REGULAR SEASON
| BALDWIN | NELSON | |||||||
| Memorial | 17-3 | 26-5 | Doug Partridge | Dalhousie | 13-7 | 21-14 | Carolyn Savoy | |
| St. FX | 13-7 | 18-15 | Doc Ryan | New Brunswick | 12-8 | 17-16 | Joyce Slipp | |
| St. Mary’s | 10-10 | 15-18 | Jill Jeffrey | Cape Breton | 8-12 | 12-13 | Fabian McKenzie | |
| Acadia | 2-18 | 3-27 | Laura Sanders | U.P.E.I. | 5-15 | 5-19 | Tracy Ellsworth | |
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Acadia Axewomen: Jody Harvey, Erin McAleenan, Trish Cormier, Kate Rive, Amy Underhill, Sheila McKee, Pam Dewling, Jody Harvey, Aidan Inglis, Kerry Karsten, Jessica Nieuwland, Kate Rive, Kate Beniuk, Stephanie Sydney, coach Laura Sanders
Prince Edward Island Panthers: Katie Andrews, Lindsay Coade, Kate Myron, Kari McArdle, Carolyn Ellis, Katherine Walters, Allison Hubley, Jenna Connolly, Melissa Harwood, Carrie Houston, Roshanda Robinson, Ashley Shannik, coach Tracy MacEachern-Ellsworth
In the quarterfinals, 4th-seeded New Brunswick defeated 5th-seeded St. Mary’s 53-48. The Reds opened with a 15-4 run and led 21-20 at the half. They exploded for an 11-2 run to overcome a 42-37 deficit with eight minutes to play. Jill Hachey led the Reds with 19 points and 9 boards. Bev Kennedy added 11. The Reds outrebounded the Huskies 39-32 and outshot them .420 to .340. Katie Gammon paced St. Mary’s with 14 points, 5 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Julie Galipeau added 12, along with 10 boards. The Huskies (coached by Jill Jeffrey) also included Joslin Cheverie, Carolyn DeAmicis, Katharina Hack, Natalie Ryan, Melanie Thomas, Laura MacPherson, Jamie Walker, Katie Gammon, Sarah Hebb, Patricia Downey.
In the other quarterfinal, the 6th-seeded Cape Breton dumped 3rd-seeded St. FX 81-75 as Amanda Fisher scored 19 of her 24 points in the second half. Trailing 49-42 midway through the second half, Fisher hit 8 of the next 10 points to ignite a 20-9 Capers run. “I said before the game that this wasn’t going to be my last one,” noted Fisher. “I was determined coming into the game, no matter what I had to do.” Leading 68-63 with three minutes remaining, Cape Breton iced it with five straight points. Heather Ross added 14 for the Capers. Karen Piers, who played three years at Oregon before transferring back to Nova Scotia, led the X-Women with 22. The X-Women (coached by Doc Ryan, assisted by Gail Kendall and Gary Humphreys, and managed by Tiffany Doucet) also included Kim Reardon, Jacqueline Johnston, Stephanie MacNeil, M.J. (Mary) Jamieson, Katie McDonaugh, Erin Buckle, Katie Melanson, Bev Moylan, Beth Stephen, Veronica Bailey, Beth Stephen, Kerry Hayes, Heather Marshall, Bev Moylan and Kim Reardon.
In the semis, Memorial defeated Cape Breton 72-59. The Sea-Hawks survived a slow start to defeat the Capers. They led by only 31-28 at the half after being plagued by fouls and shooting the ball poorly. But they roared out in the second half. Coach Doug Partridge said he told his starters to just stay on the floor in the second half and avoid the fouls. “My game plan is always to play my best players. But if foul trouble eliminates that plan, then other players must step up and they did.” Guard Amy Dalton noted that “we were a little nervous in the first half but once we got rid of the nerves, we settled down, played good defence and started making our shots fall.” Jenine Browne led the Sea-Hawks with 27. Kate Flynn added 14, Erika Stokes 10 and Melissa Skanes 7. Heather Ross led Cape Breton with 18. Katie Mulcahy added 5. Capers coach Fabian McKenzie said Browne’s killed his troops. “I knew down the stretch she was going to turn it on and she did. We slowed her down in the first half and really gave it to her but great players find a way to score. Wow, she’s a great one.” Capers captain Amanda Fisher said “we came out with a lot of heart and showed people we can play but Memorial was just the better team.
In the other semi, Dalhousie defeated New Brunswick 65-55 as Angelia Crealock scored 26, including 11 free throws and dished 6 assists. Julia Burden scored 4 and made two steals before re-injuring her knee. “We prepared ourselves that if Julia played at all it would be a bonus,” said Crealock. Dalhousie led 33-22 at the half. Rookie Carolyn Peppin scored 13 off the bench, including a pair of treys. Sonya Young nabbed 8 boards. Jillian Hachey led New Brunswick with 22 points and 10 boards.
In the final, Memorial nipped Dalhousie 62-60. Jenine Brown paced the Sea-Hawks with 22. Memorial led by 10 with five minutes to play but Dalhousie rallied to knot the score at 60 with eight seconds remaining on a Leila Burden bucket. But Amy Dalton found Kate Flynn alone under the bucket for the winning layup. “Kate made the big shot. Love her for that one,” Browne said. “I have lots of teammates who can score. We never got down on ourselves. We never lost focus. We kept it together and won.” Flynn added 13 points and 8 boards. Kerri Highmore scored 8 off the bench. Melissa Skanes scored 7, Erika Stokes 6 and Amy Dalton 5. “Oh my god, it’s sweet,” said Memorial Sandi Ennis, who played the tournament with a broken nose. “This is the best. Even when it got close, I knew we’d pull it out if we had last possession.” Memorial coach Doug Partridge noted that “these kids have just been exceptional this year. I have a lot of respect and love for them. They believe in one another.” Partridge noted the winning bucket was made possible by the attention Dalhousie was paying to Brown. “All we wanted was the ball in, both posts back to finish and attack the middle. If they run at you, throw it to the posts. If they don’t run at you, take the pull up shot. Amy has the passing and shooting ability. That’s all Amy Dalton. That’s not me.” Flynn expressed incredulity. ‘I can’t believe it. I knew Amy was coming like a freight train. I know she can beat anyone up the floor and when I saw her look my way I was saying to myself ‘please let me catch it’ because she’s known to pass the ball nice and firm. I didn’t know how much time was left but when I saw the ball finally roll in, I was so happy.”
The co-bronze medalist Cape Breton Capers: Heather Ross; Katie Mulcahy; Amanda Fisher; Kim Reynolds; Robyn Joe; Melissa Manning; Brandy Carafelli; Jennifer MacLean; Cheryl Pittman; Heather Rudderham; Becky Chisholm; Leah McFadden; Janelle Robertson; Sharalee Dempster; Leanna Hunt; Michelle Ford; coach Fabian McKenzie
The co-bronze medalist New Brunswick Varsity Reds: Jillian Hachey; Vicky Anderson; Kathryn Lockhart; Megan Bruchet; Emily Murphy; Amber Lenihan; Melanie Walker; Bev Kennedy; Sarah Melvin; Lindsay Myers; Holly Jones; Heidi McLellan; Megan Bruchet; coach Joyce Slipp
The runner-up Dalhousie Tigers: Angelia Crealock; Julia Burden; Carolyn Peppin; Sonja Young; Leila Burden; Jill Leblanc; Ashley Gould; Gillian Leblanc; Katherine Fortier; Autumn Mochinski; Leslie Duncan; Melany Bouchard; Elspeth Cheng; coach Carolyn Savoy; assistant Scott Morrison
The champion Memorial Sea-Hawks: Jenine Browne; Katie Flynn, Melissa Skanes; Kerri Highmore; Joanne McNeil; Sandi Ennis; Nikki Rogers; Teresa Butler; Erica Stokes; Janine Hewitt; Amy Dalton; Julie Dunphy; Renee McGrath; Julie Dunphy; coach Doug Partridge; assistant Andrea Hutchens; manager Elizabeth Dohey; SID Michelle Healey