REGULAR SEASON
| Dalhousie | 16-4 | 21-9 | Carolyn Savoy | |||||
| St. FX | 12-8 | 15-10 | Doc Ryan | |||||
| New Brunswick | 12-8 | 19-12 | ||||||
| Memorial | 11-9 | 13-14 | Doug Partridge | |||||
| U.P.E.I. | 10-10 | 15-15 | Tracy Ellsworth | |||||
| Acadia | 9-11 | 14-17 | Laura Sanders | |||||
| St. Mary’s | 8-12 | 11-20 | Jill Jeffrey | |||||
| Cape Breton | 2-18 | 2-21 | ||||||
During the regular season, mainland Nova Scotia teams versus non-mainland Nova Scotia teams are four-point games.
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Cape Breton Capers: Janice Moseychuk (before being booted off the team), Krista Clarke, Nicole Durdle, Deanna MacAuley, Geralyn Moore, Heidi MacNeil, Shauna Poirier, Lisa Gillespie, Maxine Pennell, Megan Murray, Jenny Timmons, Tanya Berger, Jody Peters, Melanie Currier, Lana Currier, coach Ron Carew, assistant Kirt Mombourquette
St. Mary’s Huskies: Shannon Jones, Coleen MacNeil, Kristy-Jo Robinson, Marianne Berry, Toni MacAfee, Monica Miller, Jadranka Crnogorac, Lisa Ward, Bonnie MacLean, Trisha Waugh, Kaleigh Wiggins, Stephanie English, Carine Pattin, coach Jill Healy, assistant Scott Munro, assistant Patty Hayden, trainer Diane Webster, trainer Chad Newhook, manager Christine Brimson, statistician Darcy MacPherson
In the quarterfinals, 4th-seeded New Brunswick defeated 5th-seeded UPEI 60-57 as player of the game Donna Retson scored 16, Shelley Ryan 15, Bonny Munn 10 and Charlene Woolaver 4, while nabbing 11 boards. Bonny Munn hit a pair of free throws and Bridget Gamble added a third as the Red Bloomers pulled out the win. Varsity Reds coach Joyce Slipp told The Brunswickan that “I thought we did a good job on defence, especially against Eirann Rigby and Jennifer Johnston. … I thought we executed our game plan well. Late in the game, I told Bonny (Munn) not to pass.” Marie-Claude Couture led the Panthers with 17. Krista Foreman added 14, along with 11 boards. The Panthers (coached by Tracy MacEachern) also included Eireann Rigby, Jennifer Johnston, Shannon Walsh, Trisha Atkinson, Norma Palmer, Krista Connolly, Chelsea Martin, Tammy Muirhead, Kara Saunders, Lyndsay Macrae and Tara Nogler.
In the other quarterfinal, the 6th-seeded Acadia Axettes defeated the 3rd-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks 68-64 as Lynn Robertson scored 21 and nabbed 11 boards. Candace Jeffrey added 17, Heidi Moyse 10 and Brigitte Edwards 10, along with 10 boards. Acadia out-rebounded Memorial 43-23, while grabbing 24 on the offensive glass. Jenifer Devereaux led the Sea-Hawks with 16. Amy O’Reilly added 15. Acadia led 36-26 at the half and while Memorial rallied, they were stymied in the paint. The Sea-Hawks (coached by Doug Partridge) also included Ann Murrin, Karen Cameron, Erica Coultas, Lisa Daly, Corrina MacDonald, Lisa MacInnis, Gwyneth Pryse-Phillips, Tammy Stephen, Kendra Wheatley and Tara Bulgin.
In the semis, fifth-seeded Acadia stunned top-seeded Dalhousie 53-50. Acadia led 17-10 early but Dalhousie rallied with a 16-6 run as conference MVP Carolyn Wares got hot. The Tigers inched ahead 35-29 at the half but the Axettes opened the second frame with a 7-0 run. Dalhousie spurted back, notched an 11-4 run to take a 46-40 lead with 11 minutes to play. But then Wares picked her third and fourth fouls, forcing her to the bench. Although Jody Euloth hit a layup to extend the margin to 10 with 10 minutes to play, it proved to be Dalhousie’s last field goal of the half. The Axettes defence shut Dal down and allowed only two free throws down the stretch as Acadia rallied. The Tigers kept turning over the ball and Acadia eventually knotted the score at 50 with 50 seconds to play on a Candace Jeffery jumper from just inside the arc. Dal worked the ball to Wares in the paint but she was tied up and the possession arrow went to the Axettes with 33 seconds to play. They worked the ball to Heather O’Grady who let it fly from beyond the arc with two seconds to play. “I didn’t even know where my feet were,” she said. “I just the milliseconds ticking away out of the corner of my eye, so I let it go. They play was designed for Candace but she was covered, so I had to shoot it.” Jeffery led Acadia with 15. Brigitte Edwards and Heather O’Grady each added 13. Wares paced Dalhousie with 17. Sue Parke added 13 and Danielle Moe 12. Tigers coach Carolyn Savoy told the Dalhousie Gazette that “I went with the players who had been their before and knew how to win a championship. Acadia did a good job of knowing our plays. They were really well-prepared. They’re a very experienced team. … We just couldn’t seem to get it going. It was like the girls felt they were just hanging on, instead of attacking.” Dalhousie had 22 turnovers, leading to 25 Acadia points.
In the other semi, St. FX defeated New Brunswick 98-97 in overtime as Theresa MacCuish scored 39 and Donna Sanderson hit the winning bucket in extra time. The Varsity Reds had taken a 97-96 lead with 13 seconds left on a Charlene Woolaver jumper. But St. FX’s Tina St. Amour took the inbounds pass and raced coast-to-coast and fired up an airball, which fell into Sanderson’s hands for an easy layup with three seconds to play. UNB had forced overtime when Bonny Munn raced the length of the floor and knotted the score at 86 with a desperation trey. St. Amour led St. FX with 19. Catherine Jamieson added 16 and Sanderson 9, along with 12 boards. X coach Doc Ryan’s said his troop’s ability to react under pressure proved the difference. “This was the style of game we wanted to play, running the floor. When everyone is healthy, like they are this weekend, we can do that. Our kids had a lot of heart tonight, to pull this out. In practice, we work on time and score situations, so when we got behind with 10 seconds left, our kids just reacted. There was no hesitation.” Charlene Woolaver led the Varsity Reds with 27. Shelly Ryan added 22, Bonny Munn 21 and Donna Retson 12. Varsity Reds coach Joyce Slipp told the Brunswickan that “I thought that was the best game that the kids played all season, the best group effort that I got out of them all season and to lose it by one is always a heartbreaker. I think the kids gave absolutely everything they had to give. I mean, I’m proud of them for that.”
In the final, 2nd-seeded St. FX defeated 5th-seeded Acadia 73-63 to earn the X-Women’s first conference title. Coach Doc Ryan leaned back and smiled. “This is what it’s all about. Nobody wants to come to a championship game and see a 30-point blowout. The fans here got what they wanted, a close, hard-played game with a lot of good coaching.” Ryan added that he was “happy for the kids” particularly Theresa MacCuish, who scored 29 and was chosen player of the game. He called her the league’s MVP, a characterization which MacCuish took issue with. “Oh no, not me. There are too many good players in the league this year for me to be MVP. What’s important to me is we won the title. That’s what I came back for and that’s what matters.” Acadia led 29-28 with five minutes to play in the first half but the X-Women closed out the frame with a 14-2 run to take a 42-31 lead into the lockers. Acadia opened the second half with six unanswered points but X quickly got the margin back to double digits. All-Star Lynn Robertson and Heather O’Grady began pounding the ball inside as Acadia chipped away at the lead, cutting it to 60-58 on an O’Grady jumper with five minutes to play. But again, the X-Women had the answers and held on for the lead. O’Grady hit another jumper to cut the margin to 65-62 with two minutes to play but the X-Women forced the Axettes to turn over the ball on the ensuing four possessions as St. FX pulled out the win. Rita Rieksts added 10 for St. FX. Heather O’Grady led Acadia with 23 and 7 boards. Robertson scored 17 and grabbed 8 boards. Point guard Candace Jeffery scored 12 and dished 9 assists. Axettes forward Brigitte Edwards said coming close wasn’t enough. ‘it just shows us how close were to winning it. You can’t ask for more from our players than what they gave out there. I don’t think anyone came into this tournament disrespecting Acadia because we were the fifth seed.”
The co-bronze medalist Dalhousie Tigers: Carolyn Wares; Sue Parke; Danielle Moe; Alana Coffin; Christine Cunliffe; Jody Euloth; Jessica Mace; Maclean MacIsaac; Sara Hennberry; Nancy Chiasson; Angela Thistle; Jackie Flieger; 34-year Patti Hutchison, (alternately reported as a 38- or a 34-year-old who created a stir after running to the college ranks after 16 years); coach Carolyn Savoy; assistant Thor Oleson
The co-bronze medalist New Brunswick Varsity Reds: Charlene Woolaver; Shelly Ryan; Bonny Munn; Donna Retson; Kimberley Newman; Gina Lohnes; Bridget Gamble; Heather Grasman; Michelle Greene; Gina Lohnes; Kimberley Newman; Jenny Powell; Diana Dowling; Renee Poirier; coach Joyce Slipp; assistant Dick Slipp
The runner-up Acadia Axewomen: Candace Jeffery; Brigette Edwards; Lynn Robertson; Heidi Moyse; Heather O’Grady; Tobi Taylor; Jodi Harvey; Virginia Cann; Colleen Burke; Jennifer Graham; Brigitte Edwards; Robin Adamson; coach Laura Sanders; assistant Dwayne MacLeod
The champion St. Francis Xavier X-Women: Theresa MacCuish; Catherine Jamieson; Rita Rieksts; Donna Sanderson; Tina St. Amour; Sarah Williams; Ruby Viray; Jylian Chisholm; Cindy Daprat; Syna Reddick; Sarah MacPherson; Kristin Moore; Angela Large; Aldona Humphrey; Lindsay Tozier; coach Doc Ryan; assistant Karen Case; assistant John McCabe; assistant Mark Cameron; manager Marie Perley