In the opening round, held in Mississauga: …………………………………………………… The Kingston Frontenac Falcons defeated the 6th-seeded Peterborough Crestwood Mustangs 51-48. Crestwood led 22-19 at the half and extended their lead to 11 before the Falcons stormed back. “We pressed Crestwood and rattled them in the fourth quarter,” Frontenac coach Tim McCue told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “They started to turn the ball over and we outscored them 16-2 in the final quarter.” Lesley Stevenson led Frontenac with 14. Tammy Coghlan added 13 and Sarah Westlake 10. Karen Jackson led the Mustangs with 24. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles defeated Ottawa St. Pius X X-Women 67-31 as Jennifer Gallant scored 18, Jennifer Reid 11 and Erika Smith 10. Fighting the flu, Gallant was cold early but led the Eagles to a 40-19 lead at the half after coach Bob Delaney shifted to 2-2-1 press, which yield dividends. Delaney said if Gallant “can score 18 being sick, we’re looking forward to her being health again. … We had never seen them play before and I only knew of couple of kids on their team. After watching them for a quarter, we adjusted and used the zone press, which the kids feel comfortable with. It turned the game around and (Pius) were not able to get back into it.” Julie Stoppo led the X-Women with 12. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Etobicoke Collegiate Rams outlasted Windsor Vincent Massey Mustangs 31-14 as Kalia Vrancart scored 10. The Rams led 12-9 after three quarters. “It went exactly as we wanted it to for three quarters,” Mustangs coach Richard Basinski told the Windsor Star. “We wanted to stay close as long as we could. It would have worked, but we just didn’t finish off enough offensively. We missed some easy shots and that allowed them to be up three points after three. If we make those, then that puts the pressure on them to come at us more and foul us.” The Rams hit two quick buckets at the start of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to seven. “We had to come at them then and foul to get the ball back,” Basinski said. “They just made everything from the line. Not a single miss.” Dana McCullough led the Mustangs with 6. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics dumped the Toronto Michael Power-St. Joseph’s Trojans 47-39 as Andrea Constand scored 19. Crystal Thorne led the Trojans with 16. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish crushed the North Toronto Norsewomen 53-37 as Casey Winegard scored 14. Megan Kilfoyle led the Norsewomen with 12. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Markham Marauders dusted the Niagara Falls A.N. Myers Marauders 47-30 as Lori Taylor and Elise Voine scored 17. Nikki Johnson led the Marauders with 13. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights clubbed the Mississauga Applewood Heights Axewomen 56-33 as Raquel Nurse scored 19 (also reported as 20) and Carla Vesprini 11. Knights coach Mark Baldasaro told the Hamilton Spectator that “the whole team was flying. They were playing some of the best basketball all year.” Wendy Aldebert led the Axewomen with 11. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers edged the Mississauga St. Martin Secondary Mustangs 53-48 as Stacey Hann scored 17. Izabella Bachmanek paced the Mustangs with 25.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The Kingston Frontenac Falcons defeated the Ottawa St. Pius X X-Women 43-32 as Lesley Stevenson and Sarah Westlake each scored 14. Lisa Travella led the X-Women with 16. The X-Women (coached by John McGrath) also included Julia Stoppa, Jennifer Rusch, Natalie Guzzo. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers defeated the Windsor Vincent Massey Mustangs 47-36 as Stacey Hann scored 22. Dana McCullough paced the Mustangs with 24. The Mustangs (coached by Richard Basinski) also included Lindy Basinski. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish thumped Mississauga Applewood Heights Axewomen 58-38 as Kiri Kaila scored 13. Lisa Hogan led the Axewomen. The Axewomen (coached by Ned Yuzefowich) included Wendy Aldebert, Arlene Isaacs, Monica Bejger. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles whipped the 6th-seeded Peterborough Crestwood Mustangs 58-30 as Jennifer Read scored 17. Karen Jackson led the Mustangs with 12. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Markham District Marauders whipped the Toronto Michael Power-St. Joseph’s Trojans 52-29 as Cathy Taylor scored 19. Giselle Melo led the Trojans with 11. The Trojans also included Crystal Thorne. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Etobicoke Collegiate Institute Rams crushed the Mississauga St. Martin Secondary Mustangs 51-27 as Michele Marlborough scored 11. Izabella Bachmanek led the Mustangs with 11. The Mustangs were coached by Jackie Hendricks. …………………………………………………… The North Toronto Norsewomen edged the 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Thomas More Knights 60-56 as Andrea Thomson scored 26. Carla Vesprini led the Knights with 17. Raquel Nurse added 14. Knights coach Mark Baldasaro told the Hamilton Spectator that “they were just hitting everything from the field. Our defence just wasn’t what it usually is. It wasn’t belly to belly.” The Knights (coach Mark Baldasaro, assistant Tom Spironello) also included Diedre Mooney, Anna Santucci, Tracey MacGillivray, Danielle Chabot, Angela Outwater, Nancy Ganovsky, Jodi Kras, Tania DiCampli and Michelle Chabot. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics clipped the Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders 41-30 as Maya Habash scored 23. Nikki Johnson led the Marauders with 9. The Marauders (coach Sherry Findlater) also included Janey Depauli, Kelly Whyte, Julia Rossi, Maggie Zimmerman, Jill Bathune, Kelly Keenan, Cathie Petheram, Kim Becken, Holly Felstead, Poppy Gilliam, Joanne Walstra and Stephanie Dingwall.
In the quarterfinals, the Kingston Frontenac Falcons edged the 3rd-seeded Markham District Marauders 42-41 on a bucket by Tammy Coghlan with 12 seconds to play. The Marauders led 22-18 at the half before Frontenac stormed back with a 12-2 run in the third quarter. “We had a great third quarter. That put us right back in the game,” coach Tim McCue told the Kingston Whig-Standard. Markham took a one-point lead with 20 seconds to play. Frontenac called time out. “We inbounded the ball and wanted to get the ball to Lesley Stevenson,” said McCue. “We were hoping she could drive to the net and possibly get fouled. Lesley got the ball but she was too well covered so she got a pass off to Tammy who put up the ball.” Allison Doucette led Frontenac with 18. Sarah Westlake added 10. Lori Taylor led the Marauders with 18. The Marauders (coached by George Kraus) included Elise Volpe, Bodil Elmquist, Cathy Taylor, Kim Gillies, Jennifer Wirch.
The top-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles clocked the Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics 50-38 as Jennifer Gallant scored 20, Janet Reid 14, Jennifer Reid 8 and Michelle Carrozella 8. The Green Eagles played without starter Erika Smith, who injured her ankle in round two and was replaced by Carrozella. Green Eagles coach Bob Delaney told the Brantford Expositor that “we had our hands full and all the credit for that game goes to Michelle Carrozella, who was forced to fill in a role of defending Campbell star Andrea Constand. … It was especially tough for her coming into a game like this after what is essentially a two-month layoff (as a non-starter). She was forced to face that challenge, and boy, she met that challenge in every way.” The Green Eagles led 14-6 after one quarter and 21-17 at the half despite failing to score a field goal in the second frame. Jennifer Gallant took over with a four-point play after being fouled on a trey with 2:38 to play. Delaney said “you can’t say enough about Jenny Gallant. She really shows leadership and just when we need it most, it’s right there. … We didn’t attack their 1-3-1 zone and we know how to handle it. With so much at stake, we were very tentative. We were playing not to lose, as opposed to playing to win.” Andrea Constand led the Celtics with 22.
The Etobicoke CI Rams dumped the North Toronto Norsewomen 40-26 as Laurel Johnson scored 18. Andrea Thomson led the Norsewomen with 10.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish crushed the 7th-seeded Sudbury LaSalle Lancers 61-41 as Casey Winegard scored 18. Sarah Lupton led the Lancers with 17.
In the semis, the Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish dumped the Kingston Frontenac Falcons 70-40 as Casey Winegard scored 21. St. Patrick’s led 42-24 at the half and romped. “St. Pat’s was an incredibly strong team,” Falcons coach Tim McCue told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “We didn’t play too bad a first half but we still trailed 42-24.” Tammy Coghlan led Kingston with 15.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles edged the Etobicoke Collegiate Rams 34-29 as Jennifer Gallant scored 18 and Jennifer Reid 12. Laurel Johnson led the Rams with 10.
In the bronze medal match, the Etobicoke CI Rams defeated the Kingston Frontenac Falcons 52-32 as Katie Vrancourt scored 17. It ended a Falcons run that marked the first time that a team from Frontenac County had made the provincial medal round. “We were looked upon as the Cinderella team by the media and other coaches as we progressed through the tournament,” Frontenac coach Tim McCue told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “Everyone was impressed with the way our kids played. They liked our toughness and how we played as a team.” Etobicoke led 14-11 after one quarter and then exploded with a 17-6 run. Point guard Mary Barbieri dictated the tempo and delivered the ball with aplomb. “My job is to bring up the ball, dish it out and keep the team under control; that’s it, pure and simple,” the 18-year-old, who constantly fed sharpshooters Katie Vrancart and Laurel Johnson with key passes, told the Toronto Star. Lesley Stevenson led the Falcons with 15. The Falcons (coached by McCue) also included Sarah Westlake, Tammy Coghlan, Jenny Bowes, Lauren Haggarty, Allison Doucette, Andrea Piper, Dana Thompson, Laura O’Connor, Kennedy, Bates, Kerr.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the top-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles 66-60 in double overtime to avenge a loss in the 1991 final. Casey Winegard paced the Fighting Irish with 22. It was only the second loss of the season for the Eagles. The Fighting Irish finished 39-3 on the campaign. The Irish rallied from quarter deficits of 16-11, 33-25 and 40-38 and were on the verge of losing it when star guard Jennifer Gallant fouled out in the fourth quarter. She’d scored 11 in the final frame to give the Eagles a 51-45 lead with 2:16 to play and fouled out with 1:39 to play. Earlier, Jennifer Reid had fouled out with 56.5 seconds to play and then Michelle Carrozella fouled out 22.4 seconds to play. The Irish’s Casey Winegard (alternately reported as Nancy Franic notching the tying bucket), forced overtime with a bucket with 12 seconds on the clock. St. Patrick’s won the final three-minute extra period, 8-2. But Janet Reid fouled out with 1:39 to play in the first overtime. Shivan Wilson knotted the score at 54. Winegard and Rodriques traded buckets. Winegard hit two free throws with 17.7 seconds to play in the first overtime but Kelli Hazzard countered with a field goal with five seconds to play to force a second overtime. Winegard notched a putback and four free throws in the second overtime to win it for the Fighting Irish. Winegard, limping with a charley horse, scored 24. “I didn’t think anyone figured it would be that close, but we had a feeling this was going to be our day,” Winegard told the Toronto Star. “It got a little tense when everyone started getting into foul trouble and we started scoreboard watching.” Delaney said the loss of Gallant was a blow. “We were without our leader; the rest of the team got nervous and looked at themselves trying to figure out who would take over. Look, they are an outstanding team, difficult to defend against and have many offensive weapons. They converted their chances; we didn’t.” Delaney told the Brantford Expositor that “the game was virtually over when they called that illegal block on Jenny Gallant. … (The turning point), no doubt about it. I’ve been around long enough to know that if Jenny hadn’t gone out, the result might have been very diffrernt but I’ve got nothing to complaing about and I certainly don’t want to take anything away from St. Pat’s. They’re an outstanding team, very difficult to defend because they have so many offensive weapons.” Jennifer Gallant led the Green Eagles with 23. Jennifer Reid added 11, Janet Reid 9 and Shivaun Wilson 7. Delaney said “everyone gave all they had.” The Green Eagles finished 39-2 on the campaign.
The bronze medalist Etobicoke CI Rams: Mary Barbieri; Katie Vrancart; Laurel Johnson; Melissa Gettas;
The silver medalist Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles: Jennifer Gallant; Jennifer Reid; Leona Fernandez; Karen O’Connell; Carol Rodrigues; Erika Smith; Janet Reid; Michelle Carrozella; Mandy Bethune; Jennifer D’Souza; Kelli Hazard; Kara Wilson; Shivaun Wilson; coach Bob Delaney; assistant Mary Fogale
The gold medalist Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish: Casey Winegard; Kiri Kaila; coach Ed Seguin