In the opening round, held in St. Catharines: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Nepean Bell Bruins defeated the unseeded Kingston CVI Blues 59-35 as Lesley Bunness scored 21, Nana Robinson 17, Martha Sandilands 11 and Jayne Roos 5. The Bruins led 10-4, 34-16 and 44-30 (also reported as 48-31) at the quarters. Wendy Carmichael paced the Blues with 10. Keva Glynn added 9, Catherine Fitzsimmon 6, Katherine Henderson 4, Christine Mayson 4 and Erin Murphy 2. Blues assistant Hans Garsch told the Kingston Whig-Standard that “we played well defensively (in the first quarter) but we couldn’t buy a basket. … We pressed for three quarters and manage to turn the ball over but we couldn’t put it in.” …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Windsor John L. Forster Spartans defeated the unseeded Niagara Falls Stamford Hornets 48-43 as reserves Annie Marcarian provided a big lift off the bench, and two critical rebounds, despite being on 5-2. “You’ve got to be a little lucky to get rebounds when you’re my size,” she noted. Forster led 18-10 after one quarter but then began begin plagued by fouls, getting hit for 12 while the Hornets had none. When Sheri Turnbull fouled out the fourth quarter, it appeared Stamford had the upper hand but the Spartans tightened their defence and forced several critical turnovers, taking the lead for good when Tonya St. Germaine hit two of her nine fourth-quarter points on a 20-foot jumper. “Windsor just didn’t make the critical errors we did when it counted the most,” said Hornets coach Al Wilcox. “They could’ve folded in the last quarter when they lost Turnbull. Instead, their reserves came in and did a fine job. They just wore us down in the last few minutes. They stayed within their abilities and made the clutch plays.” St. Germain led Forster with 17 (also reported as 13). Sherri Turnbull added 10, Ronie-Ann Baechler 9, Hannah Morrison 8 and Candy McIntyre 6. The Spartans led 18-10 after one quarter. The Hornets led 27-26 at the half and 38-35 after three quarters. The Hornets turned over the ball five times in the final two minutes. Jill Stiefelmeyer led the Hornets with 14. Maria Pellerin added 12, Tracey Phelps 11, Anna Coull 4 and Sue Richardson 2. Nelson told the Niagara Falls Review that “it could have gone either way. They girls played hard and I’m disappointed we didn’t win. But it was good experience for them.” …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the unseeded Mississauga Clarkson Chargers 76-31 as Maureen Spero scored 18, Claudine Sandrin 12, Mary Con Rosario 10, Lisa Lisella 9, Heather Spero 8, Nuala McGinley 6, Beth Vrolyk 3, Eva Salem 2, Pam Gonzalez 2 and Jennifer Tremain 2. The Fighting Irish led 25-6, 41-20 and 64-25 at the quarters. Heather Spero told the St. Catharines Standard that “we’re tough and we play aggressive basketball. And we’ve got a lot of bench who really try hard. Everyone’s just as willing to play as everyone else.” Marueen Spero said “we’re a running team and with our press, we try to tire them out.” Donna Lowe led the Chargers with 14. Lisa Fehr added 7, Karen McNeilly 6, Michelle Hanson 2 and Tracy Liburd 2. Chargers coach Bob McMurray said “we knew what we were in for. Their press just kills us. Their defence is their big weapon – they strip the ball and bang! They’re gone for a layup. When we saw the draw, the kids thought ‘oh no. Here we go again’. I think they started the game with that in mind.” …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Hamilton Sherwood Saints blasted the Peterborough Adam Scott CVI Lions 71-31 as Kathy Harrison scored 31, while nabbing 14 boards, Tina Murray 10, Tara Murray 11 (also reported as 8), Rochelle Yule 9 (also reported as 7), Kerry McDonald 6, Heidi Moore 4, Lisa McLaren 3 and Chris Davis 3. The Saints led 10-0 early, and 17-5, 29-19 and 43-29 at the quarters, while holding the Lions to a single field goal in the fourth quarter. Saints coach Lynne Jamieson told the Hamilton Spectator that “I thought we were in big trouble when Chris (Davis) fouling out (early in the third quarter).” Ainsley Geddes led the Lions with 9. Julie Hann added 6, Kellie Turner 6, Dian Logan 4, Holly Bourne 4 and Jennifer Welch 2. …………………………………………………… The Toronto Weston Ironmaidens nipped the 7th-seeded Brantford North Park Trojans 41-40 as Denise Scott scored 13, Marci Mittoo 11, Alison Shand 9, Lisa Mattock 5, Tonia Brown 2 and Jamie Crossdale 1. The Ironmaidens led 12-8 after one quarter and 23-20 at the half. The Trojans led 33-32 after three quarters. Sara Bradley paced the Trojans with 12. Michele Szikora added 11, Angela Kelly 10, Leslie Buckley 4, Kristen Rodway 2 and Heather Wheaton 1. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded St. Catharines Collegiate Saints clocked the Oshawa Paul Dwyer Saints 67-32 as Tammy Naughton scored 21, Dina Niejadik 13, Kari Elmes 13, Georgie Groat 12, Susan Brown 4, Connie Rosenblatt 2 and Jennifer Cushing 2. St. Catharines led 18-0 early and 26-2, 43-12 and 55-22 at the quarters. They hit 30-63 from the floor and 7-8 from the line. Dwyer hit 13-43 from the floor and 6-6 from the line. Cushing told the St. Catharines Standard “that felt really good. We were a little cold in the second half but we pulled together, especially with all the fans there. That really helped.” St. Catherines coach Walt Szepilewski said “that was the best they’ve played in a long time. They all played well. Rosa Baccaellieri led Dwyer with 13. Christine Brown added 6, Linda Coughlan 4, Leanne Skribe 4, Catherine Young 2 and Lori-Ann Clancy 2. Dwyer coach Heather LaFontaine said “we know they’re a good ball club. And we were a little intimidated. Unfortunately, we haven’t played a tough game in a month and in the first half, they panicked.” …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics crushed the Toronto Oakwood Barons 87-26 as Grace Blake scored 28, Elaine Blake 27, Ann Murray 21, Andrea Constand 4, Beverly Botchway 4 and Patricia Coley 3. The Celtics led 21-6, 52-10 and 71-18 at the quarters. Michelle Williams led the barons with 9. Kelly Cook added 7, Marylou Agular 6, Pamela McLaughlin 2 and Caroline Ward 2. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers edged the Etobicoke Monsignor Johnson Jaguars 67-66 (also reported as 50-49) as Betsy Willgos scored 14, Sue Foy 13, Kim Roe 8, Melissa McLennan 7, Heather Hausenblas 6 and Jodie McDonald 2. The Lancers led 14-9 after one quarter. The Jaguars led 24-22 at the half. The Lancers led 36-32 after three quarters. Jennifer Farrace paced the Jaguars with 18. Monica Patterson added 11, Josie Ponzo 10, Sandra Sagrati 4, Debbie Henry 3 and Angela Pears 2.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Nepean Bell Bruins dumped the unseeded Etobicoke Monsignor Johnson Jaguars 60-52 as Nana Robinson scored 24, Martha Sandilands 17, Lesley Bunness 14, Jayne Roos 4 and Karen Taylor 1. The Bruins led 17-10, 33-27 and 45-41 at the quarters. Jennifer Farrace pumped in 22 to lead the Jaguars. Monica Patterson added 11, Josie Ponzo 9, Debbie Henry 6 and Sandra Sagnatti 4. The Jaguars also included Angela Pears. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Windsor John L. Forster Spartans defeated the Mississauga Clarkson Chargers 67-54. The Spartans dug themselves an early 33-18 hole but rallied behind Sheri Turnbull, who scored 25, and Roni-Anne Baechler, who added 19 (also reported as 17). Melinda Pierce added 12 and Tonya St. Germaine 12. The Chargers tired as Forster rallied to within seven at the half and then took a 48-47 lead on a Baechler bucket. The Chargers led 27-16 after one quarter and 39-32 at the half. The Spartans led 54-41 after three quarters. Lisa Fehr led the Chargers with 21. Donna Lowe added 14, Janicke Eyram added 7, Tracy Liburd 6 and Karen McNeilly 6. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Sudbury LaSalle Lancers dispatched the Kingston CVI Blues 47-40 as Betsy Willgos scored 14, Melissa McLennan 8, Kim Roe 8, Heather Hasenblas 7, Sue Foy 6 and Jodie McDonald 4. Keva Glynn led the Blues with 22 (also reported as 24), along with 15 boards. Wendy Carmichael added 8, Katherine Henderson 6 and Catherine Fitzsimmon 4. The score was knotted at 12 after one quarter. The Lancers led 25-18 at the half and 33-28 after three quarters. Blues coach Ken Smith told the Kingston Whig-Standard that “we played them even in the second half but we couldn’t score from the line. We were 0-for-7 while LaSalle was 7-for-11. That and the fact that we could killed by outside shooting was the difference.” The Blues (coached by Ken Smith, assistant Hans Garsch) also included Erin Murphy, Little, Christine Mayson, Reid and Sugarman. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the Niagara Falls Stamford Hornets 65-37 as Claudine Sandrin scored 18, Maureen Spero 14, Heather Spero 12, Lisa Lisella 10, Beth Vryolyk 5, Mary Con Rosario 2, Nuala McGinley 2 and Jennifer Tremain 2. The Fighting Irish led 15-9, 36-17 and 54-25 at the quarters. Jill Stiefelmeyer led the Hornets with 16 (also reported as 17). Tracey Phelps added 8, Marja Pellerin 4, Sue Richardson 4, Anna Coull 2 and Patrice Boulton 2. The Hornets (coach Terry Nelson) also included Anne Marie DiBiase, Maria Pellerin, Tracey Phelps, Anna Coull, Sue Richardson. ………………………………………………… The Hamilton Sherwood Saints dusted the Brantford North Park Trojans 56-37 as Kathy Harrison scored 19, Chris Davis 15, Rochelle Yule 10, Tina Murray 6 and Tara Murray 6. The Saints led 14-11 after one quarter. The Trojans led 26-24 at the half. The Saints led 37-30 after three quarters. Heather Wheaton led the Trojans with 12. Leslie Buckley added 8, Sara Bradley 7, Michelle Szikora 6 and Angela Kelly 4. The Trojans (coached by Teresa Fullerton and Julie Baker) also included Kristen Rodway, Kerry Bowden, Heather Ironside, Michelle Kukta and Cheryl Atkinson. ………………………………………………… The Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics blasted the Oshawa Dwyer Saints 61-29 as Elaine Blake scored 23, Grace Blake 10, Ann Murray 10, Andrea Constand 7, Beverly Botchway 7, Patricia Coley 2 and Jillian Jones 2. The Celtics led 18-5, 38-9 and 49-15 at the quarters. Rosa Baccaellieri led the Saints with 14. Leanne Skribe added 8, Lori-Ann Clancy 3, Mary Kelly 2, Catherine Young 1 and Leanne Gourley 1. The Saints (coach Heather LaFontaine) also included Linda Coughlan. ………………………………………………… The Toronto Weston Ironmaidens whipped the Peterborough Adam Scott CVI Lions 70-23 as Denise Scott scored 37, Marci Mitto 17, Alison Shand 10, Janice Crossdale 3, Brenda Hall 2 and Laureen Frazer 1. The Ironemaidens led 22-10, 39-19 and 53-23 at the quarters. Ainsley Geddes paced the Lions with 16. Holly Bourne added 13, Kellie Turner 3 and Jennifer Welch 1. The Lions also included Julie Hann, Dian Lapum. ………………………………………………… The St. Catharines Collegiate Saints smacked the Toronto Oakwood Barons 57-11 as Tammy Naughton scored 18, Jennifer Cushing 11, Georgie Groat 10, Dian Niejadik 9, Kari Elmes 6, Sophia Bell 2 and Joyce Hamm 1. The Saints led 20-2, 40-8 and 52-8 at the quarters. Pamela McLaughlin led the Barons with 3. Marilou Agular added 2, Susan Hunte 2, Kelly Cook 2 and Claudia Dalbarco 2. The Barons also included Caroline Ward.
In the quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded Nepean Bell Bruins defeated the 6th-seeded Windsor John L. Forster Spartans 61-53 as Nana Robinson scored 20, Lesley Bunness 14, Martha Sandilands 14, Jayne Roos 7 and Katrina Benasics 7. The Bruins led 17-14, 31-24 and 47-41 at the quarters. Sherri Turnbull paced Forster with 15. Roni-Anne Baechler added 14, Tonya St. Germain 12 (also reported as 9) and Melinda Pierce 6. “You couldn’t do any moves on them underneath the basket. You just had to push them out of the way,” Turnbull told the Windsor Star. “You can’t go over them. You have to go underneath them. The only other way in is to cut them off at the knees.” Forced to a perimeter game, the Spartans struggled. “You can’t just depend on shot from the outside,” said Baechler. “We maybe should’ve tried to draw them out a little more. They were packing in on Sheri underneath. If we could’ve just got some room inside, it would have helped a lot. Instead, when we tried to get inside to Sheri or to shoot from closer in, they just snuffed some of our shots.” The Bruins, by contrast, dominated the offensive boards and got a lot of second chance buckets. “We tried to put them away and we just couldn’t,” said Bell coach Jeff Wilson. “They are a pesky bunch that just refuses to quit. Even though we contained them inside, they kept hitting those bombs from long range.” Bell led by only four with two remaining but maintained their poise to pull out the win. The Spartans (coached by Tom Halliwill) also included Melinda Pierce.
The 5th-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics defeated the Hamilton Sherwood Saints 50-44 as Elaine Blake scored 8 of her 14 points in the final minutes. Grace Blake paced the Celtics with 18. Ann Murray added 7, Andrea Constand 4, Patricia Coley 4 and Beverly Botchway 4. “It was too close and we almost threw it away with silly mistakes and fouls. We just wanted to win so badly,” Blake told the Toronto Star. “What helped was when the coach gave me hell at the half. It calmed me down. I programmed myself to do what he said, play my game. Thank goodness we won.” Kathy Harrison led Sherwood with 14 before fouling out with three minutes to play. Christine Davis added 9, Tina Murray 8, Rochelle Yule 3 and Tara Murray 5. The Saints (coach Lynne Jamieson) also included Kerry McDonald, Lisa McLaren, Joanne Pavlovich and Heidi Moore.
The top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the Sudbury Lasalle Lancers 49-43 as Lisa Lisella scored 14, Claudine Sandrin 13, Carol Huizenga 7, Heather Spero 7, Maureen Spero 6 and Mary Con Rosario 2. Sue Foy led the Lancers with 17. Kim Roe added 9, Betsy Willgos 9, Meliisa McLennan 6 and Jodie McDonald 2. The Lancers led 14-9 after one quarter and 25-23 at the half. The Fighting Irish led 38-31 after three quarters.
In the last quarterfinal, the St. Catharines CI Saints dispatched the Toronto Weston Ironmaidens 56-46 as Tammy Naughton scored 25, Dina Niejadik 9, Kari Elmes 8, Jennifer Cushing 6, Georgie Groat 6 and Susan Brown 2. The Saints led 13-6, 26-23 and 45-39 at the quarters, taking command when Ironmaiden Denise Scott picked her fourth foul in the third quarter. Saint Tammy Naughton told the St. Catharines Standard that “she (Scott) played really well. It’s hard to stop her but we double-teamed her and with four fouls, she had to take it easy.” Denise Scott paced Weston with 31. Marci Mitto added 6, Lisa Mattock 5 and Alison Shand 4. Scott said “I felt we could have upset them but injuries and fouls took over. I couldn’t do anything in that fourth quarter.” The Ironmaidens also included Tonia Brown, Jamie Crossdale.
In the semis, the host and 2nd-seeded St. Catharines CI Saints handed the 3rd-seeded Nepean Bell Bruins their first loss of the season by a 39-38 count as Tammy Naughton scored 16, Georgie Groat 12, Jennifer Cushing 9 and Kari Elmes 2. The Saints led 10-7 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 21 at the half. The Bruins led 33-31 after three quarters. Nana Robinson paced the Bruins with 25. Lesley Buness added 5, Jennifer Irving 4, Jayne Roos 2 and Martha Sandilands 2. Bell coach Jeff Wilson told the Ottawa Citizen said foul trouble for Lesley Bunness proved the difference. “St. Catharines had the advantage of the crowd and hometown referees and losing Lesley really hurt us.”
In the other semi, the top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish dispatched the Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics 38-30 as Lisa Lisella and Mary Con Rosario each scored 8. Claudine Sandrin added 7, Heather Spero 5, Nuala McGinley 3, Maureen Spero 3, Pam Gonzalez 2 and Carole Huizenga 2. The Fighting Irish led 11-8, 28-20 and 3626 at the quarters. Elaine Blake led the Celtics with 12. Ann Murray added 11, Andrea Constand 5 and Beverly Botchway 2.
In the bronze medal match, the 5th-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics defeated the 3rd-seeded Nepean Bell Bruins 53-45 as Grace Blake scored 20, Elaine Blake 12, Ann Murray 8, Beverly Botchway 7 and Andrea Constand 6. The Bruins led 14-12 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 27 at the half. The Celtics led 43-33 after three quarters. “There was a bit of a letdown after the loss to St. Catharines,” Bell coach Jeff Wilson told the Ottawa Citizen. “We didn’t come back.” Lesley Bunness led the Bruins with 18. Nana Robinson added 13, Martha Sandilands 10, Jayne Roos 2 and Katrina Benasics 2. The Bruins also included Karen Taylor.
In the final, the top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the 2nd-seeded St. Catharines CI Saints 46-45 to capture their third title in six years. Saints guard Jennifer Cushing had an opportunity to tie the game with one second to play. She missed her first free throw and then hit the second. “I was trying too hard and was very nervous,” Jennifer Cushing told the Toronto Star. “The shot (two-pointer) is a tough one to do. I was also upset that I missed the one that really counted and it hurt.” Saints coach Walt Szpilewski, who had called timeout between the free throws, said “I told her to miss and, hopefully, give one of our forwards a shot at going for the tying points. Something went wrong. Maybe the noise was a factor, but I do know she was upset after missing the first shot.” Saints coach Bob Delaney said “we really made it difficult for ourselves, missing six free throws in the final minute but they also played us well and took our key shooters out of the game. I also know that I wouldn’t want to be out there on the court in a pressure situation like this game. That’s when the basket gets smaller as the clock runs down.” The game was time at 18 after one quarter and at 30 at the half. The Saints led 41-36 after three quarters and took command with a 6-0 run to open the final frame as their halfcourt traps and zone defence proved highly effective. Mary Con Rosario led the Fighting Irish with 14. Maureen Spero added 10, Heather Spero 10 (also reported as 8), Claudine Sandrin 6, Carol Huizenga 4 and Lisa Lisella 4. Bob Delaney was in his last game at the helm of the Irish, as he was assuming the reins Western University, told the St. Catharines Standard that “this is the way I wanted to go out. For the kids, because we’ve spent a lot of time together over the years, but also for myself. There is a lot of satisfaction in this right now. … It was tough. They (the Saints) adjusted and played a diamond-and-two on us, taking our shooters out of the game. We had to get our big kid (6-0 post Carol Huizenga) out early in put in (5-5 guard Mary) Con Rosario. She kept hitting early in the game.” Irish wing Claudine Sandrin said Delaney has “done a lot for our program. We wanted this as much for him as for us.” Tammy Naughton led the Saints with 16. Cushing added 13., Dina Niejadik 7, Kari Elmes 4 and Susan Brown 2. Saints coach Walt Szpilewski said “I’m happy with the way they played, especially after losing to Sarnia by 32 and 19 points earlier in the season. They played with confidence. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Except for one more basket. … They burned us early in that (fourth) quarter. The kids missed some assignments offensively and Sarnia trapped on the wing. That should not have happened.” Cushing said of missing her first free throw in the final seconds and hitting the second. I think that (missing the second deliberately) would have been hard to do. I could have done that (thrown it off the glass) but it’s over.”
The bronze medalist Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics: Grace Blake; Elaine Blake; Ann Murray; Andrea Constand; Beverly Botchway; Patricia Coley; Jillian Jones; coach Jeff Wilson;
The silver medalist St. Catharines CI Saints: Jennifer Cushing; Tammy Naughton; Georgie Groat; Kari Elmes; Dina Niejadlik (Niejadik?); Susan Brown; Sophia Bell; Joyce Hamm; Connie Rosenblatt coach Walt Szpilewski
The gold medalist Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish: Mary Con Rosario; Claudine Sandrin; Lisa Lisella; Maureen Spero; Lisa Lisella; Heather Spero; Nuala McGinley; Beth Vrolyk; Eva Salem; Pam Gonzalez; Jennifer Tremain; Carol Huizenga; coach Bob Delaney