In the Saskatoon regionals and city quarterfinals: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Holy Cross Crusaders clubbed the 8th-seeded Centennial Chargers 95-21. The Chargers (coached by D. Smith and L DeGroot) include Katie Pederson, Amber Newbigging, Danielle Sawatzky, Emily Rogal, Laurel Goshawk, Kara Montieth, Kelly Braun, Ashley Antonio, Shadi Kiaei, Mackenzie S. Jesse, Megan keen and Reanna Berryere. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Evan Hardy Souls whipped the 5th-seeded Bishop J. Mahoney Saints 72-47. The Saints (coached by Dave Shockey, assisted by Adam Kowaluk and Brennan Uhyn) included Amanda Schmid, Melissa Kjargaard, Rebecca Schweighardt, Shallyn Nowakowski, Kristen Clark, Kathleen Schneider, Kennedy Schlosser, Courtney Nyssen, Brianna Shockey, Sarah Grummet and Maria Kowaluk. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded St. Joseph Guardians stomped the 6th-seeded Walter Murray Marauders 60-37. The Marauders (coached by Allison Fairbrother) included Samantha Matheson, Sara Holfeld, Bronwyn Edwards, Alex Wojcichowsky, Eve Keller, Aiden Morgan, Alyssa Cline, Alyssa Van’t Hoff, Taylor Gilliland, Ali Loraas, Elizabeth Hill, Katherine Federoff and Tina Wilyman. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Aden Bowman Bears dumped the 7th-seeded Tommy Douglas Tigers 68-30. The Tigers (coached by Brad Smith, assisted by Scott Stevens, Julie Ragush and Shyann Pastl) included Jasmine Hovde, Stephanie Schrutek, Alexis Olynyk, K.C. Clark, Breena McInnes, Samantha Matschke, Paige Bent, Cheyenne Alexson, Kim Dice, Andrea Knudsen, Kenzie Friesen and Selina Waselick. …………………………………………………… In the Saskatoon city semis, the top-seeded Holy Cross Crusaders clubbed the 4th-seeded Evan Hardy Souls 66-44. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Aden Bowman Bears defeated the 3rd-seeded St. Joseph Guardians 66-59. Both teams played hard-nosed defence and crash-and-bang offence in the paint. Bowman needed the first few minutes of the game to settle down some ball control issues, but things quickly changed as it was the Guardians who found their pockets picked regularly. The Bears capitalize don turnovers for runout layups as they built a 21-12 lead after one quarter. The Guardians stormed out of the gate in the third quarter, with Kylie Dirham making big back-to-back transition steals and giving them some momentum. They forced two 10-second half-court violations on the Bears with tough, physical defence and sliced their deficit down to 13. The Guardians earned several trips to the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t capitalize enough to close the gap. “We came out strong and played really well,” said Bowman’s Nika Shutiak. Coach Paul Humbert concurred. “I was really pleased with the way we came out today. We came out very focused and played the game at the tempo we wanted to play at.” Erin MacDonald paced Bowman with 19. Durham, who scored 13, said “I felt like we played really well. Bowman just played so consistently for the whole game.” …………………………………………………… In the Saskatoon bronze medal match, the St. Joseph Guardians clocked the Evan Hardy Souls 57-43. “Our initial goal was to be in the top four and make it to Hoopla,” said St. Joe’s coach Tyler Sharp. Natasha Weninger scored 21, while Grade 9 Sascha Lichtenwald had 11 in her third game with the Guardians since being called up from the junior team for the playoffs. “It’s been amazing,” she said. “It means a lot (to win bronze).” Leesa Eggum paced the Souls with 15. …………………………………………………… In the Saskatoon city final, the Holy Cross Crusaders dusted the Aden Bowman Bears 73-46 to capture their second consecutive city crown. The game was relatively close in the first half, but Holy Cross surely and steadily increased the lead. Its intense defence and full-court press disrupted the Bears, who relied on Madeline Humbert’s versatility and Nika Shutiak’s shooting to stay in the game. Kelsey Trulsrud led the Crusaders with 20 but their depth proved the difference. Bears coach Wendy Benson, standing in for Paul Humbert, said “turnovers hurt the girls tonight. They played a bit shy against the press. Credit to Holy Cross, they came out with guns a-blazing.” Nika Shutiak led the Bears with 13. Humber added 12 before fouling out. Trulsrud said hustle proved the difference. “In practice, we work on that. We have to hit the floor any time there’s a loose ball. I thought we put good pressure on them. We knew they were struggling inside (with Peyton Pederson out), so we got out on their shooters.” The press wreaked havoc on Bowman’s guards. Bears Grade 10 point guard Mary Catherine McQueen said it was a learning experience. “That’s the role of a point guard, and I’m still growing into that position. They challenged us, both individually and as a team.” Madeline Humbert agreed. “Our press break wasn’t as squeaky clean as it could have been, but I give them props for their press.”
In the Regina regional and city quarterfinals: …………………………………………………… The Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns clubbed the Thom Trojans 85-59 as Sydnee Picton scored 22. Kalie Seidlitz paced Thom with 22. The Trojans also included Tessa Christopher, Sarah Wishira, Richelle Neuls, Jessica Fox, Jordan Kemp, Kyra Selinger, Tia Sturm, Sasl Black, Makayla Stephenson, Jodi Lowe, Brooke Kemp, Trina Pasap and Kailla Gelsinger. …………………………………………………… The Campbell Tartans clipped the Winston Knoll Wolverines 70-62 as Melanie Wong scored 17. Desarae Hogberg paced the Wolverines with 20. …………………………………………………… The Riffel Royals crushed the Luther Lions 83-44 as Alyssia Kajati scored 37. Megan Gilewich led the Lions with 11. The Lions (coached by Joani Halvorson) also included Jessica Artemenko, Kim Tran, Kaylee Halvorson, Justine Drozda, Danielle Kostiuk, Catherine Schulte, Ellen Leurer, Lauren Geni and Janelle Blakely. …………………………………………………… The Sheldon-Williams Spartans dumped the Balfour Redmen 83-69 as Madeline Docherty scored 22, including 17 in the second half. “A lot of people really underestimated us this year,” Docherty said. “They were asking me if we were even going to make the playoffs or even Hoopla. Parents and people around the school, even some of the guys on our boys’ team, doubted us. I feel we have something to prove because of that.” After she weaved through three or four Balfour players, Docherty threaded a left-handed pass from midcourt to a wide-open Alyssa Put under the basket. Put dropped in the easy layup to close out the first half. Those two points gave the Spartans a 37-35 lead and swung the momentum. “That was an absolutely huge play,” explained Sheldon coach Lance Ford. “We made a great steal and moved the ball ahead very quickly and found Alyssa for that layup. No one else makes that pass except for Maddie. That was the play that changed the game, no question.” The Spartans proceeded to open the second half on an 8-0 run and eventually built a 17-point advantage in the third quarter. “We passed the ball around better in the second half,” explained Carly Rathwell, who scored 19 points. “We were all making our shots tonight. Everyone, it seemed, was scoring.” Jessica Knaus swished five three-pointers and finished with 20 points, while Rathwell added 19. Put dropped in 16 points. “They’re a good basketball team that shot the ball exceptionally well,” said Redmen coach Wendy Bileski. “They have a lot of good players, and (Docherty) is certainly one of their key cogs. You can’t just key on one player, though.” Nicole Neithercut led Balfour with 22. Maegan MacKay added 13. The Redmen (coached by Bileski, assisted by L Stephen), also included Petra Andrews, Skylar Bear, Taylor Foster, Kylee Howard, Carmen Hughes, Ellen Kirkness, Regan Salberg, Brittney Visvanathan and Tessa Zahorski. …………………………………………………… In the Regina city semis, the Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns stomped the Campbell Tartans 92-67 as Sydnee Picton scored 22. Jasmine Lothian led the Tartans with 24. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Riffel Royals edged the Sheldon-Williams Spartans 74-67 as Alyssia Kajati scored 34. Madeline Docherty paced the Spartans with 24. …………………………………………………… In the Regina bronze medal match, the Campbell Tartans nipped the Sheldon-Williams Spartans 82-78. …………………………………………………… In the Regina final, the Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns edged the Riffel Royals 69-66 as grade 12 guard Megan Wilson drilled a trey as the clock expired. “I have complete confidence in every single one of these girls to make that kind of shot,” said LeBoldus coach Becky Schmidt. “But I couldn’t be more proud of Wilson. What a perfect way for her last game in the league to end. This is something she will look back at forever; something she’ll never forget.” With the game tied at 66-66 with 10 second remaining, Riffel’s Alyssia Kajati watched her jumper from the elbow of the key rim out. Wilson gathered the rebound and raced up the court. “As soon as I grabbed the ball, I looked up the clock and 2.6 (seconds) or something like that was left. I didn’t think I had enough time to get down and get a shot,” Wilson said, who pulled up inches in front of the three-point arc. After hitting the shot, Wilson turned and started toward her bench and was mobbed by teammates and fans who stormed the court. “It’s so unreal,” Wilson said. “It went by so fast … it was crazy. Now we’re off to provincials.” LeBoldus dictated much of the play in the first two quarters and assumed a commanding 44-26 lead at halftime. But the Royals opened the second half with a 14-0 run and pulled within four 66-62 with two minutes to play. “I expected that to happen,” Schmidt said. “Riffel is well-coached with Cymone (Bernauer) and they’re a good team. You just knew they weren’t going to crawl into a hole and hide. We knew they would fight back, and they did. But our girls hung in there and fought back, too.” The win caps a perfect season for the Golden Suns, who were 12-0 in league play. The Royals were 10-2 during the regular season. Quinn Dornstauder led the Suns with 17. Charlotte Kot added 16, Megan Wilson 11 and Haley Belyk 11. Alyssia Kajati led Riffel with 26. Caitlyn Zacharias added 14.
In the provincial quarterfinals, the Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders dumped the Regina Sheldon-Williams Spartans 84-59 as Lindsey Knibbs scored 26. Madeline Docherty paced the Spartans with 23. The Spartans (coached by Lance Ford, assisted by Stephanie Scott), also included Emma T, Brooke C, Alyssa P, Carly R, Claudia V, Jessica K, Lilah D, Brooke L and Kailey B.
The Regina Riffel Royals defeated the Saskatoon St. Joseph Guardians 72-65. “We battled as hard as we could,” said St. Joe’s coach Tyler Sharp. “Give credit to Riffel, they played well. But we just couldn’t finish some of those buckets underneath. (If) we finish a few more of those, it’s anybody’s game.” The teams were close throughout, with Riffel holding a slim two-point lead at the half. But the Royals surged in the second half, going up by 14 with four minutes to go. Natasha Weninger’s hot shooting helped the Guardians pull closer, coming within five points with 22 seconds left. But Riffel’s defensive pressure was strong and the Royals iced it at the line. Weninger led all scorers with 22 points, while Kylie Dirham had 18 for the Guardians before fouling out. Six-foot-one Alyssa Kajati was a strong presence in the paint, scoring 17 points for Riffel. “She’s experienced nationally. She’s played on the provincial team. We only have one player (Weninger) who’s experienced Hoopla before,” said Sharp. “I think that experience gave them a little bit of an edge, but (our youth) bodes well for us in the future. Our girls didn’t give up. We’re really proud of them.” The Guardians also included Danielle Sanche, Rheanne Gerwing, Danielle Bertsch, Serena Reimer, Natasha Weniger, Rebecca Farthing, Bailey Zemlak, Brooklyn Hackl, Jenna Swirdrovich, Sierra Bronkhorst, Taryn Rowland and Idah Mozwa.
The Regina Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns stomped the Saskatoon Evan Hardy Souls 85-34. The Golden Suns broke to a 16-2 lead and were never threatened. Charlotte Kot paced the Golden Suns with 23. Sara Hubenig added 19. 6-3 post Quinn Dornstauder added 4 and half dozen blocks. Leesa Eggum led the Souls with 14. Sydney Purdy added 10. With considerable assistance from Grade 10 students Sara Hubenig, Charlotte Kot and Quinn Dornstauder, the Golden Suns dominated. “They are young, but they’ve been playing ball together since a very young age,” Golden Suns head coach Becky Schmidt. “They know each other very well on and off the court. They have a lot of drive to succeed and they love the sport. They don’t surprise me, because they’re very hard workers and basketball is definitely a priority in their lives. At a young age, they committed to basketball. They’ve dreamed of basketball and it’s all they’ve wanted to do since a young age. Family is their first priority. School is their second priority. Basketball is their third priority. As a coach, you’ve got to love that. … We have a very deep team. To think of the contributions the Grade 10s are making and to look into the future – which we’ll do after this weekend – is very exciting.” Hubenig said “we all work hard and play as a team and that’s why it works so successfully.” The Souls (coached by Patrick Green, assisted by Jasmine Jay) included Taylor Ungar, Taylor Earl, Leesa Eggum, Brittany Davis, Krista Lebiszczak, Lindsay Bitz, Ashley Sepke, Alex Ungar, Sydney Purdy, Julia Daoust, Shelbe Daniels, Maureen Woytowich and Ashley Eggum.
In the last quarterfinal, the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears dispatched the Regina Campbell Tartans 66-60 after leading 16-9, 33-28 and 54-44 at the quarters. Maddy Humbert paced the Bears with 25 points and 19 boards. Erin MacDonald added 16. Laura Hudson led the Tartans with 12. Jaclynn Lewis added 10.
In the semis, the Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders dumped the Regina Riffel Royals 83-63 as Lindsey Knibbs scored 25. Alyssa Kajati led the Royals with 20. The Crusaders came out strong and fast, building a 42-27 lead at the half. But the Royals rallied within 10 as Holy Cross’ aggressive play became more of a liability than an asset. In the fourth quarter, the Crusaders found their groove. “We were excited (for the game) because we had heard about the Regina city final,” said Crusader Lindsey Knibbs. “And we knew Riffel had been good competition for LeBoldus.”
With Holy Cross sporting the hard-nosed Kelsey Trulsrud and Riffel utilizing 6-1 Alyssa Kajati inside, it’s no surprise that things got physical in the paint. Trulsrud hit the concrete floor of Peacock Collegiate several times, and received a loonie-sized welt on her forehead as a result of an errant elbow. “It was super physical,” said Knibbs. “I think we matched up pretty good.” Two players from each team fouled out and the schools racked up 26 infractions between them in the first half. Knibbs; inside drives were as good as her shooting – an important contribution from a guard. “I thought it was going to be closer than this,” said Kajati. “I thought it was going to be a really good game. I don’t really know what happened. I think we got frustrated and just sort of fell apart.” Knibbs said “part of our mentality is: The harder they come at us, the harder we’ll go back at them.”
In the other semi, the Regina Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns crushed the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears 68-24 as Megan Wilson scored 15. Maddy Humbert paced the Bears with 9. Ball control was an issue for both sides at times, but LeBoldus managed to come up with more turnovers in their favour. “It was tough,” said Bowman’s Erin MacDonald. “They’re a really good team.”
In the bronze medal match, the Regina Riffel Royals dumped the Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears 74-64 as Alyssa Kajati scored 32. Madeline Humbert paced the Bears with 27. “It was a tough game for us,” said Bears guard Nika Shutiak. “I think we played hard, but I think we could have played better. I’d love a rematch against them.” The Bears (coached by Jodi Smith-Windsor, assisted by Paul Humbert and Robynn Finley) also included Mary Catherine McQueen, Erin MacDonald, Meghan Zuk, Abby Tait, Tanys Byrns, Emily Humbert, Payton Pederson, Amy Sheppard and Heidi Schwinghammer.
In the final, the Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Regina Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns 77-70 as Megan Lindquist scored 20 and Kelsey Trulsrud 19. Megan Wilson paced the Golden Suns with 18. Sydnee Picton added 13. The Crusaders captured their second consecutive provincial title. The Crusaders started poorly and trailed 9-0 early. But Holy Cross, undefeated in regular season play, bore down. “We weren’t expecting how fast of a game this was going to be,” said Crusaders player Kelsey Trulsrud. The Crusaders recovered to take an 18-17 lead after the first quarter, but the Suns were up 44-32 at the half. While Trulsrud flew fearlessly through the key, teammate Megan Lindquist camped out in the paint, engaging in an ongoing battle with 6-3 Quinn Dornstauder. “You just have to be aggressive,” said grade 10 post Megan Lindquist. “I fought back, didn’t want her (Dornstauder) to get anything easy. We just got into it.” Golden Suns guard Megan Wilson said the loss “sucks, for sure. … I can’t credit the Crusaders enough. They played amazing and they deserved to win. They came out strong and we couldn’t match it.” After a season of easy win, Lindquist said “it was exciting getting into a close game. We don’t have many of those at home.” Trulsrud called it a team effort. “I think it came down to the team, whoever played together, whoever made that pass, that extra box out or rebound.” Despite the loos, Golden Suns’ Megan Wilson said “it was fun to play. I can’t credit the Crusaders enough. They played amazing and they deserved to win. They came out strong and we couldn’t match it. They played great together. We played good, too. But I guess we couldn’t pull it off in the end.”
The bronze medalist Regina Riffel Royals: Alyssa Kajati; Caitlyn Zacharias; Madison Brown; Nikki Granello; Natasha Knobel; Camille Mosiondz; Alexis Nelson; Kelsey Sinnett; Tiffany Strachan; coach Cymone Bernauer; assistant Garth Walker
The silver medalist Regina Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns: Charlotte Kot; Megan Wilson; Sydnee Picton; Sara Hubenig; Quin Dornstauder; Haley Belyk; Kelsey Wagman; Kendell Pon; Lauren Neumann; Megan Deck; Meagan Lane; Andrea Ward; coach Becky Schmidt; assistant Debbie Ward; assistant Kyle Ottenbreit
The gold medalist Saskatoon Holy Cross Crusaders: Lindsey Knibbs; Megan Lindquist; Kelsey Trulsrud; Janaya Bundgaard; Kim Bloski; Kathryn Spehar; Teagan Harbidge; Katie Bloski; Sarah Keene; Rachel Hundseth; Lauren Hundseth; Jenna Kobiela; Jennine Redl; coach Kevin Harbidge; assistant Scott Hundseth; manager Reagan Bloski