| UPEI | 17-3 | 24-8 | Matt Gamblin |
| Acadia | 16-4 | 18-9 | Len Harvey |
| Memorial | 13-7 | 18-12 | Mark English |
| Saint Mary’s | 10-10 | 14-13 | Scott Munro |
| New Brunswick | 10-10 | 13-16 | Jeff Speedy |
| Cape Breton | 9-11 | 12-15 | Fabian McKenzie |
| St. FX | 3-17 | 4-19 | Lee Anna Osei |
| Dalhousie | 2-18 | 3-22 | Anna Stammberger |
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Dalhousie Tigers: Ariel Provo, Emily Braun, Morgan Gause, Hannah Chadwick, Emily Holt, Nalini Maharaj, Chelsea Slawter-Wright, Liz Kentzler, Katelyn Scott, Chloe Wilson, Bridget McSwiggan, Meghan Greenland, coach Anna Pendergast Stammberger, assistant Noel Pendergast, assistant Leah Girdwood Martin, assistant Kevin Downey, consultant Joe Wells, strength & conditioning Brett Armstrong, trainer Jill Taylor, trainer Becca Traversa, trainer Elizabeth Woolcombe
St. Francis Xavier X-Women: Brianna Gottschall, Briar MacDonald, Aliyah Fraser, Kimberley Kingsbury, Courtney Taylor, Maggie Segeren, Lucia MacKay, Emma Norris, Marley Bonnick, Grace Rheault, Jamie McCarron, Karina Sarai, coach Lee Anna Osei, associate Tyrell Vernon, assistant Bill Hannah, student manager Hannah Proulx, statistician Kailley Forbes, student therapist Rebecca Withers
In the quarterfinals, the 4th-seeded New Brunswick Varsity Reds dispatched the 5th-seeded Cape Breton Capers 64-59. The Capers led 12-11 after one quarter as MacKenzee Ryan notched four buckets and forced a number of New Brunswick turnovers. The Varsity Reds closed out the second frame with an 11-2 run featuring late buckets from player of the game Eva Tumwine and Mikaela Dodig to take a 28-21 lead into the lockers. The Varsity Reds held the Capers scoreless for nearly four minutes as they extended their lead to double digits in the third quarter before Monique Calliste and Audrey Rankin rallied Cape Breton to within 48-41 heading into the final quarter. Cape Breton shifted to a full-court press and knotted the score on a Maia Watling free throw. But Krystal Osborn drilled a big range jumper and Jolianne Guay notched a runner as the Varsity Reds regained the lead and then iced the win at the line. Dodig said “my first playoff win, first playoff win for this team, and it feels so good that we got over this hump that we’ve had for the past few years. … We were ready for it. More than one person stepped up today. We wanted it, we really wanted it.” Tumwine said “I felt like we were fully prepared. All week, we were pushing that we were going to win this game, there was no negative energy, all positive. We pushed each other from the start to the end of the week. … In the past, I don’t think we were fully prepared for first quarter to fourth, and we didn’t play well first to fourth, and today was a much better effort by our team. That was our goal since September.” Mikaela Dodig paced the Varsity Reds with 19 on 8-21 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 6 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Eva Tumwine added 17 on 8-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Jolianne Guay notched 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Katie Daley scored 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Grace Simpson added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 steals. Mikitshi Basambombo notched 6 on 3-3 from the floor and 2 boards. Krystal Osburn added 2 on 1-6 from the floor and 5 boards. Madeline Orlando scored 1 on 1-1 from the line, while Marley Curwin and Bailey Black were scoreless. Curwin nabbed 4 boards and dished 2 assists. The Varsity Reds hit 28-74 (.378) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 11 assists, 12 turnovers, 4 blocks and 12 steals. MacKenzee Ryan paced the Capers with 20 on 6-16 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Maia Watling added 13 on 6-9 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Monique Calliste notched 10 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Audrey Rankin scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 12 boards. Hailey Macleod added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 4 boards. Sudney Guker-Wickie scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Addie Mailhot and Helene Cecilie Kystad were scoreless. Mailhot nabbed 3 boards and Kystad 2. The Capers hit 22-58 (.379) from the floor, 6-18 from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 12 assists, 21 turnovers and 2 blocks. The Capers (coach Fabian McKenzie, assistant Doug Connors, graduate assistant Adrianna Allen) also included Ava Prosser, Rhianna MacDonald, Abby Linehan, Sarah Hiscock and Talia Boutilier.
In the other quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks defeated the 6th-seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies 72-64. The Huskies led 18-16 after one quarter, though Sea-Hawk Alana Short nailed a late trey to draw Memorial within two. They maintained a narrow 32-30 lead at the half and led 51-50 after three quarters. Memorial pulled ahead on a trey by Ines Salat Margarit and then took a 60-52 lead on back-to-back treys from player of the game Short. The Huskies answered with an 8-0 run, but Salat Margarit notched two free throws as Memorial regained the lead and pulled away down the stretch. Alana Short paced the Sea-Hawks with 23 on 7-18 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Haille Nickerson added 20 on 4-23 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 12-12 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Ines Salat Margarit notched 13 on 4-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Cameron Longley scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 8 boards. Sammi Deakin-Sharpe added 4 on 1-13 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Hannah Green scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Ashley Collins added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Kelli Linehan scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 5 boards, while Emma Power, Erin Long and Gabrielle Roche were scoreless. Long nabbed 5 boards. The Sea-Hawks hit 21-70 (.300) from the floor, 6-11 (.545) from the arc and 24-30 (.800) from the line, while garnering 58 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 10 assists, 17 turnovers, 5 blocks and 9 steals. Arianna Macias paced the Huskies with 27 on 10-17 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 6 boards and 3 steals. Lucina Beaumont added 11 on 4-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Claire Gascoigne notched 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Katelyn Power scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Kendra Mackinnon added 5 on 1-9 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Estelle Edwards scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Alaina McMillan added 2 on 1-12 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals, while Safiya Hurst, Aiyanna Empringham and Torrie Janes were scoreless. The Huskies hit 23-72 (.319) from the floor, 4-24 (.167) from the arc and 14-20 (.700) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 11 assists, 15 turnovers, 5 blocks and 10 steals. The Huskies (coach Scott Munro, assistant Tasia McKennz, assistant Laura Langille, assistant Les Berry) also included Sarah Forgie and Marlo Steenbakkers.
In the semis, the top-seeded Prince Edward Island Panthers clipped the 4th-seeded New Brunswick Varsity Reds 73-60. The Varsity Reds took an early 7-2 lead on a trey by Jolianne Gray. Although Jenna Mae Ellsworth notched an and-one, and Karla Yepez and Carolina Del Santo added buckets, New Brunswick led 17-15 after one quarter. “Our defence is what we really focus on and it wasn’t the best in the first quarter, but once we picked that up the offence came with it,” Ellsworth said. Ellsworth notched a pair of driving layups and Reese Baxendale nailed a trey as the Panthers took a 26-17 lead after holding the Varsity Reds scoreless for more than six minutes. Bailey Black notched a trey with a minute to play to draw the Varsity Reds within 33-23 at the half. “Our calling card is defence and whatever’s happening on the other side of the floor, if you play defence you can work through it. And I think that’s what you saw in the first half,” Panthers coach Matt Gamblin said. But the Varsity Reds opened the third frame with an 11-4 run as Eva Tumwine and Grace Simpson caught fire. Gamblin opted not to take a timeout and his troops promptly ripped off a 9-0, capped by an Ellsworth steal and runout, to take command. “You have to trust them in that situation,” Gamblin said. “I didn’t want them to overthink it in a timeout.” Baxendale, who notched 9 in the quarter said “I just settled into the game and did what the team needed me to do.” The Panthers led 53-38 after three quarters and all but buried the Varsity Reds when a trey by Baxendale gave them a 21-point edge. Ellsworth said “we played good defence as a team and when we got out on offence my teammates hit me for open shots.” Baxendale said “we trust each other so much. If we miss our assignment, we know someone else has our back.” Varsity Reds coach Jeff Speedy said “we really stopped moving the ball offensively in the second quarter and started making a lot of individual defensive mistakes. I don’t think I did a really good job of figuring out things to do offensively to get us back into the rhythm that we had early in the game, so that’s going to drive me insane for a long time. If you put your best foot forward and lose, you can keep your head up, but it’s hard to keep our head up now because the girls didn’t play well and this is as bad a game as I’ve coached in a while.” Grace Simpson said “I don’t think we did our job on defence, especially guarding their guards. They have the AUS MVP [Ellsworth] on their team and she just got too many lay-ups.” Jenna Mae Ellsworth paced the Panthers with 24 on 10-16 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 3 boards. Reese Baxendale added 21 on 7-20 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc and 4-4 from the line. Lauren Rainford notched 14 on 6-16 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Karla Yepez scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Lauren Fleming added 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 11 boards and 3 assists. Carolina Del Santo scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 4 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Reilly Sullivan added 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Lexi Macinnis was scoreless and nabbed 4 boards. The Panthers hit 28-68 (.412) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 12-18 from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 12 assists, 13 turnovers, 6 blocks and 10 steals. Eva Tumwine paced the Varsity Reds with 15 on 6-12 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 5 boards. Mikaela Dodig added 13 on 5-19 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Grace Simpson notched 12 on 6-13 from the floor and 5 boards. Bailey Black scored 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Jolianne Guay added 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 7 boards. Katie Daley scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Marley Curwin, Madeline Orlando, Krystal Osburn and Mikitshi Basambombo were scoreless. Osburn and Basambombo each nabbed 6 boards. The Varsity Reds hit 23-67 (.343) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 8-12 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 12 assists, 15 turnovers, 2 blocks and 8 steals.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Acadia Axettes dusted the 3rd-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks 93-77. The Axettes led 28-15 after one quarter as Jayda Veinot notched 10, including a pair from beyond the arc. They led 51-37 at the half and iced it with a late 8-2 run to take a 73-55 lead after three quarters. Axette Haley McDonald, who was chosen player of the game, said “I think we are a threat from everywhere. A lot of us can score from all levels including the three-point line, mid-range and also under the basket for layups, so I think that is really important that we can do that.” Haley McDonald paced the Axettes with 29 on 8-18 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, 8-11 from the line, 4 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Jayda Veinot added 2 2on 8-13 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Rachel Clouatre-Trudeau notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kelsey Rice scored 10 on 5-5 from the floor and 8 boards. Mia Roberts added 9 on 4-9 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Elizabeth Beals-Isey scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Deirdre Harris added 4 on 1-6 from the floor and 5 boards. Julia Sylvester noted 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 7 boards and 4 assists. Claire Ayotte scored 1 on 1-2 from the floor, while Sarsha Cadle, Eva Widmeyer and Meghan Macleod were scoreless. The Axettes hit 34-71 (.479) from the floor, 12-22 (.545) from the arc and 13-17 (.765) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 25 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals. Haille Nickerson paced the Sea-Hawks with 18 on 7-24 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Alana Short added 11 on 4-14 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Cameron Longley notched 11 on 5-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Sammi Deakin-Sharpe scored 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Hannah Green added 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Ashley Collins notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 steals. Erin Long added 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Ines Salat Margaret scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 8 assists. Gabrielle Roche added 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Emma Power and Kelli Linehan were scoreless. Power nabbed 2 boards. The Sea-Hawks hit 29-76 (.382) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 17 assists, 16 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals.
In the final, the top-seeded Prince Edward Island Panthers whipped the 2nd-seeded Acadia Axettes 78-59 to capture their first conference title since 1997-98. The Axettes led 18-17 after one quarter despite going 0-5 from the arc in the frame. Tournament MVP Reese Baxdendale from her range, and Jenna Mae Ellsworth drained a pair of treys, as the Panthers built a 37-31 lead at the half. Mia Roberts scored eight consecutive Axette points to open the second half but the Panthers maintained their defensive intensity and led 54-47 after three quarters. The Axettes shifted to a full-court press in the final frame and drew within three but Ellsworth pilfered the ball and set up Baxendale for a trey to quell the Acadia rally and the Panthers then closed out the affair with a 16-0 run. “I’m just so happy for our whole team, we played such a great game,” said Baxendale. “We worked so hard all season for this and it’s just awesome.” Panthers coach Mark Gamblin said “it speaks to all the hard work and growth of this team. … I told them that they’re a different team from last year. They’ve grown so much and compete so hard.” Ellworth said “it’s incredible. We have a lot of the same group and we’ve worked hard for this moment. … We changed our mindset and our confidence was high. We were the team to beat this year.” Lauren Rainford noted “it’s a testament to everything we’ve done this season and it feels really good to get the outcome we wanted.” Carolina Del Santo said “we knew we could do it. I’m the proudest person in the world right now.” Karla Yepez noted that “we faced adversity all season. We battled injuries and we lost the last three years to them. We learned from that and we didn’t let it define us.” Reese Baxendale paced the Panthers with 25 on 9-20 from the floor, 5-12 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Jenna Mae Ellsworth added 24 on 7-13 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 8-11 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Lauren Rainford notched 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and blocks. Karla Yepez scored 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 10 boards and 2 blocks. Lauren Fleming added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 assists. Carolina Del Santo scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 9 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks, while Reilly Sullivan was scoreless. The Panthers hit 28-57 (.491) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and 14-17 (.824) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 21 assists, 17 turnovers, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Haley McDonald paced the Axettes with 18 on 7-23 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Mia Roberts added 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 3 boards and 3 steals. Rachel Clouatre-Trudeau notched 9 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Jayda Veinot scored 7 on 2-14 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Elizabeth Beals-Ivey notched 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 7 boards. Sarsha Cadle added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 10 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Kelsey Rice scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 4 boards. Claire Ayotte added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Julia Sylvester was scoreless. The Axettes hit 23-77 (.299) from the floor, 4-23 (.174) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 15 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 9 steals.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Reese Baxendale (U.P.E.I.); Jenna Mae Ellsworth (U.P.E.I.) Haille Nickerson (Memorial); Michaela Dodig (New Brunswick); and Haley McDonald (Acadia).
The co-bronze medalist New Brunswick Varsity Reds: Mikaela Dodig; Marley Curwin; Madeline Orlando; Bailey Black; Katie Daley; Julia Summers; Jaiden Penney; Hayley Tait; Sara Fudge; Krystal Osburn; Grace Simpson; Eva Tumwine; Mikitshi Basambombo; Jessie Weaver; Jolianne Guay; redshirt Katie McAffee; coach Jeff Speedy; assistant Rick Cotter; assistant Chelsey Collette; assistant Peter Kelly; student therapist Cassidy Shepherd; student therapist Sam Jacobi; manager Caroline Burpee; manager Abbie Delaney
The co-bronze medalist Memorial Sea-Hawks: Jane Baird; Emma Power; Alana Short; Ashley Collins; Breena Power; Cameron Longley; Carly Stevenson; Erin Long; Margaret Ines Salat; Hannah Green; Haille Nickerson; Sammi Deakin-Sharpe; Kelli Linehan; Gabrielle Roche; redshirt Grace Bennett; coach Mark English; director of operations Patrick English; assistant Marilyn Fitzpatrick; assistant Doreen Pond; therapist Krista Mullaly-Dobbin
The silver medalist Acadia Axewomen: Abbie Fox; Haley McDonald; Hannah Fuller; Eva Widmeyer; Claire Ayotte; Kelsey Rice; Olivia Moller; Rachel Clouatre-Trudeau; Jayda Veinot; Meghan MacLeod; Mia Roberts; Elizabeth Beals-Iseyemi; Sarsha Cadle; Deidre Harris; Julia Sylvester; Michele Tchiakoua; coach Len Harvey; assistant Daniel De Palma; assistant Jalyn Skeir; assistant John Tramble; assistant Ashley Cookson
The gold medalist Prince Edward Island Panthers: Jenna Mae Ellsworth; Ashleigh Marshall; Madison Orser; Lauren Fleming; Lexi MacInnis; Reese Baxendale; Reilly Sullivan; Karla Yepez; Lauren Harris; Annabelle Charron; Carolina Del Santo; Sydney Whitlock; Lauren Rainford; coach Matt Gamblin; assistant Jay Mingrone; assistant Harris Campbell; assistant Carolyn Huggan; student trainer Danika Atchia