In the opening round, held in Hamilton: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded and three-time defending provincial champ Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders crushed the Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics 59-33 as Cari te Boekhorst scored 15 and Julia Critchley 13. Crusader Mandy Bateman told the Hamilton Spectator that “I think you have to be nervous. If there’s no nerves, I think something is wrong. You’ve still got to come in here tough and if you don’t, you’re out.” The Crusaders led 12-6 after one quarter and 37-12 at the half. Tanya James led Albert Campbell with 15. The Celtics played without injured star Justin Navarro. James said “nothing seemed to work. And against their defence … they were everywhere. When we tried to drive, they were all over us. And when we put up shots, they didn’t go in.” …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Hamilton Westdale Warriors dumped the Markham District H.S. Marauders 40-25 as Justine Panavas scored 15 (also reported as 16) and Marie Warner 10. Warriors coach Amos Connolly told the Hamilton Spectator that “it’s a nice way that you would want to start. … Their defence let us reverse the ball pretty much at will. Rather than force against the sagging zone, we decided to reverse the ball and play with it a bit. I wasn’t worried about production. I just wanted to make sure we ran our stuff correctly. … I think we’re more versatile than in years past because of our size.” Jodi Gram led Markham with 10. Robyn Cooper added 8. Marauders coach Alison Tunnicliffe said “our offence had trouble getting into a flow. They have a very physical team and we didn’t shoot the ball a whole lot today. Offensively, they put a lot of pressure on us with big bodies and they really well through screens, so we had trouble with that.” …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Hamilton Bishop Ryan Celtics defeated the Napanee Hawks 58-33 as Jessi Tomasin scored 26, Rachel Vanderwal 9 and Nicole Strecker 6. Strecker told the Hamilton Spectator that playing for her father Dave is “a little more difficult. Sometimes, I think he’s harder on me than the others but I know it’s only for the best.” Dave Strecker said “that’s the sad thing. It’s always in the back of your mind. You can’t play favourites. I figure if I can chew out my daughter, there’s not anyone on that team that can complain when I go after them. (It’s harder on Nicole). Definitely, by far. Because I expect more from here. I know her capability. If I don’t see that out there, that’s when more of the coaching father comes into play.” Ashley Kimmett led the Hawks with 23. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Guelph St. James Lions defeated Mississauga St. Francis Xavier 53-32. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Whitby Father Leo Austin Wildcats defeated the 9th-seeded Collingwood Fighting Owls 55-52. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans defeated the Toronto Jarvis Bulldogs 57-32. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded London Pope John Paul II Crusaders defeated the Mississauga Our Lady of Mount Carmel Lions 55-28 as Karenina Aguilar scored 13. Johanna Zerapa led Mount Carmel with 9. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Waterloo CI Vikings defeated Aurora 64-34 (also reported as 64-48) as Laura Strauss scored 13, Laura Taylor 13, Ashley MacSporran 12 and Lindsay Kurt 10. Vikings coach Doug Ranton told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “we took control of the game early and although we had trouble with their size, the girls played well defensively.” …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Christopher Cyclones dumped the Ottawa Glebe Gryphons 62-36 as Jessica Chamberlain scored 16. Sara Hrehoriak had 21 for Glebe.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The Markham District H.S. Marauders 27-13 defeated the Napanee Hawks 27-13. The Hawks (coached by Adam Lynn) included Ashley Kimmett, Mandy Bowen, Jen Cox, Michelle Kimmett, Erin Lockridge, Darcelle McCutcheon, Lisa McCutcheon, Dana McNeil, Erin Mills and Megan Van Order. …………………………………………………… The Aurora Golden Eagles defeated the Mississauga Our Lady of Mount Carmel Lions 41-36.
In the third round: …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Collingwood Fighting Owls defeated the 8th-seeded Guelph St. James Lions 62-33 as Jodie Jintzer scored 22 and Jessica Perry 11. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded London Pope John Paul II Crusaders defeated the Toronto Jarvis Bulldogs 55-43 as Katie Tucker scored 22 and Kathryn Murray 10. Angie Knoebel Reiter had 15 for Jarvis. The Bulldogs (coached by Bob Clarke) also included Kiyomi McCloskey. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Waterloo CI Vikings defeated the Ottawa Glebe Gryphons 50-38 as Laura Taylor scored 24, and Laura Strauss 8. Vikings coach Doug Ranton told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “defence came up big again but we didn’t handle an aggressive zone defence they threw at us in the first half. But we got over the jitters, it was a much better second half.” Sara Hrehoriak led Glebe with 20. Julia Gaffield added 11. The Gryphons led 27-22 at the half. The Gryphons (coached by Murray Shoup, assisted by Emily Pelton) also included Alison Barkley, Doris Chow, Noura Haggar, Meghan Kane, Katie Kurys, Leia MacIntosh, Jessica Poupore, Kadie Riverin, Eliza Seaborn, Anna Williams and Xan Woods. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Hamilton Westdale Warriors defeated the Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics 43-37 as Justine Panavas scored 14 and M. Warren 14. Tanya James led the Celtics with 16. The Celtics also included Stephanie Chau. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Hamilton Bishop Ryan Celtics defeated Mississauga St. Francis Xavier 62-24 as Jessie Tomasin scored 17. Carmelina Moscato had 9 for St. Francis Xavier. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans defeated the 10th-seeded Whitby Father Leo Austin Wildcats 63-52 as Meaghan McGrath scored 32 and Kerri James 16. Kim Gibbs led Leo Austin with 15. Jessica Loziuk added 12. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders defeated the Markham District H.S. Marauders 65-13 as Rachel Hart scored 10, Julia Critchley 10. Amanda Rogers led the Marauders with 4. The Marauders (coach Alison Tunnicliffe) also included Jodi Gram, Robyn Cooper. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Christopher Cyclones thrashed the Aurora Golden Eagles 49-19 as Chiara Rocca scored 8 and Jody Colebrook 7. Kate Pitkin, Melanie Henry and Stephanie Edwards each had 4 for the Golden Eagles (formerly the Golden Gophers).
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders stomped the 9th-seeded Collingwood Fighting Owls 61-42 as Rachel Hart scored 11 and Cari te Boekhorst 11. The Crusaders led 21-11 after one quarter and 39-20 at the half. Hart told the Hamilton Spectator that “the fact that we are playing well and that everything is working means it’s looking good. The whole year, we’ve been going up and down but I think we’ve peaked at the right time.” Jodi Switzer led Collingwood with 18. Fighting Owls coach Cheryl Kemsley said “we knew it was going to be a tough game and we gave it our all.”
The 5th-seeded Waterloo CI Vikings defeated the 4th-seeded London Pope John Paul II Crusaders 38-35 as Laura Strauss scored 11. Katie Tucker had 10 for John Paul II.
The 3rd-seeded Hamilton Bishop Ryan Celtics defeated the 6th-seeded Hamilton Westdale Warriors 53-38 as Rachael Vanderwal scored 26 and Jessi Tomasin 16. Vanderwal told the Hamilton Spectator that “our shots were falling. We were getting good looks. And we were working hard on defence. Our defence made the plays for us tonight.” The Celtics hit 14-17 from the line in the second half. Justine Panavas led Westdale with 15. Shaunna Eisenberg added 10. Eisenberg said “we played a good game. But it took us too long to get into a rhythm. We came out a bit apprehensive, I guess. And in the second half, they were just shooting the ball really well. We made a couple of good runs in the end but it wasn’t enough and they kept hitting their free throws.” Justine Panavas said “I just think they executed their offence better. I think the defence was good at both ends. But they were on tonight.” The Warriors (coach Amos Connolly) also included Marie Warner, Whitney Bodden.
In the last quarterfinal, the 7th-seeded Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans stunned the 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Christopher Cyclones 43-42 as Meaghan McGrath scored 21. Jessica Chamberlain led St. Christopher with 15.
In the semis, the Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders thrashed the 5th-seeded Waterloo CI Vikings 54-36 as Julia Critchley scored 13. Laura Taylor led Waterloo with 15. Ashley MacSporran added 11. Vikings coach Doug Ranton told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “they play outstanding defence and just wore us down. We only trained 25-23 at halftime but never got going in the second half.”
In the other semi, the Hamilton Bishop Ryan Celtics dumped the 7th-seeded Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans 49-37 as Jessi Tomasin scored 15. Meaghan McGrath led Michael Power with 23.
In the bronze medal match, the Waterloo Collegiate Institute Vikings defeated the Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans 42-36 as Laura Taylor scored 13, Laura Strauss 22 and Ashley MacSporran 9. Vikings coach Doug Ranton told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “it was a solid game-long effort. Our point guard Laura Strauss runs the the offence but this was quite a team effort. Lindsay Kurt did just a great defensive job on Power’s scoring star Meaghan McGrath, who has been averaging 30 ppg. Lindsay held her to just 16 and that was important. Lisa Devenny and (Laura) Taylor were especially effective rebounding and Ashley MacSporran hit 5-6 free throws down the stretch that were key in staying in front.” Meaghan McGrath led the Trojans with 16. The Trojans (coached by Paul McGrath) included Meaghan McGrath, Kerri James.
In the final, the Hamilton Bishop Ryan Celtics, who qualified only as the second GHAC representative because the association was hosting the first 4A finals in the province’s history, dumped arch-rival Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders 40-34. Jessi Tomasin and Rachael Vanderwal each scored 13 for the Celtics. The Celtics hit five three-pointers (including three key shots in the third quarter) and went 15-for-16 from the free-throw line on the night. Julia Critchley led St. Mary’s with nine points. The Crusaders had just one three-pointer on the night and went 12-of-15 from the line. It marked the first time two Hamilton teams had met in the final, and the first time two teams from the same league faced off for the championship. “This is better than anything I expected,” Celtics co-captain Andrea Venner said during the celebrations. Venner hit a key three-pointer in the third quarter and her final two foul shots in the dying seconds nailed the door shut on any St. Mary’s comeback. “With this being my OAC year, this is amazing,” she said. The pair had played five times during the regular season, with the Celtics winning once and St. Mary’s four times, including the GHAC final. But they earned the second GHAC berth as host. “It’s been a long run,” sighed Celtic co-captain Nicole Strecker. “We were the underdog and we really had nothing to lose. But we’d beaten them early in the season so we knew it was possible.” And they never flinched, even in the face of heading into the final period of the gold-medal match tied 28-28 with the three-time defending champs. “In the end, it came down to hustle,” Venner said. “We weren’t making mistakes in the end. I feel we were diving for more balls and I think our intensity picked up a lot.” …We got more excited as the game went on, but we knew we had to focus,” said Vanderwal, who made a possibly game-saving defensive steal under her own basket near the end of the game and sank the resulting two, clutch, free throws. St. Mary’s 6-0 centre, Julia Critchley said “their offence was a lot stronger than ours tonight. We just couldn’t get the shots we needed at the right time.” Crusaders co-captain Mandy Bateman said “You’ve got to give them credit. They played really well. There were a lot of tears (in the locker room), but I’m really happy for Bishop Ryan because it’s good to know both sides of it. I think it’s going to make us all better players and I’m really happy another Hamilton team won.” When teams lose to St. Mary’s, it’s usually the third quarter that does them in. The depth of the Crusaders’ bench and its ability to keep you running usually results in a run of points from which its opponents never recover. But this time Bishop Ryan stayed close, buoyed by two three-pointers from Tomasin and another from Venner. This time it was St. Mary’s that needed a 35-footer from Andrea Benvenuto at the buzzer to make it 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter. “In our previous losses to St. Mary’s, we had the lead and would run into a stretch of mistakes and turnovers,” Bishop Ryan coach Dave Strecker said. “And they would jump to an eight-point lead. Tonight, I told them the team with the least number of turnovers would win. You give me the lead in the fourth quarter and the game will be over. They got me the lead and now we’re going home with a gold medal.” Celtic forward Melinda Scott began the final period with a jumper to give Bishop Ryan the edge. Critchley responded with a lay-up, before sharpshooting Venner’s long two-pointer gave the Celtics the lead for good, 32-30. The score remained the same for almost two minutes as Bishop Ryan frantically worked the ball around in the face of a tight St. Mary’s defence, which was giving nothing and looking for a turnover. With 1:46 to play, and the score still 32-20, both teams were now in bonus and the game would be decided at the free-throw line. Tomasin drew first blood, hitting twice for a 34-30 lead. Bateman responded for St. Mary’s with two points off a rebound to pull to 34-32. With St. Mary’s in its renowned full-court press and looking for a steal, Tomasin was sent to the line with 49.5 seconds on the clock, and again nailed two free throws to go up 36-32. Bishop Ryan had its own feisty defence, and when Vanderwal came up with a steal under her own basket and was fouled with 23.9 seconds on the clock, she hit both foul shots for the 38-32 lead. But St. Mary’s wasn’t done. Jessie Lamparski answered with a lay-up with 13.9 seconds left to pull to 38-34. It wasn’t until Venner was fouled–and made both her free throws with 13.1 seconds on the clock–that the win was iced. Bishop Ryan finished (36-8) on the season, while St. Mary’s was (32-4).
The bronze medalist Waterloo Collegiate Institute Vikings: Laura Taylor; Laura Strauss; Lisa Devenny; Ashley MacSporran; Lindsay Kurt; coach Doug Ranton
The silver medalist Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders: Julia Critchley; Cari TeBoekhorst; Rachel Hart; Andrea Benvenuto; Mandy Bateman; Jesse Lamparski; Jessica Selinger; coach Rich Wesolowski
The gold medalist Hamilton Bishop Ryan Celtics: Mary Dach; Melissa DiBartolomeo; Natalie Fitzpatrick; Kristina Moore; Melinda Scott; Nicole Strecker; Jessi Tomasin; Rachael Vanderwal; Andrea Venner; Rachel Venner; Lauren Whelan; Melissa Zwolak; coach Dave Strecker; assistant Leskovec; assistant Kristi Tomasin