In the opening round, held in Sarnia: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints dusted the 12th-seeded Ottawa Woodroffe Tigers 62-37 after leading 15-14, 33-25 and 49-30 at the quarters. Samantha Hunt paced the Saints with 23. Abby Hurd added 12. Jessica Basquin led the Tigers with 13. Ashlie Renaud and Erin Upton each added 8. Coach Jim Pedatella said the game was “kind of tight” in the first half. But his girls changed things up and allowed Woodroffe only seven points in the last half of the game. “They scored almost every one of their points on rebounds,” he said. “So we made some adjustments at halftime and did a significantly better job of defending the second shot, and it certainly made a difference in the outcome.” Saints guard Abby Hurd said the Saints had a slow start. But that changed dramatically at the beginning of the third quarter. “In the second half we really came together as a team, and we finished it off really well,” said Hurd. “We just started grabbing more boards and it made a difference when they only got one or two shots.” …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Kingston LaSalle Black Knights clubbed the 16th-seeded Timmins E.S. Theriault Flammes 59-20 after leading 18-6, 35-8 and 47-15 at the quarters. Gabby Gaudet and Arria Compton each scored 12 to pace the Black Knights. Lianne Delarosbil paced the Flammes with 6. Kelsey Vorano added 5 and Adele Delorme 5. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Catholic Celtics stomped the 18th-seed Oshawa G.L. Roberts Lakers 62-18 after leading 11-4, 30-8 and 46-16 at the quarters. Alison Morris led the Celtics with 13. Sandra Clark added 11. Taylor Stone and Sheiyane Lewis-Fraser each scored 6 to pace the Lakers. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Strathroy Holy Cross Centurions crushed the 14th-seeded Toronto Vaughan Road Vipers 55-31 after leading 14-6, 30-16 and 45-25 at the quarters. Holy Cross coach Katie Tucker-Deluce said point guard Kalyn McGregor as someone who’s picked up her scoring of late. She proved that by scoring 18. “I like to get everyone involved. It’s good to dish off, but it’s also good to get the points,” McGregor said. “Everyone contributes on this team; all of us have come a long way and it’s awesome to see us come together in a big tournament like this.” The Centurions did have a stumble of sorts in the second quarter as the Vipers closed to within two, 18-16. But Holy Cross rattled off the last 12 points of the half and scored the first four of the third quarter to take command. “Not a great start, but we got there,” Tucker-Deluce said. “We had a bit of a mental lapse and the pressure may have got to them a bit, but as soon as you bring that to their attention, they’re right back to where they need to be.” Shawna Kolkman added 12 points for the Centurions and Jamie Kolkman had 11. Tucker-Deluce said balanced scoring was essential. “Not just Kalyn, but Shawna as well. She’s been a force for us all year,” Tucker-Deluce said. “We knew their No. 15 (Sandra Amoah) was a strong player, so we put Marika (VandenElzen) on her because she’s our best defender.” Kristine Hunter and Sandra Amoah each scored 12 to pace the Vipers. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Fonthill E.L. Crossley Cyclones dumped the 9th-seeded Barrie Central Phoenix 43-32. The Phoenix led 8-7 after one quarter. The Cyclones led 24-13 at the half and 32-21 after three quarters. Kristen Daley paced the Cyclones with 14. Jessica Jarnicki led the Phoenix with 17. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Thunder Bay St. Ignatius Falcons clipped the 13th-seeded Renfrew Collegiate Raiders 44-26 after leading 14-4, 23-10 and 40-17 at the quarters. Cass Soulias paced the Falcons with 17. Sarah Dougherty led the Raiders with 12. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Kingsville District Cavaliers dumped the 15th-seeded Mississauga Ascension of Our Lord Eagles 63-49 after leading 16-8, 29-25 and 43-40 at the quarters. Zoe Booth paced the Cavaliers with 25. Caitlyn Longmuir added 12. Mikalah Mulrain led the Eagles with 18. Jessica Sandhu added 12. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix clipped the 17th-seeded Toronto Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Jaguars 51-34 after leading 20-9, 36-21 and 48-26 at the quarters. Sarah Slattery led the Phoenix with 15. Jelena Marnic added 10. Camisha Dawns and Cassandra Pineda each notched 9 for the Jaguars. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts defeated the 11th-seeded Peterborough Holy Cross Hurricanes 55-48 after leading 21-14, 35-26 and 45-35 at the quarters. Riley Williams led the Colts with 18. Samantha Kaldeway added 13. Katlyn Elliot paced the Hurricanes with 22. Sandra Nagowska added 13. “The scouting report I had was they had two good guards, and they were really good,” Colts head coach Pete Kaija said of Kaitlyn Elliott and Sandra Nagowska of the Hurricanes. “So, when we drew them, I thought, ‘Oh, boy, we’re going to have an interesting first game. We’re going to have to be ready to play.’ But I thought our first seven players were better than their first seven. We got contributions from kids coming off the bench.” Among them was Grade 10 guard Ashley Bisson, who had two of her three-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 points. Both teams missed several good scoring chances inside and Colts guard Riley Williams said that’s not that unusual. “We have a lot of games where the ball just won’t go in. We either come out on fire or just flat. But we work our way through it,” she said, adding playing at home doesn’t bring added pressure, but trying to at least duplicate last season’s OFSAA silver does. “We have a new team and there’s a lot of pressure on me and Taryn (Bernier) as we’re really the only ones who went through it last year. There is a lot of pressure because of the expectations after medalling last year, but it was good to start off with a game like that because you don’t get that lackadaisical feeling; you know you’re just not going to get to the final again without working for it.”
In the second elimination round: …………………………………………………… The 16th-seeded E.S. Catholique Theriault Flammes clubbed the 18th-seeded Oshawa G.L. Roberts Lakers 62-33. The Lakers led 15-12 after one quarter. The Flammes led 28-26 at the half and 44-29 after three quarters. Adele Delorme paced the Flammes with 15. Melissa Belanger added 12. Stephanie Sheppard paced the Lakers with 12. …………………………………………………… The 17th-seeded Toronto Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholique Jaguars edged the 15th-seeded Mississauga Ascension of Our Lord Eagles 53-51 in double overtime. The Eagles led 24-14 after one quarter and 32-23 at the half. The score was knotted at 35 after three quarters, at 43 after regulation and at 49 after the first overtime. Lydia Cuff led the Jaguars with 21. Cassandra Pineda added 10. Mikalah Mulrain led the Eagles with 25. Kimberly Gaffaar added 9.
In the third round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints whipped the 16th-seeded Timmins E.S. Catholique Theriault Flammes 50-19 after leading 21-2, 32-6 and 45-12 at the quarters. Anna Stilin paced the Saints with 14. Samantha Hunt added 12 and Rachel McLean 7. Lianne Delarosbil led the Flammes with 8. Sandra Therrien added 4. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Fonthill E.L. Crossley Cyclones clipped the 8th-seeded Strathroy Holy Cross Centurions 50-37. The Centurions led 17-16 after one quarter. The Cyclones led 29-26 at the half and 39-28 after three quarters. Natalie Tavares led the Cyclones with 16. Megan Climenhage added 12. Katherine Vanden Eltzen led the Centurions with 11. Marika Vanden Eltzen added 10. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Kingsville District Cavaliers dumped the 13th-seeded Renfrew Collegiate Raiders 44-29 after leading 15-7, 24-11 and 34-20 at the quarters. Lacey Wolters paced the Cavaliers with 13. Courtney Rivait added 9 and Caitlyn Longmuir 9. Madeline Kubiseski paced the Raiders with 11. Caitlin Dougherty added 6. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Peterborough Holy Cross Catholic Hurricanes stunned the 5th-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix 61-56 after leading 14-13, 30-29 and 49-35 at the quarters. Katelyn Elliot paced the Hurricanes with 24. Sandra Nagowska added 16 and Jordan Raycroft 15. Jelena Marnic paced the Phoenix with 21. Sarah Slattery added 19. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Kingston La Salle Black Knights edged the 12th-seeded Ottawa Woodroffe Tigers 51-46 in overtime. The Tigers led 13-12, 27-22 and 38-35 at the quarters. The score was knotted at 44 after regulation. Evelyn Graham led the Black Knights with 13. Erin Upton paced the Tigers with 19. The Tigers (coached by Michael Grozelle) also included Jessica Basquin, Teeda Chuk. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics whipped the 14th-seeded Toronto Vaughan Road Vipers 52-27 after leading 18-12, 27-13 and 46-19 at the quarters. Janine De Leon led the Celtics with 11. Logan Lane added 10. Kristine Hunter led the Vipers with 12. Sandra Amoah added 7. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Thunder Bay St. Ignatius Falcons nipped the 9th-seeded Barrie Central Phoenix 39-38. The Phoenix led 11-10 after one quarter. The Falcons led 18-12 at the half and 29-20 after three quarters. Laura Cooper led the Falcons with 12. Karissa Kairoinne added 11. Kaili Lukan paced Barrie Central with 26. Jessee Jarnicki added 8. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sudbury St. Clair Colts clubbed the 17th-seeded Toronto Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Jaguars 50-29 after leading 16-7, 31-15 and 46-19 at the quarters. Riley Williams led the Colts with 12. Camisha Dawns and Lydia Cuff each scored 8 to pace the Jaguars. “We showed some good intensity, we got after them early and got it over with early,” said Colts head coach Pete Kaija.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints dumped the 10th-seeded Fonthill E.L. Crossley Cyclones 46-34 after leading 9-8, 29-16 and 41-22 at the quarters. Abby Hurd led the Saints with 19. Samantha Hunt added 11 and Rachel McLean 10. McLean told the Sault Star that “they were very rough. They came out very strong, rowdy almost. Their big was a big presence. She worked hard on the boards. But we stepped up and tried to take control of the boards as well, and keep the tempo of the game going.” Saints coach Jim Pedatella said “they were just killed us on the offensive boards. They didn’t outsize us, they just outhustled us. A physically strong team. We had to put four to the offensive glass on offence and five to the glass on defence.” Kristen Daley paced the Cyclones with 14.
The 4th-seeded Kingsville District Cavaliers edged the 11th-seeded Peterborough Holy Cross Catholic Hurricanes 62-61. The Hurricanes led 28-7, 23-22 and 37-36 at the quarters. Caitlyn Longmuir paced the Cavaliers with 20. Courtney Rivait added 15. Sandra Nagowska led the Hurricanes with 23. Kaitlyn Elliot added 19. The Hurricanes, coached by Craig Elliott, also started Jordan Raycroft, Alana McGillis and Emily Burke, and included Katherine English, Dani Brodie, Hanna Forbes, Laurel McGillis and Taylor Daly.
The 3rd-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics clipped the 6th-seeded Kingston La Salle Black Knights 45-37. The Celtics led 12-8 after one quarter. The Black Knights led 20-19 at the half. The Celtics led 30-28 after three quarters. Rebecca Keil paced the Celtics with 13. Alison Morris added 11. Gabby Gaudet and Madison Lloyd each scored 12 to pace La Salle. Leading 31-30 in the fourth quarter, La Salle gave up two three-pointers in a row. Then, head coach Jason Reynolds was assessed a technical foul after he didn’t agree with an offensive foul call on Black Knight Evelyn Graham. The Celtics drained two free-throws to take a seven-point lead. “We were right there,” Reynolds said. “When they hit those threes, that deflated us.”
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts dispatched the 7th-seeded Thunder Bay St. Ignatius Falcons 54-46. The Falcons led 14-9 after one quarter and 30-29 at the half. The Colts led 43-38 after three quarters. Riley Williams paced the Colts with 38. Ashley Bisson added 8. Karissa Kairoinne led the Falcons (coached by Lauri McFarlane) with 21. Laura Cooper added 13. “Riley just decided we were going to win today,” said St. Clair Colts coach Pete Kaija. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a girl score 38. … Actually, I think Riley scored 34 last year in the OFSAA quarterfinals. They were playing her straight up. A lot of teams double-team her, but they didn’t and she was able to take advantage. They are a very, very good team though. They were 30-0 this year. I think they got a little bit undisciplined on defence and they got into some foul trouble. We were able to maintain our discipline defensively and pressure them on offence.” Williams scored 22 of St. Clair’s 25 total second half points.
In the semis, the top-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints handled the 4th-seeded Kingsville District Cavaliers 61-48. The Saints led 17-16 after one quarter. The Cavaliers led 32-27 at the half. The Saints led 48-39 after three quarters. Samantha Hunt paced the Saints with 22. Tianna Deluzio added 14. Caitlyn Longmuir paced the Cavaliers with 17. Courtney Rivait added 15.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts crushed the 3rd-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics 48-33 after leading 13-11, 25-21 and 40-26 at the quarters. Riley Williams paced the Colts with 15. Taryn Bernier added 8 and Ashley Bisson 8. Alison Morris led the Celtics with 12. Janine De Leon added 7.
In the bronze medal match, the 4th-seeded Kingsville District Cavaliers dumped the 3rd-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Catholic Celtics 48-33. The Celtics led 23-19 after one quarter. The Cavaliers led 38-29 at the half and 46-43 after three quarters. Courtney Rivait paced the Cavaliers with 17. Tracy Fick added 16. Alison Morris paced the Celtics with 20. Andrea Priamo added 12. “I thought it was a good game, back and forth,” Cavaliers coach Jason Leili told the Windsor Star. “The girls were playing well. I thought it was a strong effort. The shots weren’t falling at the start, but they started to go and we turned up the defence and got some fast break points.”
In the final, the top-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints dusted the 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Clair Colts 43-33. The Colts led 10-6 after one quarter. The Saints led 23-22 at the half and 35-28 after three quarters. Abby Hurd paced the Saints with 14. Rachael McLean added 8 and Samantha Hunt 7. Riley Williams led the Colts with 25. Jessica Drury added 3 and Alex Hodgins 3. “We’re thrilled. We’re absolutely thrilled,” said coach Jim Pedatella. “We were the first women’s basketball team to bring home a gold (2005) — and that was in single A — in the history of Sault Ste. Marie. Now we’re the first ones to bring home a second gold. And this time it’s in double A. The girls are just jacked, the parents are jacked, everybody’s yelling and screaming still.” Rachel McLean “was a monster defensively,” Pedatella said. The grade 12 guard said all the hard work and practice this season paid off. “It was 100% worth it, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she said. “It feels fantastic. I focused on my defence because their guard was very strong. I tried to step up … and it looks like it worked.” Pedatella said his girls made some adjustments at the half to better contain Riley Williams. “We were able to keep her in front of us and not let her get into the paint and on the free-throw line. We did a significantly better job of doing that. She’s a terrific player.” Sam Hunt said “it was our defence that won the game.” Hunt, who is also in her final season, has a bronze medal from the 2007 OFSAA championships. “I couldn’t even have dreamed of having two medals, let alone this one. This is so awesome … This is such a great feeling right now because everyone’s so happy and proud of each other. I don’t think there could be a better ending.” Aggy Hurd said “I’m feeling amazing. I think it’s the perfect way to end. I mean, we put in four years for this, four years. And then to end it with such a win like that, it doesn’t really compare to anything I ever felt.” The victory capped an undefeated season for the Saints, who won 22 consecutive games. Pedatella had high praise for his girls’ work ethic. He said they were committed all season, coming in to practice early in the mornings and staying late after school to practice even more. This is very rewarding to see them get to this point and win in a very hotly contested game.” Rachel McLean said “OFSAA gold was the best ever. It’s a feeling you can never ever even prepare for.” McLean said longtime coach Pedatella is “very modest,” but is the clear driver of both the team’s success and its closeness. Sam Hunt, the team’s third co-captain, said Pedatella and the senior basketball program at St. Basil instils, “a way of life that we all kind of respect. It’s more than basketball for him — he always tries to get that point across to us. It’s about your life and your character and we all do our best to have the best character that we can because we know how important that is in life. McLean said “we’re like a family, our team is like a family and we are there for each other on the court and off the court and we put each other before ourselves.” That close-knit atmosphere was what kept Kristine Dovigi coming back all season, practice after practice, game after game, even though she couldn’t play after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Saints’ season-opener against the Korah Colts. “I still felt like I was part of the team, regardless of my injury. (Pedatella) made me feel like I was still one of the players on the team, and I was meant to be there,” said Dovigi, who was expected to undergo surgery on her knee after OFSAA. And as far as Dovigi is concerned, her dedication paid off when she suited up and Pedatella put her in for one final minute at OFSAA. “I just wanted to make a shot, and I did, I made a three,” pointer, said Dovigi. Hunt said Saturday’s provincial championship win, “kind of felt like a happy ending,” for many of the girls whose final year of high school this is, including the three co-captains. “It was the best way it could happen, because we’ve seen the bad ending for the last two years in quarter (finals).” St. Clair coach Pete Kaija said “obviously, we’re disappointed that we lost in the final. But the bottom line was that they were a little bit better than us. We would have had to play exceptionally well to win that game. They are a veteran team that will lose four kids after this year. … They’ve been gearing for this season since Grade 9.” The lack of secondary scoring proved to be St. Clair’s downfall. “It was see-saw for the first few minutes of the third, but then we never hit a shot for about 5 1/2 minutes after that,” said Colts coach Pete Kaija.
The bronze medalist Kingsville District Cavaliers: Zoe Booth; Caitlyn Longmuir; Lacey Wolters; Courtney Rivait; Tracey Fick; Kalina Butts; Ashley Kuzmik; Emily Marley; Emily Torrens; Sara Workentin; Erica Cassidy;
The silver medalist Sarnia St. Clair Colts: Riley Williams; Samantha Kaldeway; Ashley Bisson; Taryn Bernier; Jessica Drury; Alex Hodgins; Lexie Hanly; Emily Powell; coach Pete Kaija
The gold medalist Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints: Samantha Hunt; Abby Hurd; Anna Stilin; Tianna Deluzio; Rachael McLean; Kristine Dovigi; Lauren Speakman; Anna Stilin; Rhaelynn Gillespie; Tayler Spina; Ashley Tiberi; coach Jim Pedatella; assistant Robbie Green; assistant Matt Oliveira; assistant Ken Hamilton; assistant Abby DiDonato