In the quarterfinals, the Riverview Royals defeated the Saint John St. Malachy’s Saints x-x. The Saints (coached by Bill Reid) included Stephanie Wood, Sarah Melanson, Melissa Graham, Krista Leavitt, Erin Reid, Kirsten Coombs, Colleen Ryan, Keri Hayes, Lori Hossack, Achsah McEachern, Tammy Mudge.
The Fredericton Black Kats defeated Miramichi James M. Hill Tommies x-x. The Tommies included Monique Robichaud.
The Moncton Harrison Trimble Trojans defeated Saint John Greyhounds x-x. The Greyhounds (coached by x, assisted by Howard McAlpine) included Kaila McAlpine, Kim Flewelling, Christina Martin, Amy Roberts, Candance MacDonald, Bev Gonzales, Heather Patterson, Pam Delatorre, Ivan Jankovic, Allison Cummings, Julia Bailey, Shanlyn Finley, Martina Hughes, Elspeth Lemon, Andrea Patterson, Esha Bandari, Sheena Alexander and Amanda Morrisey.
In the last quarterfinal, Moncton Purple Knights defeated the Quispamsis Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders x-x. The Crusaders (coached by Dan Aucoin) included Sara Sratton, Gillian Blomsma, Nat Gallant, Robyn Moore, Jenny Stuart, Erin Williams, Jennifer Estey, Erin McCauley, Ashley Wood, Jocelyn McIntyre and Kelly Gallant.
In the semis, the Moncton Harrison Trimble Trojans crushed the Moncton Purple Knights 66-47.
In the other semi, the Fredericton Black Kats trounced the Riverview Royals 81-36.
In the final, the Fredericton Black Kats stomped the Moncton Harrison Trimble Trojans 80-52 as Christie Thorburn scored 16. “Right now, it’s happiness and then you sigh and say, ‘Finally’,” Thorburn explained. The Trojans were in it for 10 minutes but the Black Kats quickly wore them down. “We press hard and we press tight,” said Thorburn, who scored 18, dished out six assists and added three steals for good measure. “Eventually, it wears them down. Harrison Trimble led 19-18 midway through the opening half, but watched on as Fredericton seized control with a 19-9 run to end the period. Then the Kats went on a 16-3 spurt to start the second stanza and romped to the schools’ 10th championship in 13 years. “When it was close, we just calmed down, took a personal timeout and told ourselves that we knew what it took to be successful,” said Fredericton’s Carolyn Plummer, who scored 16 and nabbed 10 rebounds. “This has always been my dream. I have wanted to be here forever.” Kristine LeBlanc led the Trojans with 15 points while Hayley Porter added 10. Fredericton finished (40-1) on the season, while Harrison Trimble was (33-8). After the season, Fredericton coach Steve O’Rourke and assistant Rick Cotter are relieved of their duties. School principal David MacMillan tells Gordon Plummer, father of player Carolyn Plummer that he “wants a program that the players would enjoy and compete and have fun.” O’Rourke coached team for 12 years, winning 10 provincial titles. O’Rourke pleaded with MacMillan to “listen to the stakeholders” and “search your heart.” O’Rourke adds that he and Cotter have modified their approach to the team “to suit the new style athlete. And we have made changes the administration requested. They asked us not to be so vocal on the bench and we’re far less vocal. We’ve attempted to make some of those changes.” MacMillan told a radio station that the basketball program has “concentrated too much on winning. No one is more of a competitor than I am and no one likes to win more than we do. And I’m proud of the contributions and proud of the record. However, I think it has also produced an inordinate amount of pressure and I think this has become too much of the sole focus.” MacMillan later retreated and O’Rourke and Cotter were re-instated.
The co-bronze medalist Riverview Royals: Rachel Poley; coach Bill Davis
The co-bronze medalist Moncton Purple Knights: Jen Kingston; Kari McArdle; Emily Smith;
The silver medalist Moncton Harrison Trimble Trojans: Kristine LeBlanc; Hayley Porter; Melissa Smith; Allison Hubley; coach Bob Wallace
The gold medalist Fredericton Black Kats: Carolyn Plummer; Christy Thorburn; Grace Piercy; Holly Jones; Ashley Gould; Melanie Walker; Kristin O’Rourke; Megan Estabrooks; Katie Whitehead; Emily MacPhee; Cindy Peng; Kristen Petruska; coach Steve O’Rourke; assistant Rick Cotter