In the quarterfinals, the Fredericton Black Kats (2nd southwest) stomped the Moncton Bernice McNaughton Highlanders (3rd, northeast) 76-56. Olivia Dobblesteyn led the Black Kats with 19. Sarah Beaney and Amy Appleby each added 16. Meghan Foreman led the Highlanders with 15. Stephanie Kelly added 12 and Lauren Sutherland 10. The Highlanders also included Amy Cormier.
The Riverview Royals (1st, northeast) whipped the Bristol Carleton North Stars (4th, southwest) 94-44. Star Jenna Jones scored 16 for the Royals before being sidelined by a foot injury. Vanessa Pickard paced the Royals with 20. Katie Donahoe scored 17 and Julie Hatcher 11. Tamara Tompkins led the Stars with 15. Bailey Trafford added 10. The North Stars also included Riley MacIntosh.
The Woodstock Wildcats (3rd southwest) nipped the Moncton Harrison Trimble Trojans 54-51. The Trojans included Danielle Leblanc, Kelly Vass, Elaine Gillis.
In the last quarterfinal, the Quispamsis Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders (1st, northeast) stomped the Miramichi Valley Pulamoo 98-51.
In the semis, the Riverview Royals dumped the Fredericton Black Kats 60-51. Although star Jenna Jones was sideline by an injury, the Royals had the depth to pull out the win. Royals coach Greg Gould said “as a Grade 12 player and such a key player for our team, you want to see her play her final high school game. All we can do is make sure she gets the proper medical treatment and we will monitor her all week long. We know that if she can’t go, we will need others to step forward. We’ve had a strong bench all year long and they’ve improved all year long so our depth is a big factor at this point in the season.” Julie Hatcher led the Royals with 21. Katie Donahoe added 15 and Vanessa Pickard 14. Olivia Dobblesteyn scored 11 for the Black Kats while Colleen Barry, Emily Hazlett and Alana Gullison each netted 10. Riverview High led 40-22 points at halftime. With Jones unable to play, the Royals were forced to insert Katie Lund, a Grade 10 player, into the starting lineup. “We asked her to step up and take a strong defensive role against one of their post players and she did a great job,” Gould said. “We had to make a few adjustments and players took on new roles and they responded in a positive way. It was a strong game for all of our players. Our depth paid off.”
In the other semi, the Quispamsis Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders dumped the Woodstock Wildcats 79-68. Laura McCaffrey led the Crusaders with 20. Alyson Zwicker added 16 and Louise Chiasson 15. Crusaders coach Bill Mayberry was chosen the province’s girls coach of the year, calling it an amazing year after a sluggish start. “I was really amazed when they came back and it seemed like they turned a corner. We were really getting contributions from everyone on the team. Sometimes it takes a while to understand your role and how to best go out and do that.” Samantha Wilson led Woodstock with 23. MacKenzie Gray added 17 and MacKenzie McHatten 16.
In the final, the Riverview Royals dumped the Quispamsis Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders 78-53. A week after sustaining a serious foot injury, which kept her out of practice and forced her to undergo physiotherapy twice a day, Jenna Jones scored 19 points to help the Royals defend their crown. Jones, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student, had two X-rays on her left foot in the days leading up to the final. The images were inconclusive, but doctors and physiotherapists believe she may have suffered a stress fracture and tore some ligaments. “It hurt for the whole game and when I came off the floor (for substitutions), I had to keep moving and keep it warm,” Jones said. “It was totally worth it. Playing for the championship meant everything to me. Winning with this team meant everything.” Jones, Julie Hatcher and Vanessa Pickard each had 19 points for the Royals and Holly Jones contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds. “Every year is special, but this was extra special because the team has become so close,” Hatcher said. “A lot of the girls on the team are young and it feels good to help them and watch them improve so much as the year went on. It’s a great feeling to play on such a close team.” Hatcher said the players were never sure if Jenna Jones was going to play in the final. “I don’t think I doubted it because she is one of the toughest players I’ve ever seen, but when she didn’t practise everyone wondered what was going to happen. It’s pretty hard to stay out of your last game as a Grade 12 player. It was great to have her back in the lineup.” Rachel Jefferson had 16 points for the Crusaders. Laura McCaffery added 12. Royals led 24-10 after the first quarter, 36-20 at halftime and 62-39 after three quarters. “Coming into the game, I was expecting a really good game,” said Pickard. “We just played our best and we came out on top. The start was a little slow, but once we got into the feel of things everything just kind of went together. … This is closer to the heart. We have a great group of girls, we get along so well. It was just the perfect way to end the season.” Royals head coach Greg Gould was proud of every member of the team. “No matter what you do in life, if you want to be successful you have to work hard and be dedicated. We are fortunate to have a great group of athletes who have also been committed to the program and to building a strong team together. They’ve worked hard and they’ve reaped the rewards. … Right from the beginning of the year this group gelled together. We knew we had four starters returning. Holly went in as our fifth starter, the others got some chemistry, and our bench really improved over the course of the season. … It’s not that we were getting complacent, but it showed the kids that if the other team plays really well and you don’t, you can lose. I think the kids understood tonight that if we didn’t play well and they did, it was going to be a close game.” The Royals finished 36-1 on the season. They captured the Northeast conference with a 14-0 record. Crusaders coach Bill Mayberry told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal that “one the keys for us was we had to shoot well and we didn’t. That’s basically what it comes down to. A lot of the statistical categories were pretty even, just with the shooting there was a big discrepancy.” The Crusaders hit .220 from the floor and 2-25 from the arc. “We knew we were in tough against Riverview, but we took a lot of pride in the fact we were able to get ourselves there (to the championship).”
The co-bronze medalist Woodstock Wildcats: Samantha Wilson; MacKenzie Gray; MacKenzie McHatten; Jennie Saunders; Laura Anderson; Amber Grant;
The co-bronze medalist Fredericton Black Kats: Olivia Dobblesteyn; Colleen Barry; Emily Hazlett; Alana Gullison; Amy Appleby; Sarah Beaney;
The silver medalist Quispamsis Kennebecasis Valley Crusaders: Laura McCaffrey; Alyson Zwicker; Rachel Jefferson; Louise Chiasson; Laura Carvell; Cecelia Clark; Sarah Gould; Megan Ferris; Molly McLaughlin; Rachel Prosser; Monica Hogan; Michelle Vaughan; Ellen Langley; Audrey Dzomo; coach Bill Mayberry; assistant Roberta Crilley; assistant John McKay
The champion Riverview Royals: Jenna Jones; Julie Hatcher; Katie Donahoe; Vanessa Pickard; Holly Jones; Katie Lund; Courtney Manning; Gabrielle Robin; Emily Hatcher; McKenzie Balser; Maddyson McDonald; Sarah Fraser; Caitlin Manuel; Ashley Shea; coach Greg Gould; assistant Bill Davis; assistant Leslie Forbes; assistant Clint Bateman