| Alberta | 47 | |||||||
| Laurentian | 88 | Laurentian | 61 | |||||
| —–LAURENTIAN | ||||||||
| St. Mary’s | 70 | Winnipeg | 50 | |||||
| Concordia | 81 | Concordia | 74 | |||||
| Victoria | 54 | Winnipeg | 78 | |||||
| Winnipeg | 58 |
In the opening round, held in Calgary, the Concordia Stingers defeated St. Mary’s 81-70 as Liz Silcott scored 23. The Stingers led 41-32 at the half and nabbed 40 boards. Carol Turney led the Huskies with 44 on 17-38 from the floor and 10-11 from the line. The Huskies nabbed 31 boards.
Winnipeg defeated Victoria 58-54 after shooting .630 from the field in the second half. Victoria was ahead 37-24 at the half. But Winnipeg rallied back and capped it with a Kathy Dubesky layup with a minute to play. Victoria went for a seven-minute stretch in the second half without scoring when starters Shelley and Lesley Godfrey both fouled out. Vic shot .260 from the floor in the second half. Dori McPhail led Winnipeg with 15, including 13 in the second half. Dubesky scored 17. Ronni Hind hit 14 for Victoria. Marg Mainwaring added 13.
In the semis, Winnipeg defeated Concordia 78-74 after leading 44-36 lead at the half. Ingrid Stitt and Lucy Burdz hit field goals in the final minute to preserve the win. After a quick 8-2 run early in the second half, Winnipeg appeared to be in complete command before Concordia rallied back to within two late in the game. Dubesky led Winnipeg with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Ingrid Stitt and Angie Johnson also scored 16 apiece for Winnipeg. Sylvia Sweeney led Concordia with 26 points, including 17 in the second half. Liz Silcott added 25. The Wesmen shot .380 from the field, while the Stingers hit .370. Winnipeg outrebounded Concordia 51-33. “The kids adjusted well to different defences,” Wesmen coach Vic Pruden told Canadian Press.
In the other semi, Laurentian thrashed Alberta 88-47. The Pandas played it even with the Lady Vees, for five minutes. Then 6-2 New Yorker Jan Trombly took command. Laurentian led 49-21 at the half. “I’m really disappointed,” Alberta coach Debbie Shogan told The Gateway. “Not with the team but with everything that went on the nationals. Canada West has gone downhill in the esteem that it’s held by the other leagues. … In the first half, I couldn’t believe it. I nearly cried. They completely got blown off the court. They were very timid.” Trombly paced the Voyageurs with 24 points and 12 boards. Chris Critelli added 18, along with 8 boards, Agnes Balson 16, along with 9 boards, Michelle Belanger 12, along with 5 boards, and Anne Hurley 10. Trix Kannekens paced Alberta with 12 points and 8 boards. Amanda Holloway and Karen Johnson each scored 10.
In the bronze qualifier, Saint Mary’s defeated Alberta 74-56 as Carol Turney scored 27 and Debbie Steele 16. Pandas coach Debbie Shogan surmised her troops were suffering the after-effects of the Laurentian blowout and the effects of an injury to Lori Chizik. “Psychologically, it affect us a lot initially, in terms of the things we wanted to do on the floor,” Shogan told The Gateway. Chizik’s “a tremendously strong player when she’s health. We just weren’t the same team without her. It was sad. She tried so hard but she just dind’t have the speed and mobility.” Carol Turney led the Huskies with 35. Debbie Steele added 16. Amanda Holloway paced the Pandas with 23 Faith Rostad added 8 and Kathy Moore 8.
In the bronze medal match, Victoria defeated St. Mary’s 77-54 as Shelley Godfrey scored 23 and Marj Mainwaring 17. Donna Hobin led the Huskies with 20, along with 9 boards.
In the final, the Laurentian Voyageurs captured their third consecutive title by clipping Winnipeg 61-50. Winnipeg pulled ahead to 23-18 halftime lead and appeared to be in control until the Vees went on a 14-2 run early in the second half, taking their first lead on a Chris Critelli bucket, and coasted to the double-digit win. Laurentian was led by MVP Chris Critelli game-high 20 points and 8 boards. Playing with a bleeding forehead as a result of an injury sustained in the first half, and having missed eight minutes in the first half while getting six stitches, Critelli scored 16 points in the second half rally. Critelli had played for Winnipeg a year earlier but transferred to Laurentian, where she haunted her old teammates. Kathy Jennings added 12 for the Vees, Anne Hurley scored 8, Kim Hansen 6 and Jan Tremblay 6, while Michelle Belanger nabbed 7 boards and Agnes Balson 5. Angie Johnson scored 17 to lead Winnipeg, while Lucy Burdz and Dori McPhail each added 13. Winnipeg out-rebounded Laurentian 45-42 but committed 37 turnovers to Laurentian’s 19. The win gave Laurentian its third consecutive national title. The Voyageurs hit .330 from the floor, while the Wesmen hit .300. The Wesmen outrebounded Laurentian 45-42. Winnipeg coach Vic Pruden told Canadian Press that a three minute, second-half lapse proved the difference.
The all-tourney team featured: MVP Chris Critelli (Laurentian);
The co-bronze medalist Concordia Stingers: Liz Silcott; Sylvia Sweeney
The co-bronze medalist Victoria Vikes: Mairi Anne Longmore; Yeta Dilalla; Janis Turner; Patti Pesklevits; Delphine Zarikoff; Leslie Godfrey; Brenda Smith; Marg Mainwaring; Ronni Hind; Shelley Godfrey; Lorraine Mosher; Marie Morrison; coach Mike Gallo
The silver medalist Winnipeg Wesmenettes: Angie Johnson; Dori McPhail; Ingrid Stitt; Kathy Dubesky; Lucy Burdz; Kathy McPherson; Donna Leonhardt; Susan Johnson; Mary Ellen Baerg; Giselle Scoee; coach Vic Pruden; assistant Rich Macey
The champion Laurentian Lady Voyageurs: Chris Critelli; Jan Trombly; Michelle Belanger; Kim Hansen; Terry Hanson; Chris Novakuske; Karen Banfield; Corinne Cote; Kathy Jennings; Anne Hurley; Agnes Balson; Cindy Feren; coach Norm Vickery; assistant Norma Spears; trainer Marianne Disano