defensive battle and survived being outscored 16-9 from the charity stripe in the game. Jalae Brophy scored four key field-goals down the stretch for the Viqueens. “It was a tough loss,” said Vernon co-coach Bobby Mitchell.
The 2nd-seeded Vernon Clarence Fulton Maroons whipped the 7th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights 87-45 after leading 29-10, 48-24 and 74-39 at the quarters. Cassandra Brown paced Fulton with 33 points and 10 boards. Janice Phung added 24, Garli Tingstad 10, Danica Rybachuk 9, along with 10 boards, Kelsey Thompson 4, Tavia Lochhead 3, Karlee Webb 2 and Mallory Herzog 2, while Jennifer Robertson was scoreless. Julie Thierman led St. Thomas More with 14. Kamila Wojciechowski added 11, along with 12 boards, Sarah Hughes 8, Charlotte Hagedorn 6, Nica Reyes 4 and Lexi Der 2, while Adrienne Cheung, Leah Purdey, Stephanie Johnson, Caitlin Leong, Maggie Sylvester and Alison Staudt were scoreless. Tingstad was chosen player of the game for the Maroons after hitting some clutch baskets, playing tough defence and smart ball distribution. “We jumped out with a hoop off the tip and led 29-10 after the first (quarter),” said Maroons coach Jim Inglis. “Our press was outstanding and every player in our lineup made significant contributions. Inglis praised Kelsey Thompson for her work on the boards. The Knights’ fortunes took a foul turn in the second quarter when Lexi Der was charged by the Maroons’ Cassandra Brown and injured her back. Der left the game. “The girls were exhausted and our post, Kamila Wojciechowski got into foul trouble early so we had to play small against a very quick aggressive Vernon team,” said Knights coach Jen Farano.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Mission Roadrunners nipped the 6th-seeded Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres 64-63 in overtime. The score was knotted at 17 after one quarter. Mission led 19-13 at the half. Sa-Hali led 46-43 after three quarters. The score was tied at 57 after regulation. Chelsea Reist paced Mission with 15. Jessica Daigneault added 12, Theresa Jakobs 10, Angie Toor 9, Ravel Gill 8, Hayley Toth 5 and Jasmine Wells 5, while Shauna Clarke and Angela Mannoca were scoreless. Taiysa Worsfold paced Sa-Hali with 38 points and 14 boards. Nicole Karstein added 18, Tess Naylor 4, Hilary Farren 2 and Leanne Rustand 1, while Taylor Wale and Brooklen Lockwood were scoreless. Sa-Hali who came from behind in the final minute on a three-pointer by senior sniper Taiysha Worsfold to tie the game 57-57 in regulation. Mission tightened the strings in overtime, and showed why it has the reputation as a stingy squad. “It was very difficult to get anything,” said Sabres head coach Jody Vosper. “Everything we got, they made us work for it.” Taiysa Worsfold hit a big three late in the third quarter to put Sa-Hali ahead 46-43, before a back-and-forth final quarter. Again, it was Worsfold who hit a long, long three — this one with 1:11 remaining — that tied the game at 57 and eventually forced overtime. As good as Mission’s defence was, Worsfold found some room. “She really hit some key shots when we had an opportunity to pull away,” said Mission head coach Anthony Luyken. “As a coach, what do you do when a kid is making shots from the NBA line and beyond?” The Sabres, despite putting up a good fight, were left wondering what might have been after turning the ball over 30 times and going 11-for-20 from the free-throw line. “Any possession where we turned over the ball — that was the difference in the game,” Vosper said. “The free throw shooting . . . it would have been nice to maybe shoot two per cent better.”
In the semis, the top-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers crushed the 5th-seeded Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens 75-25 as Laura Baker scored 19 on 7-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Alisha Roberts added 15 on 7-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Roya Assadi scored 10 on 2-13 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Mira Donaldson added 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Carmalita Robertson scored 6 on 6-6 from the line and 3 boards. Cherub Lum scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 2 steals. Chantelle Robertson scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 10 boards. Jesseca Eng scored 4 on 1-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Taylor Mebs added 2 and Amanda Defaye 1, while Madison Slobin, Danella Pena, Natalie Wallace, Ava Westergaard, Chantal Africa and Claudia Balomenos were scoreless. The Tigers hit 23-63 (.365) from the floor, 4-18 (.222) from the arc and 25-38 (.658) from the line, while garnering 55 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 3 assists, 24 turnovers, 5 blocks and 8 steals. Jalae Brophy paced Nechako Valley with 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Dana Clarkson added 5 on 1-8 from the floor and 6 boards. Amanda Van Dolah scored 5 on 1-16 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 3 boards. Katiya Fawcett added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Michell Schmidt scored 2 on 1-8 from the floor and 6 boards. Sharon Johal added 1 on 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Jessica Naka, Tarysa McKee and Brittany Stevenson were scoreless. Stevenson nabbed 5 boards and Naka 3. The Viqueens hit 7-52 (.135) from the floor, 0-7 from the arc and 11-24 (.458) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 25 fouls, 1 assist, 35 turnovers, 5 blocks and 8 steals. York House used typical aggressive pressure defence to limit the Viqueen offence and zip out to a double-digit lead. Nechako, with a thinner bench had four starters and five players in foul trouble late in the game.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Vernon Clarence Fulton Maroons stuffed the 3rd-seeded Mission Roadrunners 72-53 as 6’2” senior Cassandra Brown took charge of the second-half. Cassandra Brown scored 37 on 11-20 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 13-15 from the line, 12 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Danica Rybachuk added 18 on 6-15 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-7 from the line and 5 boards. Janice Phung added 13 on 4-19 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Garli Tingstad added 2 on 1-7 from the floor and 8 boards. Kelsey Thompson scored 2, while Jennifer Robertson, Mallory Herzog, Karlee Webb and Tavia Lochhead were scoreless. The Maroons hit 22-68 (.324) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 22-30 (.733) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 8 assists, 15 turnovers, 3 blocks and 7 steals. Angie Toor paced Mission with 16 on 6-15 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 6 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Theresa Jakobs added 11 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 11 boards. Jasmine Wells added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Hayley Toth added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 4 boards. Ravel Gill added 3 on 1-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Shauna Clarke scored 3, Jessica Daigneault 2, Rachel Verschuren 2 and Kayla Thomas 2, while Jill Barden, Angela Mannoca, Jaime Aura and Lisa Abercrombie were scoreless. The Roadrunners hit 20-56 (.357) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 8-12 (.667) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 10 assists, 26 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals. Mission, who were without injured post Chelsea Reist, did a good job of containing Brown in the first half, however, she overcame the pressure in the second to collect 27 points. At the other end, Fulton’s defence simply ground the Roadrunners down. “In a win like this everyone has to play well and all nine of our girls certainly did,” said Fulton coach Jim Inglis. “We set a goal of the top-four and then focusing on the title after that, so it is gravy from here. So proud of these girls, as we set this goal four years ago and they have pursued it relentlessly.” Inglis said the key to the game was Rybachuk’s stellar coverage on Mission point guard Jessica Daigneault, who hurt Fulton badly the last time the two teams met. Rybachuk held her pointless in the first half. Daigneault’s only offence came late in the fourth quarter when Rybachuk was on the bench with four fouls.
In the bronze medal match, the 3rd-seeded Mission Roadrunners defeated the 5th-seeded Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens 55-46 as Jessica Daigneault scored 18 on 5-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 7-12 from the line and 6 boards. Angie Toor added 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Chelsea Reist added 18 on 7-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 9 boards. Ravel Gill scored 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Hayley Toth added 2 on 0-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Theresa Jakobs scored 1 on 0-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Jasmine Wells, Angela Mannoca, Shauna Clarke, Kayla Thomas and Lisa Abercrombie were scoreless. Mannoca dished 4 assists. The Roadrunners hit 17-60 (.283) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 16-26 (.615) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 6 assists, 22 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals. Dana Clarkson paced Nechako Valley with 18 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 7-10 from the line and 6 boards. Amanda Van Dolah added 9 on 3-13 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Michelle Schmidt added 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 9 boards. Katiya Fawcett added 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 steals. Jalae Brophy notched 2 on 1-6 from the floor and 4 boards. Brittany Stevenson added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 5 boards, while Jessica Naka, Sharon Johal and Tarysa McKee were scoreless. The Viqueens hit 15-50 (.300) from the floor, 2-9 (.222) from the arc and 14-21 (.667) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 26 fouls, 6 assists, 31 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. A pair of three-pointers by Angie Toor in the third-quarter helped turn the tide. After leading 29-26 at halftime, Mission rallied to take an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter. One last run pulled NVSS to two points on a basket by Brit Stevenson, but the team ran out of gas.
In the final, the top-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers edged the 2nd-seeded Vernon Clarence Fulton Maroons 79-74 as Alisha Roberts scored 17 on 7-12 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Roya Assadi added 14 on 6-18 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 10 boards and 3 steals. Jesseca Eng added 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Laura Baker added 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Chantelle Robertson scored 8 on 4-5 from the floor, 5 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Taylor Mebs scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 4 steals. Amanda Defaye added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Cherub Lum scored 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards. Mira Donaldson was scoreless. The Tigers hit 33-70 (.471) from the floor, 1-11 (.091) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 8 assists, 20 turnovers, 2 blocks and 14 steals. Cassandra Brown paced Clarence Fulton with 36 on 13-17 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 12 boards and 3 blocks. Janice Phung added 17 on 6-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Danica Rybachuk notched 12 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 4 boards. Jennifer Robertson added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 4 boards. Garli Tingstad scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Kelsey Thompson scored 1, while Mallory Herzog, Karlee Webb, Amanda Sakamoto and Tavia Lochhead were scoreless. Fulton clawed away through a tight fourth-quarter in which Fulton’s 6’2” senior Cassandra Brown used outstanding agility and athleticism for such a big girl to spur the offence and also the defence, including several notable shot blocks en route to tourney MVP honors. York House emerged the winner, despite briefly falling behind for a few seconds late in the game. The Tigers won their seventh provincial title. But after three years of finishing as runners-up coach Winston Brown was starting to question his work. “The first one we won, I didn’t realize what we were in for. When we started winning them, we were taking them for granted. But then we lost three, and we started to second-guess ourselves, but to win here re-affirms everything we’re doing.” York House went on a 13-1 run to lead 22-9 late in the first quarter. The Maroons slowly chipped away to trail by two heading into the fourth quarter. The Tigers couldn’t shake the Maroons in the fourth, and Fulton took a 72-71 lead with 2:27 remaining. York House’s Alisha Roberts was having none of that — she dished an assist to Chantelle Robertson 16 seconds later to put the Tigers ahead, then scored her team’s last six points as the Maroons couldn’t close the gap. “We knew . . . we would need all of our secondary scorers to step up,” Brown said. “Alisha was definitely one of them. … Alisha, thank gawd, she hit shot after shot.” For Eng and Assadi, who were Grade 8 players on the last York House championship team, a second title was a nice way to end their high school careers. “It means so much — we’ve been waiting so long,” said Assadi, a 5-foot-11 forward. “We’ve been in the final the last couple of years and we’ve lost. For me and the other seniors, this means so much to win in our last year.” Fulton coach Jim Inglis was Brown “hit every type of shot there is and made it look ordinary, and that includes some shots I have never seen her take before. She simply willed us into contention. This was one of the most dominating performances by a high school athlete in a long time. The people of Vernon that did not get to see Cassandra missed one of the best homegrown talents I have ever seen, going all the way back to my friend Wayne Dye. … Danica (Rybachuk) was outstanding again defensively, and by our sheets, her checks scored less than 15 points in the four games of the tournament. Janice (Phung) and Carli (Tingstad) handled the York pressure like pros in the second half, and despite the fatigue we stayed primarily with our starters as much as possible. Jennifer Robertson’s defensive job and willingness to stand in a take a charge was inspiring and she hit two clutch shots to beat time violations.” York House controlled the game early, building an 11-point lead before Rybachuk hit a buzzer beater to pull Fulton within 43-38 at halftime. Riding the momentum into the second half, the Maroons earned a stop on the Tigers’ attack, then responded with a basket to pull within three. The end-to-end play continued, with Fulton taking a 72-71 lead with 2:30 remaining, but the Tigers stormed back. Forced to take fouls to get a turnover, Fulton sent York House to the charity stripe where they drained their attempts to seal the win. “I love these kids and their work ethic, and they earned every accolade that came their way they played the way every coach dreams their team will,” said Inglis. “From a personal point of view, it was a storybook end to my coaching career and it was made just that much more special to have my friend and mentor Bob Shannon in attendance to see the end of a passion he helped get me into.” The York House squad had three all-star selections, including Jessica Eng, Roya Assadi and grade 10 star Alisha Roberts. Eng, a senior was a key offensive force down the stretch. In addition, Amanda DeFaye of York House was named the top defensive player in the 16-team girl’s field. From Fulton, Janice Phung and Danica Rybachuk also were on the tourney all-star team.
The bronze medalist Mission Roadrunners: Angie Toor; Theresa Jacobse; Ravel Gill; Jessica Daigneault; Jasmine Wells; Chelsea Reist; Hayley Toth; Kayla Thomas; Angela Manocha; Jill Barden; Rachel Verschuren; Jamie Aura; Shauna Clarke; Lisa Abercrombie; Ava Ulshoefer; coach Anthony Luyken; coach Sandy Luzny; coach Kelly Ledbrook; manager Karina Bath; manager Evelyn Johnston
The silver medalist Vernon Clarence Fulton Maroons: Cassandra Brown; Danica Rybachuk; Janice Phung; Jennifer Robertson; Garli Tingstad; Mallory Herzog; Tavia Lochhead; Karlee Webb; Kelsey Thompson; Amanda Sakamoto; coach Jim Inglis; assistant Robere Gingras; manager Megan Bouchard
The gold medalist Vancouver York House Tigers: Jesseca Eng; Chantelle Robertson, Roya Assadi, Taylor Mebs, Amanda Defaye; Laura Baker; Alisha Roberts; Mira Donaldson; Cherub Lum; Claudia Balomenos; Ava Westergaard; Carmalita Robertson; Natalie Wallace; Danella Pena; Madison Slobin; Chantal Africa; coach Winston Brown; coach Megan Dalziel; manager Ally Monahan; manager BoYu Chan