In the opening round, held in Kingston: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders dusted the 11th-seeded Huntsville Hoyas 76-29 after leading 26-8, 45-17 and 60-20 at the quarters. Christina Buttenham paced the Crusaders with 21. Brooke Walker led the Hoyas with 9. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings clipped the 16th-seeded Toronto Havergal Gators 45-14 after leading 10-3, 31-7 and 35-11 at the quarters. Cassidy Crowe paced the Vikings with 13. Flora Hey led the Gators with 6. ……………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Kingston Holy Cross Crusaders stomped the 9th-seeded Lindsay Spartans 54-17 after leading 16-6, 35-10 and 51-11 at the quarters. Sarah Besselink led the Crusaders with 17. Haley Gourdier added 10. Meredith McLeod paced Lindsay with 12. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded London Catholic Central Crusaders dumped the 14th-seeded Whitby Anderson Raiders 42-27 after leading 15-2, 24-4 and 34-13 at the quarters. Salem Mokennen paced the Crusaders with 14. Hellen Dumbaya and Bailey McLeish each scored 6 to pace the Raiders. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders whipped the 12th-seeded Toronto Humberside Huskies 46-21 after leading 11-8, 27-10 and 36-15 at the quarters. Vanessa Rampado led the Marauders with 14. Sara Fassil led the Huskies with 9. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Brantford North Park Trojans edged the 15th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints 46-40 after leading 11-4, 21-9 and 33-24 at the quarters. “The girls were nervous in the first half. They settle down in the second half,” said Saints coach Jim Pedatella. “We had a good talk at half time and the girls responded well. We just ran out of time.” Cassie Fletcher led the Trojans with 10. Courtney White paced the Saints with 12. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs dumped the 10th-seeded Brockville Thousand Islands Pirates 39-29 after leading 13-6, 21-16 and 31-20 at the quarters. Loysha Morris led the Mustangs with 9. Emily Peters paced the Pirates with 7. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Gloucester Louis Riel Rebelles stomped the 13th-seeded Newmarket Dr. John Denison Huskies 55-29 after leading 16-11, 29-15 and 40-23 at the quarters. Catherine Traer and Noemi Bellehumeur-Moya each scored 13 to pace the Rebelles. Brie Rurak led the Huskies with 8.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders crushed the 16th-seeded Toronto Havergal Gators 65-11 after leading 25-2, 43-4 and 60-4 at the quarters. The Gators (coached by Fred Grannum, assisted by Sheila McNeil) included Alison Shamie, Jillian Quinn, Rebecca Quinn, Flora Hay, Sarah Caplice, Ali Woolley, Karen Leung, Madison Coville, Heather Sigurdson and Erin Caplice. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded London Catholic Central Crusaders dusted the 9th-seeded Lindsay Spartans 56-39 after leading 13-6, 28-16 and 41-27 at the quarters. Heather Grandy paced the Crusaders with 16. Meredith McLeod led the Spartans with 21. The Spartans (coached by Jeff Droppo, assisted by Scott McLeod, Ben McLeod and Dinna Droppo) also included Nicole Clarke, Christine Droppo, Hannah Ellis, Alexis Hamilton, Bailey Ryan, Melissa Anderson, Hillary Huffman, Cara Varahidis and Sydney Weeber. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Brantford North Park Trojans crushed the 12th-seeded Toronto Humberside Huskies 45-28. The Huskies led 10-9 after one quarter. The Trojans led 16-12 at the half and 29-17 after three quarters. L. Chapple led Trojan scorers. Sara Fassil paced the Huskies with 9. The Huskies (coached by Kate McPherson, assisted by Alvin Kisonas and Andrew Mancini) also included Katrina Darcel, Shannelle Ellis, Sophie Flitt, Bonnie Hsieh, Erika Kisonas, Maura Leslie, Emma Lynett, Audrey McNamara, Justina Melkis, Kameela Qadri, Ella Ratz, Ekram Suleman, Charlotte Tenszen and Rachel Vukovich. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs clipped the 13th-seeded Newmarket Dr. John Denison Huskies 54-35 after leading 12-9, 32-17 and 42-27 at the quarters. Lyosha Morris led the Mustangs with 15. Maria Gill paced the Huskies with 11. The Huskies (coached by Brent Evans, assisted by Chris Marshall and Kelly Pfenning) also included Tasha Bain, Hayley Combauluzier, Kylie Mawhinney, Erica Sexton, Taylor Stanojev, Alicia Todd, Emily Tinnes, Brie Rurak, Holly Von Gunten, Rachel Golding, Jessica Ferdousi and Rachel Malcove. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings defeated the 11th-seeded Huntsville Hoyas 44-35. The Vikings led 11-9 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 15 at the half. The Vikings led 23-17 after three quarters. Cassidy Crowe led the Vikings with 18. Christi Park paced the Hoyas with 20. The Hoyas (coached by Debi Austin, assisted by Ann Murat and Emma Fehr) also included Emily Philippe, Sarah May, Erin Connell, Maggie Atkins, Brooke Walker, Michelle Murat, Brittany McCoppen, Brooke Savich, Keeley Welauffer, Kaitlyn McManus, Taylor McManus and Sam Snowden. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Kingston Holy Cross Crusaders clocked the 14th-seeded Whitby Anderson Raiders 53-12 after leading 11-2, 31-4 and 38-11 at the quarters. Sarah Besselink and Jordyn Perrin each scored 13 to pace the Crusaders. Shelby Kralik added 11, including three treys. Sammy Gourdier notched 6. Bailey McLeish led the Raiders with 6. “Their defence was great, especially their perimeter defence,” Raiders coach Dean Hutchcroft told the Kingston Whig-Standard. Jordyn Perrin said the Crusaders “never get down. If one player gets down, the other 11 pick her up right away. If shots aren’t dropping, we’ve always got our defence to pick us up and get us going.” Hutchcroft said Perrin, who dished six assists and six steals, “had a treat game. … Her defensive pressure was outstanding.” Kralick said Perrin’s early steal set the tone. “Jo got everyone psyched with her aggressive defence. She got the fire going and gave us something to feed off.” Sarah Besselink said “we had to settle down and get used to (Anderson’s) zone defence.” The Raiders (coached by Dean Hutchcroft, assisted by Janet White) also included Meghan Bozinis, Corryn Richards, Helen Dumbuya, Lauren Hurst, Stephanie Irvine, Shannon Kennelly, Jennica Reader, Jennifer Sage, Zinet Wright, Stephanie Gates, Carly Steed, Alexandra Tushingham and Shantel Sinclair. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders crushed the 15th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Basil Saints 48-19 after leading 17-2, 23-11 and 35-11 at the quarters. Vanessa Rampado paced the Marauders with 15. Carley Bordin led the Saints with 5. The Saints (coached by Jim Pedatella, assisted by Melissa Stumpo and Matt Oliveira) also included Anna Stilin, Alyssa Dovigi, Kirsti McPhail, Courtney White, Anastasia Zagordo, Rhaelyn Gillespie, Tayler Spina and Ashley Tiberi. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Brockville Thousand Islands Pirates edged the 7th-seeded Gloucester Ecole Secondaire Publique Louis Riel Rebelles 38-34 after leading 12-8, 20-16 and 30-22 at the quarters. Emily Peters led the Pirates with 10. Catherine Traer paced the Rebelles with 14. The Rebelles (coached by Andres Desjardins, assisted by Francois Cholette and Sara Vincent-Campbell) also included Alexie Morin-Holland, Noemi Bellehumeur-Moya, Daphnee Michel, Deborah Agette-Chery, Valerie Simoncic, Amira Youssouf, Julia Dostaler, Ashley Beaudoin-Polacek, Vanessa Gilles and Andreanne Ennis.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders whipped the 8th-seeded London Catholic Central Crusaders 60-26 after leading 23-6, 41-11 and 51-17 at the quarters. Amira Giannattasio led St. Mary’s with 10. Yemurai Binda paced London Catholic Central with 12. Central Catholic, coached by Adriana Pompa, assisted by Mary Priamo and Katarina Bobanovic, also included Heather Grandy, Salem Mokennen, Amy Claire O’Donnell, Abigale Ouellette, Meghan Parsons, Sarah Parsons, Jordan Stapleford, Renee Whelan, Sydney Wyatt and Jacoby Skellet.
The 4th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs stomped the 5th-seeded Brantford North Park Trojans 51-24 after leading 9-7, 24-11 and 36-18 at the quarters. Telica Burton led the Mustangs with 17. Cassie Fletcher led the Trojans with 9. The Trojans (coached by Andrea Hawkins, assisted by Mark Baxter and Jackson Kingshott) also included Laura Chapple, Reo Roland, Jessica Grant, Allyson DeLorenzi, Allison Ballantyne, Haley Welsh, Kirsten Sowa, Lauren Tiller, Kyanna Wray, Abbey Sayles and Natasha Linnington.
The 6th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings edged the 3rd-seeded Kingston Holy Cross Crusaders 48-44. The Crusaders led 13-7 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 18 at the half. The Vikings led 37-33 after three quarters. “We’ve lost some in the quarterfinals before, but that one hurts,” emotional Crusaders coach Kelly Dixon said. “That one’s tough. It’s tough for the girls. … They’re devastated.” In the end, the Crusaders were hurt by early foul trouble and the bigger Vikings made them pay down low. Vikings coach John Thrasher said his troops poise proved the difference. “For them to play in their home gym three times is a hell of an advantage. For us to come out with this composure, I mean half our kids are in Grades 9 or 10. It was a great win for us, a great win. I’m very proud of them. They’re a wonderful bunch of kids.” None was better than six-foot-one Lauren Handy, who took control of an elite eight game in her Grade 9 year. Handy drained all five of her free throws and rebounded like a seasoned vet. Handy was the difference in a key third quarter, making all three of her shots to give the visitors a 37-33 lead. “I’m so proud of my team. I don’t think anybody could even understand,” Handy said. “Our team exceeded my expectations.” The Crusaders, meanwhile, couldn’t go best-on-best for long stretches because of foul trouble. Key players Sarah Besselink and Katie Chapman both had to sit for chunks of the game. Holy Cross got called for nine fouls in the first half; Northern just three. Even with so many calls going against them, the Crusaders had chances to get out of a hole. But when shots missed in the fourth quarter, the Vikings cleaned up the boards. “We’ve faced lots of big teams and that was the first time a big team has hurt us,” Dixon said. “We got in foul trouble. Normally, we do a good job with posts and size. We’ve played the best teams in the province and handled it. But (Friday) wasn’t our game against the size and we ended up with a lot of ticky-tack fouls at the beginning of the game that took Katie out of the game. She sat most of the first half. That hurt us a lot.” Though the teams were tied at 18-18 at halftime, momentum was on the Vikings’ side because of the Crusaders’ foul trouble and the fact the Sarnia squad erased an early 11-3 disadvantage. When the Vikings got to the line, they made 15-17 shots. Holy Cross was on the line only eight times, making six of the attempts. Despite the big gap at the charity stripe, the Crusaders shaved a seven-point lead down to two midway through the fourth quarter as their full-court pressure caused turnovers. Besselink’s poise and coolness down the stretch kept her team in the game. “The girls all came together (afterward) and that’s what they’ve got to remember,” Dixon said. “The one loss can’t take away everything they accomplished together as a team. They won four tournaments, upset some big teams and had a very consistent season. What we as a coaching staff are most proud of is, they didn’t quit. Every time Northern would go to the line and score an easy two, they didn’t quit. They came back, stole the ball or hit a shot. There was no quit in them. We told them ‘that’s a characteristic that you’re going to carry forward in your life that’s going to make you a better person’.” Lauren Handy and Christine Fleischer each scored 13 to pace the Vikings. Sarah Besselink led the Crusaders with 19. The Crusaders (coached by Kelly Dixon, assisted by Kelsie Ball and Julie Roantree) also included Olivia Reyers, Shelbey Kralik, Sammy Gourdier, Katie Champman, Haley Gourdier, Madison Norman, Julia Vidotto, Hannah Pho, Keira LaPierre, Jordyn Perrin and Michaela Chambers.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders clipped the 10th-seeded Brockville Thousand Island Pirates 39-20 after leading 10-6, 23-9 and 33-15 at the quarters. “We knew we had a good team and once we made it here, we knew we had a chance,” Marauders coach Tracy Phelps told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “Our goal has always been to see St. Mary.” Vanessa Rampado paced the Marauders with 19. Alana Lawn led the Pirates with 5. The Pirates (coached by Larry Henry, assisted by Erin Russell) also included Emily Peters, Melanie Barr, Erica Bulanda, Ciara Churchill, Marla Corney, Bridget O’Connor, Sarah Utting, Michaela Wall, Alison Wilson, Kyra Thomson and Hannah Stratton.
In the semis, the top-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders dispatched the 4th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs 47-36 after leading 17-5, 28-12 and 43-21 at the quarters. Christina Buttenham paced the Crusaders with 16. Loysha Morris led the Mustangs with 22. Crusaders coach Rich Wesolowski told the Kingston Whig-Standard that “we (took) some really bad shots and made some bad passes (against the) zone. They chipped away and got (the lead) down to 11 or 12. (The result) wasn’t in question, but we got in panic mode. I think that’s good because we we’ve got the sense that we better play better.”
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders whipped the 6th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings 47-33 after leading 9-8, 24-10 and 34-25 at the quarters. Myer took control with a 15-2 second quarter. “We knew we had a good team and once we made it here, we knew we had a chance,” Marauders coach Tracy Phelps told the Kingston Whig-Standard. She added that the Rampado sisters, Vanessa and Victoria, “play very well together. They elevate each other’s play and just work hard. It doesn’t matter where you are in the game, they’re out there working hard.” Vikings coach John Thrasher said his troops were flat. “The first half was unbelievable. We had five straight turnovers in the second quarter. We got it going in the third and got it within seven, but we’re a young team and they were emotionally spent from this morning. But I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It’s been a great experience and it really sets us up for next year.” Thrasher said his team showed its nerves at the tournament’s outset. “We played like crap the first two games, even though we won. The girls were just so nervous or excited, I don’t know which. No one had been to OFSAA before and I think they were a little overwhelmed by everything, but they also have an ability to focus and they did that against Holy Cross.” Victoria Rampado led the Marauders with 17. Vanessa Rampado added 13. Cassidy Crowe paced the Vikings with 14.
In the bronze medal match, the 4th-seeded North York Downsview Mustangs clocked the 6th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings 57-26 after leading 20-5, 28-13 and 50-17 at the quarters. U Burton led the Mustangs with 14. Melissa Dally, Lauren Handy and Melissa Ellis each scored 8 to pace the Vikings. The Vikings (coached by John Thrasher, assisted by Shelley Pretty, Morgan Jean, Andrew Westlake and Jeff Gark) also included Caroline Adamski, Alisha Arthurs, Cassidy Crowe, Christine Fletcher, Leanne Holdaway, Kaitlyn Mahu and Lexi McShea.
In the final, the top-seeded and defending Quad-A champ Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders captured their 11th provincial title by dumping the 2nd-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders 49-30 after leading 15-6, 31-12 and 29-18 at the quarters. Crusaders coach Rich Wesolowski told the Kingston Whig-Standard that 6-0 post April Coyne was a “beast” as the Fairleigh Dickinson-bound post had been all year. “She averages probably 12-plus boards a game for us and in some games, she’s not playing a lot because we get up early. In the big games, she’s had 18 or 19 boards. She’ll get anything in there and her offensive game is getting a little bit better where she can hit shots. You’ve got to respect her.” Coyne said it was a collective effort. “We’re really good teammates. We have no really, really high scorers. We all share the ball equally and we just want to get the best score possible (as a team).” Jenna Bugiardini and April Coyne each scored 12 to lead the Crusaders. Victoria Rampado paced the Marauders with 13. The Crusaders finished 33-4 on the season, while the Marauders finished 34-1. The Crusaders broke to a 13-0 lead as Coyne dominated the paint. “They play awesome defence and they’re very quick on offence,” Marauders coach Tracy Phelps said. “They have great offence and they execute very well. Whenever you seem to have stopped them, they have someone else to dish the ball to. They definitely deserved to win. They came out and did what they wanted to do. It was still a great season and we’re very proud of them. They worked very hard. They kept battling and kept staying in there and that’s all you can ever ask of them. They didn’t leave anything in the tank and you don’t want to do that in a game like today.” The Crusaders quickly built a double-digit lead and coasted. Jenna Bugliardini tossed in 12 points for the Crusaders. Victoria Rampado led the opposing Marauders with 13. “Myer was 30-0 coming in,” Wesolowski said. “Our ball pressure got them out of their offence. We limited how many good looks they got inside, because that’s their strength. “I’m more than happy with winning a Triple A championship,” Emily Hanaka said. “I know we would have been able to compete with all the Quad A teams. Everyone played hard. All our players got cycled in every game. We really played well as a team.” Wesolowski also noted that “the bottom line is I thought us and (Quad-A champ St. Thomas More) were the two top teams in the province. But the way it works, you can’t have them at the same OFSAA unless you host it. The only option was for us to go Triple A, so we could be at OFSAA. It shouldn’t be that way.” Marauders coach Tracy Phelps said “they play awesome defence and they’re very quick on offence. They have great offence and they execute very well. Whenever you seem to have stopped them, they have someone else to dish the ball to.” Deep and unselfish, the Crusaders jumped out to a 13-0 lead and never looked back. Post April Coyne said “we’re really good teammates. We have no really, really high scorers. We all share the ball equally and we just want to get the best score possible (as a team).” Phelps said “they definitely deserved to win. They came out and did what they wanted to do.” Defensively, the Crusaders challenged the Marauders with an aggressive man-to-man defence. The Marauders couldn’t penetrate or get open looks consistently, leading to many one-and-done possessions. Phelps said “it was still a great season and we’re very proud of them. They worked very hard. They kept battling and kept staying in there and that’s all you can ever ask of them. They didn’t leave anything in the tank and you don’t want to do that in a game like today.”
The bronze medalist North York Downsview Mustangs: Loysha Morris; Cassandra Nofuente; Telica Burton; Addi Ajim; Shanice Duffus; Shenique Burton; Ashley Cain; Vanessa Campbell; Nickisha Lee; Dennisha Thompson; Channon McLeish; Adrianna Scott; Addy Ajim; Tiosha Wilson; coach Devon Thompson; assistant Natasha Alli
The silver medalist Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders: Vanessa Rampado; Alyssa Lynn McCabe; Victoria Vampado; Nicole Rigas-Didomenico; Veronica Nicole Patterson; Sydney Arenburg; Zyra Edwards; Kassidy Kidd; Maddison Levines; Taylor Hiltz; Victoria Holcome; Haley Scholz; Serena Stemmler; coach Vito DiMartino; assistant Tracy Phelps
The champion Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders: Jenna Bugiardini; Emily Hanaka; April Coyne; Sarah Sloan; Emily Piccini; Katarina DiFazio; Hilary Hanaka; Amira Giannattasio; Christina Buttenham; Lisa Kehoe; Ally Brandt; Ally Hawthorne; Sarah MacRae; coach Rich Wesolowski; assistant Jessie Lamparski; assistant Nate McKibbon