In the quarterfinals, the Hartland Huskies defeated the Stanley Blue Devils 69-51. The Blue Devils included Elisa MacKinnon, Shannon MacFarlane.
The Hillsborough Caledonia Regional Tigers defeated the Plaster Rock Tobique Valley Panthers 86-56. The Panthers included Hilary Goodine.
The Campbellton Sugarloaf Bruins dumped the Rothesay Netherwood River Hawks 71-58. The River Hawks included Gaelyn McMackin, Anna Simonds, Taylor Cooper, Abigail White, Sydney Morse, Amelia Moffat, Victoria Zed.
In the last quarterfinal, the Dalhousie Regional Condors defeated the Perth-Andover Southern Victoria Vikettes 65-49. The Vikettes included Kelsey Nissen.
In the semis, the Hartland Huskies defeated the Hillsborough Caledonia Regional Tigers 45-42 as Emily Caldwell scored 17, Tabitha Trecartin 16 and Ashley Arsenault 10. Kelsey MacDonald led the Tigers with 14. Hillary Hopper added 13. Caledonia led 28-23 at the half. Emily Caldwell got into foul trouble, while Corrine Caldwell fractured her collarbone early in the match. “Our defence won us that game,” coach Chastity Crouse said. “Emily and Corrine are two of our strongest offensive players – they each score anywhere from 18 to 24 points a game – so you can imagine how difficult it was without them.”
In the other semi, the host Campbellton Sugarloaf Bruins defeated the Dalhousie Regional Condors 56-42. The Bruins led 37-13 at the half. Jessica Murray led the Bruins with 17. Shelbe Glidden added 15 and Maddie Metallic 8. Madyson Williams led the Condors with 9. Megan Lawlor added 8.
In the final, the Hartland Huskies dumped the Campbellton Sugarloaf Bruins 63-54 as Emily Caldwell scored 32 and nabbed 15 boards. The Huskies closed it out with a 22-9 run. Ashley Arsenault added 14 points and 28 boards, Tabitha Trecartin 9 and Taylor Kenney 6. Shelbe Glidden led Sugarloaf with 16 points. Jenna Gallie added 15 and Maddie Metallic scored 12. Caldwell told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal that the triumph was “a team victory all the way. We played with heart and determination and it paid off with a banner. We’re very happy. I’m kind of in shock but I guess I just wanted it so bad. I really felt everyone was in this game and in it to win. We had great team support and great fan support.” Hartland led 19-6 early and by 45-35 with two minutes left in the third before racing to the win. Hartland coach Chastity Crouse said the victory was “a dream come true for our players.” The team was motivated to win for their leader, as Crouse, who was chosen New Brunswick high school girl’s coach of the year, was diagnosed with Lupus almost a year ago and has been limiting her time on the court so she can cope with the disease. “It’s been a long season, but we did it,” Crouse said. “We pride ourselves on being a second half team, and we showed that heart again today.” Hartland broke to a 21-11 lead after the first quarter on a series of buckets by Emily Caldwell. “We played a great game,” Caldwell said. “It was a long road back in the fourth quarter, but we kept to our game plan by boxing out and holding their top shooters in check. I was pretty scared, actually, that we were going to lose. But when we put our mind to something, it usually turns out pretty well.” The Bruins clawed back into the match after 20 minutes by scoring 18 in the second stanza to Hartland’s six to lead 29-27 at break and 45-41 after three quarters. But the Huskies owned the fourth quarter. Huskies coach Chastity Crouse had been a member of the 1989 and 1990 Canterbury squads that won A titles. “Obviously, we did (this) as a team,” Crouse said. “I told them ‘Play like you want it, play with your heart. That’s what got us here.’ … Our squad has tremendous heart and they have worked hard all season to get here and make it happen. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of them and what they have accomplished. It’s been rough at times. My husband Sam, who is our team’s assistant coach, and others who have helped us along the way have really stepped up in support of our squad. I’m still in shock that we did it, though. It’s overwhelming, considering how far we have come.” The Lady Huskies were without Grade 12 starter Corrine Caldwell, Emily Caldwell’s twin sister, for much of the post-season as she broke her collarbone during the Southwest regional. She was back in action at Aitken. “It’s been a great year for all of us,” Corrine Caldwell said. “The rest of the team stepped up while I was out. We have great depth on our roster.” Corrine Caldwell scored 2, dished 5 assists and blocked 2 shots. Ashley Arsenault called the banner” a topper to another great season for our basketball program. This (banner) is just awesome. We came back in the fourth quarter when we had to, to win it.” Sugarloaf co-coach Mae Cameron said Hartland was full measure for the victory. “They’re a great team. We had a chance to pull it out today, but they dominated the fourth quarter and that’s what made the difference.” Bruins co-coach Ashley DeGroot-Smearer told the Moncton Times & Transcript that “Caldwell definitely hurt us. We thought we’d be able to shut her down with No. 18 (Glidden), but it didn’t happen. And Arsenault and Kenny kept up the intensity for Hartland. The girls were tired come the end. They played a hard game and the court’s (eight feet) longer than we’re used to. We got tired and stopped doing the little things.”
The co-bronze medalist Dalhousie Regional Condors: Madyson Williams; Megan Lawlor;
The co-bronze medalist Caledonia Regional Tigers: Kelsey MacDonald; Hillary Hopper; Elizabeth Boutilier; Siobhan Brown;
The silver medalist Campbellton Sugarloaf Bruins: Shelbe Glidden; Jenna Gallie; Maddie Metallic; Jessica Murray; coach Mae Cameron; coach Ashley DeGroot-Smearer
The gold medalist Hartland Huskies: Emily Caldwell; Ashley Arsenault; Tabitha Trecartin; Corrine Caldwell; Katherine Wetmore; Taylor Kenney; Kendra Booker; Jill Caldwell; Jackie Caldwell; Leanne Culberson; Emma Culberson; Corrine Caldwell; Marlee Rideout; Kayley Dickinson; coach Chastity Crouse; assistant Sam Crouse; manager Lindsay Campbell