REGULAR SEASON

EAST       WEST      
  New Brunswick 19-1 32-3 Joyce Slipp St. FX 15-5 19-9 Doc Ryan
  U.P.E.I. 14-6 22-10 Tracy Ellsworth Dalhousie 10-10 15-18 Carolyn Savoy
  St. Mary’s  8-12 12-16 Jill Jeffrey Memorial 10-10 12-16 Doug Partridge
  Cape Breton  3-14  2-18 Fabian McKenzie Acadia  2-18  3-26 Laura Sanders
                 

Playoff non-qualifiers:

Acadia Axewomen: Pam Dewling, Robin DeYoung, Heather McIntyre, Lindsay LaMorre, Jody Harvey, Natalie Nakic, Trisha Cormier, Danielle Sullivan, Pam Dewling, Marcia Conrad, Pam Ellis, Nikkie Hynes, Kim Brown, coach Laura Sanders

Cape Breton Capers: Nikole Longhi, Deanna MacAuley, Shauna Poirier, Amanda Fisher, Heidi MacNeil, Tanya Berger, Jody Peters, Kristen Morrison, Tara Travis, Tara Reddick, Danielle English, Colleen Gillis, Nikole Longhi, coach Ron Carew

In the quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded UPEI Panthers edged the 6th-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks 72-66. Memorial led 40-33 at the half but lost their composure in the second. “We didn’t play hard,” said coach Doug Partridge. “The first 10 minutes of the second half, we came out and did not play hard. We gave them open looks and good shots and they hit them. We just didn’t bring it. We wanted to try to make them get the ball into their posts and control the tempo. I felt we did that for 30 minutes.” Jennifer Johnston led the Panthers with 26 points on 8-21 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 5 assists, 4 steals and 6 boards. Marie-Claude Couture had 14 points and 10 assists, while Kate Ellis scored 8 and nabbed 18 boards. Kate Flynn led Memorial with 22, including 14-14 from the line. Ann Murrin added 7, Melissa Skanes 11, Sandi Ennis 11 and Erica Coultas 10. Memorial outshot UPEI .364 to .310 from the floor and .885 to .650 from the line. The Sea-Hawks (coached by Doug Partridge, assisted by Tami Pennell and Karen Cameron) also included Jillian Abbott, Katie Mulcahy, Kerri Highmore, Tiffany Seay, Erika Stokes, Kendra Wheatley, Tammy Stephen and Gwyneth Pryse-Phillips.

In the other quarterfinal, the Dalhousie Tigers clipped the St. Mary’s Huskies 58-43. Dalhousie came out roaring and opened a 10-point lead as a result of aggressive offensive rebounding. Guard Carrie Fair said effort was key. “We knew if we put in the work we could get past them. We played hard defence and we have great post players. They don’t get much recognition but they play tough.” The Tigers held the Huskies scoreless for the first 5:29 but only led 6-0. They extended it to 15-4 midway through the half and to 29-15 at the break. The Huskies closed to within 12 in the second half at 37-25 but Dalhousie soon had the lead back and 20 and coasted. Dalhousie out-rebounded St. Mary 49-29, dished 19 assists to 14, and committed 17 turnovers to 20. “I think the inconsistency we showed all year caught up with us,” said St. Mary’s coach Jill Jeffrey. “We were well prepared and I’m disappointed we showed up like that in our own gym. We had ample opportunity to get into that game in the second half but we played in spurts.” Julia Burden notched 14 for Dalhousie. Angelia Crealock added 10. Lisa Ward led St. Mary’s with 15. Kristi-Jo Robinson added 10. The Huskies (coached by Jill Jeffrey and managed by Trish Waugh) also included Jennifer Reid, Katie Gammon, Kari Scott, Lisa Ward, Coleen MacNeil, Kate Little, Jamie Quinn, Felicia Arbuah, Jeanne Chubbs, Erin Keating and Carrie Houston.

In the semis, the 2nd-seeded St. FX X-Women defeated the 3rd-seeded UPEI Panthers 86-80. X took a 16-point lead and then held on for the win in a racehorse affair. “We knew we had to play up-tempo to win,” said forward Kristin Moore. “We knew that we could do it. We just had to go out and show everybody else. The difference in the game was we had great clock management and good shot selection. We really put it all together tonight. We go 12 deep and that really became important in a game like this.” St. FX opened with a 10-2 run, led 45-40 at the half and then took a 62-46 lead with 13 minutes remaining after registering a 17-6 run. But the Panthers mounted a comeback to close within two with 24 seconds to play before X prevailed at the free throw line, hitting 8-8 down the stretch. UPEI coach Tracy Ellsworth said “they got off a jump start in the second half and built a big lead. We knew we couldn’t afford to fall behind by more than 10 but that’s what happened. It’s tough to fight back. It really hurts Jen and it hurts me to see my fifth-year seniors go out like this. I always want my seniors to go out on a win.” Moore led St. FX with 28 points on 9-13 from the floor and 10-10 from the line. Nikki Doucet added 18 points, 10 boards and 10 assists. Donna Sanderson added 10, Jacqueline Johnston 9, Katie McDonough 6, Holly Richards 6, Alyson Wister 6 and Lindsay Clarke 3. Jennifer Johnston notched 22 points for UPEI on 8-21 from the floor, 9 assists and 7 boards. Marie-Claude Couture added 21, Kate Myron 10, Kate Ellis 9, Christine Larouche 8, Carolyn Ellis 6 and Krista Connolly 4.

In the other semi, the top-seeded New Brunswick Red Bloomers defeated Dalhousie 72-46 after shooting .520 from the floor to .260 for Dalhousie. UNB ripped off an 18-2 run in the first half as they exploded to a 43-24 lead at the half, while hitting 67 per cent of their shots, including 7-8 by Lynne Robertson and 7-9 by Shelley Ryan. They extended their lead to as many as 29 in the second half. “We started slowly because this was our first game and they had already played once,” said Robertson. “Once we relaxed, we got the flow going a little better. I think the last 10 minutes of the first half was a real turning point. They sort of gave up a little bit and that’s when we made our run for it.” Angelia Crealock led the Tigers with 14 on 5-17 from the floor, 10 steals, 7 assists, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Tiger guard Julia Burden said “we knew we were in against a tough team and we just wanted to come out and play well. We felt cold shooting the ball but we gave it our all and there was nothing else we could do.”

        In the final, top-seeded New Brunswick avenged its only loss of the regular season as Laura Swift scored 30 to lead the Varsity Reds past St. FX 78-56. Swift added 6 boards, 6 assists and 5 steals. “While we were watching the other semifinal on Saturday night, I said: ‘I want X to win. I want to kill them’ because they were the only team that beat us this year,” Swift, who dished 6 assists and was chosen tourney MVP, told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. “When a team beats you, you want a chance to redeem yourself. You can never anticipate how a season will play out. But this is certainly what our plan was at the beginning of the year. The coaches told me before the game that this was what I came back for and I shouldn’t anything back.” The 26-year-old, returning for a fifth year of eligibility after leaving campus in 1994, during which she earned all-Canadian honours, used her size to dominate defenders, attacking with the penetration dribble or flashing for short jumpers. She finished with 16 points in the first half on 8-11 from the floor. Swift’s shooting along with the boardwork of forwards Charlene Woolaver and Lynne Robertson, ignited an 18-7 run that gave UNB a 39-25 lead at the break. X rallied to within 44-36 at the start of the second half but Swift came off a screen and nailed a trey, just her sixth of the season. “I don’t usually take that may threes. I just felt good today,” she said. ‘The game seemed like it was in slow motion. When I took that first one, I didn’t realize the score was that close. I wasn’t thinking that we needed to shot to get above 10. It just came in the flow of the game.” She finished a perfect 3-3 from the arc. X coach Doc Ryan said that “obviously, they’re a lot more talented than we are. I thought one of the key things was we didn’t hit our perimeter shots. That took us out of the game early and we fell behind. We tried to make a run. But they hit some open shots on us. Swift was tough today. In my opinion, she’s the best player in the league.” The Reds out-rebounded X 54-36, including 25-10 on the offensive glass. Lynn Robertson scored 12 and nabbed 13 boards. Charlene Woolaver scored 12 and nabbed 11 boards. Shelley Ryan notched 10, Lindsay Myers 6, Bonny Munn 4 and Gillian LeBlanc 3. Nikki Doucet led St. FX with 18 points, 6 boards and 5 steals. Kristin Moore added 14 points. Donna Sanderson had 7 points and 7 boards. Lindsay Clarke added 7, Katie McDonough 4, Alyson Wister 4 and Holly Richards 2. UNB coach Joyce Slipp hoped her team could slide in under the radar screen at nationals because no one knew anything about them. “When’s the last time an AUAA team went to nationals and did anything? We don’t get any respect and we don’t deserve any because we haven’t done anything.” They went on to win a bronze medal. When a group of reporters descended on Swift after the final, she promptly delivered a mock scream and proclaimed: “Oh no, it’s the attack of the mini-recorders.” Fifth-year senior Bonnie Munn said that “it’s so exhilarating. We finally did it. We are such a team and it’s good to have this win because of that. This is the most important thing to me, not the individual stuff.” Shelley Ryan added that “This is soooo good. At the first of the game, we were so pumped. There was no way we were going to lose. We knew we would have to play tough, tough defence to beat them and that they have big players. But so do we, and we knew we had more experience.” Tournament MVP Swift, who also kept St. FX all-star Kristen Moore under wraps said that “with this team, any given person can step up on any given night. For instance, Shelley and Charlene [Woolaver] weren’t selected to the all- star team but when we went to UPEI [to finish the season] they stepped up. Then, when we played Dal [in the semi-finals], they were the ones who stepped up. Whoever feels like they are in the zone will just step up and take the team on their shoulders.” Swift said “we are kind of like a steamroller. We start slow but once we get going, the momentum can keep us going. … I just felt good today. It was kind of slow motion. It was wide open. … I felt comfortable so I took them.” Ryan told the Fredericton Daily Gleaner “there was no way we were going to lose this game. We knew we had to be tough, we knew in the end we had more experience. … We wanted them today because they were the only to beat us and we wanted to show them they can’t beat us again by one (point).” Swift said “their whole game is pound it inside and get the easy bunny–or drive to the hoop–they shoot close to the hoop. So Joyce had us pack it in the key and force them to take outside jumpers, and I think that really worked.” X-Women Kristen Moore said “we struggled under the hoop. We didn’t finish that well. We were confident, we knew we’d beaten them before, but we didn’t step up.”

The co-bronze medalist Prince Edward Island Panthers: Jennifer Johnston; Marie-Claude Couture; Kate Myron; Kate Ellis; Christine Larouche; Carolyn Ellis; Krista Connolly; Scottina Whitty; Amy Doornekamp; Jane Vessey; Martine Geoffrion; Melissa Harwood; coach Tracy MacEachern-Ellsworth

 The co-bronze medalist Dalhousie Tigers: Angelia Crealock; Julia Burden; Janet Wells; Janice King; Jillian MacDonald; Katie Horne; Logan Dunning; Nirmala Bains; Carrie-Lynne Fair; Charlong Fausta; Linsey Stewart; coach Carolyn Savoy

        The runner-up St. Francis Xavier X-Women: Nikki Doucet; Kristin Moore; Donna Sanderson; Kristin Moore; Jacqueline Johnston; Katie McDonough; Holly Richards; Alyson Wister; Lindsay Clarke; Angela Large; Kim Reardon; Mary Jamieson; Meghan MacMillan; Lissa Resnitzky; Angela Harris; coach Doc Ryan; assistant Karen Case; assistant Darren House; assistant Gary Humphreys; manager Heather Wright; assistant manager D.J. Porteous; trainer Michelle Fuller

        The champion New Brunswick Red Bloomers: Laura Swift; Bonny Munn; Charlene Woolaver; Lynn Robertson; Shelley Ryan; Lindsay Myers; Jill Leblanc; Virginia Dickison; Jill Boucher; Renee Poirier; Ali McGill; Val Jack; Heather Grasman; coach Joyce Slipp