In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Halifax Grammar Gryphons clipped the 8th-seeded Sydney Academy Wildcats 89-51 as Justine Colley scored 34, including 27 in the first half. Anne Kiberd added 14, Ellen Crosby 9, Katie McGarrigle 8, Rachel Maclean 7, Alex McKenna 6, Jenny Lewis 5, Liz Dickson 4 and Emily McCormick 2. Brittany Morrison scored 19 to pace the Wildcats (coached by Rob Redshaw). Lorissa Best added 9, Jenna Coleman 8, Kristin Williamson 5, Nicol Parago 4, Kayla McCarron 2, Shara (Shannon?) Furrey 2, Shannon Ballah 2, while Samantha Steele and Brittany Morrison were scoreless.
The 4th-seeded Halifax Citadel Phoenix dumped 5th-seeded Sir John A. Macdonald Flames 78-45 as Keisha Brown scored 25, Anna von Maltzahn 11, Emma Reardon 10, Kiersten Pianosi 8, Che Kara Beals 5, Liz Coolen 5, Darcy Zinck 2 and Jessica Seaward 2, while Beatrice Cleveland-Thompson was scoreless. Stephanie Chapman led the Flames with 23. Shannon Champman added 6, l’Thandi Munroe 5, Julia Zwicker 3, Halley Skiffington 2, Avery McNeish 2, Elaine Kifle 2 and Laura Doane 2, while Christina Woodill and Alicia Young were scoreless.
The 2nd-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins defeated 7th-seeded Antigonish Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals 70-56 as their press generated dividends. Lindsay Harris led the Griffins with 24. Kira Pederson added 21, Christine Crowell 9, Kayla Davis 8, Kaylee Young 6 and Laura Boylen 2. Lindy McDonald led the Royals with 17. Maggie McDonald added 11, Mary Beth Chisholm 7, Kassandra Thompson 7, Martha Jennings 6, Allison Trenholm 4 and Alison MacPherson 4. Horton led 30-26 at the half. Fouls played a role in the second half, with Lindy MacDonald picking up her fourth early in the third quarter, while Horton’s Harris and Pederson picked up their fourth fouls in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. It was Horton that found the offence down the stretch, with Harris scoring 10 points in the final frame, while the Royals could muster only four points as a team over the final seven minutes. Harris believed the Horton press was one of the key factors. “We match up really well against Antigonish,” she said, “Tonight we thought that we’d try to outrun them, put some pressure on the ball handlers and get them in foul trouble and that’s what we did.”
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Cole Harbour Auburn Drive Eagles defeated the 6th-seeded Bedford C.P. Allen Cheetahs 78-67 as Donica Willis scored 20, Sandra Medley 19, Stephanie Hiltz 14, Jillian McCracken 10, Chika Chiekwe 7 and Erica Milton 6. Katie Waite paced the Cheetahs with 16. Kathleen McIver added 10, Kelly James 9, Alyssa Clark 8, Christina Brien 6, Amanda Drost 5, Lisa Murphy 5, Jenna Currie 4 and Marieke Brouwer 4, while Brynn Tomie was scoreless.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Halifax Citadel Phoenix knocked off the top-seeded Halifax Grammar Gryphons 55-50. Anna Von Maltzahn had 16 points to pace the Phoenix, who trailed by as much as five in the fourth quarter. Keisha Brown added 12, Carley Lewis 9, Emma Reardon 6, Liz Coolen 5, Che Kara Beals 5 and Kiersten Pianosi 2. It was only the second defeat of the season for the Gryphons, both to Citadel. The first came in the final game of the regular season. “We were so prepared,” Von Maltzahn told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. “We’ve been working together and we’ve come so far as a team from the beginning of the year to now. You can see how much we’ve improved. We played with composure and we were supportive of one another. And we played with heart.” Emma Reardon made a pair of clutch three-point shots in the second half to help launch Citadel’s comeback. Von Maltzahn pointed to the late-season victory over their cross-town rivals as a turning point. “It gave us a lot of confidence,” she said. “But having said that, we thought going into provincials was a new start, a new season. We knew we had to play as hard as we could because we could never underestimate Grammar.” Justine Colley led the Phoenix with 14. Rachel MacLean added 10, Katie McGarrigle 8, Alex McKenna 7, Anne Kiberd 7 and Ellen Crosby 4.
In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Cole Harbour Auburn Drive Eagles stunned the 2nd-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins 70-60 as Stephanie Hiltz scored 22, Sondra Medley 16, Donica Willis 14, Chika Chiekwe 10, Jillian McCracken 4 and Erica Milton 4. Lindsay Harris paced the Griffins with 21. Kira Pederson added 19, Kayla Davis 8, Kaylee Young 4, Christine Crowell 4 and Laura Boylen 4.
In the bronze medal match, the top-seeded Halifax Grammar Gryphons clipped the 2nd-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins 70-58 as Justine Colley scored 27, Ellen Crosby 14, Katie McGarrigle 8, Julia Rivers 7, Alex McKenna 3, Jenny Lewis 2, Chelsea Whalen 2 and Emily McCormick 2. Lindsay Harris paced the Griffins with 20. Kira Pederson added 16, Kaylee Young 13, Kayla Davis 5 and Emily Stewart 4. The Griffins (coached by Ian MacMillan) also included Christine Crowell, Nataleah Irvine, Laura Boylen.
In the final, the 4th-seeded Halifax Citadel Phoenix defeated the 3rd-seeded Cole Harbour Auburn Drive Eagles 70-57. The school, which was created with the merger of Halifax St. Patrick’s and Halifax Queen Elizabeth, won the provincial title in its first year of existence. “I’ve wanted it (a provincial championship) for a long time,” Keisha Brown told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. “I think it’s everybody’s dream to be a provincial champion, so it’s exciting. Winning the championship game, I think I’m going to remember this for a while.” The Phoenix got out of the gate fast, building an 11-3 lead mid-way through the first quarter. In the closing minutes of the frame, Reardon, a freshman, nailed a trio of three-pointers in quick succession to extend the lead. After the first quarter Citadel led 24-10, thanks to 10 points from Brown and nine from Reardon. The Eagles were never able to recover, closing the deficit to five points on two occasions before the Phoenix edged the gap up again. “I think at the beginning of the game when they got up by 10 or 12 that’s basically what won the game for them,” Auburn Drive coach Curtis Coward admitted. “Nobody expected Auburn to be here… I think what we’ve done is we’ve proved today that we were definitely one of the better teams in the province.” Citadel coach Janet Wells was elated. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s the best feeling ever. All year this was something that my girls have been striving for and to see them accomplish it is just amazing.” Wells called Brown an “unbelievable athlete, unbelievable student, all-around amazing kid — I’m going to miss her so much. My only regret is that I only got to coach her for one year.” Keisha Brown paced the Phoenix with 23 points. Anna von Maltzahn chipped in 18, Emma Reardon 14, Che Kara Beals 6, Kierstein Pianosi 4, Carley Lewis 3 and Liz Coolen 2. Sondra Medley paced the Eagles with 21. Stephanie Hiltz 18, Chiko Chiekwe 9, Donica Willis 7 and Courtney Willis 2.
The bronze medalist Halifax Grammar Gryphons: Chelsea Whalen; Justine Colley; Anne Kiberd; Rachel Maclean; Ellen Crosby; Alexandra McKenna; Katie McGarrigle; Alison Conrad; Liz Dickson; Julia Rivers; Emily McCormick; Jenny Lewis; coach Kathy Spurr; assistant Shawn Mantley
The silver medalist Cole Harbour Auburn Drive Eagles: Donica Willis; Stephanie Hiltz; Sondra Medley; Chika Chiekwe; Jillian McCracken; Sondra Medley; Erica Milton; Courtney Willis; coach Curtis Coward
The gold medalist Halifax Citadel Phoenix: Anna Von Maltzahn; Keisha Brown; Emma Reardon; Carley Lewis; Kiersten Pianosi; Jessica Seaward; Trish McNeil; Adriane Salah; Deanna Yarr; Elizabeth Coolen; Beatrice Cleveland-Thompson; Che Kara Beals; Darcy Zinck; coach Janet Wells