In the opening round, held in Langley: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded South Kamloops Titans clocked the 16th-seeded Kimberley Selkirk Storm 84-22 after leading 29-2, 48-15 and 67-18 at the quarters. “We opened up the tournament as I hoped we might,” Titans coach Del Komarniski told Kamloops This Week. “I thought that we came out hard, that we were ready. I thought that we distributed the ball. We got one in the bag. I couldn’t be happier. … The bench did a great job coming in and relieving the starters and getting them off their feet, allowing us to be even healthier. … All season long, we’ve kept our focus on ourselves. Whether our opponent is really strong or whether it’s weak, it doesn’t matter to us. What we’ve tried to do is focus on our jobs.” Olivia Morgan-Cherchas paced the Titans with 30. Maddy Gobeil added 22, Fiona Brisco 10, Katherine Walkey 8, Rohkeya Diaou 7, Kendra Mcdonald 4 and Lauren Walkley 3, while Lexi Foley-Norris, Anika Komarniski, Max Kopytko and Jenna Dandurand were scoreless. Aspen Cooper scored 7 to pace the Storm (coached by Jake Bowes, managers Cherie Cooper and Lynn Cox). Zoe Marina added 6, Sierra Copper 5 and Lisa Du Toit 4, while Eilish Cox, Jadyn Gould, Juleanne Irmen, Madison Amy and Ava Kile were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Langley Christian Lightning edged the 9th-seeded Whistler Storm 59-53 after leading 16-9, 33-23 and 40-38 at the quarters. Makenna Gardner hit a bomb from midcourt at the end of third quarter. But officials ruled she had not beaten the clock. Still, “it gave us an invigoration on the bench, that we just need to keep playing hard one quarter at a time,” Lightning coach Dani Gardner (Makenna’s mother and former Trinity Western coach) told Varsity Letters. “I just needed to get a shot off and so I just threw it up and hoped. I even shot it with my (non-shooting) left hand. After that, we realized that we just had to work hard and the whoever worked the hardest was going to win this game.” Makenna Gardner paced the Lightning with 22. Ava Krepp added 13, Hailey Van Roekel 9, Grace Wergeland 5, Jenna Van Roekel 4, Abby Berg 4 and Tamara Antonsen 2, while Kate Vanderzalm, Courtney Muller, Kathryn New, Natasha Dickhof and Julianna Antonsen were scoreless. Ayden Kristmanson scored 16 to pace the Storm (coached by Alan Kristmanson and Otto Kamstra). Lauren Wentzel added 13, Pietra Kamstra 13, Jenna Tobias 4, Nevada Knapton 3, J.J. Deane 2 and Eme Leigh 2, while Ryann Kristmanson, Abby Unruh and Ali Brucks were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies whipped the 13th-seeded Smithers Gryphons 62-37 after leading 23-6, 34-11 and 49-19 at the quarters. Player of the game Jenna Robinson paced the Huskies with 12. Malley Richardson added 11, Stef Young 11, Jordyn Pink 6, Sarah Howald 5, Reanne Mitchell 5, Lily Pink 4, Emily Zylyk 4, Melaina Corrado 2 and Karina Bagi 2, while Jordan Robb, Emma Parmar and Bridget McCarthy were scoreless. Braelyn Berarducci scored 10 to pace the Gryphons (coached by Chris van der Mark, managers Jenna Bruhjel and Devyn Young). Haley Hanchard added 8, MacKinley Unruh 8, Tamiya Ness 6, Aleigha Young-Lowry 2, Austin Carroll 2 and Olivia Davey 1, while Chantal Gammie, Angela Jennings, Abby Anderson and Faja Rudolph were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints dispatched the 12th-seeded Victoria St. Michaels Blue Jaguars 67-55 after leading 23-14, 41-26 and 50-42 at the quarters. Jessica Clarke paced the Fighting Saints with 18. Gemma Cutler 17, Olivia Thorpe 10, Kristinn Black 8, Stefanie Bordignon 6, Pasley VanderMye 5 and Rebecca Clarke 3, while Caelan Prescott, Caleigh O’Flaherty, Jane Darby, Sophia Panzetta and Evie Hwang were scoreless. Jordan Stonehouse scored 22 to pace the Blue Jaguars (coached by Holly Robertson and Keith Driscoll, manager Morgan Warne, student trainer Jessica Hatchard). Meredith Selwood added 10, Georgia Maydock 9, Zoe Lott 5, Taylor Noel 5, Isabella Leong 3 and Emily Stone 1, while Julia Southgate, Samantha Cuell, Judy Kim and Tessa Rehill were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins dusted the 15th-seeded Courtenay Mark Isfeld Ice 75-31 after leading 22-11, 39-21 and 58-24 at the quarters. Surprise Munie paced the Bruins with 16, along with 13 boards. Shemaiah Abatayo added 15, Lucy Guan 11, Karalee Antoine 10, Malena Mokhovikova 10, Tiana Sacco 5, Devon Herrin 4, Margaret Dixon 3 and Ifty Taju 1, while Annie Le, Tamia Edgar and Jasleen Bahia were scoreless. Myah Erikson scored 13 to lead the Ice (coached by Sherri Bohner and Ken Erikson, manager Michelle Erikson). Dianna Townsend added 6, Destanie Williams 5, Grace Patterson-Grunberg 4, Alyssa Erikson 2 and Olivia Sellentin 1, while Anna Hummel, Claire Brisbois, Clara Halvorson and Jillian Stelfox were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Vernon Panthers stunned the 7th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights 65-50 after leading 17-9, 32-26 and 46-33 after the quarters. The Panthers, who had 3 players notched double-doubles, dominated the boards and bridged the first and second quarters with a 12-0 run to take command. Vernon had 24 offensive boards, more than the Knights had defensive rebounds (18). They iced it with a 12-3 run in third quarter after buckets by Shiloh Corrales-Nelson and Julia Spagnuolo had drawn the Knights to within 34-30. Kelsey Falk paced the Panthers with 22, along with 14 boards. Ashley Budgen added 17, along with 10 boards, player of the game Mackenzie Horst 15, along with 12 boards, Kelsey Watts 5, Callie Bertram 4 and Emilia Durfeld 2, while Sarah Crerar, Abby Williamson and Olivia Sawka were scoreless. Aurafel Domingo and Emma Stewart-Barnett each scored 14 to pace the Knights (coached by Jen Farano, Joe Thierman and Dave Kazun, managers Veronica Sapitula, Rishalyn Reyesm, Sabrina Bean and Cassiel Panalosa). Shilo Corrales-Nelson added 7, Brooklyn Monks 4, Nicole Torozan 4, Julia Spagnuolo 4, Cassia DiGirolamo 3 and Madison McRae 2, while Jessica Zhang, Joy Olarte and Rachelle Andrews were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies stomped the 14th-seeded Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels 82-42. The score was knotted at 15 after one quarter. The Grizzlies led 36-22 at the half and 57-36 after three quarters. Deanna Tuchscherer paced the Grizzlies with 33, along with 12 boards. Jaya Bannerman added 11, Sydney Fraess 10, Julia Tuchscherer 8, Sydney Owens 7, Aliza Dueck 4, Kennedy Hall 4, Megan Owens 3 and Julia Sprott 2, while Kennedy Campbell, Sofia Armengual, Nicole Campbell, Kemery Warren, Taylor Nicholson and Sydney Ma were scoreless. Ashley Velasco scored 12 to pace the Angels (coached by Bob Mackay, Eric Van and Chris Ramirez, managers Shelisse Durity Wingson, Kayla Canama and Alexis Fong). Raichel Feenen added 8, Maya Landero-Van 8, Ceili McCabe 7, Sharon Luk 4, Allison Kuzyk 2 and Ava MacFarlane 1, while Sara Dee and Isabel Jalandoon were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 6th–seeded Prince George Duchess Park Condors clubbed the 11th-seeded Kamloops Westsyde Whundas 59-32 after leading 11-10, 25-15 and 48-25 at the quarters. Whundas coach Jody Vosper lamented injuries and 30 turnovers. “We’re working really hard,” she told Kelowna Now. “We don’t normally turn the ball over like that. We’ve also had some sick kids and couple of kids coming back from injuries.” Rebecca Landry and Hannah Loukes each scored 13 to lead the Condors. Sydney Lopez added 11, Kayla Gregory 8, along with 10 boards, Brynn Dergousoff 5, Rachael Holmes 5 and Logan Cruz 4, while Jasmin Schlick, Marley Rex and Litsanna Thanos were scoreless. Ryallie Jorgensen scored 13 to pace the Whundas (coached by Jody Vosper and S Vosper). Emma Lizee added 7, Brooklyn McCourt 4, Kinsey Vosper 3, D Schadlich 3, Jamie Maartman 1 and Kaylee Sauer 1, while Caitlin Gilbert, Kenya Reid and Olivia Busenius were scoreless.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded South Kamloops Titans clipped the 8th-seeded Langley Christian Lightning 72-59 after leading 22-12, 39-28 and 55-46 at the quarters. Maddy Gobeil paced the Titans with 32, including 10-14 from the line. Olivia Morgan-Cherchas added 18 on 7-14 from the floor and 13 boards, Lauren Walkley 11, Kendra Mcdonald 6, Katherine Walkley 3 and Fiona Brisco 2, while Lexi Foley-Norris, Rohkeya Diaou, Anika Komarniski, Max Kopytko and Jenna Dandurand were scoreless. Makenna Gardner paced the Lightning with 22. Hailey Van Roekel added 18, along with 10 boards, Ava Krepp 8, Natasha Dickhof 5, along with 11 boards, Kate Vanderzalm 3, Tamara Antonsen 2 and Grace Wergeland 2, while Abby Berg, Jenna Van Roekel, Courtney Muller, Kathryn New and Julianna Antonsen were scoreless. The Lightning (coached by Danielle Gardner, Hannah Krepp and Julia Hansen, manager Kristina Estrella) also included Mykelti Grim.
The 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints dispatched the 4th-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies 66-56 after leading 18-15, 29-27 and 53-48 at the quarters. The Saints broke to a 14-2 lead and never trailed. “They are a very closely connected group,” Saints coach John Prescott told Varsity Letters. “Arguably our best player is Jessica Clarke, and she is best buddies with my daughter Caelan, and when games end, they just want to hang out, they just want to go and have fun, and that is what you’re seeing reflected here. They see (basketball) as an opportunity in their lives to play, and I mean that in the sense of play. But they’re also maturing and showing more composure and you saw a lot of that tonight. … We’ve been talking the last two weeks about composure, they’re still young kids. … We’ve worked with the girls on realizing where we are at in games and to make smart decisions. We are an inside-out team and so we have to look for our big. Our guards are buying in and it’s branched off from there, so we’re seeing maturity.” Huskies assistant Cassidy deVeer told Kelowna Now that “we had a few costly turnovers and their top player (Jessica Clarke) was a lot to handle. We came back and were down by just two by the half, but at the end of the day, they just hit a few more outside shots than we did.” Jessica Clarke paced the Fighting Saints with 22, along with 21 boards. Olivia Thorpe added 16, including 4 treys, Stefanie Bordignon 9, Gemma Cutler 8, along with 10 boards, Rebecca Clarke 6, Pasley VanderMye 4 and Kristinn Black 1, while Caelan Prescott, Caleigh O’Flaherty, Jane Darby, Sophia Panzetta, Evie Hwang and C Cox were scoreless. Lily Pink scored 18 to pace the Huskies (coached by Meghan Faust, Cassidy deVeer and Lisa Nevoral, managers Jill Robinson and Lucas DeVeer). Malley Richardson added 12, Jordan Robb 9, Jenna Robinson 6, Jordyn Pink 6, Melaina Corrado 3 and Stef Young 2, while Sarah Howald, Emma Parmar, Reanne Mitchell, Karina Bagi, Emily Zylyk and Bridget McCarthy were scoreless.
The 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins spanked the 10th-seeded Vernon Panthers 56-38 after leading 21-7, 41-18 and 48-29 at the quarters. Bruins coach Mike Evans told Varsity Letters that “you can never have enough Grade 12s. And luckily, we have a couple of Grade 10s who play like 12s. We showed a lot of poise and maturity and I hope that we can continue with that.” The Panthers stationed 6-foot Grade 11 post Kelsey Falk at the top of their 1-2-2 zone and made the Bruins work. “She is very good, very long and we were worried that it might negate us,” Evans said. “And we didn’t get a lot of post play with all of our foul trouble. But I think we have all the parts to get to Saturday afternoon.” Shemaiah Abatayo paced the Bruins with 19. Lucy Guan added 11, Surprise Munie 11, Malena Mokjovikova 10, Iftu Taju 2 and Devon Herrin 1, while Annie Le, Margaret Dixon, Tamia Edgar, Tiana Sacco and Karalee Antoine were scoreless. Kelsey Falk scored 21 to pace the Panthers (coached by Lonny Mazurak and Dave Tetrault), while nabbing 11 boards. Mackenzie Horst notched 11, along with 14 boards, Kelsey Watts 2, Abby Williamson 2 and Ashley Budgen 2, while Emilia Durfield, Callie Bertram, Sarah Crerar and Olivia Sawka were scoreless.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies nipped the 6th-seeded Prince George Duchess Park Condors 68-64. The score was knotted at 13 after one quarter. The Condors led 30-29 at the half. The Grizzlies led 54-46 after three quarters. Condors coach Louise Holmes told the Prince George Citizen that “we battled with them and made Deanna (Tuchscherer) work for every point she got. She’s a big five-foot-11 guard and she’s been identified by the national team program and she’s superb. She had 22 [20] points against us, which is low for her.” Jaya Bannerman appeared to pace the Grizzlies with 22 on 10-13 from the line (on a very poorly kept scoresheet). Deanna Tuchscherer added 20, along with 27 boards, Aliza Dueck 8, Julia Sprott 8, Kennedy Hall 7 and Sydney Fraess 3, while Kennedy Campbell, Sofia Armengual, Megan Owens, Sydney Owens, Nicole Campbell, Kemrey Warren, Julia Tuchscherer, Taylor Nicholson and Sydney Ma were scoreless. Sydney Lopez scored 15 to lead the Condors (coached by Louise Holmes, Natasha Johnson and Wade Loukes). Rebecca Landry added 13, Logan Cruz 10, Rachael Holmes 9, Kayla Gregory 4, Jasmin Schlick 4, Brynn Dergousoff 2 and Hannah Loukes 1, while, Marley Rex and Litsanna Thanos were scoreless and 8 points were unallocated by the scorekeeper.
In the semis, the top-seeded South Kamloops Titans torched the 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 71-52 after leading 18-14, 29-27 and 45-41 at the quarters. Maddy Gobeil hit 17 straight free throws to lead the Titans to the victory. “She is a driven player,” Titans coach Del Komarniski told Varsity Letters.ca. “She is highly motivated. She is a complete player. She shoots it, she drives it, she is physical, she handles it. She is the pulse of our team.” Maddy Gobeil paced the Titans with 35 on 17-17 from the line and 13 boards. Olivia Morgan-Cherchas added 12, Lauren Walkley 10, Katherine Walkley 7, Kendra Mcdonald 5 and Fiona Brisco 2, while, Lexi Foley-Norris, Rohkeya Diaou, Anika Komarniski, Max Kopytko and Jenna Dandurand were scoreless. Olivia Thorpe paced the Fighting Saints with 13. Kristinn Black added 10, Jessica Clarke 10, Rebecca Clarke 6, along with 10 boards, Pasley VanderMye 5, Stefanie Bordignon 4, Jane Darby 2 and Gemma Cutler 2, while Caelan Prescott, Caleigh O’Flaherty, Sophia Panzetta, Evie Hwang and C Cox were scoreless.
In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies rolled the 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins 66-53 after leading 17-14 29-24 and 50-37 at the quarters. “Tonight, was our first time in the semifinals and now it’ll be our first time in the final and it’s awesome because the girls have worked so hard for this,” Grizzlies coach Sarah Mouritzen told Varsity Letters. The Bruins had rallied to within 60-53 when post Malena Mokhovikova scored on a sharp runner with 1:38 remaining. But a Sydney Fraess lay-up, and a pair of free throws apiece by Jaya Bannerman and Julia Sprott effectively put the game away. “We were able to get fast breaks early and that created the tempo we wanted,” said Mouritzen. “Britannia plays great defence, and they are smart defenders. And we knew if we got into a half-court game with them, that they would double and triple down all over Deanna. So we needed to get the pace we wanted, so that Jaya could run and spread the ball out more. … Jaya has always been athletic, with quick hands and feet. But over the summer she worked her butt off, and now she’s an inside-outside talent, a multi-dimensional player. That outside game of hers has changed everything.” Jaya Bannerman appeared to score 17 to lead the Grizzlies (on a poorly kept scoresheet). Deanna Tuchscherer appeared to score 16, (or 17, and 17 boards, according to Varsity Letters), Sydney Fraess 15, along with 12 boards, Aliza Dueck 10, Julia Sprott 6 and Julia Tuchscherer 2, while Kennedy Campbell, Sofia Armengual, Megan Owens, Sydney Owens, Kemrey Warren, Taylor Nicholson, Sydney Ma and Kennedy Hall were scoreless. Surprise Munie led the Bruins with 18. Lucy Guan added 15, Shemaiah Abatayo 10, Malena Mokhovikova 6, Tiana Sacco 2 and Karalee Antoine 2, while Devon Herrin, Iftu Taju, Annie Le, Margaret Dixon, Tamia Edgar and Jasleen Bahia were scoreless.
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins defeated the 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 52-43 after leading 16-8, 24-22 and 37-33 at the quarters. Defensive player of the tournament Surprise Munie paced the Bruins with 21. Shemaiah Abatayo added 11, Lucy Guan 10, Karalee Antoine 6 and Malena Mokhovikova 4, while Devon Herrin, Iftu Taju, Annie Lee, Margaret Dixon, Tamia Edgar and Tiana Sacco were scoreless. Jessica Clarke scored 21 to pace the Fighting Saints (coached by John Prescott, Carlie Paxton, Matt Clarke and Taylor Prescott, managers Dazle Gumabao, Julie Wheeler and Grace Karimpanal). Olivia Thorpe added 8, Jane Darby 6, Gemma Cutler 4, Kristinn Black 2 and Rebecca Clarke 2, while Caelan Prescott, Caleigh O’Flaherty, Pasley VanderMye, Stefanie Bordignon, Sophia Panzetta, Evie Hwang and C Cox were scoreless.
In the final, the top-seeded South Kamloops Titans dispatched the 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies 73-67 in overtime as the school earned a girls-boys title double. “One would’ve been fantastic, but I guess two is double fantastic,” Titans coach Del Komarniski told CFJC Today. “It was nice. The guys was a long-time coming. It was nice to finally achieve that. The girls, they finished what they started. Opened up the season No. 1 and finished No. 1. … I think it’s going to have to be remembered for a long, long time. It’s such a rare occurrence, it doesn’t happen very often, and I know all the people that were stakeholders in this event, it’s going to be something they remember forever.” Titans guard Lauren Walkley called it “incredible. This is so rare that something like this happens. I’m so proud of the guys team and I’m proud of my team, too.” The distaff title was the Titans 3rd in 7 years. The Titans forced overtime on a late bucket by Kendra McDonald. “The buzzer just went right after it hit the rim,” said Olivia Morgan-Cherchas. “It was like the best feeling ever.” Komarniski said in the overtime, “our sail inflated again. … We were relentless at that point.” Katherine Walkley said “it’s really exciting and really worth it to put in all the effort. I’m glad I got to end my final year on a good note.” The Titans led 24-17 after one quarter and 36-33 at the half. The score was knotted at 54 after three quarters. The Titans forced overtime as Kendra McDonald followed a miss down low by teammate Maddy Gobeil with a lay-in 6.2 seconds to play. Gobeil told Varsity letters that “it’s been what we have worked to achieve all season. Everything we do from the start of the season in the spring to now, getting up all those shots, it was for this moment. We were trailing late in the game, but I don’t know what it is about this team, we always find a way to win.” Titans assistant Ken Olynyk said “this is awesome because these girls have worked so hard all year. Del does such a great job with the girls, and they are resilient. It’s a fantastic feeling. … Deanna is so good and you have to do so much to try to stop her, plus they have others who are pretty darn good. It was the way it should be. Overtime. Down to the wire. For me, I am saying the best team won, but that’s not taking anything away from Graham. They were fantastic and they will be back next year.” Grizzlies coach Sarah Mouritzen said “when we went to overtime, I said to the girls ‘What more can you ask from a championship game? But we just didn’t have it in overtime. They gave everything they had. We had kids with injuries, kids fouling out. I am so proud of all of them.” A poorly kept scoresheet suggests that Maddy Gobeil paced the Titans with 25, or possibly 27. Player of the game Lauren Walkley added 20, Kendra Mcdonald 12, along with 13 boards, Olivia Morgan-Cherchas 9, along with 14 boards, and Katherine Walkley 5, while Lexi Foley-Norris, Rohkeya Diaou, Anika Komarniski, Max Kopytko, Fiona Brisco and Jenna Dandurand were scoreless. Deanna Tuchscherer led the Grizzlies with what appeared to be 20 (although Varsity Letters reported that as 32, along with 15 boards). Jaya Bannerman added 10, Sydney Fraess 8, Aliza Dueck 7, Julia Tuchscherer 4, Sydney Owens 3, Julia Sprott 3 and Sydney Ma 2, while Kennedy Campbell, Sofia Armengual, Megan Owens, Kemrey Warren, Taylor Nicholson and Kennedy Hall were scoreless.
The all-tournament team featured: MVP Maddy Gobeil (South Kamloops); Surprise Munie (Britannia); Jessica Clarke (St. Thomas Aquinas); Deanna Tuchscherer (G.W. Graham); Jaya Bannerman (G.W. Graham); and Lauren Walkley (South Kamloops).
The second team featured: Aliza Dueck (G.W. Graham); Emma Stewart-Barnett (St. Thomas More); Olivia Thorpe (St. Thomas Aquinas); Lucy Guan (Britannia); and Olivia Morgan-Cherchas (South Kamloops).
The honorable mention selections were: Logan Cruz (Duchess Park); Kelsey Falk (Vernon); Malley Richardson (Okanagan Mission); Makenna Gardner (Langley Christian); and Jordan Stonehouse (St. Michaels).
The bronze medalist Vancouver Britannia Bruins: Shemaiah Abatayo; Lucy Guan; Surprise Munie; Devon Herrin; Iftu Taju; Annie Le; Margaret Dixon; Tamia Edgar; Tiana Sacco; Karalee Antoine; Malena Mokhovikova; Jasleen Bahia; coach Mike Evans; coach Trevor Stokes; coach Mitra Tshan; manager Luk Pham; manager Alice Pham; manager Ron Suzuki
The silver medalist Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies: Sydney Fraess; Kennedy Campbell; Sofia Armengual; Megan Owens; Jaya Bannerman; Sydney Owens; Nicole Campbell; Kemrey Warren; Aliza Dueck; Julia Sprott; Julia Tuchscherer; Taylor Nicholson; Deanna Tuchscherer; Sydney Ma; Kennedy Hall; coach Sarah Mouritzen; coach Sara Barrow; coach Ken Heise; manager Adriana Perez
The gold medalist South Kamloops Titans: Maddy Gobeil; Lexi Foley-Norris; Rohkeya Diaou; Lauren Walkley; Anika Komarniski; Katherine Walkley; Max Kopytko; Fiona Brisco; Jenna Dandurand; Olivia Morgan-Cherchas; Kendra McDonald; coach Del Komarniski; assistant Rachel Lee; assistant Ken Olynyk assistant Dave Whalen