In the opening round, held in St. Catharines: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded host St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats thrashed the Sudbury Lockerby Vikings 48-18. Senior forward Lauren Buschmann led the way with 20 points, six rebounds and four steals, Sam De Jong added 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Off the bench Arielle O’Neill added five steals and three assists. Simcoe shot 18-39 (.460) from the floor. “It may have seemed like an easy game but it had good tempo and good flow,” Redcoats coach John Dakin said. His seniors agreed. “We were pumped up and we had Simcoe behind us so our lay ups went in,” guard Jessica Kilkenny said. “We were crisper in the first game, we got too cocky (in the last game),” said Kilkenny’s backcourt mate Brittany Beamer. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Aylmer East Elgin Eagles stomped the Toronto Havergal College Gators 60-25. East Elgin exploded on Havergal 26-4 in the first quarter and led 43-6 at the half. Sarah Twinem poured in 18 points, while Amber Irvine had 17 and Katie Knight 10. “We just played terrific,” said Eagles coach Chris Wismer. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Gloucester Louis Riel Rebelles defeated the Belleville Quinte Saints 60-48 as Kellie Ring scored 12 and Francesca Bellehumeur-Moya 13. “The difference was our full-court pressure,” Rebelles coach Andre Desjardins told the Ottawa Citizen. “We went up 25 and then I drew back the press because we’re short bodies (starter Kristy McGregor-Bales has a knee injury while two reserves are attending the North American age group soccer championships in Florida with the Ottawa Fury). We got a little lazy, but in the last six minutes we went full-court again and kept it at 12.” …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Kingston Regiopolis-Notre Dame Panthers edged the Whitby Donald A. Wilson Gators 52-46. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles clipped the Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Blues 48-22. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Crusaders dumped the Toronto York Memorial Mustangs 59-43. …………………………………………………… The Niagara Falls St. Paul Catholic Patriots stunned the 4th-seeded Sarnia St. Christopher Catholic Cyclones 40-35. Though Saint Paul was led on the scoreboard by Nicole Rosenkranz with 18 points, it was a pair of foul shots and a clutch basket from under the net by Natalie Thomson in overtime that ultimately decided the win. With 2:15 left in overtime, Thomson missed two shots from in close, but in both games, she recovered her own rebounds. The third try was a charm and the basket gave Saint Paul a 37-35 lead. “I was just thinking jump, jump, jump because my teammates always bug me that I don’t jump enough,” said Thomson, who scored 13. “I was just thinking ‘come on, we need this’.” Adding to that were three more foul shots from Rachel Black and Katharine Theriault to secure the win. Saint Paul trailed 14-4 after the first quarter and 23-16 at the half, but closed the gap to 28-26 after three quarters. Rosenkranz hit two shots while falling to the floor in the final two minutes of regulation time that tied the game at 34-34 and sent it into overtime. “You never know what to expect,” said Thomson. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Toronto David and Mary Thomson Titans edged the Newmarket Dr. John M. Denison Huskies 52-46.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats clocked the Toronto Havergal College Gators 48-25. Even with limited playing time, Lauren Buschmann led the Redcoats in their second-round match with 12 points and five steals. Samantha De Jong added six points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 6-feet respectively, Buschmann and De Jong overpowered Havergal, a team that posted no player standing over 5-foot-11. The Redcoats shot 22-57 (.380). Veronic Kwinecki scored 7, Brittany Beamer 7, Mikayla Rosts 4, Marie Ingribelli 4, Jessica Kilkenny 4, Arielle O’Neill 2 and Emily De Silva Pigues 2. The Redcoats led 14-2, 28-7 and 40-14 at the quarters. Beamer told the St. Catharines Standard that “we were crisper in the first game. We got too cocky (in this one.” Redcoats coach John Dakin said that “it may have seemed like an easy game but it had good tempo and good flow. The Redcoats hit 22-57 from the floor, while garnering 30 boards, 9 assists and 10 turnovers. Cindy Zhou paced the Gagors with 10. Rachel Stephenson added 6, Julia Steegstra 6 and Devon johnson 3. The Gators hit 7-29 from the floor, while garnering 23 rebounds, 5 assists and 22 turnovers. …………………………………………………… The Belleville Quinte Saints upset the 8th-seeded Kingston Regiopolis-Notre Dame Panthers 38-32. The Panthers (coached by Pat Glancey, assisted by Colleen Glancey Cox) included Megan Hutcheson, Abbey Payne, Shauna Justinich, Ainslie McBride, Keshia Conway, Margaret Coffey, Ashley Blommestyn, Danielle Roman, Samantha Demers, Annie McNeely and Emily De Sousa. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Crusaders nipped the Orillia District Blues 54-43. …………………………………………………… The Niagara Falls St. Paul Catholic Patriots defeated the Newmarket Dr. John M. Denison Huskies 54-42. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Aylmer East Elgin Eagles stomped the Sudbury Lockerby Vikings 52-24. The Eagles were up 27-16 at the game’s mid-point. Amber Irvine scored 21, Sarah Twinem 11 and Katie Knight 10. Allison Deblaire had 10 rebounds. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Gloucester Louis-Riel Rebelles annihilated the Whitby Donald A. Wilson Gators 90-24. “The girls moved the ball and played and ran and defended unbelievably well,” said coach Andre Desjardins. “It was absolutely insane how well they played.” Francesca Bellehumeur-Moya paced Riel with 28. Micaella Riche added 24 and Kellie Ring 19, along with 14 boards. The Rebelles played without starter Kristy McGregor-Bales (knee injury) and two reserves who were attending soccer camp. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles whipped the Toronto York Memorial Mustangs 57-32. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Sarnia St. Christopher Catholic Cyclones nipped the 7th-seeded Toronto David and Mary Thomson Titans 42-41. The Titans (coached by Bryan Pardo) included Daniella Korras, Jasmine Harris, Kayla Grossett, Renelle Richmond, Sally Abudiab, Danica Ricamara, Janiece Parker, Genel Ellis, Ashley Tappin and Meleisa Llewellyn.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats stomped the Belleville Quinte Saints 43-24.
The Niagara Falls St. Paul Catholic Patriots knocked off the 5th-seeded Hamilton St. Mary Crusaders 44-42 on two game-winning foul shots from Nicole Rosenkranz with 1.6 seconds left on the clock. The Crusaders (coached by Rich Wesolowski, assisted by Jesse Lamparski and Lora te Boekhorst) included Emily Hanaka, Andrea Vanderlaan, Hillary Johnson, Dana Bentzen-Bilkvist, Jenna Bugiardini, Mikaila Nederveen, Lucy Reid, Vanessa Bonomo, Lauren O’Grady, April Coyne, Colleen Daly and Ashley Randall.
The 3rd-seeded Gloucester Louis Riel Rebelles defeated the 6th-seeded Aylmer East Elgin Eagles 57-50 as Micaella Riche scored 23, Francesca Bellehumeur-Moya 13, Idill Hussein 10 and Emilie Vachon 8. “It was a bit of a slugfest. It was an extremely physical game,” Rebelles coach Andre Desjardins told the Ottawa Citizen. “But the girls pulled it out. They stayed composed and calm at the end and played fantastic.” Riel led 24-23 at the half. Sarah Twinem had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles. The Eagles (coached by Chris Wismer, assisted by Marie Fitzgerald and Sean Beilhartz) also included Rachel Smith, Katie Knight, Allison Deblaire, Amber Irvine, Leanne McCurdy, Laura Twinem, Maggy Doan, Tessa Krieger and Kandice Cross.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles edged the 4th-seeded Sarnia St. Christopher Catholic Cyclones 57-54. Kelly VanLeeuwen led the Green Eagles with 21. Kayla Santilli added 13 and Andrea Plishchuk 8. The Cyclones (coached by Ed Dragan, assisted by Jacqueline Matthews) included Sia Athanasopoulos, Jennifer Spinozzi, Hayley Ewener, Chrissy McEwan, Tess Petronski, Jen Rogers, Kelsey McEwan, Vanessa Ladanchuk, Kylie Williams, Melissa Rondinelli and Aliah McArdle.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles dumped the 3rd-seeded Gloucester Louis Riel Rebelles 54-41. The Rebelles dug themselves an early hole, trailing 36-22 at the half, and were never able to recover. Micaella Riche paced Riel with 22. “We ran out of gas,” Rebels coach Andre Desjardins told the Ottawa Citizen. The Rebels were without starter Kristy McGregor-Bales (ligament) and 2 reserves who are attending soccer camp. “We were just tired. We couldn’t knock down any shots. The legs were dead.” “We played a really solid team,” Green Eagles coach Steve VanLeeuwen said. “They have four provincial team players. Our girls just had a will to win today. … They were unselfish and they played smart.” Kelly VanLeeuwen, Kayla Santilli and Andrea Polischuk each scored 13 to lead the Green Eagles.
In the other semi, the top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats whipped the Niagara Falls St. Paul Catholic Patriots 46-22. The Redcoats defence proved the difference from the start. They opened with a 9-0 run before the Pats scored their first basket and led 11-2 after the first quarter. And although Julia Ciccarelli nailed a three-pointer for St. Paul to open the second quarter, another 9-0 run helped lead to a 25-11 halftime lead and, ultimately, game over. “We’re a good defensive team and we play well,” said Redcoats guard Brittany Beamer, who nailed a couple of well-times threes early in the third quarter to help salt the game away, told the St. Catharines Standard. “We stress defence a lot in practice and in games,” added Lauren Buschmann, who scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, 12 off the offensive boards. Coach John Dakin isn’t surprised, but rather pleased the No. 1 seeds at this tournament have continued their stingy defensive play. “I preached this from the first day,” he said. “I believe it’s defence and rebounding. We should be able to score — some teams give us more difficulty than others scoring — but we can usually score enough. And our defence has been consistent all year, whether we’ve played zone or (man-to-man), and it’s been a lot of each.” Dakin said the key to winning against the better teams is to not give them the second shot. The Pats didn’t get too many second shots. Star player Nicole Rosenkranz, who netted 15 points, was frustrated first by Jessica Kilkenny, then by Arielle O’Neill when Kilkenny ran into a bit of foul trouble. “It’s a tough way to play, but she’s so dominant you can’t let her play the game or she’s going to score a lot of points against you.” The Rosenkranz-vs.-Buschmann battle under the Patriots basket was a fun to watch all night, with each player taking her shots and giving them out as well. On the offensive side, the Redcoats also got 13 points by Beamer, the only other Simcoe player in double figures. But that was enough, Patriots head coach Carm DeMizio said. “They had too many weapons. They have the two big girls (Buschmann and Sam De Jong) down low and we have one (Rosenkranz). And when we stop them down low, they hit from outside. It’s very difficult.”
In the bronze medal match, the Niagara Falls St. Paul Catholic Patriots knocked off the 3rd-seeded Gloucester Louis Riel Rebelles 56-49. The Rebelles led 27-24 at the half but faltered badly as they tired down the stretch, said coach Andre Desjardins. “It was a rough game,” and after star post Micaella Riche picked up three fouls in the first quarter, the Rebelles had difficulty handling “unorthodox” Patriots centre Nicole Rosenkratz, who scored 30. “We had a lot of open shots but we just didn’t make them. Tired legs make for bad shooting,” Desjardins told the Ottawa Citizen. Patriots co-coach Carmen DeMizio said “we had an incredible run. I think what we did was really develop the team concept and the girls bought into it.” DeMizio added that his troops “started to believe in themselves” after they’d knocked off Sarnia St. Christopher in the opening round. The Patriots rallied from a 27-24 halftime deficit to pull out the win. They led 10-6 after the first quarter and trailed by three at the half and by five after three quarters. But a 23-point third quarter – Saint Paul’s best offensive quarter of the tournament by far – gave the Patriots the seven-point win. “Their big girl fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter and we took advantage of our size. When they tried to double and triple team Nicole, she would dish it off to Natalie (Thomson),” DeMizio said. Rosenkranz finished the game with 27 points while Thomson finished with 24. “Needless to say, I was ecstatic,” said DeMizio. “It was a fantastic season. After each practice we would meet at the middle of the gym and our goal was OFSAA. Once we got to OFSAA, our goal was to medal. They gave it their all.” Nicole Rosenkranz led the Patriots with 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a couple of blocks. Rosenkranz spent almost as much time off her feet as she did on them during the game, taking many hard hits and drawing a good deal of the Rebelles’ 53 fouls. “My legs give out on me and I’m just klutzy, so I’m on the floor a lot,” Rosenkranz deadpanned after the game. Still, she felt the Patriots had something to prove, gaining an OFSAA berth because Simcoe was the tournament host and St. Paul was the Zone 3 champion. “It’s not always the best teams who come to OFSAA,” she said. “We were the only unranked team to make it to the second round, so that’s just amazing.” Rosenkranz was so dominant, she even drew a late-game foul while falling to the floor. On her way to a horizontal position, she stripped a Rebelles’ player of the ball and passed to teammate Natalie Thomson, who then drew a foul that sent Riel’s best player, Micaella Riche, to the sidelines with her fifth of the game. “Nicole was just phenomenal,” said coach Carm DeMizion. “She took the big girl out of her game (she still finished with 15 points), got her into foul trouble and that was the difference. I can’t say enough about the seniors. I told them it was their last game and, for some of them, the last time they would step on a basketball court. “I said to leave everything on the floor and they did.” Thomson added 24 points and 11 rebounds. Emilie Vachon and Micaella Riche each scored 15 for Riel, which shot 23-72 (.320), while St. Paul was 19-45 (.420). Idill Hussein added 10. Riel was 0-15 from the arc, while St. Paul was 0-3. Riel shot 5-7 (.710) from the line, while the Patriots were 18-28 (.640). Riel outrebounded St. Paul 34-32. The Rebelles had 3 blocks and the Patriots 2. St. Paul led 10-6 after one quarter. Riel led 27-24 at the half and 38-33 after three quarters. The Rebelles (coached by Desjardins, assisted by Carrie Polomark) also included Kristy McGregor-Bales, Kaitlyn Bourgon, Virginie Giorgetti, Kellie Ring, Francesca Bellehumeur-Moya, Brianna Smith and Josée Descoeurs.
In the final, the top-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats dumped the 2nd-seeded Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles 33-18. It was the Redcoats’ third OFSAA win in six years and second in three years after finishing fourth last season. They held the Eagles to a solitary single point on a free throw in the third quarter and six points overall in the second half. And Lauren Buschmann, their big offensive threat, turned to defence when her shots wouldn’t fall, picking up 18 rebounds (12 defensive) and blocking four shots while being held to two points. “We just focused on defence, which is a huge focus for us,” University of Vermont-bound Buschmann, told the St. Catharines Standard. “Eighteen points? That’s unbelievable.” Buschmann was just 1-5 from the field while the Redcoats were 13-27 (.480) as a team, but hauled down 31 rebounds. “I wasn’t making my shots, so I figured I’d get the rebound and get it to the players who were,” she said. “It was a little frustrating, but our guards hit some key threes and Sam (De Jong) played an amazing game.” De Jong, Buschmann’s fellow twin tower, ended up on the receiving end of many of those rebounds, pulling down nine and collecting a game-high 13 points, with a couple of more blocks thrown in. “We just played incredible defence,” she said. “We couldn’t ask for more. Everyone pitched in and Lauren and I were good on the blocks.” While Buschmann and De Jong took care of the inside against the smaller, quicker Eagles, the guards certainly did their part. Emily DeSilva-Piques hit a three-pointer on the first shot of the game to help show the Redcoats could spread their scoring around. “When Emily DeSilva- Piques, a Grade 10, drills a three at the start of the game…. For a kid to even want to take that shot is amazing,” Redcoats coach John Dakin said. “Then to hit it with nothing but net….” The Eagles came in as one of the better shooting teams in the tournament, but were just 7-39 (.180) and managed just 10 rebounds. “We couldn’t put it in the ocean,” said Eagles coach Steve Van Leeuwen. “Credit to them for the way they defended us — they crowded our penetration and stopped Kelly (Van Leeuwen) from penetrating and getting through the key to make some things happen. But they were giving us the jump shot and you gotta knock it down.” The Eagles, with just one Grade 12 player, needed that running game and were denied. It was obvious the Redcoats did their homework. “Larry Miller scouted them and broke down the game for us,” Dakin said. “We knew they had some really quality scorers, so we were trying to limit them and keep Sam and Lauren in the key so they couldn’t get an easy look.” It worked to perfection. “We found their three best players, put our defenders on them and shut them down,” De Jong added. “We were only looking for good shots, the ones we could make for sure,” Brittany Beamer said of the Redcoats offence. Dakin said a couple of weeks back the Redcoats hadn’t yet played a perfect game. He admitted Saturday’s effort was pretty close. “They were amazing. Sometimes, there were some little cracks in the armour, but the next possession they would pull it together.” Buschmann finished with two points, 18 rebounds and four blocks. Sam DeJong scored 13 points and nabbed nine rebounds. Emily DeSilva-Piques added 8, Jessica Kilkenny 7, and Brittany Beamer 3. Kelly Van Leeuwen led the Green Eagles with 7. Erika Polidori added 5, Arielle Mendoza and Devon Rizzo 3. Simcoe shot 13-27 (.480) from the floor and 3-7 (.430) from the arc. St. John’s shot 7-39 (.180) from the floor and 2-6 from the arc. Simcoe outrebounded St. John’s 31-10. Simcoe led 104, 20-11 and 27-12 at the quarters.
The bronze medalist Niagara Falls St. Paul Catholic Patriots: Nicole Rosenkratz; Natalie Thomson; Rachel Black; Samantha Fillippelli; Julianna Ciccarelli; Kristen Baldinelli; Taylor Good; Katherine Theriault; Tanya Paladino; Lauren McKinty; coach Carmen DeMizio; coach Jennifer Benoit
The silver medalist Brantford St. John’s Green Eagles: Lisa Bijman; Kaitlyn Dawson; Kelly Van Leeuwen; Erika Polidori; Natasha Barsony; Arielle Mendoza; Andrea Polischuk; Devon Rizzo; Kayla Santilli; Meghan Telfer; Sydney Whelan; coach Steve Van Leeuwen; assistant Gina Tarantello; assistant Matt Lynch
The gold medalist St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats: Samantha De Jong; Brittany Beamer; Jessica Kilkenny; Lauren Buschmann; Arielle O’Neill; Veronika Kwinecki; Mikayla Rosts; Emily De Silva Picques; Kathleen Flynn; Sonja Vukovic; Marie Ingribelli; coach John Dakin; assistant Jill Stiefelmeyer