In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Moose Jaw Central Cyclones clubbed the Estevan Elecs 77-34. …………………………………………………… The Balgonie Greenall Griffins whipped the Yorkton Regional Raiders 82-49. …………………………………………………… The Regina Luther Lions whipped Yorkton Sacred Heart Saints 80-27. …………………………………………………… The Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders defeated the Moose Jaw A.E. Peacock Toilers 62-54. …………………………………………………… The Weyburn Eagles stomped the North Battleford John Paul II Crusaders 68-48 as Jane Pegg scored 24. R. Fedler led John Paul with 12. …………………………………………………… Meadow Lake clubbed the Regina F.W. Johnson Wildcats 59-44. The Wildcats included Denise Quinton, Kayla Simonson, Kelsi Lyon. …………………………………………………… The Swift Current Ardens crushed Lloydminster Holy Rosary 67-52 as Kimbi Wiebe scored 25. Sharissa Schmidt led Holy Rosary with 16. The Ardens built a 15-2 lead over Holy Rosary 3:18 into the contest with their zone press creating turnovers and easy baskets. A 43-21 lead at halftime allowed the Ardens to use all 10 players in the second half, resulting in each player hitting the scoresheet, Kimbi Wiebe added six rebounds, followed by Hailey McRae with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Reserve wing Courtney Smith had a strong defensive outing with seven rebounds. …………………………………………………… Prince Albert St. Mary defeated the Delisle Rebels 62-56 in overtime. The score was knotted at 50 in regulation place. Dany Stone paced St. Mary with 20. Amy Tweedie led Delisle with 19.
In the quarterfinals, top-seeded Moose Jaw Central dumped the Balgonie Greenall Griffins 83-66. The Griffins included Virginia Chell, Delainee Behrns, Reagan Woods, Kristina Ginter, Britney Kaczmar, Chaelynn Eutenier, Delatree Burns.
The Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders edged the Regina Luther Lions 39-32. The Lions included Laura Almas, Elora McLeod, Caren Jones, Becky Holden, Cara van Burck, Megan Hewson, Megan Adams-Lebell.
The Weyburn Comprehensive Eagles stomped Meadow Lake 70-37.
In the last quarterfinal, the Swift Current Ardens whipped Prince Albert St. Mary’s Marauders 77-55 after leading 18-12, 34-25 and 54-40 at the quarters. Kimbi Wiebe paced the Ardens with 20. Lindsay Siemens added 19. Megan Hendous led St. Mary’s with 21. Danny Stone added 11. The Ardens led St. Mary from start to finish while overcoming a turnover filled first quarter that saw them lead 18-12. Grade 10 wing Jane Kennedy gave the Ardens a boost off the bench with three baskets on the way to her best game as an Arden with eight points on four of five shooting. The Ardens led 34-25 at the half and stretched the lead to 18 points in the third quarter after Lindsay Siemens scored 10 Ardens points during an 11-2 run to help the Ardens to a 77-55 win. Siemens struggled to hit shots in the first half but responded with 18 second half points. Kimbi Wiebe led the offense with 20 points and nine steals followed by Siemens with 19 points and eight rebounds. Briana Wilms chipped in 16 points and three rebounds. McRae scored nine points and hauled in 19 rebounds. Ardens head coach Rod Siemens was excited to earn the return trip to Hoopla. “It is very exciting. Obviously, this was one of our goals that we established was to get back to Hoopla taking it one step at a time. One of our goals was to host this Regional and I think that was a big part of our success this weekend was playing on our home court. Now I guess we get to focus on next weekend which I know we will have a huge challenge to defend our championship but we are going to do everything possible to try and bring it home again for the second year.” Siemens acknowledged the contributions of the Ardens bench. “It is great, we have been talking all year that you never know who is going to be in there and who is going to be the person who is going to have to make a key play. Jane did a tremendous job for us today. We have been getting a tremendous effort from our bench all season so it wasn’t a surprise but it certainly was a great contribution off the bench and from all the players today.” Siemens also agreed that Lindsay Siemens found a way to hit the scoresheet after some early difficulties. “Well she was struggling certainly in the first half with her shooting. I think that she realized that if she was going to score today it was going to be from taking the ball to the hoop and she certainly did that in the second half. It wasn’t just one player it was a true team effort today and I thought that our veteran leadership from Kimbi Weibe, who had a fantastic effort, along with Briana and Hailey and all the girls really brought their best game and it was a great effort.” Grade 10 guard Lindsay Siemens explained that she did not plan her 18-point outburst in the second half. “Not really it just kind of happened, everyone kind of picked it up a bit and everything started working well and my shots starting falling. Coach told us it was going to be who wanted it the most and I guess we took that to heart and picked it up.” As for the Ardens’ focus this week Lindsay Siemens said, “we really need to work on the basics, just good passes, good decisions, and mostly intensity because now it really doesn’t matter what seed you are it is just who wants it the most and we want to be that team.”
In the semis, the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders upset top-seeded Moose Jaw Central 60-52. Carlton went on a 9-2 run to open the game and took an impressive 25-13 lead into the second quarter. The quick start was a refreshing change for the team. “We’ve started slowly the past couple of games, so it was nice to see the girls come out and have such a strong first quarter,” Carlton coach Ken Morrison told the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “It was just a matter of keeping it going after that.” Prince Albert’s Erica Gavel and Ashley Kuzma were the dynamic offensive duo, putting up 22 and 21 points respectively. Ashley Wilk had 11 to lead Central. Carlton led 35-31 at the half and 48-40 after the third quarter. Michelle Stapleton hit two straight treys and Tiffany Cassidy made a lay-up to narrow Carlton’s lead to 54-52 with 2:35 left, but Kuzma and Gavel made two free throws to put the game out of reach. “It’s nice just to get into the final and in basketball anything can happen,” said Morrison. “We’ll have to play really good to win in the final tomorrow, but we’re excited.” “That was pretty exciting,” said Carlton guard Erica Gavel. “We came out strong and ready to play.” The Crusaders started the game with a bang. Behind smooth passing and consistent shooting, Carlton jumped to a commanding 14-point lead after just 10 minutes of play. But then, as quickly as it was built, the lead was narrowed to three points in the second quarter. “We kind of had a little bit of a nap in the second and third quarters and let them sneak back into it,” said Carlton assistant coach Jennifer Ferguson. By the end of the third, however, Carlton held a 48-40 lead and was determined to keep it. “We worked hard right to the end of the game,” said Ferguson. “We made some big plays when we needed them.” The biggest of those plays of the game came late in the fourth quarter. With Moose Jaw over the penalty limit, the Crusaders were sent to the strip time and again in the waning moments of the game. And time and again, the Crusaders kept their composure, nailed their shots and put the game out of reach with their free-throw shooting. “We shot very good from the free-throw line,” said Gavel. “That’s the best we’ve shot from there all year.” Gavel lead the way for Carlton with 22 points, while Ashley Kuzma added 21. Ashley Wilk had 11 points in a losing cause for Moose Jaw.
In the other semi, the Weyburn Eagles dumped the Swift Current Ardens 78-68. Kayla Skjerdal scored 20 points for Weyburn. Lindsay Siemens had 27 points for Swift Current.
In the bronze medal match, the Swift Current Ardens defeated the top-seeded Moose Jaw Central Cyclones 71-58 as Hailey McRae scored 24, Kimbi Wiebe 16 and Lindsay Siemens 16. Ashley Wilk led Central with 16. Amanda Woode added 9. The Cyclones (coached by Rhonda Kwan) also included Jin Barker, Alyssa Bell, Anne Bjorge, Tiffany Cassidy, Jena DeLahey, Kendra Doerksen, Jennifer Grant, Kelsey Konihowski, Shelby MacKey, Alyssa Papic.
In the final, the Weyburn Eagles dumped the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders 55-41. Jane Pegg of the Weyburn Eagles hit a half-court buzzer beater to push the lead to 13 points at the end of the third quarter, sucking the air out of the Crusaders. Pegg finished with 14 points. Alesha Johnson led the speedy Eagles with 18. The Crusaders were led by Ashley Kuzma, who finished with a game-high 19 points. The Eagles won their second title in three years. “When we were shooting it just wasn’t going in,” said Ashley Kuzma, “and maybe that was a little frustrating for us.” Never was that more apparent than in the opening frame. Call it big game jitters, call it one of those quarters, call it what you will, but through the first 10 minutes the Crusaders could hardly buy a basket. In a less than stellar shooting display, ball after ball clanged off the rim as the Crusaders trailed 16-4 after one. Try as they might, it was a deficit Carlton was never quite able to surmount. For most of the next two quarters, Carlton’s defence pressured Weyburn and created numerous turnovers. That, combined with a modicum of consistent shooting, helped the Crusaders cut the lead to six. But as quickly as the comeback started, it fizzled in the waning moments of the third as Carlton once again went ice cold from the field. “In the third quarter we had them on the ropes, but we just didn’t finish,” said Crusader coach Ken Morrison. “We just couldn’t put the ball in. If we score a few more times instead of missing, that gives us the momentum and changes the game.” However, change wasn’t in the cards as the Eagles hit the boards hard and used solid inside scoring down the stretch to once again build a double-digit lead – a lead they would hold until the final buzzer. Shooting struggles aside, the Carlton girls played well. They hustled, had more success on the glass than in their previous meeting with Weyburn and displayed a never-say-die attitude that is the hallmark of any good team. “I think we played (well),” said Kuzma, whose 19 points and inspired play were a big reason the Crusaders were able to keep things interesting. “We were down and just kept fighting back. We ate away at the lead, but it just wasn’t enough.” Even though they came up short, the Crusaders know there is no reason to hang their heads. They played hard and did the best they could, considering the circumstances. “We’re a young team, and to come here seeded fourth and come in second place, that just awesome,” said Kuzma. Morrison agreed. “To knock off the first seed and get into the final is great. I’m really proud of what they did.” Erica Gavel and Rae Baaten added 8 for Carlton.
The bronze medalist Swift Current Ardens: Kimbi Wiebe; Lindsay Siemens; Hailey McRae; Briana Wilms; Tessa Andres; Chana Bakken; Nikki Francouer; Taneil Janzen; Jane Kennedy; Courtney Smith; coach Rod Siemens
The silver medalist Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders: Erica Gavel; Ashley Kuzma; Rae Braaten; Lisa Brillinger; Rebecka Chesley; Julie Darchuk; Lexis Gordon; Chana Harris; Amber Hein; Racquel Marshall; Alexandra Poetker; Tybie Vickers; coach Ken Morrison
The gold medalist Weyburn Eagles: Jane Pegg; Kayla Skjerdal; Jenna Paslawski; Kimberley Dupont; Lydia Niemegeers; Cassandra Ellerbeck; Chelsea DeVries; Jessica Pyett; Christie Kimber; Alesha Johnson; Chelsea Schwindt; Ariel Chessal; coach Wanda Pegg