In the quarterfinals, held in Sydney, the 6th-seeded Halifax Grammar Gryphons dumped the 3rd-seeded Glace Bay Panthers 63-49. The Gryphons raced to a 29-15 lead at the half as their defence blanketed the Panthers. Kyla Magnus led Grammar with 22. “We were a little disappointed with how we got seeded but we went for it,” said Magnus. “We didn’t know what to expect from them, but we just played our game and managed to stay on top of things. But they ran us really well and they never gave up. Sarah O’Neill added 17 and Dara Young 10. Amie MacLean and Shealeigh MacVicar each notched 14 to lead Glace Bay. The Panthers also included Amiee MacLean, MacKenzie Turner, Jessica Bruckschwaiger, Erin Dwyer.
The top-seeded Halifax Queen Elizabeth Lions defeated the 8th-seeded Halifax St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish 64-35 as Leslie Stewart scored 23 and Katherine Quackenbush 18. Sherelle Carvery led the Fighting Irish with 15. The Fighting Irish also included Alise Brown, Emma Halpin, Sarah Haverstock, Kate McNeil.
The 2nd-seeded host Sydney Academy Wildcats nipped the 7th-seeded Bridgewater Park View Education Centre Panthers 51-49. Jill Fitzgerald hit a bucket to give the Wildcats a 50-49 lead with 12 seconds to play and then Carla MacNeil iced it with a free throw with two seconds on the clock. Fitzgerald and MacNeil each notched 12 to pace the Wildcats. Bellewyn Moore led the Panthers with 24. The Panthers also included Kelly Himmelman, Cheryl Nauss.
In the last quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins defeated 5th-seeded Antigonish Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals 60-44 as Alicia Bird scored 14 and Emily Ross 13. Emily Tozer led the Royals with 18.
In the semis, the 6th-seeded Halifax Grammar Gryphons defeated the 2nd-seeded Sydney Academy Wildcats 47-43 as Katie Radchuck scored 13, Kyla Magnus 13 and Leanne Huck 10. Jill Fitzgerald led Sydney Academy with 9. Brianna Orr nailed three free throws in the final seconds to ice the win for the Gryphons. Grammar trailed 23-18 at the half and by as many as 12 in the second half. “We came out strong in the beginning but then we slowed it down and they capitalize don that,” said Radchuck. “They were a fairly strong team with a lot of crowd support. We battled pretty well and came out on top in the end.”
In the other semi, the top-seeded Halifax Queen Elizabeth Lions defeated the 4th-seeded Horton Griffins 72-38 as Leslie Stewart scored 20, Katherine Quackenbush 16 and April Scott 12. “When those three girls are scoring, you better duck,” Lions coach Stephen Stewart told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. Emily Ross paced Horton with 12. Vanessa Williams added 11. Scott hit 5-7 from the field. Queen Elizabeth led 42-23 at the half.
In the bronze medal match, the 4th-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins edged the 2nd-seeded Sydney Academy Wildcats 53-48 as Alicia Bird scored 16 and Vanessa Williams 12. Tamara Alleyne led Sydney Academy with 13. Aimee MacGillivray added 10. The Wildcats (coached by Greg Callaghan, assisted by Shirley Samson) also included Jenn Pitcher, Carla MacNeil, Jill Fitzgerald.
In the final, the Halifax Queen Elizabeth Lions defeated the Halifax Grammar Gryphons 53-43 to capture their third consecutive provincial crown. Katherine Quackenbush paced the Lions with 17. Leslie Stewart added 15 and April Scott 14 before breaking her wrist in the second half. Kyla Magnus led Grammar with 14. Sara O’Neill added 10. The Lions finished the season (46-0) to become the first school to three-peat since Truro Cobequid in 1991-93. Quackenbush, who saw limited minutes because of foul trouble but still led the Lions in scoring, told the Halifax Daily News that “going undefeated is a great way to end my high school career.” She finished (129-5) in her three years with the Lions. “There are lots of players who have made QEH the respect program that it is but we were the lucky ones to finish what they started. I can’t imagine a better finish.” Leslie Stewart noted that “we hung our heads a bit when April went down but we just focused on what we had to do. Winning is the icing on the cake of a terrific year.” The Lions led 33-28 at the half. Gryphons Sarah O’Neill said “we’re usually very tentative and nervous when we play QEH but I think our composure surprised them a bit. You have to play your best game of the season and hope for the best.” Lions coach Stephen Stewart told the Halifax Daily News that a fourpeat wasn’t out of the question. “The cupboard’s not bare.” The Lions overcame the loss of starter April Scott, who broke her wrist in a second-quarter mishap. But “Quackenbush stepped it up in the final eight minutes and dug us out of a hole,” Lions coach Stephen Stewart told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. “Scoring 43 points against us is uncharacteristic. But since October, we’ve been talking about not by how many, but just winning the game. We would settle for a one-point advantage.” Kyla Magnus led the Gryphons with 14. Sarah O’Neill added 10.
The bronze medalist Greenwich Horton Griffins: Alicia Bird; Vanessa Williams; Emily Ross;
The silver medalist Halifax Grammar Gryphons: Kyla Magnus; Sarah O’Neill; Katie Radchuck; Leanne Huck; Brianna Orr; Dara Young; Amanda Northcott; Meaghan Sullivan; Shelly Burton; Elizabeth Cook; Robyn Erickson; Laura Johnston; Leanne Huck; coach Kathy Spurr; coach Kathy DeGrasse
The gold medalist Halifax Queen Elizabeth Lions: Katherine Quackenbush; Letitia Bird; Megan Scanlon; Elizabeth Gibbons; Rebecca Doyle; Leslie Stewart; April Scott; Teresa Morrison; Stephanie Redding; Kelsey Redding; Katie Brophy; coach Stephen Stewart