In the final, the F.H. Collins Warriors clipped the Porter Creek Rams 72-59 to capture their third consecutive title. The Warriors led by four at the half and by two after three quarters but an 11-2 run proved decisive early in the final frame. Warriors coach Ann Jirousek told the Yukon News that “they are all special groups, but this group especially. I told them in Grade 8 I will wait until you graduate and then I will retire from coaching and spend time at the rink. And so now they are done, so I might have to retire now. (But) there’s a lot of good players that are coming up in the next few years, and we have our eye on them. That’s one reason why I might not want to retire.” Grade nine student Claire Abbott said “it feels good. You get to play with really good players, so it makes you want to play well.” Another grade nine student, Nesha Wright, said playing with seniors wasn’t nerve-wracking.” “They make you feel really comfortable and the team is really uplifting.” Jirousek said “I’m glad the girls won but at the end of the season I’m always a little sad. My seniors are feeling it too – it’s their last game – and sometimes we’d go into a huddle and they’d be in tears.” The Warriors led 28-12 early but the Rams rallied to within 33-32 on a jumper by Devon Hanson. “Our intensity went down for a while and just weren’t making smart decisions on offence,” said Warrior Andrea Abbott. “Then we brought it back together.” Still, the Rams rallied to knot the score at 49 early in the fourth quarter as Warrior and tournament MVP Chantai Minet briefly struggled from the floor. “One of my top shooters was as cold as ice,” Jirousek said of Minet. “The first quarter she shot well, the second and third she didn’t – partially it’s nerves. They want to win pretty badly and sometimes when you want to win so badly, it interferes with how you play.” Minet finished with 24. Michelle McKay added 17 and Jennifer Curtis 14. Beth Ferguson led the Rams with 24. Aylia Tuzlak added 17 and Amanda Kelehev 14. Tuzlak’s “our best rebounder, she was point-guard at the end of the game, she’s the kind of kid that does everything,” said Rams coach Mark Hureau. “She’s really the spark plug of our team… She played the entire game, we didn’t take her out once.”
The bronze medalist Whitehorse Vanier:
The silver medalist Whitehorse Porter Creek Rams: Devon Hanson; Beth Ferguson; Amanda Kelehev; Aylia Tuzlak; coach Mark Hureau
The gold medalist Whitehorse F.H. Collins Warriors: Chantai Minet; Claire Abbott; Nesha Wright; Andrea Abbott; Michelle McKay; Jennifer Curtis; coach Ann Jirousek