In the opening round, held at the Capilano College Sportsplex: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Victoria Oak Bay Breakers defeated the 9th-seeded Clearbrook MEI Eagles 62-59 as 6-0 Krista Hall scored 27, Amy Armstrong 11, Sarah Nols 8, Heather McLean 8, Kylie Drummond 6 and Susie McLean 2. Hall had been moved to the backcourt by Breakers coach Gary Mols because of her ball-handling skills, foot speed and outside shooting. “I was kinda mad at him because he forced me to do it,” Hall told the Vancouver Province. “But it’s gotten easier and now I’m definitely a more well- rounded player.” Mols said Hall is “just a delight. I find myself sometimes just sitting back and watching her play.” After Oak Bay built a 57-38 lead with 6:42 left, the Eagles finished on a 21-5 run and led 36-28 at the half. MEI’s B.C. Under-17 all-star guard Heidi Suderman, who scored 15 of her team-high 21 points in the second half, counted 12 points during the Eagles’ late rally. Hanna Reimer added 14 for the Eagles, Erin Balzer 9, Lindsay Enns 6, Aileen Mobach 5 and Sharon Zacharias 4. Eagles coach Ed Balzer told the Abbotsford News that “I give the kids a lot of credit for coming back. … They did a good job on Heidi (Suderman). She scored 21 points under a lot of pressure. I can’t fault our effort. We just relied a little too much on our outside shot and our other perimeter shoooters didn’t have a good day.” …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels stomped the 16th-seeded Cranbrook Mount Baker Trojanettes 85-25 after getting double-figure offence from six players. “I was impressed,” Trojans coach Bill Stevens told the Vancouver Sun. “That’s some of the best high-low stuff I’ve ever seen in high school basketball. Obviously, we weren’t the true test.” Shannon Drage scored 15 and was chosen player of the game for the Jewels. Allison Redding added 14, Kim Johnson 14, Krista Reed 11, Jenny Henderson 10, Shannon Walton 10, Lisa Sharf 7, Pam Reynolds 2 and Taryn Sakaki 2. Jodi Quaife led the Trojanettes with 13. Erin Downey added 4, Kari Dentry 4, Daphne Munroe 2 and Brenna Barkman 2. The Trojanettes (coached by Bill Stephens, assisted by Ross Robertson) also included Amy Martin, Rhiannon Tank, Shannon Orza, Kira Deeks and Carla Ross. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Port Coquitlam Terry Fox Ravens dusted the 12th-seeded Vancouver Killarney Cougars 72-52 as Lindsay Campbell scored 17, Kirsten Homeniuk 11, Katherine Kiss 11, Tina Taylor 7, Peggi Whiden 6, Michelle Bast 6, Jill Bekar 6, Linda Bailey 4, Danielle Earle 2 and Jodi Ramsey 2. Marija Vojinovich paced the Cougars with 21. Seema Kang added 12, T.J. Smith 10 and Holly Chalmers 9. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks topped the 13th-seeded Prince George Polarettes 90-49 as Alicia Esco scored 24, Krista Harris 20, Jody Currie 16, Lesley Sharp 8, Eric Burgess 6 and Leanne Kiley 6. The score was tied at 18 after one quarter. The Hawks led 45-28 at the half. Hawks coach Rudy Teichrob told the Abbotsford News that “it was good for us to be tight after the first quarter. It made us focus better. I didn’t think our defence was sharp and you have to play with intensity at both ends.” Stacey Wagner led the Polarettes with 14. The Polarettes (coached by Chris Gilbert) also included Jacqueline Richards, Kari Parish, Arminder Chatta, Olivia Greenwood, Stasha Matic, Helen Liu. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Victoria Spectrum Thunder crushed the 15th-seeded Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 69-35 as player of the game Erin Finlayson scored 17, Christine Rigby 17, Erin Bentley 12, Sara Hambleton 10, Lindsay Brooke 9, Erica Selzer 2 and Tanya Gilmore 2. “Spectrum is going to be hard to beat,” Kermodes coach Scott Stewart told the Vancouver Sun. “Their height really helps but Lindsay Brooke (5’5” guard) is going to be the difference. She just doesn’t make mistakes.” Thunder coach Brett Westcott said “in the last eight years Spectrum has only had one coach who lasted for two seasons. Our goal now is just to get to the semis.” Linnae Bee paced the Kermodes with 14. Karla Steadham added 9, Julie Gillanders 4, Becky Heenan 4 and Louisa Hendricks 2. The Kermodes (coached by Stewart) included Keri Brown, Lisa Clark, Joanne Cooley, Nicole Ripon, Karen Shepherd, Tannis Trottier and Christine Zaporzan. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Richmond Colts held the 10th-seeded North Delta Huskies to one field goal over the first 6:26 of the fourth quarter en route to a 52-41 win. Twin posts Denise Fraser and Kristina Laffling led the Colts with 14 and 13 points. Huskies coach Bill Edwards told the Surrey Leader that “we’d play that team 10 times and lose just once. … The kids just didn’t play well. They tried hard but things didn’t go right. We were nervous. There was poor shooting. Nothing went our way. It was our worst game in two years.” The Huskies (coached by Bill Edwards) included Jocelyn Stendahl, Krista Petterson, Sherry Jardine, Heather Marshall. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded New Westminster Hyacks clocked the 14th-seeded Kelowna Owls 78-41 as Jasmine Foreman scored 33, Tanner Ansley 11, Lara Dewitt 10, Liz Conner 9, Kiran Bal 7, Tamara Nepstad 6 and Jaime Ferguson 2. Elvera Vicaretti (Dicaretti?) led the Owls with 13. Jill Sutherland added 7, Laura Bolton 4, Paul Bromlee 3, Aly Lebedoff 2, Liz Pellat 2 and Tricia Warrender 2. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers rolled over the 11th-seeded Burnaby Central Wildcats 65-19 as Kelli Fort scored 14, Janice Moss 14, Rita Derouin 10, Kathryn McCuaig 9, Chrissy Kogler 6, Gillian Kirk 5, Randi Ross 4 and Karina Leblanc 1. Sabrina Verstieeg led the Wildcats with 9. Brenda Pattenden added 4, Tiffany Chow 2, Theresa Scott 2 and Janine Moseley 2.
In the quarterfinals, the 2nd-seeded Victoria Spectrum Thunder nipped the 7th-seeded Richmond Colts 71-68 in overtime. Spectrum erased a six-point deficit with 4:20 left in regulation, tying the game at 66-66 when 5-4 guard Erica Selzer came off the bench and drained a 17-foot jumper with 13.4 seconds remaining. “Coach told us he wanted us to shoot a three,” Selzer told the Vancouver Province. “But I just decided to shoot it. I didn’t feel anything.” Richmond hit just 1-13 from the floor in overtime. “We got good shots but they just didn’t fall,” said Colts coach Les Hamaguchi. “But it was a great game. Any other year, that would have been the (championship) final.” Hamaguchi said a defensive miscue left Selzer open on the final shot. “But she still had to make a big, big shot,” he said. Thunder coach Brett Wescott told the Vancouver Sun that “we weathered the storm.” Westcott added that Lindsay Brooke was “the best player on the floor. She’s the glue that holds this team together … We weathered the storm.” Lindsay Brooke paced Spectrum with 23. Christine Rigby added 16, Erin Finlayson 15, Erin Bentley 10, Sara Hambleton 5 and Erica Selzer 2. Kristina Laffling led Richmond with 24. Candice Hayden added 18, Stacy Reykdal 13, Denise Fraser 5, Heather Gelhorn 5 and Adrienne Sankey 3. The Colts (coached by Les Hamaguchi) also included Kristy Odamura. Hamaguchi told the Richmond Review that his troops got mixed up on Selzer’s bucket. “It was getting kind of noisy and they couldn’t hear me. I think we did the right things and thinking they had to come back with the last shot. I thought we were in a better position to defend them. You’ve got to hand it to her. She made the shot.” Westcott said “we got into foul trouble in the post in the first half and we don’t have as much depth as Richmond. But Rigby played better in the second half and we always had Lindsay. Their top person was guarding our wing and it opened up the post, so we got the ball into Rigby more. And when they started collapsing their defence, it opened up the perimeter and we adjusted to that.” Westcott said he only subbed Selzer onto the floor in the dying seconds of regulation because he wanted an additional shooter on the floor, but never anticipated she would take the winning shot.”
The 6th-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers stunned the defending champ and 3rd-seeded New Westminster Hyacks 67-51 as Janice Moss scored 20. Jasmine Foreman led the Hyacks with 21. The Hyacks (coached by Bryan Ansley) also included Liz Conner, Kiran Bal, Tanner Ansley, Lara Dewitt, Tamara Nepstad, Jaime Ferguson.
The top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels clipped the 8th-seeded Victoria Oak Bay Breakers 75-51 after riding an 11-2 first half-ending run to a 37-25 lead after 20 minutes. The Jewels (30-1) averaged 85 points per game and had seven players who individually averaged between seven to 15 ppg. Shannon Drage led the Jewels with 15. Shannon Walton added 14, Lisa Sharf 12, Kim Johnson 10, Jenny Henderson 8 and Allison Redding 7. Oak Bay’s 6-0 point guard Krista Hall scored a game-high 39. “We just said that we were going to make her work for the whole game and we did,” said Jewels coach Terry Michell. “But she still scored her points.” Sarah Mols added 9 for the Breakers, Kylie Drummond 6 and Lindsay MacDonald 4. The Breakers also included Amy Armstrong, Heather McLean, Susie McLean.
In the last quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks defeated the 5th-seeded Port Coquitlam Terry Fox Ravens 61-55 in a rematch of the Fraser Valley playoff final. The Ravens pulled to within 54-53 with 2:57 remaining on Jill Bekar’s sweeping hook, but Mouat scored five of its final seven points from the line. Jody Currie paced the Hawks with 14. Erin Burgess added 12 and Krista Harris 12. Lindsay Campbell led the Ravens with 22. Katherine Kiss added 16 and Jill Bekar 10. The Ravens (coached by x, assisted by Glen Nitzel) also included Kirsten Homeniuk, Tina Taylor, Peggi Whiden, Michelle Bast, Linda Bailey, Danielle Earle, Katherine Kiss and Jodi Ramsey.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Victoria Spectrum Thunder nipped the 6th-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers 45-43 despite trailing 29-26 at the half. The team rallied after Westcott threw a tantrum at halftime. “I expected a tough game from Maple Ridge, but I didn’t expect to be down 29-16 at halftime,” Spectrum coach Brett Westcott told the Vancouver Sun. “I guess I threw a bit of a tantrum. We hit only four of 17 shots in that first half and had 12 turnovers. (In the second half), they started getting concerned about our height and started doubling us inside. That allowed us to penetrate. Erin Finlayson made some big hoops for us and Christine Rigby got some good inside shots.” Spectrum had only shot 4-17 in the first half and committed 12 turnovers. Rigby paced the Thunder with 12. Janice Moss led the Ramblers with 15.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Salmon Arm Jewels defeated the 4th-seeded Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks 66-37 as Allison Redding scored 14, Kim Johnson 12 and Shannon Drage 11. Jodie Currie led the Hawks with 13.
In the bronze medal match, the Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks nipped the 6th-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers 56-55 as Krista Harris scored 12, Leanne Kiley 12, Jodie Currie 11 and Erin Burgess 11. The score was tied at 13 after one quarter. The Hawks led 26-25 at the half and 47-33 after three quarters. Kathryn McCuaig paced the Ramblers with 15. Gillian Kirk added 14 and Janice Moss 12. The Ramblers (coached by Rudy Teichrob) also included Kelli Fort, Rita Derouin, Chrissy Kogler, Randi Ross, Karina Leblanc, Jody Corrie.
In the final between the province’s two top ranked teams, the 2nd-seeded Victoria Spectrum Thunder pulled out a 68-65 victory over Salmon Arm after leaping to a 24-10 lead and holding on for the victory. Christine Rigby scored 23, Sara Hambleton 15, Lindsay Brooke 12, Erin Bentley 10 and Erin Finlayson 8. Kim Johnson paced the Jewels with 17. Player of the game Shannon Walton added 16, Pam Reynolds 13, Shannon Drage 7, Allison Redding 6 and Lisa Sharf 5. “It was a great game. Lindsay Brooke was the difference. … “All seven kids who normally play contributed. We did a great job,” Spectrum coach Brett Westcott told the Vancouver Province. “We went out there and it seemed like everybody was cheering for Salmon Arm. Everyone expected them to beat us,” said Rigby. “I just came out with that feeling. I knew no one could stop me. This is so good.” Brooke said “I got off to a good start. I was confident. We all were. They’re a great team, but they don’t have a real big player.” Jewels guard Pam Reynolds said “they came out really well and we got into foul trouble early. We weren’t over-confident; we weren’t under-confident. They just played really well. I’m not sad about the loss. We had a great season.” At the start of the game, Westcott handed his troops a map and told them to drive over the finish line. “It was a bloody exhausting week but right now I don’t feel anything but great for these kids,” said Westcott, “I think I’m going to have to do my classes by sign language on Monday.” Spectrum, making its first appearance since 1963, was able to hold back the Jewels in the second half, even with star 6-5 tournament MVP Christine Rigby plagued with four fouls. Rigby worked a sound two-man game with 5-5 point guard Lindsay Brooke. But Spectrum’s biggest key was using its ball rotation in a half-court set to find open jump shooters at the top of the key. Sara Hambleton consistently knocked down that shot. Erin Bentley also had success from that spot, hitting for 10 points in the second half. “This is awesome,” continued Westcott. “Everyone said we’d lose to Richmond (Thursday), then they said we’d lose to (Maple) Ridge (Friday) and they said we’d get killed tonight. But we beat them.” Salmon Arm, the most storied girls’ program in the province, was looking to win its first B.C. title since 1979, the same year current head coach Terry Michell won the crown as a rookie bench boss. The Jewels were led by Kim Johnson’s 17 points. Spectrum finished (43-8) on the season. “People still think this is a mirage,” said Westcott. “They still think it’s not over. We got just one tournament all-star [award]. Give me a break. We have two kids on our team who got exactly what they deserved tonight, but we are not a two-player team.” After running out to a 14-point lead, it didn’t fold after Salmon Arm clawed its way back. And down the stretch, Spectrum simply proved itself to be the better, more poised team. “We just played like a championship team tonight,” said Brooke. “We knew what to expect. And I think the fact we played three pretty close games here helped us. Salmon Arm [made it to the final] pretty easily.” Jewels coach Terry Michell said “the big kid (Rigby) was the difference. Right now, our kids are disappointed but they played well.” Spectrum finished 43-8 on the campaign. The Thunder led 24-10 after one quarter and 35-32 at the half. Jewels coach Terry Michell told the Salmon Arm Observor that the Thunder’s two 6-footers scored a combined 38. “They came out and couldn’t do anything wrong.”
The bronze medalist Clearbrook W.J. Mouat Hawks: Jodie Currie; Erin Burgess; Krista Harris; Alicia Escu; Lesley Sharp; Leanne Kiley;
The silver medalist Salmon Arm Jewels: Shannon Drage; Kim Johnson; Shannon Walton; Pam Reynolds; Allison Redding; Lisa Scharf; Krista Reed; Jenny Henderson; Taryn Sakaki; coach Terry Michell
The gold medalist Victoria Spectrum Thunder: Lindsay Brooke; Erin Finlayson; Christine Rigby; Erin Bentley; Sara Hambleton; Erica Selzer; Tanya Gillmore; Gillian Hitchmough; Michelle Somner; coach Brett Westcott; assistant Dallas Lansdell; assistant Gary Brooke