In the semis, the Kensington Torchettes thrashed the Morell Marlins 66-38 after leading 32-15 at the half. Emma Maclean led the Torchettes with 31. Hannah Oatway added 10 and Nancy Ramsay 10. Rachael Affleck paced the Marlins with 10. Gemma MacDonald added 7.
In the other semi, the Kinkora Blazers edged the Bluefield-2 Bobcats 42-39 despite trailing 22-21 at the half. Maggie MacDonald paced the Blazers with 19. Olivia Palmer added 10 and Emily Lawless 7. Cassie Doucette, Taylor Walsh and Allyson Stewart each scored 8 to pace the Bobcats.
In the bronze medal match, the Bluefield-2 Bobcats edged the Morell Marlins 39-36 after leading 25-17 at the half. Melanie Wood paced the Bobcats with 12. Cassie Doucette added 6, Ellen Chapman 4, Taylor Walsh 4 and Allyson Stewart 4. Rachael Affleck paced the Marlins with 17. Gemma MacDonald added 9 and Kindra Bernard 5.
In the final, the Kensington Torchettes defeated the Kinkora Blazers 61-53 after leading 36-22 at the half. “To be honest, and this is what kept our team going through the entire season, a key to our success was the positive attitude from our players,” said Torchettes assistant coach Ghislaine Duplain. “They jive together and support each other so well. While we have varying degrees of experience and skill, the girls always played as a team and worked together. They passed the ball to the open player, regardless if she was strong or not, because they all had faith in one another. They played with and for each other, and that is why they became so successful this year.” The Torchettes had to overcome an early case of nerves. “Feeling the pressure of such a high-stakes game, we had to use the timeouts to get the focus back, getting the girls’ heads in the game, not on the game’s result,” said Duplain. “The girls played well and were hungry for the win. They worked hard to finish where they did, and it was great to see their hard work pay off. We went into the (championship) game like any other game. Our goal was to start every quarter 0-0. We didn’t focus on the scoreboard, but focused on playing well and executing our plays.” Emma MacLean led the Torchettes with 25. Lesley Clark, Nancy Ramsay and Natasha MacLeod each added 10. Maggie Macdonald led the Blazers with 19. Emily Lawless added 18, Olivia Palmer 6 and Melissa Postma 6.
The bronze medalist Bluefield-2 Bobcats: Melanie Wood; Cassie Doucette; Ellen Chapman; Taylor Walsh; Allyson Stewart;
The silver medalist Kinkora Blazers: Maggie Macdonald; Lesley Clark; Nancy Ramsay; Natasha MacLeod;
The gold medalist Kensington Torchettes: Emma MacLean; Lesley Clark; Nancy Ramsay; Natasha MacLeod; coach Jillian Smith; assistant Ghislain Duplain