In the regional qualifiers and Regina city playoffs: …………………………………………………… In the quarterfinals, the Balfour Redmen torched the Miller Marauders 98-61 as Leanne Klempner scored 14, Tara Griffith 14 and Krista Eutenier 14. Stephanie Ward led the Marauders with 12. Rebecca Schmidt added 12 and Jessica Schmidt 12. The Marauders (coached by Andrea Gottselig) also included Kim Strinja, Melissa Turbuck. …………………………………………………… The Sheldon-Williams Spartans torched the Campbell Tartans 81-40 as Anna Torgunrud scored 23. Caitlyn O’Byrne led the Tartans with 15. The Tartans (coached by Jason Coleman) also included Meara Conway, Jessica Savage, Sydney Dundas. …………………………………………………… The Winston Knoll Wolverines clipped the Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns 64-50 as Joni Ager scored 32. Hope Wirll led the Wolverines with 17. The Golden Suns (coached by Jim Gallagher) also included Lisa Bissonnette, Allison Tullock, Julie Chabot. …………………………………………………… In the last quarterfinal, the Michael A. Riffel Royals torched the Thom Trojans 100-80 as Cassidy Brenko scored 31. Carmen Stewart led the Trojans with 28. The Trojans (coached by Kelsey Allen and Shari Gebhard) also included Jamie Mucha. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Balfour Redmen clocked the Winston Knoll Wolverines 98-53 as Tara Griffith scored 32 and Mallory McCormick 17. Shalyn Kivela led the Wolverines with 14. The Wolverines (coached by Amy Micklebrough) also included Nicole Hanson, Amanda Flahr, Ally Waters. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Michael A. Riffel Royals spanked the Sheldon-Williams Spartans 62-46 as Tamara Jule scored 22. Amanda McConnell led the Spartans with 12. The Spartans (coached by Dave Taylor) also included Megan Cherkas, Anna Torgunrud. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Balfour Redmen defeated the Michael A. Riffel Royals 82-75 as Tara Griffith scored 31, Ashley Fekula 14, Leanne Klempner 12 and Erica Schmidt 10. Mallory Loire led the Royals with 22. Stacy Walker added 16 and Ashley Isted 14.
In the regional qualifiers and Saskatoon city playoffs: …………………………………………………… In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Holy Cross Crusaders dusted the 8th-seeded Evan Hardy Souls 71-31 as Kelly Froess scored 14. Natasha Walbaum led the Souls with 10. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Aden Bowman Bears whipped the 7th-seeded Bishop J. Mahoney Saints 71-54 as Megan Ragush scored 22. Nicole Schoenberger led the Saints with 27. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Walter Murray Maruaders clubbed the 6th-seeded E.D. Feehan Trojans 69-33. Megan Chmarney led the Trojans with 13. …………………………………………………… In the last quarterfinal, the St. Joseph Guardians torched the Bedford Road Redmen 56-36 as Karen Fraser scored 28. Keri-Lee Porter led the Redmen with 9. The Redmen also included Jessica Stang. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Aden Bowman Bears edged the Walter Murray Marauders 50-48 as Amy Prokop notched the winner at the buzzer. Kara Lackie led the Bears with 13. Prokop added 12. Ashley Hanson led the Marauders with 15. Terri Cot added 9. The Marauders also included Kelly-Anne Cox. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Holy Cross Crusaders stomped the St. Joseph Guardians 85-55 as Kristi Wist scored 22 and Adrienne Vangool 17. Karen Fraser led the Guardians with 13. Jodi Wagner added 12. The Guardians (coached by Keely Vickaryous) also included Pam Boechler, Ashley Manson. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Aden Bowman Bears 62-56 as Crystal Normand scored 19 and Adrienne Vangool scored 18. The Crusaders led 34-20 at the half. Megan Ragush led the Bears with 17.
In the opening round of the small cities draw: …………………………………………………… The Swift Current Ardens nipped the Yorkton Regional Raiders 36-35 as Christine Lautsch scored 10. Bret Giroux led Yorkton with 13. The teams were tied at 17 at the half. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded North Battleford Vikings dumped the Prince Albert St. Mary Marauders 41-33 as Brittany Acaster scored 10. Lindsey Tasker led St. Mary with 11. North Battleford led 21-17 at the half. …………………………………………………… The Estevan Elecs crushed the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders 68-42 as Meghan Betnar scored 17. Kim Ardell led Carlton with 22. …………………………………………………… In the small cities semi-finals, the 6th-seeded North Battleford Vikings defeated the Swift Current Ardens 37-29 as Sarah Stilborn scored 11. C. Kozun led Swift Current with 6. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers whipped the Estevan Elecs 78-39 as M. Gottselig scored 12. E. Hanson led Estevan with 12. Peacock led 50-10 at the break. …………………………………………………… In the small cities final, the Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers crushed the North Battleford Vikings 54-15 as Tia Hutchinson scored 14. Brittany Acaster led North Battleford with 7.
In the provincial quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders stomped the 6th-seeded North Battleford Vikings 70-35 as Kristi Wist scored 21, all in the first half, and Adrianne VanGool 15. Sarah Stilborn led the Vikings with 10. K. Graw and H. Stack each added 6. With four minutes remaining on the clock, “the game was called due to power failure.” The Vikings stayed even with Holy Cross for the first five minutes before the Crusaders’ full-court pressure and superior athleticism proved to be too overwhelming. An 8-6 Battleford lead was the last the Vikings would see as Wist and fellow senior Adrianne Vangool — with an assist from Charissa Krienke inside — picked up their game, forcing turnovers, getting easy layups and finding their touch from beyond the arc. “Once we got going, we were OK,” Wist told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. Vangool scored 15 in the first half, including three three-pointers. “Me and Adrianne had things going, so you just go with what works,” Wist said. “After you get rid of that first few minutes, we did some good things.”
In the other quarterfinal, the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears dumped the Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers 55-36 as Kara Lackie scored 12 and Amy Prokop 10. Kristy Mayor led Peacock with 11. The teams were tied at 24 at the half.
In the semi-finals, the Regina M.A. Riffel Royals defeated the Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders 77-59 as Mallory Loire scored 19 and Casidy Buchko 16. Kristi Wist led Holy Cross with 19. Adrianne Vangool added 17. Riffel led 39-30 at the half. “We played Balfour five times this season and lost five times, once by three points, three times by seven points and one by 15,” Riffel coach Wade Hackl told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “We’re hungry for another battle with them. We’re right where we want to be.”
In the other semi, the Regina city champion Balfour Redmen nipped the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears 74-73 as Krista Euteneier notched a layup with 1.9 seconds to play to cap a Redmen rally. Mallory McCormick led Balfour with 19. Leanne Klempner added 16. Amy Prokop led Bowman with 20. Megan Regush added 14. Bowman led 39-27 at the half. Balfour coach Wendy Bileski conceded she was nervous. ““We played Aden Bowman three times this year and this was the closest. They came out really well and the must have hit six or seven three-balls. I always am (nervous).” The Redmen didn’t have another timeout when Bowman went to the free throw line in the final minute, so Bileski couldn’t set up a play, forcing the Redmen to drive full-court for the winning bucket.
In the bronze medal match, the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears defeated the Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders 80-65 as Kara Lackie scored 22 and Megan Ragush 16. Adrianne Vangool paced Holy Cross with 24. Kristi Wist added 15. Aden Bowman led 55-50 at the half. “It meant a lot. We thought of today like our gold-medal game,” Lackie told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. The Crusaders (coached by Sharon Klein, assistant Mark McTavish, assistant Angie Vangool, assistant Maria Paiva, assistant Vanessa Thomas, manager Laura Chyzowski, manager Liz Dubourt, manager Leah Andrews) also included Crystal Norman, Christine Nisbet, Alison Burns, Charissa Krienke, Tara Meissner, Kelly Froesz, Carlene Deutscher, Nicole Rochon, Michelle Jelinski and Marissa Taylor.
In the final, the top-seeded Regina Balfour Redmen crushed 2nd-seeded Regina M.A. Riffel Royals 75-61. Balfour took an early lead on the perimeter shooting of Ashley Fekula and savvy point guard play of Tara Griffith and then coasted to the win. Leanne Klemper led Balfour with 20. Tara Griffith added 18. Fekula added 12. Mallory Loire paced Riffel with 18. Stacey Walker added 16 and Kandace Pidskalny 10. Balfour finished (35-0) on the season. After three consecutive silver medals in the provincials, Fekula told the Regina Leader Post that she was elated to garner gold. “It’s awesome to win. It rounded out a perfect season. It was a perfect season for my grade 12 year. I don’t think I could have ended it in a better way. It’s phenomenal with all that I’ve experienced. I’ve been in every final that I could have been in, from grades 9 to 12. It’s amazing, awesome. I had good teammates and good coaches. We have a phenomenal basketball program at Balfour and we had an awesome year.” Riffel coach Wade Hackl said the “thing that sets Balfour apart from basically every team in Western Canada is that if you key on one kid, they have so many talented kids who can step up. They had a fantastic team this year. We’re really pleased with our accomplishments this year. We had a young team. It’s the first time in 13 years that a senior girls’ team from Riffel was in the city final and the provincial final. We’re a program on the rise. Balfour is just good, one through 12. They’ve got a really positive outlook and a strong vision. They set their goals pretty high and they accomplish them. They deserve credit for it.” Balfour coach Wendy Bileski said her squad’s depth proved the difference in the final. Leanne Klempner told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix that “it’s not only the gold medal, but winning our last game that feels so good.”
The bronze medalist Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears: Amy Prokop; Kara Lackie; Megan Ragush; Kelsey Mayes; Justine Chabot; Jill Humbert; Nishant Batta; Kailee Marland; Jill Vinish; Allison Lackie; Julie Ragush; Caitlin Schmidt; Jamie Mattiews; Ashley Sokul; coach Wendy Benson; assistant Nicole Poier; assistant Lauren Evans; manager Courtney Levinton; manager Sarah Figley
The silver medalist Regina M.A. Riffel Royals: Mallory Loire; Stacey Walker; Cassidy Buchko; Kandace Pidskalny; Ashley Isted; Jennifer Banning; Lindsey Lueck; Tamara Jule; coach Wade Hackl
The gold medalist Regina Balfour Redmen: Ashley Fekula; Tara Griffith; Leanne Klempner; Mallory McCormick; Leanne Klempner; Krista Euteneier; Erica Schmidt; Christie Patryluk; Chelsey Lupastin; Whitney Lupastin; Carly Foote; Randy Gibson; Jody Heywood; Krista Burnett; Tracey Dewhurts; coach Wendy Bileski; assistant C Nourse