In the regional qualifiers and Regina city playoffs: …………………………………………………… In the quarterfinals, the Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden Suns clipped the Sheldon-Williams Spartans 54-46 as Alexis McDonald scored 19. Amanda McConnell led the Spartans with 16. The Spartans also included Megan Cherkas, Danica Jorgenson. …………………………………………………… The Balfour Redmen torched the Campbell Tartans 94-44 as Lara Schmidt scored 25. Natasha Krukoff paced the Tartans with 8. The Tartans also included Heather Brooks, Jen Hellquist, Nicole Glettler. …………………………………………………… The Winston Knoll Wolverines whipped the Luther Lions 78-60 as Sarah Singer scored 30. Logan Harris led the Lions with 25. The Lions also included Kim Mickler. …………………………………………………… In the last quarterfinal, the Archbishop M.C. O’Neill Titans nipped the Michael A. Riffel Royals 76-75 as Annabelle Manalo scored 17 and Rachel Molnar 17. Brittnee Holliday led the Titans with 16. The Titans also included Janelle Walker, Stephanie Reinhart, Brooke Zimmerman. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Winston Knoll Wolverines defeated the Dr. Martin LeBoldus Golden suns 79-73 as Sarah Singer scored 30 and Danielle Ash 20. Alexis McDonald led the Golden Suns with 20. Leane Phillips added 11 and Lauren Wihak 11. The Golden Suns also included Laura Hunko. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Balfour Redmen crushed the Archbishop M.C. O’Neill Titans 110-79 as Lisa Schmidt scored 32. Rachel Molnar led the Titans with 19. Cherise Pellerin added 19. The Titans also included Annabelle Manalo, Lorinda Moroschan, Christa Bouchard. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Balfour Redmen dusted the Winston Knoll Wolverines 79-55 as Lara Schmidt scored 27. Sarah Singer led the Wolverines with 17.
In the regional qualifiers and Saskatoon city playoffs: …………………………………………………… In the quarterfinals, the Bishop J. Mahoney Saints torched the St. Joseph Guardians 81-43 as Cherie Shoenberger scored 20 and Nicole Schoenberger 18. Jodi Wagner led the Guardians with 20. Amber Brodeiak added 6. …………………………………………………… The Holy Cross Crusaders clocked the Walter Murray Marauders 84-53 as Angie Vangool scored 30, Kristi Wist 15 and Crystal Koroll 14. Jennifer Schmidt paced the Marauders with 22. Lynette Barabe added 10. …………………………………………………… The Aden Bowman Bears dusted the Marion Graham Falcons 83-54 as Carolyn Ganes scored 41, Amy Prokop 12 and Kara Lackie 12. Amy Vermoulen led the Falcons with 21. …………………………………………………… In the last quarterfinal, the Evan Hardy Souls defeated the Bedford Road Redmen 59-51 as Erin Carduner scored 39 and Kara Rathie 11. Kerri-Lee Porter led the Redmen with 17. Rebecca Baker added 16. The Redmen also included Cheryl Galatiuk. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Bishop J. Mahoney Saints clubbed the Evan Hardy Souls 59-40 as Christine Kostyniuk scored 14. Erin Carduner led the Souls with 18. The Souls also included Kara Rathie. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Aden Bowman Bears spanked the Holy Cross Crusaders 77-46 as Carolyn Ganes scored 35. The Bears led 41-30 at the half. Angie Vangool led the Crusaders with 17. The Crusaders also included Kristi West, Crystal Korol. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Aden Bowman Bears dispatched the Bishop J. Mahoney Saints 69-54 as Des Dyck scored 21 and Kara Lackie 17. Cherie Schoenberger led the Saints with 15. Christie Kostyniuk added 10. The Saints led 26-23 at the half.
In the small cities quarterfinals: …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Swift Current Ardens crushed the 7th-seeded Prince Albert St. Mary Marauders 107-45. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Weyburn Eagles dumped 6th-seed Yorkton 47-30. …………………………………………………… 4th-seed Prince Albert Carlton whipped 5th-seed Estevan 68-44. …………………………………………………… In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Moose Jaw Peacock Toilers stomped 8th-seeded North Battleford 84-43. …………………………………………………… In the semis, the 3rd-seeded Weyburn Eagles stunned the 2nd-seeded Swift Current Ardens 62-55. The Ardens included Jordan Wagner. …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the top-seeded Moose Jaw Peacock Toilers whipped 4th-seeded Prince Albert Carlton 77-51 as Jade Brass scored 18. Chantal Vautour added 17 and Robin Seida 17. …………………………………………………… In the final, the top-seeded Moose Jaw Peacock Toilers dispatched the 3rd-seeded Weyburn Eagles 44-39. Both teams qualify for the provincial draw. “We didn’t have a lot of time off between games (just two hours) so that probably was one reason it was as close as it was, but we’re still pretty happy with the way it went,” Toilers coach Lorne Armstrong told the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “The kids played well all weekend and had a great game defensively in the final, so we have to be happy with that.” Daphne Gottselig led the Toilers with 14. Chantal Vautour added 8 and Amanda Sjoberg 7.
In the provincial quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded Regina city champion Balfour Redmen defeated the 6th-seeded Weyburn Eagles 76-53 as Lara Schmidt scored 28 and Ashley Fekula 9. Balfour led 47-22 at the half. Tonya Mokelki led Weyburn with 12. Jody Anderson added 11. The Eagles also included Tamara Steer.
In the other quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Saskatoon Bishop J. Mahoney Saints defeated the 5th-seeded Regina Winston Knoll Wolverines 56-44 as Kristine Kostyniuk scored 20 and Sarah Stookey 17. Danielle Ash led Winston Knoll with 16. Sarah Singer added 11. The Saints defence proved the difference. They held the defending provincial champs to 19 points in the first half and just three in the first 11 minutes of the second half. “We were talking before the game, getting really hyped up. We were just buzzing,” Saints post Kristine Kostyniuk, who scored 19, told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. Saints coach Gayle Stookey said if her team isn’t causing havoc on defence, “then we’re just another short bunch of girls. I’ve told them that from Day 1. They were so loose and so ready for this game.” The Saints double or triple-teamed Knoll post Sarah Singer, holding her to 11 points. Danielle Ash led the Wolverines with 16. When the Saints weren’t scoring off turnovers, Sarah Stookey was breaking down the defence and either getting a bucket herself or dishing inside. Sarah Stookey ended up with 18 points, including a couple of three-pointers. “Sarah can score but she prefers to dish it,” said coach Stookey, Sarah’s mother. “She was able to penetrate and the girls were flowing to the hoop. We did a good job of scoring when we had the chances.” Said Kostyniuk: “A couple of things weren’t working right early, and we started screening a bit more, opening up the back door, and that got us some shots inside.” The Wolverines led 11-10, but never again. BJM, behind the inside barrage of Kostyniuk and Stookey’s sharpshooting, went on a 13-0 run to take command. They pushed their lead to as much as 44-21 halfway through the frame. The Wolverines also included Tamara Goodman, Shawna Hughes.
In the semi-finals, the 3rd-seeded Regina Balfour Redmen defeated the 2nd-seeded Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers 72-46. Peacock a week earlier had won the province’s small cities playoffs by defeating Weyburn 44-39 to qualify for the 4A tourney. Balfour led 35-29 at the half. Lara Schmidt led Balfour with 17. Ashley Fekula added 15. Jade Brass led Peacock with 13. Robin Seida added 8. It was the fourth gconsecutive in the provincial finals for the Redmen. “It says a lot about the program but it also says a lot about the young people in the program,” Redmen coach Wendy Bileski told the Regina Leader-Post. “They are tremendous young kids who have made a lot of sacrifices to get here.” Schmidt said making the final “has been a routine part of my season every year and it’s still as good every time,” Schmidt said. “I’m more excited about it this year than any other year because it’s a real team this year. No one can say that we are a one-person team. If they shut down one person who is on fire, someone else will step up.” Schmidt erupted for 13 points in the first half but was contained in the second half. That provided Ashley Fekula with an opportunity to contribute nine of her 15 points. Chelsea Heywood scored six of her 10 points in the second half for the Redmen, who led 35-29 at the half. Jade Brass scored 13 points for Peacock in a losing cause.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears defeated the 4th-seeded Saskatoon Bishop J. Mahoney Saints 53-44 after leading 23-20 at the half. Carolyn Ganes led Bowman with 14. Kara Lackie and Desiree Dyck each added 12. Mahoney was paced by Christine Kostyniuk’s 16 points. Lindsay Bredenbach added 9. Making the final was the goal, said forward Katherine Keys. “We’ve reached our goals, we’ve got our cake, but we want a little more now,” Keys told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “Now we’d like some icing.” Kristine Kostyniuk had 18 points for the Saints.
In the bronze medal match, the Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers nipped the Saskatoon Bishop J. Mahoney Saints 53-52 as Amanda Sjoberg scored 12 and Jade Brass 11. Sarah Stookey led the Saints with 18. Nicole Schoenberger added 7. The Saints (coached by Gayle Stookey, assistant Jim Zwarych, assistant Katie Williamson) also included Cherie Schoenberger, Jocelyn Altrogge, Kristine Kostyniuk, Lindsay Breidenbach, Janelle Gudmundson, Jenelle Davis, Jen Zwarych, Bryn Delaney, Brittany Hendry and Chelsea Fruson.
In the final, the top-seeded Aden Bowman Bears defeated the 3rd-seeded Regina Balfour Redmen 66-62 as Carolyn Ganes scored 31 and Desiree Dyck 19. Bowman overcame a 39-33 halftime deficit. Lara Schmidt led Balfour with 22 points. Elyse Kesse added 18 and Ashley Fekula 8. “I can’t wait to see the banner go up,” Bears post Carolyn Ganes told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “It’s gonna be so awesome. It’ll be such a rush.” The Bears’ victory over wasn’t guaranteed until six seconds remained on the clock when Stacey Ferguson, who scored three points, hit one of two free throws. “I wasn’t actually too nervous, even when I missed the first one,” Ferguson said. “I knew I had to make the second one and I focused a little bit more. It felt so good when it went in.” Bowman coach Wendy Benson was happy to see Ferguson get in the spotlight. “It summed up the game for us. We got something from everyone tonight. Carolyn and Des (Dyck) were there, but so were (Katherine Keys), Stacey, Alanna Baillod, Jill (Vinish), Amy (Prokop), Kara (Lackie).” Balfour, behind high-scoring Lara Schmidt and a ferocious defence, took a 39-33 lead into the half. There was no panic from Bowman, however. “We’ve been a second-half team all year,” said Ganes. “We knew we were OK.” Things weren’t looking good, however, after Schmidt scored six straight to give the Redmen a 47-35 lead. The Bears’ bench was quiet until Dyck and Ganes, the team’s leading scorers, nailed 24 of Bowman’s next 28 points. On the other end, the Bears were sparked by a 2-3 zone that stifled Balfour. “We played it really aggressively,” said Benson. “The girls worked so hard on the perimeter and Carolyn shut things down inside.” The Bears tied the game 51-51 and played all-out the final 14 minutes. “We didn’t think about getting tired,” Ganes said. “Me and Des lost to Balfour (in the 1999 Hoopla final). We’re weren’t going to again.” After Ganes scored with 48 seconds left to put Bowman up 65-62, the remaining seconds were a giant cluster. A jump ball in Bowman’s end was won by Balfour, but Ferguson stole a pass before turning it over. Then, with Balfour inbounding under the Bears’ hoop, Prokop stole the ball. Balfour fouled Ganes with eight seconds left, but she missed both free throws. Said Ganes: “I’m always in the gym at 7:30 a.m. I’ll have to start going earlier.” On the second miss, Ferguson got the board, was fouled and hit the clutch shot. Schmidt told the Regina Leader-Post that a silver medal wasn’t too disappointing. “When I look at this medal, I don’t see silver. I see all of the girls in the locker room who I know gave it their all. I feel pretty good. This was the highest level of game we could get to. To be here was one of our goals but we didn’t get the ultimate one. When I look back, I don’t have any regrets. They took the ball inside and we stopped doing that. We did it in the first half and we were content to shoot in the second half. They took it in and we couldn’t answer it.”
The bronze medalist Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers: Jade Brass; Amanda Sjoberg; Chantal Vatour; Robin Seida Daphne Gottselig; coach Lorne Armstrong
The silver medalist Regina Balfour Redmen: Ashley Fekula; Lara Schmidt; Chelsa Haywood; Elyse Kessel; Allix Schweitzer; Jessie Waller; Leanne Klempner; Chelsey Higgs; Chelsey Ullman; Elyse Kessel; Melissa Leniuk; Amanda Jors; Tara Griffith; Beit Sanith; coach Wendy Bileski; assistant C Nourse; manager Ashley Palik; trainer Hoeub Heng
The gold medalist Saskatoon Aden Bowman Bears: Kara Lackie; Katherine Keys; Carolyn Ganes; Kristy Taylor; Kristin Keys; Alanna Baillod; Desiree Dyck; Amy Prokop; McKenzie Hodgins; Kelly Harmsworth; Stacey Ferguson; Jill Vinish; Marin Loewen; coach Wendy Benson; manager Chandra Chambers