In the opening round, held in London: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Wallaceburg District Secondary Tartans dusted the 11th-seeded Port Arthur Hammarskjold Vikings 52-15 after leading 15-0, 35-10 and 41-15 at the quarters. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Catholic Crusaders bombed the 16th-seeded Newmarket Dr. John M. Denison Huskies 63-19 after leading 20-8, 40-12 and 50-17 at the quarters. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Kingston La Salle Black Knights stomped the 18th-seeded Toronto Havergal College Gators 74-15 after leading 26-0, 35-4 and 56-8 at the quarters. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Timmins Ecole Secondaire Catholique Theriault Flammes edged the 14th-seeded London John Paul II Jaguars 54-49 after leading 16-6, 24-21 and 38-33 at the quarters. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Sudbury Lo-Ellen Park Knights clipped the 10th-seeded Scarborough Birchmount Park Panthers 57-40. The Panthers led 12-10 after one quarter. The Knights led 24-23 at the half and 48-29 after three quarters. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Guelph Bishop MacDonnell Celtics spanked the 13th-seeded North York James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic Wolves 48-26 after leading 19-7, 27-9 and 39-21 at the quarters. …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded Ajax Denis O’Connor Chargers stunned the 4th-seeded Barrie St. Joseph’s Catholic Jaguars 67-62. The Chargers led 18-14 after one quarter and 32-28 at the half. The score was knotted at 46 after three quarters. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded London Mother Theresa Spartans dusted the 17th-seeded Mississauga St. Paul Secondary Wolverines 65-40 after leading 15-7, 28-16 and 44-27 at the half. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Dundas Valley Secondary Gryphons pounded the 12th-seeded Picton Prince Edward Panthers 57-16 after leading 15-3, 37-7 and 52-12 at the quarters. “We struggled to adjust to their speed and found ourselves down 33-7 at half. It was a very good eye opener for our girls to what the next level of basketball looks like, so we focused on some small goals of moving the basketball with a purpose and attacking on offence,” Panthers coach Rob Garden told the Picton Gazette. Vanessa Wilton led the Panthes with 6. Jessie Swackhammer added 4, Emma Lamorre 3 and Becca McHugh 3.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The 16th-seeded Newmarket Dr. John M. Denison Huskies clipped the 18th-seeded Toronto Havergal College Gators 51-37 after leading 12-9, 24-18 and 43-22 at the quarters. The Gators (coached by Jason Swetnam, assisted by Winta Desta) included Darby Blackwell, Quinn Danniels, Lauren Douglas, Sydney Hutton, Alexis Mah, Jillian Menikefs, Samantha Newman and Jessica Stokes. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Barrie St. Joseph’s Catholic Jaguars dumped the 17th-seeded Mississauga St. Paul Secondary Wolverines 49-36. The Wolverines led 11-7 after one quarter. The Jaguars led 19-18 at the half. The Wolverines (coached by Vince Galli, assisted by Christina Mayer, John Multari and Maria Multari) included Leah Coyne, Emma Deluca, Martina Dillulio, Donatella Ditaranto, Martina Errazo, Diana Miclat, Olesia Mierzejewska, Chloe Neufeld, Olivia Ostler, Thesa Pangan, Thorin Pangan and Christina Salo.
In the third round: …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Catholic Crusaders stomped the 11th-seeded Port Arthur Hammarskjold Vikings after leading 15-9, 30-20 and 42-30 at the quarters. The Vikings (coached by Bruno Corbin, assisted by Katie Ulakovic) included Chloe Arnold, Danielle Charles, Kamryn Dobransky, Emma Gowanlock, Kyra Metatawabin, Kate Moorhouse, Hailey Mose, Amy Stieh, Esme Whalen and Hana Whalen. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Timmins Ecole Secondaire Catholique Theriault Flammes nipped the 9th-seeded Sudbury Lo-Ellen Park Knights 44-40 after leading 11-4, 24-15 and 27-25 at the quarters. The Knights (coached by Lisa Carruthers) included Charlotte Church, Kate Dahmer, Athena Florentis Grandmaison, Arianna Ghorbani, Heidi Lamothe, Isabel Maki, Kyra Mallory, Sophie Moore, Maike Purdon, Katrina Thai, Elliot Tissot van Patot, Grace Tressider, Giulia Wilson and Cassandra Yurich. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Kingston La Salle Black Knights
crushed the 14th-seeded London John Paul II Jaguars 51-34 after leading 17-11, 28-17 and 42-27 at the quarters. The Jaguars (coached by Pete Lambert, assistants Wissam Constantin and Tanya Alexander, manager Gabe Gomez) included MuTha Hser, Ella Beasley, Yom Maceui, Kayla Tourout, Jasmin Pinto, Lucy Jackson, Atheiyei Anyoun, Georgia Capangyarihan, Veronica Galdamez Fuentes, Raquel Arcia-Martinez, Isabela Arevalo-Machado, Akog Pul, Bernadette Canoza, Mackenzie Moore and Vita Pao. …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded Ajax Denis O’Connor Chargers edged the 13th-seeded North York James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic Wolves. The Charges led 6-5 after one quarter and 14-12 at the half. The Wolves led 20-18 after three quarters. The Wolves (coached by Adrian Sooroojpal, assisted by Julia Nobrega and Dianna Stornelli, managers Trisha Myricks and Divine Ehiqiamusoe) included Priscilla Ware, Daniela Lakhan, Phillisha Franklin, Priscilla Asubonteng, Lilli Correa, Angela Ennis, Grace Addo, LaShawna Peck, Talika Thomas, Rosemond Amponsah, Sara Pineda Lara, Taliyah Mills, Mary Kerekian and Fedonnya Fraser. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Guelph Bishop MacDonnell Celtics spanked the 10th-seeded Scarborough Birchmount Park Panthers 52-36 after leading 19-5, 27-13 and 38-25 at the quarters. The Panthers (coached by Andrien Pargassingh, assisted by Nareesa Ali) included Anan Abbatulam, Yero Abbatulam, Bashair Ali, Marie Baddongon, Brin Hartshorne-Smith, Shaelan King, Kendra Malinowski, Dilfosa Muhammad-Yusoof, Giordane Peck, Makayla Power and Silvana Yahya. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded London Mother Theresa Spartans whipped the 12th-seeded Picton Prince Edward Panthers 61-31 after leading 21-9, 39-16 and 55-19 at the quarters. “During the break, we stressed the message to the girls that they may only get one crack at OFSAA and to leave it on the court in the second half. Once again, we focused on a few key ares of once again moving the back with a purpose and shooting with confidence. Similar to the first game, we had a much better second half,” Panthers coach Rob Garden told the Picton Gazette. Mikayla Leavitt led the Panthers with 10. Emily Wright added 6 and Emma Lamorre 4. The Panthers (coached by Rob Garden, assisted by Ernie MacMilland and Kelsey McKibbon) also included Sydney Davies, Myla deBoef, Chloe Marshall, Rebecca McHugh, Alexandra Prinzen, Trinity Roche, Madalynn Snider, Jessie Swackhammer and Vanessa Wilton. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Wallaceburg District Secondary Tartans clubbed the 16th-seeded Newmarket Dr. John M. Denison Huskies 63-8 after leading 13-5, 28-5 and 47-5 at the quarters. The Huskies (coached by Jackie Zicaro, assisted by Sharyn Gilmer) included Kaitlyn Andrews, Sophia Cranny, Lauren Diceman, Nicole Dmytrenko, Janique Grootenboer, Jazzy Johnson, Jenna Lee, Sydney Mabee, Katelyn Meyer, Madison Mote, Hannah Ramjit, Brooklyn Robertson, Angela Schincaglia and Emma Taylor. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Dundas Valley Secondary Gryphons dusted the 4th-seeded Barrie St. Joseph’s Catholic Jaguars 56-37 after leading 15-9, 28-14 and 52-20 at the quarters. The Jaguars (coached by Drew Taylor, assisted by Ryan Damen) included Katie Brown, Katelyn Cudmore, Sophie Graszet, Chloe Hamilton, Scotia Hamilton, Kileigh Harrington, Sarah Hastings, Ikera Lee-Chambers, Abbey Mccauley and Kate McCauley.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Wallaceburg District Secondary Tartans crushed the 8th-seeded Timmins Ecole Secondaire Catholique Theriault Flammes 68-47. The Tartans led 12-9 after one quarter. The Flammes led 26-25 at the half. The Tartans led 43-34 after three quarters. The Flammes (coached by Guy Chenier, assisted by Josee Belanger and Patrik Durepos) included Macy Turcotte, Miah Dumoulin, Kaitlyn Simard, Hailey Pizzale, Madison Regan, Jacynthe Gaudette, Abby Belanger, Stephanie Marin, Amelie Bouchard and Mackenzie Benoit.
The 6th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Catholic Crusaders nipped the 3rd-seeded Kingston La Salle Black Knights 40-39. The Knights led 11-4, 20-17 and 27-23 at the quarters. The Black Knights (coached by Jason Reynolds, assisted by Laurie Labrie and Romulo Severino) included Grace Coulter, Hope Dixon, Gilene Graham, Darcy Harris, Talya Kartye, Alyssa Labrie, Zoe McAuley, Hope Murphy, Ella Pratt-Vallier, Sydney Pratt-Vallier, Bryn Reynolds, Tegan Reynolds, Alexa Sawchuk, Abby Serruya and Sophie Walton.
The 5th-seeded London Mother Theresa Spartans stomped the 15th-seeded Ajax Denis O’Connor Chargers 59-39 after leading 20-3, 32-10 and 47-16 at the quarters. The Chargers (coached by Mike Orsag, assisted by Kirk Feron and Alexia Hughes) included Evernette Atkinson, Isabelle Backus, Teja Brown, Jordyn Dawkins, Chantel Deveau, Tamoiya Eldemire, Ally Feron, Ciandra Green, Kaitlyn Mcgillen, Julienne Pedraja, Nya Popo and Tavea Powell.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Dundas Valley Secondary Gryphons clipped the 7th-seeded Guelph Bishop MacDonnell Celtics 56-43 after leading 16-4, 35-17 and 44-33 at the quarters. The Celtics (coached by Dwight Higgins, assisted by Carole Smelsky and Angelo Tassone) included Yasmine Saleh, Jenna Clark, Maja Gadzinska, Vanessa Tassone, Keely McCrone, Maddie St. Denis, Allie Churchill, Ashley Coverdale, Tyla Timlock, Lauren Silvestro, Alicia Higgin and Rachel Guanzon.
In the semis, the top-seeded Wallaceburg District Secondary Tartans whipped the 5th-seeded London Mother Theresa Spartans 46-28 after leading 13-2, 22-12 and 31-19 at the quarters. “The kids really took it to them on the defensive end,” Tartans coach Janine Day told the Chatham Daily News.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Dundas Valley Secondary Gryphons clubbed the 6th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Catholic Crusaders 63-38 after leading 20-12, 35-26 and 51-32 at the quarters.
In the bronze medal match, the 6th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Catholic Crusaders dispatched the 5th-seeded London Mother Theresa Spartans 55-46 after leading 14-8, 28-25 and 41-38 at the quarters. The Spartans (coached by Angela Campbell) included Isabella Cotton, Samantha Cowan, Megan DeNijs, Eliana Faysal, Emma Gentile, Jenna Gosling, Julia Gosling, Laura Guiot, Emma Kvas, Taylor Mason, Lauren Tennant and Charlotte Timmerman.
In the final, the top-seeded Wallaceburg District Secondary Tartans edged the 2nd-seeded Dundas Valley Secondary Gryphons 53-52. The Gryphons led 15-14 after one quarter. The Tartans led 29-25 at the half and 36-34 after three quarters. Tartans coach Janine Day told the Chatham Daily News that the squad benefited enormously from weekly yoga, meditation, goal-setting sessions. “The last two years we haven’t been successful in those quarter-final games. At some point if you’re not, you have to change something. So I thought, what could we do different moving into the season? And I think that was what helped us in the end. … The biggest thing is that when the going gets tough, the kids stay poised and under control and don’t panic. I think that was the biggest difference. We held our composure right until the end.” Guard Megan McCarter said “when it first happened, I couldn’t believe it. It kind of feels surreal. I’ve been playing basketball for a long time and it’s always been a goal of mine, one of the top ones.” McCarter added that the mental training sessions were “one of the reasons we were so calm in that nailbiter of a game on Saturday.” She added that during every dead ball, point guard Legacie Blackbird told her teammates, “We’re calm, we’re good, we can do this.” Day called it a total team effort. “To say one kid was the only kid we could turn to is not giving the other kids any credit. It was a group of nine (and) everybody had their role. … They all have trust in each other. For me to sub one kid off and another go on, it’s not really a turn of events for them. We’re still running at our top level. They have that mutual respect for each other.” Day added that “the X factor for us is defence. … That’s what it comes down to: playing that aggressive, hard-nosed defence and then hoping your offence comes in. We did an excellent job this weekend just shutting teams down.” The Tartans finished (32-5) on the season. Gryphons coach Nick White told the Hamilton Spectator that “we had a chance at the end, and got a couple of good looks. Last year prepared us for this and had a lot to do with us medalling. This is an unselfish bunch. Their commitment level, their intensity and their communication are unreal.”
The bronze medalist Hamilton St. Mary Crusaders: Myra Ciccarelli; Ryana Ciccarelli; Payton Graper; Matilda Leopold; Emma Weber; Kristen Spotswood; Kennedy Couture; Julia Stayshyn; Taryn Millar; coach Ashley Randall; assistant Claudia Bugardini
The silver medalist Dundas Valley Secondary Gryphons: Kaylee Allen; Jenna Button; Taylor Cumming; Ruby Gubekjian; Olivia Mathews; Grace Opsteen; Megan Spenler; Julia Sylvester; Sara Vogel; Jane Wright; coach Nick White; assistant Josh Douglas
The gold medalist Wallaceburg District Secondary Tartans: Ferrah Blackbird; Legacie Blackbird; Abbi Mahu; Laura Marcus; Megan McCarter; Keahna Riley; Samantha St. Croix; Julie Veenstra; Gabi Whiteye; Meghan Zelina; coach Janine Day; assistant Jeff Byrne; assistant Linda Nethery; manager Terri Bechard