2008-09 AUS – women

REGULAR SEASON

	Cape Breton	15-5	24-9	Fabian McKenzie
	Memorial	16-4	18-9	Doug Partridge
	Dalhousie	14-6	21-8	Carolyn Savoy
	St. FX	16-4	18-8	Matt Skinn
	New Brunswick	8-12	9-24	Jeff Speedy
	Acadia	7-13	10-18	Bev Greenlaw
	UPEI	2-18	5-22	Dave MacNeill
	St. Mary’s	2-18	3-21	Scott Munro

        Playoff non-qualifiers:

        Prince Edward Island Panthers: Susanne Canvin, Myra Donkin, Amber Glasser, Cassandra Goodwin, Kelly Debow, Carly Lafave, Katie Moore, Victoria Walker, Lauren Wonfor, Nicole Brown, Leia Piccoli, Porscha Lewis, Heather MacKay, coach Dave MacNeill

        St. Mary’s Huskies: Kelsey Daley, Angela Fifield, Hayley Fox, Dhanmite Slappey, Barbara Capes, Julia Finlay, Jenna Clark, Stephanie Clarke, Amanda Smith, Alyssa Wolfe, Natasha Baker, Holly Rhodenizer, coach Jill Jeffrey Healy

In the quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded Dalhousie Tigers dumped the 6th-seeded Acadia Axettes 77-68. The Tigers used a balanced inside-outside game to hold off the Axemen. Five players scored in double figures for the Tigers, who started the game with four straight three-pointers then established an inside game with Cailin Crosby and Leah Girdwood. “We’ve got to use everybody,” said Dalhousie point guard Kelly Donald. “We’ve got to go into our posts, and the guards have to step up and make open shots when they’re there.” The Tigers never trailed and held leads of eight points in the first quarter and nine in the second. But Acadia opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 41-41 and stayed within striking distance the rest of the frame. Donald said she wasn’t surprised to see the Axettes hang around for so long. “It’s playoffs and anyone can bring it. Every game’s going to be tight right until the end.” Dalhousie led 51-49 after three quarters. The Tigers managed to open up some room when Brooke Sullivan hit a three-pointer to make it 62-54. Acadia stayed within six points until the final minute when they were forced to foul and Donald and Kaye sealed the win from the free-throw line. First-year Acadia coach Bev Greenlaw said the Tigers’ size eventually overwhelmed the Axettes. “Ultimately, they’re too big for us once they’ve got the ball inside. And I thought Jenna Kaye really asserted herself at a crucial moment in the fourth quarter.” Dalhousie led 26-18, 36-25 and 57-39 at the quarters. Kelly Donald paced Dalhousie with 15 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Jenna Kaye added 13 on 5-17 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Brianna Orr scored 13 on 4-10 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Laurie Girdwood notched 12 on 6-15 from the floor, 9 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Cailin Crosby scored 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 5 boards. Alex Legge notched 9 on 1-1 from the floor, 7-8 from the line, 6 boards and 5 assists. Brooke Sullivan scored 4 on 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Leah Girdwood and Rachael Harrison were scoreless. The Tigers hit 24-68 (.353) from the floor, 8-17 (.471) from the arc and 21-28 (.750) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 15 fouls, 16 turnovers, 9 steals and 5 blocks. Keisha Brown paced Acadia with 20 on 7-15 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Sondra Medley added 15 on 7-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Samantha Nuttall added 14 on 6-14 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Emma Duinker added 9 on 4-20 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Jaclyn Krucik notched 6 on 3-5 from the floor. Brianne Ozimok added 2 and Stefanie Chapman 2, while Anna Crosby and Marianne Thomson were scoreless. The Axettes hit 29-70 (.414) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 5-7 (.714) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 19 fouls, 20 turnovers, 6 steals and 9 blocks. The Axettes (coached by Bev Greenlaw) also included Becky Mutch, Leslie Steeves, Ashley Shaw, Robyn Fleckenstein and Elizabeth Leighton.

        In the other quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Women whipped the 5th-seeded New Brunswick Varsity Reds 84-56. New Brunswick led 17-16 after one quarter. St. FX led 37-32 at the half and 60-40 after three quarters. The swarming, relentless X-Women forced 28 turnovers and opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run as they built a 37-18 lead and never looked back. “That’s the way we like to play. It’s a fun, fast-paced game,” said Ashley Stephen. “It all starts with defence. That’s what we practice, and I think it shows in the game.” Ashley Stephen paced St. FX with 20 on 8-13 from the floor, 4-8 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jacquelyn Richardson added 18 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 3 boards. Elyse Hnatiuk notched 13 on 4-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Kirsten Jones added 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Tory Anderson scored 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Sheryl Chisholm added 5 on 2-6 from the floor and 4 assists. Maria Konchalski added 5 and Emily McPherson 4, while Tristan Macdonald, Camesha Mckenzie and Lisa Gauthier were scoreless. St. FX hit 32-79 (.405) from the floor, 7-18 (.389) from the arc and 13-21 (.619) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 23 fouls, 11 turnovers, 10 steals and 3 blocks. Amanda Sharpe paced New Brunswick with 23 on 9-14 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 7 boards. Jessica Steed added 10 on 5-12 from the floor, 3 boards and 3 assists. Angela Aydon added 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the line and 11 boards. Joanna Fox added 4, Kristen Johnson 4, Jessi Bradley 3, Emma Russell 1, along with 6 boards, and Christine Ryan 1, along with 5 boards and 5 assists. Jordanne Holstein and Melissa Foster were scoreless. The Varsity Red hits 21-55 (.382) from the floor, 1-10 (.100) from the arc and 13-22 (.591) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 18 fouls, 26 turnovers, 4 steals and 5 blocks. The Varsity Reds (coached by Jeff Speedy) also included Tashina Van Vlack and Laura Fowler.

        In the semis, the top-seeded Cape Breton Capers dusted the 4th-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Women 73-57. The Capers led 26-14, 40-30 and 58-48 at the quarters. Cape Breton dominated St. F.X. on the glass, went hard at the basket and survived the X-Women’s pressure. “We knew if we did those three things we’d be fine,” said conference MVP Kelsey Hodgson. X-Women coach Matt Skinn said “I thought the difference in the game was Karmen Brown. She had all the hustle plays for them, she killed us on the glass and that’s what you need to win games like this in the playoffs. Give them credit for basically outhustling us, and that’s why they won.” Capers coach Fabian McKenzie said guard Nicole Works contained Ashley Stephen. “That’s the kind of player Nicki is. She did a great job.” Hodgson’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave Cape Breton a 33-27 at the half. The Capers led by four after 30 minutes but opened up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, as a putback and a banked jumper from Everett extended the advantage to 62-48. A three-point play from Hodgson capped a 14-2 run that made it 68-50 with under three minutes to play. “We knew we had to take away the three from them, and we were successful in that today,” said McKenzie. Kelsey Hodgson paced Cape Breton with 26 on 9-20 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 10 boards and 5 steals. Kari Everett added 14 on 7-17 from the floor, 8 boards and 4 assists. Karmen Brown added 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 14 boards. Stephanie Toxopeus notched 10 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 7 boards. Nicole Works scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor. Jahlica Kimon added 4 and Caitlin Ulrich 3 on 1-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Julie Frappier was scoreless. The Capers hit 30-68 (.441) from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 14 fouls, 19 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks. Ashley Stephen led St. FX with 24 on 10-17 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 8 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Kirsten Jones added 12 on 6-9 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 blocks. Sheryl Chisholm added 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-4 from the line and 2 steals. Jacquelyne Richardson added 4, Camesha McKenzie 4 and Tory Anderson 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 4 boards and 6 assists. Elyse Hnatiuk, Emily McPherson and Lisa Gauthier were scoreless. The X-Women hit 24-65 (.369) from the floor, 2-17 (.118) from the arc and 7-11 (.636) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 18 fouls, 17 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks.

        In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Dalhousie Tigers knocked off the 2nd-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks 86-63. The Tigers led 31-16, 50-36 and 71-42 at the quarters. Dalhousie used ball movement, sharp shooting and aggressive offensive rebounding to dispatch memorial. The Tigers scored 31 in the first quarter, made 14 assists on their first 18 field goals and outrebounded the Sea-Hawks 20-9 as they build a 24-point lead. Back-to-back threes from Brianna Orr gave Dal a 50-26 lead at the half. “We came out on fire,” said Orr. “We had kind of a battle yesterday and we came out focused today. We knew we had to be on point.” The Tigers led by as many as 33 points. Jenna Kaye led Dalhousie with 15 on 6-12 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 7 boards, 11 assists and 2 steals. Brianna Orr added 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Kelly Donald notched 13 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-8 from the line and 5 assists. Brooke Sullivan added 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 5 boards. Laurie Girdwood added 8 on 4-7 from the floor. Leah Girdwood scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor. Rachael Harrison scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 5 boards. Cailin Crosby notched 6 on 4-6 from the line. Carla Norrad added 3 and Alex Legge 2, while Tiffany James was scoreless. The Tigers shot 32-64 (.500) from the floor, 6-21 (.286) from the arc and 16-21 (.762) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 26 fouls, 15 turnovers and 8 steals. Victoria Thistle paced Memorial with 18 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 seals. Alexandria Forsey added 12 on 4-7 from the floor and 4-6 from the line. Meghan Dalton added 10 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2-4 from the line. Brittany Dalton notched 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 7 boards. Kelly Himmelman added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Grace Fishbein added 4, Paula Barker 3, Ericka Gratton 2 and Kim Devison 1, while Christina Smith, Brittany McCarthy and Robyn O’Reilly were scoreless. The Sea-Hawks hit 21-57 (.368) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 17-30 (.567) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 19 fouls, 15 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block.

        In the final, the top-seeded Cape Breton Capers defeated the 3rd-seeded Dalhousie Tigers 80-75. In a highly physical game, Cape Breton repeated built a slim lead and was then forced to quell a Tigers rally. With 1:19 left in the third quarter the game was tied at 51. In the fourth, CBU pulled away, building a lead of 13. Again the Tigers closed the gap and pulled within three points with 51 seconds left to play but the Capers were able to hold off the Tigers. Kari Everett was chosen player of the game for Cape Breton, while Jenna Kaye earned the laurels for Dalhousie. “They threw pressure at us, they used a zone, and they had us rattled a few times,” said the Capers’ Kelsey Hodgson, who sealed the win with six free throws in the final minute. “But we stuck with it and stayed composed. That was the big topic in the huddles all throughout the game: stick together and stay composed.” The top-seed Capers never trailed and held double-digit leads in each half, but the Tigers twice climbed within one possession of tying or taking the lead. Dal’s Alex Legge scored on a putback to tie the game at 51-51 late in the third quarter. Then Kari Everett hit a banked jump shot and Hodgson sank a three-pointer to restore a 56-51 Capers lead at the end of the quarter. That was the beginning of a 15-2 run for Cape Breton, capped by a four-point possession where Hodgson made a layup and drew a foul. She missed the free-throw but Everett notched a putback for a 66-53 lead with 7:28 to play. “Kari Everett is the heart and soul of what we do,” said Capers coach Fabian McKenzie. “She knows no speed other than 100 per cent. She battles every day and that’s the big difference for us.” But Jenna Kaye made a steal and hit a three-pointer to bring Dalhousie back to 74-71 with 50.1 seconds remaining. Dal drew no closer than three as Hodgson’s free throws iced the win. “(Dalhousie) made some great runs at us, but in the last few weeks this team has really stepped up and showed great composure,” said McKenzie. “There’s probably not a lot of people that said we could do this. But we rode the best player, I think, in the country all year, and other people stepped up around her.” Hodgson said “I knew teams were going to come after me. But it came down to my teammates. They got me the ball at the right times, right in my shooting pocket.” Kelly Donald “we gave a good effort, it was just Cape Breton finessed more, with scoring and rebounding. They consistently outplayed us and we wish them luck at (nationals). The win is the first title for Cape Breton since 2005-06 and their third championship in six years. “Our players were just not going to be denied this weekend,” said Capers coach Fabian McKenzie. “They focused on what they had to do and as coaches we couldn’t ask for more. We’ve come through some hard experiences together and we’ve managed to keep our composure. As I told them before the game, they have to live in the moment.” Everett said “we’ve been working hard as a team all year and just waiting for this step to get this championship. We didn’t worry as much about what other people were going to do. We just wanted to make sure that we did what we needed to do. What we focus on is running, rebounding and defending. As long as we get that done, we know there’ll be no problems.” Hodgson was named the championship MVP and was presented with a $1,000 cheque. Kelsey Hodgson paced Cape Breton with 36 on 10-18 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 14-16 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Kari Everett paced Cape Breton added 21 on 8-16 from the floor, 5-5 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Nicole Works added 7 on 2-5 from the floor and 2 steals. Karmen Brown added 6 on 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Caitlin Ulrich scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor. Stephanie Toxopeus added 2 and Jalica Kimon 2. The Capers hit 26-53 (.491) from the floor, 2-9 (.222) from the arc and 26-28 (.929) from the floor, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 14 fouls, 20 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks. Jenna Kaye led Dalhousie with 27 on 9-13 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 3 boards, 9 assists and 8 steals. Laurie Girdwood added 19 on 7-12 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 11 boards. Kelly Donald notched 13 on 6-15 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 2 seals. Alex Legge added 10 on 5-6 from the floor and 3 boards. Brianna Orr added 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 8 assists. Leah Girdwood added 2 and Cailin Crosby 2, while Rachael Harrison, Brooke Sullivan, Brittany Sullivan, Tiffany James, Jenna Kaye and Carla Norrad were scoreless. The Tigers hit 30-59 (.508) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 11-12 (.919) from the line, while garnering 22 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 23 fouls, 17 turnovers, 13 steals and 1 block.

        After the season, Dr. Carolyn Savoy retires at Dalhousie, after 32 years of coach. Savoy arrived at Dalhousie in 1977, following seven years at the helm of St. FX (1969-71, 1972-77). She took 2 sabbatical years. She amassed an 858-292 record, including 738-240 at Dalhousie for a 74.6 winning percentage. A four-time Atlantic University Sport Coach of the Year (1982, 2001, 2005, 2007), she has led the Tigers to the national final in 1980, the semifinals in 1982, to a fourth place CIS finish in 2007 and placed sixth at nationals in 1986, 1996 and 2001. Her teams won nine regular season AUS titles and five AUS Championships. “Carolyn Savoy’s contributions to Dalhousie and our women’s basketball program over three decades has been truly amazing,” says Dalhousie President Tom Traves. “Carolyn defines the word ‘dedication’ and her commitment to our players’ development as athletes and excellent students has made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of young women. Dalhousie owes Carolyn Savoy a great debt of gratitude.” While completing her PhD in Sports Psychology at the University of Tennessee, she served as the sports psychology consultant for the Lady Vols NCAA championship basketball team in 1990-91. Savoy is replaced at the helm by Anna (Pendergast) Stammberger, a native of Kensington, PEI, who arrived at Dalhousie in 1978 as a volleyball recruit, who tried out for the basketball roster and eventually twice earned All-Canadian status. She played on the national team for 11 years, competing in the Olympic Games. She spent eight years (1995-2003) as head coach of Athletic Club BG Rentrop in the German 1st Division. She returned to PEI in 2003 to take on the roles of athletic director, coach and teacher at Kensington Intermediate Senior High School where she was responsible for the school’s varsity programs and coached basketball as well as track & field and cross country.

        After the season, David MacNeill retired at PEI and is replaced by Carly Clarke. “We are thrilled to have Carly joining the athletics department at UPEI,” says athletics director Ron Annear. “Her experience in coaching and as a Canadian Interuniversity Sports student athlete and her education will be a great asset to the ongoing development of women’s basketball at UPEI.” Clarke said “I am looking forward to working with the athletic department, university and community to build a competitive program in the Atlantic University Sport and CIS.” Clarke was serving as an apprentice women’s coach with Canada Basketball’s national elite development academy in Hamilton, Ont. From 2006 to 2008, she was lead assistant coach at Dalhousie. She led Canada Basketball’s Centre for Performance in Nova Scotia from September 2007 to August 2008. She was head coach of the Nova Scotia 15-and-under girls’ provincial team, leading them to a fourth-place finish in the 2008 national championships. A year earlier, Clarke served as lead assistant coach for the Nova Scotia 17-and-under boys, and in 2006 was assistant coach for the Nova Scotia 17-and-under girls. She was head coach for the Nova Scotia 15-and-under girls development team from 2004 to 2006. Prior to that, Clarke played at Bishop’s.

The co-bronze medalist St. Francis Xavier X-Women: Ashley Stephen; Kirsten Jones; Sheryl Chisholm; Jacquelyne Richardson; Camesha McKenzie; Tory Anderson; Elyse Hnatiuk; Emily McPherson; Lisa Gauthier; Maria Konchalski; Stephanie Hiltz; Tristan MacDonald; Kathleen McIver; Spencer Lockhart; coach Matthew Skinn; assistant Kol Armstrong; assistant Darlene Benson; assistant John Tramble

The co-bronze medalist Memorial Sea-Hawks: Victoria Thistle; Alexandria Forsey; Meghan Dalton; Brittany Dalton; Kelly Himmelman; Grace Fishbein; Paula Barker; Erika Gratton; Kim Devison; Christina Smith; Brittany McCarthy; Robyn O’Reilly; Meghan Dalton; Kristina Smith; coach Doug Partridge

        The runner-up Dalhousie Tigers: Jenna Kaye; Laurie Girdwood; Kelly Donald; Alex Legge; Brianna Orr; Leah Girdwood; Cailin Crosby; Rachael Harrison; Brooke Sullivan; Brittany Sullivan; Tiffany James; Jenna Kaye; Carla Norrad; coach Carolyn Savoy

        The champion Cape Breton Capers: Kelsey Hodgson; Kari Everett; Nicole Works; Karmen Brown; Stephanie Toxopeus; Caitlin Ulrich; Jahlica Kirnon; Brittany Morrison; Julie Frappier; Jelena Vujovic; Luciann Lahey; Sandra Chahine; Megan Topalovic; Katie McGarrigle; coach Fabian Mckenzie; assistant Doug Connors; manager Anne Payne; athletic director John Ryan