In the opening round, held in Ottawa: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics defeated the host Ottawa Lisgar Lords 66-58. Campbell led 38-27 at the half but coach Brian Pardo was outraged at the officiating. “Officiating? Yes, it was the worst I’ve seen in my life; absolutely horrendous,” Pardo told the Toronto Star. “I’ve had my team play in five states, all over Ontario and this is the worst. It was atrocious. I can hardly wait to get home and tell our officials that we’re blessed with good referees who know how to call a game. I’ve said enough. Talk to my players and the people who watched the game; they’ll tell you more.” The Campbell contingent was also perturbed about having to wear “bibs,” (with both teams having arrived wearing the same colours) and the fact that the official game scorer could not record point-getters but simply the running score. Elaine Blake did score 20 points for the Celtics, while her sister, Grace, Andrea Constand and Carol King each added a dozen, according to numbers taken by the team statistician. “This was really, really bad,” said 18-year-old Grace Blake, who, along with her sister, had accepted an athletic scholarship from the University of Cincinnati. “Both teams really played aggressive but the officiating was inconsistent. It’s my firm belief that the referee wasn’t fair. He picked a side and called everything. At one time, I was afraid to even touch the ball for fear he’d call a foul.” Both Blakes fouled out in the final quarter while Constand, the team’s other fireplug, and Jill Jones each had four fouls. Leading by 14, Campbell struggled with most of its team in serious trouble of fouling out. Jennifer Laughton paced the Lords with 30. Pardo told the Windsor Star “it wasn’t even that the officials were incompetent. They just didn’t know the game. They must have been from Mars. They certainly didn’t watch the same game I did.” …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Windsor John L. Forster Spartans clipped the Peterborough St. Peter’s Saints 71-40 as Sheri Turnbull scored 25, Roni-Ann Baechler 17 and Melinda Pierce 14. Posts Turnbull and Pierce dominated as the Spartans romped. They opened a 21-10 lead after a quarter and ran St. Peter’s ragged. “The game felt closer than it was,” Baechler told the Windsor Star. “It wasn’t until halftime that I felt we really got control. Up to that point, we really didn’t click. There were a lot of forced passes and sloppiness.” In the second half, the Spartans began to isolate Turnbull in the post, where she scored at will. “I felt a lot better in the second half,” said Turnbull. “I was putting everything back in. I felt like I could do pretty well what I wanted offensively even though they had a big girl on me. And when I started scoring more, that opened up things for Melinda and Roni. Roni was able to drive the lane a lot more because they gave away the middle in the second half.” Forster led 37-22 at the half. “They didn’t know what to with Sheri,” said Forster coach Tom Halliwill. “We just kept going low and their kid couldn’t contain her.” Agnes Lehay led the Saints with 10. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Sudbury LaSalle Lancers defeated the Etobicoke Don Bosco Eagles 51-44 as Jaylene Morrison scored 15. Ayodele Bygrave led the Eagles with 12. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Mississauga St. Martin’s Mustangs clipped the Etobicoke Silverthorn Spartans 36-24 as Isabella Bochmaner scored 12. Seanna Keating led the Spartans with 10. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Oshawa Dwyer Saints pounded the Toronto Humberside Huskies 52-35 as Nadia Gosgnach scored 14. Yvonne Spiczynski led the Huskies with 19. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded London John Paul II Jaguars whipped the Dundas Highland Secondary Hawks 73-37 as Heather Hart scored 14. Christi Yoshimoto paced the Hawks with 11. Hawks coach Brenda Nelson told the Hamilton Spectator that “we just couldn’t catch up. They were like nothing we played against or prepared for. We were playing against 32 minutes of a full-court press.” …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles crushed the Kingston Frontenac Falcons 86-45 as Brooke March scored 8. Jennifer Gallant led the Falcons with 27. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights dusted the Ottawa St. Pius X-Men 49-33 as Michele Vesprini scored 27. Trina Rasmussen led the X-Men with 18.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Windsor John L. Forster Spartans defeated the Toronto Don Bosco Eagles 69-53 as Sheri Turnbull scored 22 and Melinda Pierce 22. Ayodele Bygrave led the Eagles with 19. The Eagles (coached by Cathy Casey) also included Barbra Mirani, Tina Blaskovic, Tina Ryan. …………………………………………………… The Ottawa Lisgar Lords defeated the 8th-seeded Oshawa Paul Dwyer Saints 47-43 as Jennifer Laughton scored 24. “The defence was good but the offence kind of sputtered; missed a lot of easy passes and shots,” Saints point guard Teresa Mastrangelo told the Toronto Star. “We could have used the free throws (Dwyer connected on eight of 13).” Mastrangelo and Nadia Gasgnoch each scored 12 to pace the Saints. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics crushed the Toronto Humberside Huskies 69-16 as Grace Blake scored 32, Elaine Blake 14 and Carol King 14. The Celtics led 38-9 at the half. Yvonne Spiczynski and Lynne Harford each scored 6 to pace the Huskies. …………………………………………………… The Kingston Frontenac Falcons whipped the 7th-seeded Mississauga St. Martin’s Mustangs 66-49 as Melissa Frankovitch scored 23. Lisa Davis led the Mustangs with 15. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles crushed the Etobicoke Silverthorn Spartans 64-27 as Jennifer Gallant scored 14. Seanna Keating paced the Spartans with 11. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded London John Paul II Jaguars thrashed the Ottawa St. Pius X-Men 54-34 as Heather Hart scored 16. Trina Rasmussen led the X-Men with 15. Maureen Doody added 12. “We just couldn’t cope with John Paul’s depth,” X-Men coach John McGrath told the Ottawa Citizen. “We never quit and I’m proud of the girls for that. But London’s bench players were better than a lot of starters we’ve seen this year. I can see why they were seeded second.” The X-Men (coached by McGrath) also included Sarah Reid; Kristin Kelly. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights stomped the Dundas Highland Secondary Hawks 59-38 as Heidi Preiner scored 17 (also reported as 18) and Michelle Vesprini 17. The Knights led 13-10, 24-18 and 36-18 at the quarters. Lisa Thomaidis paced the Hawks with 22. The Hawks (coach Brenda Nelson) also included Christi Yoshimoto, Sandra Lutz. Nelson told the Hamilton Spectator we held our own until halfway through the fourth quarter.” …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers dumped the Peterborough St. Peter’s Saints 64-47 as Jaylene Morrison scored 19. Teresa Downey led the Saints with 16.
In the quarterfinals, the Windsor John L. Forster Spartans defeated the Ottawa Lisgar Lords 71-49 as Sheri Turnbull scored 26. The Spartans raced to a 15-4 lead and held the Lords to 14 in the first half. “It was important to start quick when we were playing them, with Ottawa referees, in Ottawa, with their fans,” said Roni-Anne Baechler, who added 22, told the Windsor Star. “We also felt in doing that, that we could tire them out. We ran them down and we had them tired out by the end of the first quarter.” The Spartans press forced Lisgar point guard Cecilia Tung into a series of turnovers. “I thought our intensity on defence was much better,” said Tara Elliott. The three of us (Anne Marcarian, Tara Elliott and Rochelle Rogers) were to just play Tung Tight. I think we had her worn out. She’s wasn’t going for the ball and she was just walking about after the first quarter.” Turnbull and Melinda Pierce dominated the paint as the Spartans moved ahead 39-14 at the half and romped, leading 56-30 after a quarter. “I knew they had a good team but I’d never seen them play before tonight,” said Lords coach Bill Fraser. “This team is unbelievable, though. I’ve never seen anything like what I saw them do to us tonight.” Fraser told the Ottawa Citizen that “it was like backing into a buzz-saw. I’ve never seen a girls’ team like that. They have incredible defence and so much depth. Number 33 (Sheri Turnbull) is one of the strongest players of her age I’ve ever seen. I’m proud of my team but we were outclassed tonight. Jenny (Laughton) played a great game, as she has all season, but she’s the only player we have who can keep pace with them.” Laughton led the Lords with 29. The Lords (coached by Bill Fraser, assisted by Cathi Chambers) also included Maryam Amirazizi, Susan Cameron, Leah Box, Cecilia Tung, Anne Burbidge, Jennifer Lawetz, Zoe Davies, Elsbeth Vaino, Tricia Camelon, Carol Middleton, Michelle Dennehy, Jennifer Bruce, Jane Wong.
The 3rd-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics defeated the 6th-seeded Sudbury LaSalle Lancers 49-41. Campbell broke to an early 22-10 lead but star Elaine Blake soon found herself in foul trouble. Without her, the Celtics post defence struggled. Celtics coach Bryan Pardo told the Toronto Star that his team had an “open house” sign up for most of the second half. “We had a good first half and got lethargic in the second. They got stronger and we got worse. I was never worried about losing, but really surprised at how well they (LaSalle) were coming on. The blowouts that people expect won’t happen anymore. This is down to the wire and they’ll all be close ones, maybe even overtime. We won, and right now that’s all that counts.” While Campbell increased its lead to 30-18 heading into the third quarter, the Lancers rallied with their transition game. “Once we got out of a lousy start, away from the intimidation and back on our game, we really felt we could give them a run for the money,” LaSalle coach Bill Sherman said. “The problem is, we missed too many shots, free throws and got into some funny mental lapses. We haven’t played that good a team before. They’re tough; any mistakes and they capitalize.” The Lancers pulled to within six points in the third quarter as Stacey Hamm got loose for eight of her 16 points. But Campbell struck back, going up 41-28 with eight minutes left on the clock. “This was the game I was most worried about because I knew they really wanted to beat us badly,” said Blake, who had a game-high 17 points while her sister, Grace, added 14 and Andrea Constand pumped in 10. “It was close – too close – and that’s because they killed us on the boards. We now know what has to be done.”
The 2nd-seeded London Pope John Paul II Jaguars defeated the Kingston Frontenac Falcons 71-43 as Heather Hart scored 19. Melissa Frankovitch led the Falcons with 18. The Falcons (coached by Tim McCue) also included Brooke March, Leslie Stevenson, Carol Clayton, Sarah Shanks, Sue Blenkinsop, Jenny Leach.
In last quarterfinal, the 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights clipped the 4th-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles 58-50 as Michelle Vesprini scored 17 (also reported as 15), Heidi Preiner 16 and Lori Bartolotta 12. The Green Eagles led 14-6 after one quarter. The Knights led 25-24 at the half and 41-35 after three quarters. Knights coach Tom Spironello told the Hamilton Spectator that “the kids didn’t give up and played hard. We played a tough defence in the second half and made our shots, while they didn’t.” Jennifer Gallant led the Green Eagles (coached by Bob Delaney) with 27. Mary Ann Fernandez added 13. The Eagles (coach Bob Delaney) also included Sharon Krvis, G Bailey, Lisa Marko.
In the semis, the 3rd-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics defeated the 2nd-seeded London Pope John Paul II Jaguars 54-48 as Grace Blake scored 17, while Carol King grabbed 26 boards. “She came up big, real big,” an exuberant coach Bryan Pardo said. “Twenty-six rebounds, 13 of them on offence; that’s awesome.” Heather Hart led the Jaguars with 21.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Windsor John L. Forster Spartans defeated the 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights 56-40 as Sheri Turnbull scored 15. Lori Bartolotta and Michelle Vesprini each scored 12 to pace the Knights. Knights coach Tom Spironello told the Hamilton Spectator that “we got behind early in the first quarter but it was pretty even after that. We didn’t get any breaks from the officials and the ball just wouldn’t bounce for us.”
In the bronze-medal match, the 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights upset the London Pope John Paul II Jaguars 45-39 as Michelle Vesprini scored 20. Knights coach Tom Spironello told the Hamilton Spectator that “everyone played well. They were running all of the way. It was a real team effort. We played a really good defence.” The Jaguars (coached by Bill Pargeter) were led by 6-3 center Heather Hart’s 12 points.
In the final, the 3rd-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Collegiate Celtics defeated the Windsor John L. Forster Spartans 57-49 to capture their second consecutive crown. “It certainly proves last year’s win was no fluke,” Celtics coach Brian Pardo told the Toronto Star. “The win solidifies us as the top basketball team in Ontario. It was a great win.” Pardo added that the club had a bulls-eye on its back all season. “Everyone wants to take a shot at the champ, so that made this win even harder. It is easier getting to the top. We lost some key players last season, but we were able to come up with the replacements needed.” Pardo felt the club should have been the top seed “but no one got too upset. It just made us play harder.” Campbell took control in the second half after the teams were deadlocked at 26 at the half. The difference between the two teams, Pardo said, was Campbell’s experience. “We had been to an Ontario final before. We knew what to expect and how to handle the pressure. No one on the club was nervous. We played smart basketball and came up with the win.” Jill Jones controlled the defensive boards in the foul-plagued affair, in which the whistle-happy officials slowed the game to a crawl. Both teams had three starts in foul trouble by the end of the first half. The second half was more wide open and began to feature end-to-end action, with 12 ties. The roof caved in on the Spartans as the Celtics ripped off an 11-0 run down the stretch, while keeping provincial team player Sheri Turnbull off the scoreboard for 5.5 minutes. “That was the game, especially when they (the Celtics) wouldn’t let us run our offence effectively,” Forster co-coach Richard Basinski told the Toronto Star. “They did to us what we expected to do to them. On top of that, they had a couple of players (Carol King and Andrea Constand) who played with poise and didn’t miss anything. We didn’t expect them to dominate. Campbell has an excellent team and deserves full credit for the win.” Forster was ahead 15-14 after the opening quarter. The teams were tied, 26-26, at the half, and Campbell took a 42-40 edge into the final eight minutes. “We were scrambling early, trying to run with them,” Pardo added. “Then that last quarter and the surge of points.” Turnbull was in tears after playing her final game and blamed herself for the loss. “I made too many stupid fouls and regret it now; we couldn’t buy a basket and they played great,” said the 18-year-old, Forster’s top scorer all year, who was held to a dozen points in the final, 10 in the last half. “I wanted (the win) so bad, and they got it. That last quarter, we’d bring it down and miss, then they come and score; it happened five times. That was it.” King scored 21 points and grabbed 23 boards for Campbell, while Constand added 16 and Grace Blake fired home 13. For the Spartans, Roni-Ann Baechler had a game-high 20 points and nabbed 8 boards. Sheri Turnbull added 12. Pardo told the Ottawa Citizen that “I’m glad we played as well as we did. They were matching us shot for shot through the first three quarters, so we had to slow them down. That forced into pressing and taking a lot of fouls.” Spartans coach Tom Halliwell as dissatisfied with the officiating. Roni-Ann Baechler told the Windsor Star that “we were terrible in the fourth quarter. I didn’t feel like I played a good a game. I made too many mistakes. There were too many forced passes, especially in that five-minute stretch.” Pardo said “we had to dump the press and our running game. We just couldn’t stay with them. They had us in trouble and the kids were getting frustrated in the first quarter.” Spartans forward Candy McIntyre said “I thought we were in pretty good shape at the half tied 26-26 with the foul problems we were having. In the second half, they stopped calling anything. There was no way those two Blakes should’ve still been in the game in the fourth quarter.”
The bronze medalist Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights: Michelle Vesprini; Lori Bartolotta; Heidi Preiner; Katie Henry; Carla Vesprini; Cecilia Ormond; coacht Tom Spironello; assistant Ignazio Fortino; assistant Larry Pognetti
The silver medalist Windsor John L. Forster Spartans: Sheri Turnbull; Roni-Ann Baechler; Candy McIntyre; Anne Marcarian; Tara Elliott; Rochelle Rogers; Melinda Pierce; co-coach Richard Basinski; co-coach Tom Halliwill
The gold medalist Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics: Jill Jones; Carol King; Andrea Constand; Grace Blake; Elaine Blake; Andrea Daniels; coach Brian Pardo