In the opening round, held in Niagara Falls: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish clubbed the Pickering Pine Ridge Pumas 71-48 as Erin Hobin scored 12, Melissa Magpannong 9 and Amy Crickard 8. Shani Charles led the Pumas with 24. Liz Armstrong added 14 and Natalia Higgins 6. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders pounded the Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics 67-48 as Rachel Ellison, Casie Kergan and Courtney Cunic each scored 10. Maria Stangerlin added 8 and Jen Brzozowski 8. Crusaders coach Chris Oliver told the Hamilton Spectator that “it was a strange game. We played some spurts of really good ball. It just wasn’t consistent.” Sharon Jones led the Celtics with 14. Melissa Hunte added 11, Marsha Bowes 7, Melissa Bremner 7 and Amina Khalif 7. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Etobicoke CI Rams smacked the Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders 65-49 as Kristy Hineline scored 25, Elanna Robson 22, Shari Wilson 11 and Kristen McArter 7. The Rams led 30-22 at the half and 56-30 after three quarters after ripping off a 12-0 run as part of a 17-3 third quarter explosion. The Rams led 56-30 after three quarters. The Rams hit 9-18 from the line, while the Marauders were 17-33. Carrie Sharpe led the Marauders with 16. Meredith Sharpe added 9, Jamie Fong 8, Andrea Smart 5, Pam Dueck 4, Kritan Stephenson 4 and Kristen Guarasci 3. The Marauders Julia Guarasci was in foul trouble midway through the second quarter. Grade 11 guard Carrie Sharpe told the St. Catharines Standard that “it feels really good to be a rookie on this team and to be a starter and contributor.” Marauders assistant Kerry Felstead said “Carrie has come a long way through the course of the season.” Marauder Julia Guarasci told the Niagara Falls Review that “we could won the game but we just went downhill.” Marauders coach Sheri Findlater said “they played well and they never game up at the end. That’s youth and that’s you need these types of tournaments to toughen them up.” …………………………………………………… The unseeded Mississauga Meadowvale Falcons edged the 5th-seeded Aurora Golden Eagles 56-50 as Ernestine Dunkley scored 16, Nicola Snowden 14 and Leslie Allen 12. Tara Perrier led the Golden Eagles with 33. Cal Bouchard added 9 and Katie Fizzell 4. Golden Eagles star point guard Cal Bouchard, who scored 11, was battling the flu. “We gave all we had for that game,” said Meadowvale coach Nancy Sakomoto. “After that our intensity just wasn’t the same.” …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Guelph Collegiate Rams crushed the Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 50-36 as Karalyn Church scored 25, Erin Kressman 15 and Christine Garton 6. Kristen Eisner led the Bengals with 10. Raquel Burke added 8 and Katrina Parker 5. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans nipped the St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen 42-40 as Nisha Wilson scored 28, Hutashi Wilson 4, Melanie Boyce 3 and Melissa McGrath 3. The Trojans led 6-0 early Redmen star Katie Modolo quickly got in early foul trouble. The Trojans led 24-20 at the half. The Redmen led 32-27 after three quarters but Wilson notched three critical buckets down the stretch as the Trojans pulled out the win. Jennifer Murphy led the Redmen with 19 (also reported as 14). Mary Fruscella added 11 and Barb Thomas 8. Murphy told the St. Catharines Standard that “it got a little tight three for a while Katie was in foul trouble because she’s one of our best shooters. But we knew that we had to try and stay close with the people that we had on the floor. … They were a very good team and I thought we played them very well. A couple of shots didn’t fall for us but we stayed in the game to the last minute.” Redmen coach John Giroux said “we thought if we worked hard and played well, we could play with anybody. We lost to the 7th-seed today but we play them buzzer to buzzer. … (Wilson) was definitely the dominant player on the floor. … We made some adjustments and I thought we did a good job shutting her penetration down when we went to zone.” …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Kingston Frontenac Falcons clocked the Sault Ste. Marie Mount St. Joseph Royals 63-42 as Taryn Turnbull scored 32, Kim Van Winckle 8, Arielle Nash 7 and Robin McAlpine 7. Sarah Cameron led the Royals with 22. Melanie Roach added 7 and Lisa Febraro 6. Royals coach Lou Mazzuca told the Sault State that “we weren’t ready to play. It was though we had no energy. This is a pretty big tournament and maybe we were a little overwhelmed. We started out slowly and appeared very sluggish and that’s how we played the entire first half. … That Turnbull girl really did a job on us. She can go outside, inside, she can do it all. She can shoot threes. She penetrates fast and we had a problem matching up with her.” Cameron said “we’ve never been to a tournament like this, wo we were a bit nervous at the start.” …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons edged the Windsor Holy Names Knights 41-38. “They were a big, tough team and I think our kids were a little nervous,” Knights coach Tim Hommel told the Windsor Star. The Knights led by nine after one quarter and by five at the half but fell behind by three after three quarters. “Sarah Adam got into foul trouble in the first half,” said Hommel. “She missed the last half of the second quarter and the first five minutes of the third quarter and she’s our best rebounder.” Pat Marcello paced Oakwood with 20. Michelle Francis added 8 and Jully Ann Gordon 6. Jodi Sibley led Holy Names with 23. Sara Adam added 8 and Cathy Veten 4.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Kingston Frontenac Falcons defeated the Windsor Holy Names Knights 66-43 as Taryn Turnbull scored 23, Kim Van Winckle 16 and Andrea Gladu 14. Jodi Sibley led the Knights with 15. Catherine Veteri added 12. The Falcons led 19-6 after one quarter and romped. “They were good. They were fast and they very rarely missed their shots,” Knights coach Tim Hommel told the Windsor Star. The Knights (coached by Hommel) also included Sara Adam, Sheri McKnight, Cathy Veten and Summer Strachan. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders crushed the 5th-seeded Aurora Golden Eagles 80-58 as Rachel Ellison scored 20, Casie Kergan 17, Leanne Rowthorn 14 and Jenn Brzozowski 11. Tara Perrier led the Golden Eagles with 28. Cal Bouchard added 8. The Eagles also included Katie Fizzell. …………………………………………………… The unseeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics defeated the unseeded Mississauga Meadowvale Falcons 50-38 as Kathryn Blezina and Melissa Hunte each scored 12. Ernestine Dunkley paced the Falcons with 14. The Falcons also included Nicola Snowden, Lesley Allen. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Guelph Collegiate Rams dumped the Pickering Pine Ridge Pumas 51-38 as Erin Cressman scored 16. Shani Charles led the Pumas with 15. The Pumas also included Liz Armstrong, Natalia Higgins. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish clubbed the Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 67-47 as Amy Crickard scored 19 and Melissa Magpannong 16. Kristen Eisner led the Bengals with 16. The Bengals also included Raquel Burke, Krista Scobie, Katrina Parker. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Etobicoke Collegiate Rams edged the St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen 49-43 as Elanna Robson scored 17 (also reported as 18) and Kristi McArter 9. Katie Modolo led the Redmen with 16. Barb Thomas added 10. The Redmen (coach John Giroux, assistant Pat Sullivan) also included Mary Lou Fruscella, Jen Murphy, Julie Di Pietro, Marie Borsato, Charlene Shaughnessy. Redmen assistant Pat Sullivan told the St. Catharines Standard that “I think if we would have taken care of the ball a little better, it might have been a different outcome. We had a couple of stretches there where we fought back and then we just had some unforced turnovers.” …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Toronto Michael Power-St. Joseph Trojans stomped the Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders 57-30 as Nisha Wilson scored 26, Hutashi Wilson 10 and Melanie James 9. The Trojans led 19-1, 29-10 and 40-18 at the quarters. Julie Guarasci led the Marauders with 9. Krista Stephenson added 7, Pam Dueck 4, Carrie Sharpe 3, Andrea Smart 3, Jamie Fong 2 and Carrie Campbell 2. The Marauders (coach Findlater, assistant Kerry Felstead) also included Meredith Sharpe, Laura McKenzie, and Sandra Thompson. Dueck told the Niagara Falls Review that “we were mentally ready but I guess we came out slow. It has been a problem all season and it was definitely a problem today.” Marauders coach Sheri Findlater said “when you’re behind the eight ball and in foul trouble, you have to go zones and that takes time. We had to get the ball to shoot. At any point in time, I thought we had a chance to come back. We had to try different people and all differ sorts of combinations.” …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons dispatched the Sault Ste. Marie Mount St. Joseph Royals 37-30 as Pat Marcello scored 19. Sarah Cameron led the Royals with 18. Lisa Febbraro added 7. The Royals (coached by Lou Mazzuca) also included Lisa Febraro, Pam Roach, Kara Ribic, Melanie Roach, Lisa Felton, Hollie McNally, Pina Guido.
In the quarterfinals, held at Niagara Falls, the top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the 8th-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons 67-36 as Erin Hobin scored 15 and Amy Krickard 11. Pat Marcello led the Barons with 14. The Barons also included Michelle Francis, Jully Ann Gordon.
The 3rd-seeded Kingston Frontenac Falcons defeated the 6th-seeded Guelph Collegiate Rams 43-33 as Taryn Turnbull scored 18 and Robin McAlpine 15. Karalyn Church led the Rams with 16. The Rams (coach Matt Blair) also included Erin Kressman, Christine Garton.
The 4th-seeded Etobicoke CI Rams defeated the unseeded Scarborough Albert Campbell Celtics 48-32 as Kristy Hineline scored 22 and Elanna Robson 12. The Celtics included Melissa Hunte, Sharon Jones, Marsha Bowes, Melissa Bremned, Amina Khalif.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders defeated the 7th-seeded Etobicoke Michael Power-St. Joseph’s Trojans 50-48. Crusader Jenn Brzowski told the Hamilton Spectator that “we have to think to go the hoop to get them out of their game. And going to the hoop gets us pumped.” Crusader Leanne Rowthorn said she loved guarding Trojan Nisha Wilson. “I never know if there going to guard me in return. Often, they don’t.” Crusader coach Chris Oliver said constant foul calls disrupted the flow of the game. “Jenn brought us through this game, both offensively and defensively.” Trojans coach Paul McGrath told the Toronto Star that “we ran out of time. We had things going our way and all we needed were a few more seconds,” Trojans coach Paul McGrath told the Toronto Star. “The girls had a shot at it, but I guess it just wasn’t to be. It’s a tough loss but it was also a tough game. (St. Mary’s) are a quick team and their pressure got to us real early. They also double-teamed on our best player and that always hurts.” St. Mary’s led 15-13 after one quarter and outscored the Trojans 10-3 in the second. The Crusaders dominated the boards. Jennifer Brzozowski led the Crusaders with 13. Maria Stangerlin added 10. Nisha Wilson paced the Trojans with 26. The Crusaders had four players foul out but easily handled the losses with their depth. “They have tremendous depth and every time someone went out, there was always another person just as good,” said McGrath. The 24-7 Trojans (coached by Paul McGrath) also included Denise Heckbert, Melanie James, Hutashi Wilson, Melanie Boyce, Melissa McGrath.
In the semis, the top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the 4th-seeded Etobicoke CI Rams 50-46 as Erin Hobin scored 15. Elanna Robson led the Rams with 20.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders defeated the 3rd-seeded Kingston Frontenac Falcons 67-60 in overtime as Rachel Ellison scored 25, Rachel Ellison 20 and Casie Kergan 14. Taryn Turnbull led the Falcons with 14. Robin McAlpine added 13 and Andrea Gladu 11. The teams were tied at 58 after regulation. Frontenac led by one in the final minute. Frontenac had the ball but Taryn Turnbull got caught in a trap and traveled. St. Mary’s got possession and was fouled hitting one free throw to force overtime. The Falcons missed 12 free throws down the stretch, including several on the front end of the bonus. “If we make one of those 12 misses, we win,” Frontenac coach Tim McCue told the Kingston Whig-Standard. The Falcons finished 11-30 from the line. McCue said his troops were rattled by the electronic horn playing of St. Mary’s fans. “I complained to the refs and I complained to the tournament officials but they didn’t do anything. The ironic thing is that for the final game, they made a rule that no electronic noisemakers would be allowed in the gym. That was really unfair to our kids. I don’t mind fans using drums and horns. The only thing wrong was these electronic blowhorns. I expected OFSAA to do something. OFSAA’s supposed to be all about sportsmanship and fair play but there really wasn’t any there.” St. Mary’s dominated the overtime by an 8-2 count. With the score knotted at 60, Rachel Ellison drove the paint, hit a layup and was fouled to notch a three-point play that gave the Crusaders the lead for good. Turnbull fouled out with a minute to play in regulation.
In the bronze medal match, the Etobicoke CI Rams defeated the Kingston Frontenac Falcons 54-32 as Kristy Hineline scored 25 and Elanna Robson 18. Falcons coach Tim McCue told the Kingston Whig-Standard that his troops were flat. “Our emotions were so high during the semifinal, it was such a hard loss to take, when we showed up for the bronze medal game, we didn’t have the same intensity. We felt we had St. Mary’s beaten [in the semi] and if we win that game, we get at least a silver medal. We felt we were at least the second-best team there.” The Falcons trailed by 8 early in the fourth quarter when star guard Taryn Turnbull fouled out. Taryn Turnbull led Frontenac with 21. The Falcons (coached by McCue) also included Kim Van Winckle, Andrea Gladu, Robin McAlpine, Arielle Nash, Gavel, Walters, A Cook, Holt, Paul-Gerow, Cheesebrough and Taylor.
In the final, the top-seeded Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish defeated the 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders 64-56 to capture their second consecutive provincial title. The Fighting Irish rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit. “We had trouble with their press and quickness early but a few minutes after halftime you could feel the momentum switch,” St. Patrick’s coach Ed Seguin told the Toronto Star. “One defensive play, some baskets went our way, the girls capitalized on key turnovers. Bit by bit they turned the game around.” Erin Hobin led St. Patrick’s with 23, including 19 in the final half and eight from the free-throw line. Adrienne Crickard added 12. Rachel Ellison paced St. Mary’s with 21. Naomi Spitoli added 9. The Crusaders led 16-8, 33-20 and 43-41 at the quarters but faltered down the stretch. Ellison told the Hamilton Spectator that “I don’t know what happened. I think we got a little too overexcited and kind of let it slip a little bit.” Crusaders coach Chris Oliver said “we’ll only get stronger from this. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and we’ll come back next year, hopefully.”
The bronze medalist Etobicoke CI Rams: Elanna Robson; Kristy Hineline; Shari Wilson; Kristen McArtur;
The silver medalist Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders: Rachel Ellison; Jennifer Bryzozowski; Leanne Rowthorn; Lisa Ketchmark; Maria Stangerlin; Casie Kergan; Jenn Brzozowski; Naomi Spitale; Lisa Chrolavicius; Sabrina Lagreca; coach Chris Oliver; assistant Karen Cutaia
The gold medalist Sarnia St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish: Erin Hobin; Karie Jackson; Adrienne Crickard; Julie Roberts; Melissa Magpannong; Amy Crickard (Krickard?), coach Ed Seguin