In the quarterfinals, the Hillsborough Caledonia Regional Tigers dusted the Harvey Lakers 59-41. The Lakers included Amelia Fletcher.
The Plaster Rock Tobique Valley Panthers whipped the Dalhousie Regional Condors 93-64
The Grand Manan Breakers edged the Petitcodiac Regional Panthers 67-61 after leading 31-22 at the half. Jess Brown paced the Breakers with 34. Whitney Clinch added 13 and Kim Wilson 12. Brooke Perry paced the Panthers with 15. Laura Wheaton added 11 and Abby Melvin 9. The Panthers also included Madison Howatt.
In the last quarterfinal, the Rothesay Netherwood River Hawks clocked the Stanley Blue Devils 75-57 after leading 33-25 at the half. Olamide Ojuawo paced the Riverhawks with 27. Anna Simonds added 22 and Taylor Cooper 14. Alyson Fullarton led the Blue Devils with 15. Lacee Thomas added 14 and Baylee Anderson 13.
In the semis, the Plaster Rock Tobique Valley Panthers stomped the Hillsborough Caledonia Regional Tigers 81-52. Hillary Goodine paced the Panthers with 36. Melissa Ouellette added 20. Sara Simkins led the Tigers with 16. Moira Wissink added 11.
In the other semi, the Rothesay Netherwood River Hawks defeated the Grand Manan Breakers 59-50 after leading 30-16 at the half. Anna Simonds led the River Hawks with 20. Gaelyn McMackin added 18 and Taylor Cooper 9. Josie Brown paced the Breakers with 14. Danielle Park added 12 and Jessica Brown 9.
In the final, the Rothesay Netherwood Riverhawks outlasted the Plaster Rock Tobique Valley Panthers 99-93 in double overtime. Gaelyn McMackin paced the River Hawks with 32. Anna Simonds added 31, Taylor Cooper 18 and Olamide Ojuawo 15 and 13 boards. Hilary Goodine led the Panthers with 38, and 15 boards. Chelsey Cooper added 16, Melissa Ouellette 13, along with 11 boards and Macey Giberson 11. Anna Simonds was chosen player of the game for the River Hawks, while Hilary Goodine earned the laurels for the Panthers. Tobique co-coaches Wade Goodine and Kim Steeves won the provincial coach of the year award. Grade 11 guard Anna Simonds told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal that the win was “amazing. We knew going into it that it would be the hardest game we’ve ever played. They’ve beaten us and we beat them so we knew we were evenly matched. It was an amazing experience.” The Riverhawks outscored a tenacious Tobique High team 12-6 in the second overtime to finally prevail. “It was unbelievable,” Netherwood coach Geoffrey McCullough said. “Double OT, that’s the way you want a final to go. … I think I have a few more grey hairs than I had before.” Netherwood responded opened with an 8-2 run. But the Panthers’ resolve stiffened with Ouellette’s interior defence and rebounding allowing Tobique to score four runout baskets and take a 14-12 lead after one quarter. Netherwood took control early in the second quarter and stretched its lead to 28-21 with three minutes left in the first half. But the Panthers responded with a 9-2 run, punctuated by two Chelsey Cooper free throws to deadlocked the score at 30 at the half. The Riverhawks’ tenacious pressure defence took control early in the third quarter, forcing turnovers that resulted in fast-break opportunities. A 12-4 allowed them to take a 42-34 lead at the 6:19 mark of the quarter. Both centres were forced to the bench by the five-minute mark, Olamide having picked up her third foul and Ouellette her fourth. Goodine scored eight straight points for the Panthers allowing them to close to 48-42 with just under four minutes left in stanza three. But Netherwood scored 14 points over the last three minutes of the quarter to take a 62-53 lead after three. After the Riverhawks stretched the lead to 12, the rest of the fourth quarter belonged to the Panthers, who tied the game at 81 all on a Chelsey Cooper jump shot with 16.8 seconds left. “We knew we had to get to the rim because our jump shots weren’t falling. So we just started driving and what happens, happens,” said Goodine. The defences took over in the first overtime forcing outside jumpers and turnovers. Goodine’s two free throws with under a minute left deadlocked the game at 87-87, setting the stage for a second five-minute extra session. McMackin opened with a jump shot to give the Riverhawks a two-point lead they would not relinquish. An end-to-end drive by Simonds following a steal stretched the lead to 97-93 with 1:24 to play. Following another defensive stop, a Taylor Cooper free throw iced the win. “Our girls are fantastic,” McCullough said. “They really stepped up.”
The co-bronze medalist Grand Manan Breakers: Josie Brown; Danielle Park; Jessica Brown; Whitney Clinch; Kim Wilson;
The co-bronze medalist Hillsborough Caledonia Regional tigers: Sara Simkins; Moira Wissink;
The silver medalist Plaster Rock Tobique Valley Panthers: Hilary Goodine; Chelsey Cooper; Melissa Ouellette; Macy Giberson; coach Wade Goodine; coach Kim Steeves
The gold medalist Rothesay Netherwood Riverhawks: Anna Simonds; Gaelyn McMackin; Taylor Cooper; Olamide Ojuawo; coach Geoffrey McCullough; coach Brian Murray