At the banquet before the tournament, Canadian national junior development coach Christine Stapleton told participants from the 16 teams that they shouldn’t be afraid to be a trifle unladylike on the hardcourts. It’s perfectly acceptable to be competitive and aggressive on the floor, Stapleton said in a keynote address on achieving excellence in sport. “There’s nothing wrong with playing hard, but fair,” said Stapleton, coach of the first Canadian junior team in a decade to qualify for the world junior championships in 2005.
In the opening round, held in Ottawa: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats defeated the Toronto Havergal College Havergators 58-30 as Sam Scull scored 23, Katie Wilson 9, Sam Maingot 8, L.B. Brown 5, Maggie Scull 5, Melissa Kenorick 3, Jayme Toms 2, Liz Brown 2 and Carina Rodgers 1. Michelle Dowling and Lisa Cronin each scored 9 to pace the Gators. Mary McNeill and Erin Hoener each added 5 while Meredith Ward scored 2. Gators teammates call her ‘Hollywood’ but don’t mess with Toronto Havergal forward Dasha Peregoudova. The reserve forward captured the 2003 Canadian junior (age 14-17) and the 2003 senior (no age limit) women’s middleweight taekwando crowns, a phenomenal accomplishment for a 16-year-old. Peregoudova is such a promising kicker and puncher that she’s already got her black belt and is pegged as an excellent medal prospect at the 2004 Beijing Summer Olympics. Peregoudova, whose family immigrated from Russia eight years ago, has already represented Canada at a raft of world junior and senior championships over the past few years, including trips to Greece, Germany, Argentina and Korea. Her best finishes to date include a silver medal at the Pan Am Junior Games last year and a fifth-place finish at the senior world championships. “There’s no way you can be in it for the money because there’s no money in the sport, at all,” says Pergoudova. “It’s so different and you don’t hear everybody saying ‘I do taekwando’.” …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Orleans St. Peter Knights defeated the Brantford Assumption Lions 47-31 as Kristen Stevens and Tania Gomes each scored 11. Stephanie MacDonald added 8, Shauna Kent 8, Courtnay Pilypaitis 5, Kelly Stevens 3, Caitlin Lahey 0 and Stefanie Mackie 0. Kailey Dzikowski, Hailey Millington and Ali Dzikowski each scored 6 to pace the Lions. Jesse Sullivan added 4, Stephanie Campbell 2, Stephanie Smiley 2, Stephanie Hall 2, Sam Squire 2 and Cayla Hiscock 1. The Knights quickly set the Lions on their heels as point guard Courtnay Pilypaitis demonstrated why many believe she’s one of the purest passers to have ever been produced by the city. Pilypaitis threaded four beautiful feeds upcourt for transition buckets as St. Peter took a 9-4 lead and then assisted virtually every hoop as the Knights extended their margin to 27-18 at the half. Pilypaitis was nothing less than breathtaking as the Knights opened the second half with a blistering 12-0 run, twice pilfering the ball to set up teammates for layups and later grabbing rebounds and feeding Tania Gomes and Stephanie MacDonald for fastbreak layups as St. Peter put the outcome out of Assumption’s reach. “We definitely came out strong,” Pilypaitis told the Ottawa Citizen. “Now, we have confidence that we can play at this level.” Forward Kristen Stevens said the Knights were determined to make a statement that they believe they’re underseeded. “We were all really pumped up and kind of upset about how we were ranked sixth. We thought we should have been higher. That kind of made us determined to go out there and prove we’re better than that.” Coach Mario Gaetano said his Knights completely dictated the tempo. “The girls are focused. The transition game’s working. Things are going well when Courtnay scores six and we win by 16.” Assumption coach Dennis Kings said his Lions “were nervous. We felt the pressure of ‘the first game of OFSAA’. The difference was their transition game. They’re very good at what they do.” …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Whitby Father Leo Austin Wildcats whipped the Unionville St. Augustine Titans 78-53 as Kauri Lafontaine scored 24. Ashley Bannister added 10, Andrea Loziuk 9, Jessica Newton 8, Tanisha Smith 8, Amanda Perkins 5, Vanessa Loziuk 4, Rachel Tremaine 4, Michelle Farugia 2, Ashlin Kelly 2 and Jennifer Martin 2. Jessica Ridding paced the Titans with 22. Hailey Toner added 12, Julie Giantsopoulos 7, Natalie Forster 6, Carmen Law 4 and Courtney Toner 2. The score was knotted at 22 after a quarter. Father Leo Austin led 39-34 at the half and 62-40 after three-quarters. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Burlington Nelson Lords whipped the Belleville Quinte Secondary Saints 66-25 as Alaina Porter scored 18, Lindsay Boker 10, Joanne McNeice 9, Casie Bryans 9, Christine Foster 5, Natalie Stacey 5, Carley Bokor 4, Alanna Veerman 2, Kara Hilton 2 and Erin Rideout 2. Jenn Scott paced the Saints with 7. Jessica Ferguson added 6, Meghan O’Coin 4, Elyse Cole 4 and Mackenzie Denyes 4. The score was tied at 10 after a quarter. Nelson led 27-16 at the half and 50-25 after three quarters. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Kingston Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Ottawa Colonel By Cougars 44-23 as Alana Korczynski scored 18, Annie Kingston 11, Cassidy Shkimba 7, Matteke Huttzler 5 and Nicole Shillington 3. Emily Yeager paced the Cougars with 7 points. Allyson Hill added 5, Kristin Billey 4, Jenny Allen 3, Kim Fritz 2 and Flavia Sendi-Mukasa 2. Holy Cross led 10-7, 22-16 and 41-17 at the quarters. Colonel By fell behind 9-2 as Holy Cross used its superior size to generate buckets in the paint. But the Cougars rallied to within 22-16 at the half by scrapping for loose balls and aggressively driving the baselines. The wheels fell off when Alana Korczynski and Annie Kingston each nailed a pair of three-pointers as Holy Cross ripped-off a 19-1 run to start the second half and then coasted to the easy win. “We live off our defence,” Korczynski told the Ottawa Citizen. “It was their crowd, their home court, their band. We knew we had to take control right away and that’s what we did.” Crusaders coach Kelly Dixon said “our defence kept us in it until we started hitting our shots and then it was lights out.” Colonel By coach Aaron Leach said the Cougar’s defence disappeared. “But give them credit. They hit a ton of threes and that just sucks the life right out of you.” …………………………………………………… The Orillia District Blues stunned the 5th-seeded London-Arva Medway Cowboys 56-49 as Kristi Town scored 15, Sam Hislop 13, Becky Broderick 12, Amy Town 8, Rylea Bromley 6 and Aden Beresford 2. Nadine Paron paced the Cowboys with 22. Hilary Kellar-Parsons added 8, Ali Griffiths 8, Lindsay Vanderloop 5, Sarah Howlett 2 and Rachel Oosterhuis 2. Medway led 14-10 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 23 at the half and Orillia led 38-36 after three-quarters. Balanced scoring and a “bit of luck” proved the difference, said Blues coach Andy Power. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks defeated the Etobicoke Martingrove Bears 44-33 as Amanda Anderson scored 13, Jacqueline Letourneau 9, Andrea Taffeiren 8, Laura Corrente 5, Chrissy Martin 5 and Nickole Jones 4. Tania Walters paced Martingrove with 14. Suzanne Rodger added 6, Karen Russell 4, Erin Brittain 3, Aniesha Coach 2, Sophie Carette 2 and Jelena Sparavalo 2. The score was tied at 14 after one quarter. The Golden Hawks led 22-21 at the half and 29-24 after three quarters. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers crushed the Toronto Eastern Commerce Lady Saints 59-42 as Lisa Furchner scored 36, Amanda McDonald 15, Sammi Garofolo 4, Miranda Lehto 3 and Stevie Pitre 1. Vanessa Kabonga paced the Lady Saints with 15. Lindsay Wagner added 10, Nathalie Castillo 9, Tameecka Osbourne 6 and Sainne Carvey 2. Lasalle led 15-13, 31-22 and 44-34 at the quarters.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded St. Catherine’s Governor Simcoe Redcoats edged the Brantford Assumption Lions 51-48 as Sam Scull scored 26, Sam Maingot 11, Maggie Scull 8 and L.B. Brown 6. Kailey Dzikowski paced Assumption (coached by Dennis Kings, assisted by Gary Dorsey, Angie Fericcoili, Jennifer Kings and Jennifer Rousseau) with 12. Jesse Sullivan added 11, Hailey Milligan 10, Nicole Vandermade 9, Olivia Ellins 3 and Ali Dzikowski 3, while Karrissa Sullivan, Chrissy Loder, Stephanie Campbell, Stephanie Smiley, Hailey Millington, Anna Piechuta, Stephanie Hall, Sam Squire and Cayla Hiscock were scoreless. The score was knotted at 12 after one quarter. Assumption led 25-21 at the half. Simcoe led 38-34 after three quarters. Look out Annika Sorenstam. Brantford Assumption forward Nicole Vandermade is nothing less than a scratch golfer, in grade nine, in a scant four years since taking up game, almost by accident, when her father needed someone to fill out a foursome. Best score? 69. Regular score? “One or two over.” The trick? “There’s no secret, just hit the ball up the middle.” Vandermade’s long-term goal is an NCAA golf scholarship and an LPGA tour card. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Burlington Nelson Lords dumped the Unionville St. Augustine Titans 54-34 as Alanna Veerman scored 10, Lindsay Bokor 9, Joanne McNeice 8, Natalie Stacey 6, Erin Rideout 6, Alaina Porter 5, Carly Bokor 5, Christine Foster 5 and Cassie Bryans 2. Julie Giantsopoulos and Jessica Ridding each scored 10 to pace the Titans (coached by Michael Rooney). Lydia Kwan added 8, Natalie Forster 3, Courtney Toner 2, Hailey Toner 1 and Carmen Law 1, while Cshandrika Hutson was scoreless. …………………………………………………… The Orillia District Blues dumped the Ottawa Colonel By Cougars 58-45 as Amy Town scored 16, Becky Broderick 13, Kristi Town 11, Sam Hislop 9, Rylea Bromely 5 and Kathleen Dykes 3. Jenny Allen paced the Cougars (coached by Aaron Leach, assisted by Anthony Carter) with 13. Emily Yaegar added 8, Allyson Hill 7, Lauryn Coles 6, Erin Robbins 5, Flavia Sendi-Mukasa 5 and Catherine Gulliver 2, while Josie Vanderkamp-Merritt, Kim Fritz, Erin Andrews, Kristin Billey and Megan Moncrief were scoreless. The Blues led 18-10, 33-30 and 45-42 at the quarters. Colonel By struggled to handle Orillia’s full-court pressure and appeared prone to unforced turnovers as they fell behind 16-5 against Orillia. But coach Aaron Leach inserted reserve Allyson Hill as a ballhandler and the Cougars gamely rallied back to within 33-30 at the half on a series of slashing layups by Jenny Allen and Emily Yeager. The Cougars knotted the score at 34 early in the second half before Blues forward Becky Broderick went to work, hitting a series of tough buckets in the low post as Orillia regained a 47-45 lead with six minutes to play. But a horrible officiating call against Kristin Billey –involving a blocked shot in which she clearly got all ball – appeared to thoroughly deflate the Cougars, allowing Orillia to close out the match with an 11-0 run. “We kept our composure,” Broderick told the Ottawa Citizen. “Our game is defence. We have a couple different ones that we can throw in and we have a pretty academic team, so we can grasp the different concepts, and our changing defences helped today.” Colonel By centre Emily Yeager said the Cougars were hobbled by their slow start. “I guess our heads weren’t in it at the beginning. But we fought back and we’re proud of that.” Leach said his troops wore down after expelling so much energy during the rally. “The tank just ran dry at the end.” …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Chatham Kent Golden Hawks whipped the Toronto Eastern Commerce Lady Saints 64-43 as Chrissy Martin scored 21, Amanda Anderson 13, Jacqueline Letourneau 11, Nickole Jones 7, Andrea Taffeiren 6, Laura Cobb 2, Laura Corrente 2 and Sam Watters 2. Vanessa Kabonga paced Eastern Commerce (coached by Kareem Griffinen, assisted by Delize Phillips, Jermaine Small and Patrick Grant) with 18. Nathalie Castillo added 11, Lindsay Wagner 6, Tameecka Osbourne 6 and Sainne Carvey 2, while Ange Mbikay, Danielle Myers-Cooper, Kim Tamar, Mariesha Williams, Jody Brown and Shar-Dey Phipps-Walker were scoreless. The Golden Hawks led 16-12, 36-21 and 51-34 at the quarters. …………………………………………………… The Orleans St. Peter Knights thrashed the Toronto Havergal Havergators 69-27 as Courtnay Pilypaitis scored 26, Shauna Kent 14, Kelly Stevens 11, Stephanie MacDonald 8, Kristen Stevens 5, Caitlin Lahey 3 and Tania Gomes 2. Erin Hoener paced Havergal (coached by Joy McNichol) with 13. Michelle Dowling added 8, Mary McNeill 4 and Lisa Cronin 2, while Christian Carinci, Andrea Lam, Christine Linton, Sarah Macchione, Shannon Murphy, Dasha Peregoudova, Mira Singh, Meredith Ward and Erin Wise were scoreless. St. Peter dismantled Havergal with a breathtaking display of team defence and a spellbinding performance by point guard Courtnay Pilypaitis, who scored 26 points, grabbed at least a dozen rebounds and dished an equal number of assists. Pilypaitis drilled a pair of jumpers as the Knights exploded to an early 11-2 lead and then extended their edge to 29-14 at the half on aggressive offensive rebounding by Stephanie Macdonald and impeccable defensive rotations that left the Gators reeling in confusion. The Knights opened the second half with an 11-0 run as Pilypaitis threaded the needle with precision passes upcourt to generate transition buckets and then buried the Gators with a pair of three-pointers that extended the margin to 34. “We knew that if we didn’t play good half-court defence, we’d be in trouble here, so we’ve been focusing a lot on that in practice and it showed today,” Pilypaitis told the Ottawa Citizen. Macdonald said the Knights defensive prowess was a direct reflection of their hustle. “We just never gave up and worked hard.” Havergal coach Joy McNichol noted Pilypaitis was all but unstoppable. “She’s just a great player. She’s sees all the floor and it makes all the difference in the world. But it’s the other players too. Their fundamentals are solid. They play great help-side, and deny, and rotate the ball well and press full-court and capitalize on weaknesses. Our weaknesses came through clearly in this game.” Coach Mario Gaetano said the Knight’s focus was exemplary. “I only counted two mental lapses in the first-half where we didn’t rotate properly on defence, or not early enough. We’re communicating really well. We just have to keep this up.” …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Whitby Father Leo Austin Wildcats waxed the Belleville Quinte Saints 63-50 as Kauri Lafontaine scored 13, Ashley Bannister 11, Tanisha Smith 10, Rachel Tremaine 10, Jessica Newton 6, Vanessa Loziuk 4, Andrea Loziuk 4, Ashlin Kelly 2, Jennifer Martin 2 and Amanda Perkins 2. Erin Williams and Meghan O’Coin each scored 6 to pace the Saints (coached by Maren Edgett, assisted by Tessa Forsey). Ashley Vos added 5, Jenn Scott 5, Jessica Ferguson 5, Mackenzie Denyes 2 and Angela Reddick 2, while Lyndsey Dolan, Elyse Cole, Megan Frech, Charlotte Chittenden and Kelly Robertson were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Kingston Holy Cross Crusaders dumped the London-Arva Medway Cowboys 47-28 as Alana Korczynski scored 13, Cassidy Shkimba 12, Annie Kingston 7, Nicole Shillington 7, Matteke Hutzler 6 and Kelsi Ball 2. Ali Griffiths led Medway (coached by John Michielsen, assisted by Leslie Petter) with 13. Nadine Paron added 11, Hilary Kellar-Parsons 3 and Elizabeth Kruger 1, while Lindsay Vanderloop, Sarah Howlett, Marsha Doucette, Amanda Elston, Rachel Oosterhuis and Kayla Knapp were scoreless. Medway led 13-9 after one quarter. Holy Cross led 23-15 at the half and 31-19 after three quarters. How’s that for a fine touch? Kingston Holy Cross centre Matteke Hutzler typically forays straight from the hardcourt to the studio, and generally misses practices one day a week because she’s in the final throes of completing her Grade Eight Conservatory piano lessons. “Unfortunately, my touch at the piano is better than my shooting (on the hardcourts),” quips Hutzler. “Piano is more of a classical thing. It’s not intense like basketball. It’s a proper kind of instrument.” Hutzler has been tickling the ivories at her Dutch-born mother’s insistence since the age of four, waking up every morning at 5:55 a.m. for piano practice. “I’d rather go play basketball,” she says. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers dumped the Etobicoke Martingrove Bears 47-34 as Lisa Furchner scored 21, Amanda McDonald 11, Sarah Lazarus 8 and Sammi Garofolo 7. Tania Walters paced the Bears (coached by Donna Chambers, assisted by Rick Rakosy and managed by Khaine Felix and Tamesha Grange) with 8. Karen Russell added 7, Sophie Carette 6, Erin Brittain 4, Jelena Sparavalo 5, Suzanne Rodger 3 and Tellesade Williams 2, while Aneisha Coach, Jennifer Greene, Danielle Morrison, Sarah Schreiner and Marie Carette were scoreless. Lasalle led 17-10, 23-14 and 38-29 at the quarters.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats whipped the 8th-seeded Burlington Nelson Lords 60-39 as Sam Scull scored 26, Katie Wilson 15, Maggie Scull 9, Sam Maingot 4, Liz Brown 3, Melissa Kenorick 2 and Maggie Dobosiewicz 1. Christine Foster paced the Lords (coached by Gordon McNeice, assisted by Jim MacKenzie and Allen Robinson) with 11. Alanna Veerman added 7, Lindsay Bokor 6, Alaina Porter 5, Cassie Bryans 4, Joanne McNeice 5 and Natalie Stacey 2, while Carly Bokor, Kara Hilton, Kailee Elliott, Kara Hilton, Erin Rideout, Jen Lyons and Alison Foster were scoreless. Simcoe’s twin towers of Sam Scull and Katie Wilson proved too much for 8th-seeded Burlington Nelson to handle as the Redcoats prevailed 60-39 by dominating the paint.
The 4th-seeded Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks whipped the Orillia District Blues 43-22 as Amanda Anderson scored 17, Andrea Taffeiren 8, Chrissy Martin 8, Jacqueline Letourneau 5, Laura Corrente 2, Nickole Jones 2 and Katrina Protopapaps 2. Samantha Hislop paced Orillia (coached by Andy Power, assisted by Jerrold Van Dyk and managed by Julie Castellani) with 15. Rylea Bromley added 2, Kristi Town 2, Amy Town 2 and Claire O’Dell 1, while Sarah Abedel-Razek, Becky Broderick, Kathleen Dykes, Aden Beresford, Rena Hogan and Katie Rose were scoreless. Who says coaches always know what they’re doing? Chatham-Kent Golden Hawk guard Amanda Anderson certainly has proof to the contrary. After being cut from the provincial juvenile team during tryouts last summer, a determined Anderson got into her car and drove to Toronto in a bid to make the cut at an even higher level, namely, the Canadian junior national team. Her determination and decision-making so impressed the national coaching staff that Anderson was selected to the unit that later forayed to Cuba and eventually helped Canada qualify for the 2005 world junior championships, the first time in a decade that the feat has been accomplished. “I never quit,” Anderson told the Ottawa Citizen. “I just keep working hard to get what I want. That’s what you have to do.”
The 6th-seeded Orleans St. Peter Knights defeated the 3rd-seeded Whitby Father Leo Austin Wildcats 60-58 as Courtnay Pilypaitis scored 27, Stephanie MacDonald 10, Tania Gomes 8, Shauna Kent 7, Kristen Stevens 5 and Kelly Stevens 3. Andrea Loziuk paced the Wildcats (coached by Heather Lafontaine) with 20. Kauri Lafontaine added 19, Ashley Bannister 11, Tanisha Smith 5, Amanda Perkins 2 and Vanessa Loziuk 1, while Alicia Del Fuoco, Ashlin King, Jessica Newton, Jennifer Martin, Amanda Perkins, Rachel Tremaine and Michelle Farrugia were scoreless. The Knights nipped the Wildcats in a classic barnburner during last night’s quarterfinals as point guard Courtnay Pilypaitis hit a three-pointer and a 17-foot jumper in the final 20 seconds of play. Despite being double or often tripled-teamed in the backcourt, Pilypaitis found the passing lanes to streaking Knights for transition buckets as St. Peter broke to a 16-4 lead. But the Wildcats began paying attention to their defensive transitions and clawed back to within 31-30 at the half on exceptional perimeter shooting by Jessica Newton and Ashley Bannister. Kauri Lafontaine drilled a pair from beyond the arc as Whitby took a 46-35 lead early in the second half. But Pilypaitis refused to quit. She drove the baseline for five buckets, hit five free throws and forced four turnovers as St. Peter rallied back to within 58-55 with under a minute to play and then hammered a three-pointer with 20 seconds to play and a 17-footer with 2.1 seconds on the clock as St. Peter pulled out the improbable win. “I didn’t want to lose again in the quarterfinals,” Pilypaitis told the Ottawa Citizen. “That didn’t sit well with me last year. So I really wanted this one.”
In the last quarterfinal, the 7th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers nipped the 2nd-seeded Kingston Holy Cross Crusaders 38-37 as Amanda McDonald scored 14, Lisa Furchner 10, Sammi Garofolo 6, Sarah Lazarus 3, Carley Blaseg 2 and Stevie Pitre 1. Annie Kingston led Holy Cross (coached by Kelly Dixon, assisted by Alfie De Melo and managed by Tina Melo and Kaitlyn Lackie) with 12 on 9-20 from the line. Cassidy Shkimba added 8, Matteke Hutzler 6, Alana Korczynski 5, Jordan Chambers 4 and Kelsi Ball 2, while Emily Mahoney, Katherine Van Vlack, Nicole Shillington, Janelle Taylor, Katelynn Running, Ashley Murphy and Erica Gibbs were scoreless. The Crusaders were undone by a lethargic star, subpar foul shooting and a poor outing from star guard Alana Korczynski, who picked up three quick fouls in the first quarter and fouled out in the fourth. The Lancers led 10-0 at the start and 17-9 after one quarter. “We didn’t show up at the beginning, only this time [the sluggish start] came against a good team,” Crusaders coach Kelly Dixon told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “It’s hard enough to play and compete at this level, but to do it without your top player … it’s awfully tough. Alana played very little.” Trailing by three with two minutes to play, Crusader Cassidy Shkimba nailed a trey to knot the score at 51. The Lancers drilled a bucket but Matteke Hutzler answered with a pair of free throws. Crusader Nicole Shillington went to the line with 12 seconds remaining, but missed and fouled Lancer Amanda McDonald on the rebound. McDonald hit 1-2 free throws. Shillington found Kingston on a long pass up court with 2 seconds to play but her off-balance shot caromed off the glass and rim before spinning out. “We had a chance to win it, but it really hurt us not having Alana,” added Dixon. “She meant so much to this team this year.”
In the semi-finals, the 4th-seeded Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks upset the top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats 54-52 in double overtime as Amanda Anderson scored 19, Jacqueline Letourneau 14, Chrissy Martin 11, Andrea Taffeiren 5 and Nickole Jones 5. Sam Scull paced the Redcoats with 26. Maggie Scull added 10, Sam Maingot 9, Katie Wilson 4 and Liz Brown 3. Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks scored a phenomenal 12 three-pointers as they stunned Governor Simcoe in double-overtime on a buzzer-beating putback rebound by Nickole Jones. Simcoe’s superior height proved an enormous asset as they systematically dissected the Golden Hawks passive zone with high-low sets and completely dictated the tempo, while repeatedly pounding the ball into the blocks to 6-3 Sam Scull to take a 27-21 lead at the half. But the undersized Golden Hawks rallied to notch the score at 40 with under a minute to play on the three-point shooting of Anderson and Martin and then forced a Redcoat turnover with 18.9 seconds on clock but missed a trio of open looks to win it in regulation. The score was knotted at 46 after the first overtime as jitters struck both squads before Anderson and Jacqueline Letourneau drilled three-pointers in double-overtime and then won it after forcing a turnover with 3.2 seconds left to play, setting the stage for a long pitch downcourt to a streaking Anderson for a layup. Although she missed, Jones was in perfect position for the winner.
In the other semi, the 6th-seeded Orleans St. Peter Knights edged the 7th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers 31-28 as Stephanie MacDonald scored 12, Tania Gomes 8, Courtnay Pilypaitis 6, Shauna Kent 3 and Kristen Stevens 2. Lisa Furchner paced the Lancers with 11. Jaki Mitchinson added 9, Amanda McDonald 6 and Sammi Garofolo 2. St. Peter prevailed in a tight defensive halfcourt war. The Knights broke to an early 15-5 lead as Stephanie Macdonald hit four layups, including a pair off offensive rebounds and a pair off fastbreak feeds from Pilypaitis before LaSalle rallied to within 18-15 at the half by patiently moving the ball to find the open mid-range jumper. Both squad’s half-court defence was exceptional as St. Peter rebuilt a 30-20 lead with five minutes to play. Yet, the prospect of winning appeared to temporarily rattle the Knights as they committed a series of unforced turnovers, allowing the Lancers to respond with eight unanswered before Shauna Kent iced it with a free throw with 6.5 seconds to play. Kent told the Ottawa Citizen that the win was a function of defensive rotations. “We all worked really hard on our help-side defence and made sure we put pressure on the ball.” Senior Tania Gomes added that the Knights all but willed the win with their determination to make the final. “We wanted this really bad. This is like a dream come true.” Lasalle coach Jen Bourget told the Sudbury Star that the loss was a “tough one to swallow. We didn’t have a good game and came out flat and that’s not typical of our team. We struggled to score and were trailing all game. We made a surge in the last five minutes to make it close, then had the ball down only three points with 6.5 seconds left but we missed the shot. They only scored 31. We held their best player to only six points and played good defence. If you have told me we could keep them that low and not win, I wouldn’t believe it. We struggled offensively and our defensive rotation was non-existent. We probably gave up 10 points on uncontested layups and that’ something we never give up. We tried to keep making changes and trying to get something going but we just didn’t have it that game.”
In the bronze medal match, the St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats whipped the Sudbury Lasalle Lancers 51-25 as Sam Scull scored 25, Katie Wilson 19, L.B. Brown 5 and Maggie Scull 2. Lisa Furchner paced the Lancers (coached by Jennifer Bourget, assisted by Chris Binks and managed by Aurora Labre) with 10. Amanda McDonald added 8, Carley Blaseg 3, Jenn King 3 and Ashlee Faubert 1, while Steve Pitre, Julie Labre, Sarah Lazarus, Miranda Lehto, Sammi Garofolo, Jaki Mitchinson, Erin Whittal and Tess Matthews were scoreless. Governor Simcoe led 13-10, 28-14 and 44-21 at the quarters. The Redcoats power game proved too problematic for Lasalle as Governor Simcoe doubled-up the Lancers 28-14 by repeatedly pounding the ball to 6-3 Sam Scull and 6-2 Katie Wilson in the blocks for low post buckets. It was a whole lot more of the same in the second half as the disciplined Redcoats continued to dominate the paint, extended their margin to as many as 28 and coasted to the bronze medal. “We just came up against a better team,” Lancers coach Jen Bourget told the Sudbury Star. “They were the No. 1 seeded and we just couldn’t’ stop them. They have giants on that team and when they went into a zone defence, it was hard to find a seam. The girls never gave up and tried their hardest but it just didn’t happen.”
In the final, the 4th-seeded Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks crushed the 6th-seeded Orleans St. Peter Knights 54-24 as Chrissy Martin scored 20, Jacqueline Letourneau 14, Amanda Anderson 8, Andrea Taffeiren 8, Laura Cobb 2, Katrina Protopapas 1 and Terra Mark 1. Courtnay Pilypaitis and Shauna Kent each scored 9 to lead the Knights. Kelly Stevens added 3, Kristen Stevens 2 and Stephanie MacDonald 1. The Golden Hawks led 11-7, 26-16 and 32-19 at the quarters. Tournament annals rarely record the sublime accomplishments of a single player. They should. Through four rounds of play, Chatham-Kent point guard Amanda Anderson and St. Peter playmaker Courtnay Pilypaitis basically put their teams on their backs and carried them into the final. Did either have enough gas left in the tank for one last spellbinding performance? Turns out it was Anderson, who delivered a breathtaking gem as the 4th-seeded Golden Hawks swamped the 6th-seeded Knights 54-24 to capture their school’s first championship in the 30-year history of Triple-A OFSAA tournaments. “This means a lot to us,” Anderson told the Ottawa Citizen. “We’ve never won anything like this and we just wanted it so bad. We just came out and played our game. I knew we had to come out hard because they’re a very good team and we were determined right from the start.” The Knights looked tentative in their halfcourt offensive sets and unwilling to close out perimeter shooters as Chatham-Kent built a 26-16 lead at the half Anderson put on a clinic on the value of the penetration-dribble-and-pitch. She repeatedly knifed into the lane and dished the ball to open Golden Hawk shooters, particularly Chrissy Martin, who drilled 12 points in the first half. It was a whole lot more of the same in the second half as the shell-shocked Knights relinquished a 15-0 run and never threatened. “We were a little tired,” said Pilypaitis. “But we didn’t do it on defence and that’s what won us games all year. We lost a tough one but we’ll come back next year and hopefully we’ll win.” If anyone had told the Knights they’d win an OFSAA silver medal at the start of the season, Pilypaitis said there’s no question how they’d have responded. “I’ll take it. …This will just make us want (a gold medal) all that much more next year.”
The bronze medalist St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats: Sam Scull; Maggie Scull; L.B. Brown; Sam Maingot; Jayme Toms; Melissa Kenorick; Liz Brown; Robyn Beamer; Victoria Ransberry; Erin McGilvray; Carina Rodgers; Maggie Dobosiewicz; Katie Wilson; coach John Dakin; assistant Alexis Heit; manager Douglas Dakin
The silver medalist Orleans St. Peter Knights: Courtnay Pilypaitis; Shauna Kent; Stephanie MacDonald; Kristen Stevens; Kelly Stevens; Tania Gomes; Caitlin Lahey; Stefanie Mackie; coach Mario Gaetano; assistant Sheila Kerwin
The gold medalist Chatham-Kent SS Golden Hawks: Amanda Anderson; Chrissy martin; Jacqueline Letourneau; Andrea Taffeiren; Laura Cobb; Laura Corrente; Nickole Jones; Sam Watters; Katrina Protopapas; Terra Mark; Ilona Vandereijden; coach John Corrente; assistant Dave Driscoll; manager Clair Goulden; manager Julia Corrente