| (1) | Simon Fraser | 68 | ||||||
| (8) | Laval | 71 | Laval | 63 | ||||
| (4) | Regina | 79 | Regina | 73 | Regina | 46 | ||
| (5) | Memorial | 66 | ||||||
| BRITISH COLUMBIA | ||||||||
| (2) | U.B.C. | 74 | ||||||
| (7) | Toronto | 59 | U.B.C. | 71 | U.B.C. | 67 | ||
| (3) | McMaster | 70 | McMaster | 57 | ||||
| (6) | Saskatchewan | 46 |
In the quarterfinals, the 8th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or shocked the top-seeded Simon Fraser Clan 71-68. Simon Fraser jumped out of the game and took an 11-5 lead. Laval couldn’t seem to hit any of the shots that they put up in the first quarter. The closest they came was within four points but SFU kept the lead growing and finished the quarter up 20-12. The Clan continued to dominate the game scoring seven straight points to start the second quarter before Laval’s Patricia Mandeville hit three-point shot. Down 31-17, Laval turned the tables and started to play, going on a streak of seven points. The momentum easily shifted. With one minute remaining in the first half Laval scored another to pull within one and stopped the Clan’s Lisa Tindle from driving to the net to get the ball back in their possession to end the quarter down 30-31. Laval continued their momentum after the half time striking first to take a 32-31. Myriam Lamarre jumped taking charge of the scoring for her team. She had 19 in the first three quarters. SFU struggled to hit the shots the Rouge et Or’s were consistently up by up to five points. Laval was able to tie the game at 39 to end the third quarter. With just over six minutes left in the game, Laval was up by four points, when Michelle-Marie Genois took her second foul of the game to send SFU’s Robyn Buna to the line who hit all three of her foul shots to pull the Clan within one point. The shots started a chain of ten lead changes between both teams. SFU’s short leads in the quarter were the first of the half. With 30 seconds left in the game, SFU had the ball for one last shot. Gibbons set and missed the shot giving Laval back the ball with 12 seconds left and a one-point lead. After Mandeville missed both of her shots at the foul line, her team was sent back to the line on a scramble for the ball in the corner. Lamarre hit both shots for the 71-68 win. “It feels so good,” said Lamarre. “It was a really big game for us and tomorrow is another day.” Laval coach Linda Marquis said “it feels great. It’s a bit overwhelming but we believed we had a chance and knew we could answer to them. We had a bit of a strange season and weren’t always consistent, I told our team that the outcome would depend on which team hit the court.” Clan guard and CIS player of the year Lani Gibbons said that “I don’t think rankings have anything to do with it. We knew they were going to come and compete. They were physical. I just don’t think we answered back. …. It doesn’t feel good. The big thing was defence. I don’t think we realize sometimes that our offence is going to come from our defence. We got a little bit outcompeted.” Clan coach Bruce Langford said that “we knew we were in a game that was going to last for 40 minutes, so we came out pretty good. They basically took over the game and we didn’t respond to that physicality well enough. We certainly gave them too much in the paint.” It was paint-by-numbers for Laval, which scored 28 of its points inside. The Rouge et Or added another 25 off turnovers. “It was a good win for us,” said Quebec conference MVP Marie-Michelle Genois. “We didn’t have the pressure. It was a big game for us to win.” Myriam Lamarre was chosen player of the game for Laval, while Lani Gibbons earned the laurels for the Clan. Myriam Lamarre paced Laval with 25 on 11-20 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Marie-Michelle Genois added 13 on 9-16 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 10 boards and 3 steals. Patricia Mandeville notched 12 on 5-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Karine Bibeau added 6 on 2-4 from the arc. Annick Routhier-Labadie added 3 on 1-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Genevieve Blanchette scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 4 boards, while Veronique Lamarre and Marie-Eve Douville were scoreless. The Rouge et Or shot 29-57 (.509) from the floor, 6-11 (.545) from the arc and 7-16 (.438) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 15 fouls, 20 turnovers, 11 steals and 1 block. Robyn Buna paced the Clan with 17 on 4-8 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 2 boards. Lani Gibbons scored 15 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards, 8 assists and 4 steals. Matteke Hutzler added 11 on 4-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 11 boards and 3 steals. Laurelle Weigl scored 10 on 5-12 from the floor and 3 boards. Kate Hole notched 6 on 3-7 from the floor. Courtney Gerwing scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 3 assists. Lisa Tindle added 3 on 1-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Katie Miyazaki scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 2 assists and 3 steals. The Clan shot 25-60 (.417) from the floor, 9-21 (.429) from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 11 fouls, 22 turnovers, 14 steals and 2 blocks.
The 4th-seeded Regina Cougars dumped the 5th-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks 79-66. Memorial came out of the gate in the first half and took an eight-point lead mid-way through the first quarter. But the Cougars got things moving after a big three-point shot by Gabrielle Gheyssen. Hitting the shot gave Regina the spark they needed. The rest of the first half remained a close battle with the score 39-32 in favor of Regina at the half. Down by eight points to begin the third quarter, Memorial missed two chances to pull closer giving the Cougars a chance to go up by 10 points. Memorial played tough, drawing fouls on the Cougars and were sent to the foul line four times in the first few minutes of the quarter. But the Cougars hit key shots taking a 52-41 lead. Regina continued to add to their lead and were up by 20 with three minutes left in the third. The lead jumped to 64-47 at the end of the quarter.
The Cougars used a massive third quarter to pull away from the Sea-Hawks, outscoring Memorial by a 25-15 margin to go into the fourth quarter with a 17-point cushion. The Sea-Hawks went on a 14-2 run in the middle of the fourth to close the lead to six, but would come no closer as Regina was able to stave off Memorial down the stretch to seal the victory. Fourth-year post Chelsea Cassano had a huge game for Regina, falling just one rebound shy of a double-double. “I just wanted to go out and prove that I was still capable of pulling out a 24-point game,” said Cassano. “Our whole team played well. It’s not like I felt pressure. If I didn’t step up then somebody else would. That’s how our team works.” At times, Cassano was being double- and even tripled-teamed in the paint, but still dominated. When Memorial collapsed on the post it allowed Regina’s perimeter players open looks. “Now that we’ve finished our first game, there’s so much pressure off our shoulders so now we can just focus on the semi and the medal games,” said Becky Schmidt. Cassano said the Cougars had to maintain their focus, which they failed to do in the fourth quarter. “We now know that once we get lazy, it’s going to be harder work. Every team is a good team and if we get ahead, they can pull back. Maybe it’s good that we learned that lesson now so we can avoid it in the future.” Regina coach Dave Taylor quipped that “we needed to learn that lesson in November. The difference now is late in the season, it can come back and hurt us. We’ve just got to manage it. The girls have been rising to the occasion. There’s nothing but good teams left, but I’m happy with how we’re playing. There’s still stuff we need to do. We can’t go 12-for-23 from the foul line and expect to win.” Taylor doesn’t expect to have to rely solely on Cassano. “We know she can dominate and with Chelsea it’s a confidence thing. We don’t change anything up. If we put all our eggs in the Chelsea basket and Laval does a good job defending her, then we’re in trouble. All year we’ve done a great job with the team and the only thing that changes in the playoffs is some people are going to get more minutes.” Rebecca Schmidt was chosen player of the game for Regina, while Maegan Seaward earned the laurels for Memorial. Chelsea Cassano paced Regina with 24 on 11-15 from the floor, 2-7 from the line, 9 boards and 2 steals. Rebecca Schmidt added 15 on 6-10 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Gabrielle Gheyssen added 11 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc and 3 boards. Jessica Lynch scored 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Carmen Stewart scored 9 on 2-5 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 10 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Jacquie Kenyon notched 5 on 2-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Maja Kralovcova added 5 on 2-5 from the floor. Stacey Walker added 1, while Megan Cherkas, Ashley Wishira, Meryl Jordan and Brittany Read were scoreless. The Cougars shot 30-57 (.526) from the floor, 7-13 (.538) from the arc and 12-23 (.522) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 21 fouls, 27 turnovers, 18 steals and 2 blocks. Meagan Seaward led the Sea-Hawks with 14 on 6-13 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Leslie Stewart added 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 3 assists. Katherine Quackenbush scored 12 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 5 steals. Victoria Thistle scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Kelly Himmelman notched 7 on 3-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 steals. Paula Barker scored 5 on 1-5 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Meghan Dalton added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Mellissa Prunty added 1 and Erin Mullaley 1, while Sarah Sturge was scoreless. Memorial shot 23-53 (.434) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 22 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 20 fouls, 25 turnovers and 13 steals.
The 3rd-seeded McMaster Marauders spanked the 6th-seeded host Saskatchewan Huskies 70-46. Leading 32-27 at halftime, the Marauders found themselves in a close game against a youthful Huskies team. But, with size and experience at hand, McMaster’s press defence and quick offensive transition allowed the Marauders to jump to a 20-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, which they dominated 25-8. “We are a little more of a veteran team and we knew we could settle the storm,” CIS coach of the year Theresa Burns said of her team’s ability to pull away. “It feels good to move into the medal round, we wanted to be there last year but couldn’t quite do it.” The game opened up with McMasters’ Chiara Rocca scoring six straight points to give the Marauders an 8-2 lead. But, the youthful Huskies proved themselves early answering back with two three-point shots by Lindsay Copeland and Kim Tulloch. In the second quarter it was the Huskies again battling against a growing Marauder lead. Down by 11 with 6:53 left in the second, Saskatchewan guard Amy Prokop started a six-point scoring streak for the Huskies after she stole the ball at half court and drove the floor for an easy bucket. The Huskies battled to within one point of the Marauders after Mary Hipperson received a pass from Kara Lackie and drove backcourt for a lay-up. But, at the end of the half the two teams entered the locker room with McMaster on top 32-27. The Dogs came out strong early tying the game up at 34 2:03 into the third. But, the Marauder’s high-powered offence and tough defence took control and never looked back. McMaster’s Lindsay Degroote made a strong presence on both sides of the court as she blocked a shot by Prokop and then two possessions later hit a wide-open three-point shot midway through the fourth to give the Marauders a 57-42 lead. Refusing the let up, the Marauder’s continued to roll after Taylor Smith drove the paint and dished to a wide-open Rachel Hart for an easy three-point shot that put the nail in the coffin for the Huskies and gave McMaster a 20-point lead with 1:50 left in the game. The game – in which the teamed were tied 34-34 early in the third quarter – hinged on a rash of turnovers and horrible shooting by the youthful Huskies, who hit just four second-half field goals. “Maybe the pressure got the best of us, or the nerves,” said Huskies forward Kim Tulloch, sporting a gash under her right eye that would later require stitches. “We didn’t play our game, that’s for sure.” With minutes to play, forward Kara Lackie hit the floor with what appears to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament. “That really sucks,” said Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis, “and to do it at that point of the game . . . (The injury) takes a lot of wind out of our sails.” McMaster guard Lindsay DeGroot said the Marauders were elated to finally win a game on the championship side of the bracket. “For us, the obstacle’s always been the first game and we never got over it. Now we have, and we can focus on getting to the gold-medal game.” McMaster’s late dominance dampened the enthusiasm of a large, vocal and pro-Huskie crowd. “We like the noise,” DeGroot said. “It pumps us up. We just have to think ‘Oh, everyone’s cheering for us.’ We like playing in that atmosphere.” Saskatchewan coach Lisa Thomaidis said “we played tight.” Lindsay DeGroot was chosen player of the game for McMaster, while Amy Prokop earned the laurels for Saskatchewan. Lindsay DeGroot paced McMaster with 20 on 7-12 from the field, 1-3 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 6 steals. Chiara Rocca added 19 on 7-12 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 8 boards and 3 steals. Rachel Hart notched 8 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 3 steals. Deanna Hollinger scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Julia Critchley notched 5 on 2-3 from the floor. Taylor Smith scored 5 on 2-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 5 assists. Alicia Fidanza added 3, Cari te Boekhorst 2 and Taylor Chiarot 2, while Rebecca Rewi, Alyska Lukan and Amanda D’Ortenzio were scoreless. The Marauders shot 24-55 (.436) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 19-28 (.679) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 18 fouls, 22 turnovers and 17 steals. Amy Prokop paced Saskatchewan with 10 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Lindsay Copeland added 9 on 3-5 from the arc. Mary Hipperson notched 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 steals. Kara Lackie scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 3-8 from the line, 9 boards and 2 steals. Jillian Humbert added 6 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 2 assists. Kimberley Tulloch notched 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Marci Kiselyk scored 2, while Kelsie Bastura, Lauren Whyte and Jana Spindler were scoreless. The Huskies shot 14-44 (.318) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 22 fouls, 27 turnovers, 13 steals and 1 block.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded UBC Thunderbirds crushed the 7th-seeded Toronto Varsity Blues 74-59. The Varsity Blues opened the scoring and didn’t let the UBC Thunderbirds score until three minutes into the game. The Blues were on a 7-0 run before Leanne Evans scored on a lay-up. But the Thunderbirds soon got back into a game and took the lead on a jump shot by Christine Cho. Toronto could not get the lead back in the first quarter and were down 16-11 at the end of the quarter on a jump shot by UBC’s Lyndsay Cloughley. UBC’s lead grew scoring five more points to start the second quarter before Kyla Burwash hit a foul shot. But Toronto went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 22 and took the lead on a Megan Stoncius three-point shot. Two hit Julie Little shots later and UBC was back in control of the game leading 31-25 entering halftime. “These first matchups are always tight and it takes a while the teams to get comfortable,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. “When we were up five to seven points up they would push right back.” The Varsity Blues continued to stay within striking range of the T-Birds throughout the quarter and after Cho hit two treys within a minute of each other Toronto was down by just three points. But Alex Vieweg hit a three point of her own, giving the T-Birds a five-point lead again. Hutton took the ball down the lane for a layup pulling her team within three. Cho hit another three-point shot to pull the Blues within two. Sherri Pierce tied the game for the Blues with two hit foul shot with just under 40 seconds left in the frame. The quarter ended with the T-Birds up 52-48 after Zara Huntley hit foul shots and Cait Haggerty hit a jump shot. The team’s combined for 44 points in the third quarter. The T-Birds scored the first five points in the fourth quarter before Burwash hit a three-point shot hit a three-point shot to make the score 57-51. UBC’s lead grew to 12 points with under five minutes left in the game and from there it was all T-Birds with the lead growing by 15 points with three minutes to go. Huband said “defensively, we were able to get a number of stops later in the game. We limited their top offensive players by not giving them the looks they wanted and any time you make consecutive stops you are giving yourself chances to score and build a lead. … Any time you have things that challenge you to step up, get past and move on, you have more experience and tools to draw on. We have a lot of experience with our three fifth-years and everyone who was here last year, and we just come here not feeling any pressure. We feel that we are in the hunt, and if we can come in and play like we are capable, we can have a lot of success.” Erica McGuinness was chosen player of the game for UBC, while Christine Cho earned the laurels for Toronto. Erica McGuinness led UBC with 15 on 5-13 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Julie Little added 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-7 from the line, 5 boards and 3 steals. Cait Haggarty notched 9 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Leanne Evans scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Candace Morrisette notched 9 on 3-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Alex Vieweg added 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 5 boards. Montanna Dunmore notched 7 on 3-5 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Zara Huntley scored 4, while Kira Carre and Robyn Fashler were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 27-53 (.509) from the floor, 7-12 (.583) from the arc and 13-24 (.542) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 16 fouls, 18 turnovers and 12 steals. Christine Cho paced Toronto with 16 on 6-17 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 7 boards and 2 steals. Alaine Hutton added 12 on 3-8 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 3 assists. Kyla Burwash notched 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Amanda Van Leeuwen added 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 7 boards. Lyndsay Cloughley added 6 on 2-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Megan Stoncius added 4, Jessica Hiew 4 and Sherri Pierce 2, while Joanna Medri, Erin McNeely, Ilana Weissberger and Laila Bellony were scoreless. The Varsity Blues hit 20-57 (.351) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 13-15 (.867) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 23 fouls, 23 turnovers and 5 steals.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Regina Cougars dispatched the 8th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or 73-63 in overtime. It was just the second overtime game in CIS tournament history. The score was tied at 58 in regulation. The Cougars quickly took a seven-point lead in the extra session, capped by a long heave up-court from Rebecca Schmidt to Carmen Stewart for a transition layup. “We’ve lost games at the foul line but sometimes you gotta win on your weaknesses,” Cougars head coach Dave Taylor said of his team’s 26 points from the line. ”Working the ball inside takes a physical toll on a team and we kept making our foul shots.” The Rouge et Or enjoyed a comfortable lead most of the game up 45-36 at the end of the third quarter. But, the Cougars, trying to work the ball into the key the entire game, made their first attempted three-point shot on their first possession in the fourth quarter and began to chip away at Laval’s lead. Stewart played strong in the paint the entire game and after putting up a shot that bounced off the backboard, she got her own rebound and put it back up for an easy bucket bringing the Cougars to within a point and then forced the extra session. Laval rallied back from the seven-point overtime deficit as Annick Routhier-Labadie scored five consecutive points including a magnificent pull back three-point shot in the face of Regina’s Megan Cherkas. Down 66-63 with 1:16 on the clock, Laval was forced to foul leaving their fate in the hands of those at the line. Regina sunk five free throws to ice the win. Carmen Stewart was chosen player of the game for Regina, while Myriam Lamarre earned the laurels for Laval. Laval led 18-8 after one quarter, 30-25 at the half and 45-36 after three quarters. Carmen Stewart paced Regina with 19 on 6-10 from the floor, 7-7 from the line and 8 boards. Jessica Lynch scored 15 on 5-14 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 13 boards. Chelsea Cassano notched 14 on 4-11 from the floor, 6-10 from the line and 15 boards. Megan Cherkas scored 10 on 3-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 2 boards. Rebecca Schmidt scored 9 on 4-13 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards. Jacquie Kenyon scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Maja Kralovcova added 1 on 2-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Stacey Walker, Gabrielle Gheyssen and Brittany Read were scoreless. The Cougars shot 23-66 (.348) from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 26-37 (.703) from the line, while garnering 59 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 15 fouls, 21 turnovers, 6 steals and 3 blocks. Karine Bibeau paced Laval with 13 on 5-16 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Patricia Mandeville notched 11 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Genevieve Blanchette added 10 on 3-15 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Myriam Lamarre added 10 on 5-15 from the floor and 7 boards. Annick Routhier-Labadie notched 8 on 3-4 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Marie-Michelle Genois notched 7 on 3-7 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Marie-Eve Douville added 2 and Veronique Lamarre 2, while Helena Bouzi and Maude Jacob-Tardiff were scoreless. The Rouge et Or shot 23-70 (.329) from the floor, 7-29 (.241) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 28 fouls, 20 turnovers, 10 steals and 1 block.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds defeated the 3rd-seeded McMaster Marauders 71-67. UBC led 30-19, 40-32 and 58-49 at the quarters. Point guard Erica McGuinness dominated the floor. “I thought it might be her best all-around game in her five-year career and there is a lot to choose from,” said Thunderbirds head coach Deb Huband. The Thunderbirds led from the start, although McMaster made the game interesting at the end of the fourth quarter hitting three three-pointers in a row to trim a 10-point UBC lead. With 4.4 seconds left on the clock, McMaster was down 70-67. A foul shot by Alex Vieweg sealed the victory for the T-Birds. Erica McGuinness paced U.B.C. with 28 on 9-15 from the floor, 5-5 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Julie Little added 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 6 boards and 3 steals. Cait Haggarty notched 10 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 assists. Candace Morriset notched 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Alex Vieweg scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Leanne Evans scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 5 boards. Montanna Dunmore added 2 and Zara Huntley 2, while Kira Carre and Robyn Fashler were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 23-49 (.469) from the floor, 7-12 (.583) from the arc and 18-25 (.720) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 13 fouls, 20 turnovers, 6 steals and 3 blocks. Taylor Smith paced McMaster with 14 on 5-17 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Rachel Hart added 13 on 5-14 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 steals. Julia Critchley added 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 4 boards. Chiara Rocca notched 10 on 3-12 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 6 boards. Deanna Hollinger added 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Lindsay DeGroot scored 8 on 2-4 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. Alicia Fidanza added 2, while Alyska Lukan, Taylor Chiarot, Cari te Boekhorst and Amanda D’Ortenzio were scoreless. te Boekhorst nabbed 7 boards and dished 3 assists. The Marauders hit 22-67 (.328) from the floor, 6-21 (.286) from the arc and 17-21 (.810) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 22 fouls, 14 turnovers and 8 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the 3rd-seeded McMaster Marauders edged the 8th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or 83-79. With 31 seconds left in the game the score was tied at 79. Coming off a time out, McMaster’s Taylor Smith fed Lindsay DeGroote cutting across the key who backed down Laval’s Annick Routhier-Labadie and went up strong for the bucket and the foul giving the Marauders a two-point lead. The Rouge et Or were unable to answer back and the Marauders held on to win. “We knew they were going to be there right to the end,” Degroote said of Laval’s ability to battle back after trailing late in the game. “But I got a great screen and they gave me my right hand so I knew I was either getting the basket or going to the foul line.” The entire came was close as no team lead by more than six points until the fourth quarter. But, momentum seemed to be shifting toward McMaster late in the third quarter when they began to get the ball inside to Chiara Rocca who was deadly in the paint. But, Laval kept on McMaster’s heals only trailing the Marauders 61-57 at three quarter time. The Marauders’ momentum carried over to the fourth quarter as they scored a quick four points right off the bat to extend their lead to nine. Trailing by 10 points the majority of the fourth quarter, Laval finally began to turn things around after Karine Bibeau downed a three-point shot with 4:22 left in the game. The Rouge et Or were on a comeback and with just over one minute to play in the fourth, Genevieve Blanchette swished a wide open three-point shot to tie the game up at 78. Then, with 43.1 seconds left, Blanchette found Myriam Lamarre down low in the paint but she was fouled and forced to the line. Lamarre was only good on one free-throw and Laval took a late 79-78 lead. Then, after Degroote hit a jumper and a foul shot, Laval had one last chance to tie the game up as they gained possession with 31 seconds on the clock down 81-79. Blanchette drove backcourt and put up the tying shot but it was no good and McMaster’s Rachel Hart snagged the board and that was it for the Rouge et Or. Lindsay DeGroote was chosen player of the game for McMaster, while Myriam Lamarre earned the laurels for Laval. Lindsay DeGroote paced McMaster with 25 on 8-15 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Rachel Hart added 21 on 9-14 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 7 boards and 3 assists. Chiara Rocca scored 14 on 7-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Deanna Hollinger notched 9 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Taylor Smith scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 3 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Alicia Fidanza added 5 on 2-5 from the floor. Julia Critchley scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor and 6 boards, while Taylor Chiarot, Cari te Boekhorst and Amanda D’Ortenzio were scoreless. The Marauders shot 32-62 (.516) from the floor, 7-15 (.467) from the arc and 12-17 (.706) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 23 fouls, 12 turnovers and 8 steals. Myriam Lamarre paced Laval with 25 on 11-15 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 7 boards. Marie-Michelle Genois added 24 on 8-16 from the floor, 8-9 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Karine Bibeau notched 11 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Genevieve Blanchette added 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 2 boards. Patricia Mandeville scored 6 on 1-8 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 8 assists. Annick Routhier-Labadie added 2 and Veronique Lamarre 2, while Marie-Eve Douville and Helena Bouzi were scoreless. The Rouge et Or shot 27-62 (.435) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 21-25 (.840) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 18 fouls, 14 turnovers, 4 steal and 1 block.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds dusted the 4th-seeded University of Regina Cougars 67-46 to capture their third Bronze Baby in five years. It also marked the seventh consecutive campaign that a team from the province won the title. The Thunderbirds dominated the second half, outscoring Regina 36-13. Tournament MVP Erica McGuiness, along with teammates Cait Haggarty and Julie Little closed out their careers by winning a third crown. “It’s so special to share this with Cait and Julie,” said an elated McGuinness, who was recruited along with Little and Haggarty by UBC head coach Deb Huband in the spring of 2003. “It was a long road this season and a rocky one at times with lots of ups and downs. But sometimes a rocky road is a good one. Our offence got stagnant at times through the season, but we stuck together and made our way through it all.” Trailing 33-31 at the half, UBC completely dominated the final 20 minutes, outscoring Regina 17-7 in the third frame, and 19-6 in the fourth. The Birds also out-rebounded their rivals 25-13 in the second half. UBC grabbed control of the match with a 13-2 run to start the third quarter. They punctuated their claim to the Bronze Baby by scoring 10 straight points at game’s end. “(McGuinness) is a money performer, with a great skill set and the heart of a lion. She gave it everything,” said Thunderbirds’ coach Deb Huband. We had some wrinkles in our offence that we needed to straighten out, but other than that we had a good game plan and we stuck with it, so we didn’t say much to them at the half. A tight ball club isn’t an effective one and so we like to just let them have some time to themselves to relax and get back in the moment. … To think that we would win three national championships with that core together in years one (2004), three (2006) and five (2008) is an amazing accomplishment. They led us and they did it with a focus and a resilience, and I think wherever they led, they were going to get the rest of the team following. … It feels a little numb. When it hit me that it looked pretty good and that we were going to bring this one home and what these girls had accomplished, I thought about what it means for our program and for all the people that work so hard and care so much about it.” McGuiness said the third crown was particularly rewarding. “I don’t want to take away from the other two (titles). They were both great and with different teams, but this one I was able to contribute personally the most and to finish it with Cait and Julie, is amazing. … It’s kind of overwhelming when you start to think about it. I’m so happy to be in this place right now. Our whole theme for the weekend was living in the moment and playing it game by game and we did a great job of that.” Regina coach Dave Taylor didn’t regret the graduation of the UBC trio, having lost the 2004 final to the Thunderbirds. “We struggled with their zone, we couldn’t get to the rim. Haggarty and McGuinness … I’ve been around for two of those titles, on the same floor with them, watching them take it. I’ll be glad when they leave.” Taylor added that his troops had an excellent season. “We were 20 minutes away and I don’t think many people outside our room would have believed that early in the year, but we battled all year and have set ourselves up really well going into next year. It started in the locker room. The girls set the goals and took ownership of them. They wanted to go 7-0 to run out the season and they did. They wanted to sweep (the) Winnipeg (Wesmen) and they did. They wanted to make nationals and they did. We wanted to medal here and we did. We accomplished everything we wanted to do. We just had a bad 20 minutes.” Still, point guard Megan Cherkas was disconsolate, having quickly got into foul trouble. “It was just pure torture. I felt like I was letting my teammates down knowing I got those two quick fouls. When I got two more fouls (in the second half), that became a learning experience for next year (when Regina would host the CIS tournament).”
Taylor said Cherkas had nothing to be ashamed of. “She’s been incredible for us down the stretch. She’s been our leader. I think our playoff youth showed a bit in the second half. Even her, she couldn’t get calmed down.” Regina seemed to lose all composure in the second half – even with Cherkas on the floor – as the Cougars were outscored 36-13 in the final 20 minutes. It was a very different scene from the ones that played out earlier. “She’s such a smart basketball player,” said Regina post Chelsea Cassano. “She can calm us down, she knows what plays to call and she can execute them. She can take anyone off the dribble and she handles presses well. She’s an all-around good player and an asset to our team.” Taylor credited her as being a big reason Regina got as far as it did in the national tournament. “She’s got such a toughness to her and we maybe started to take on her personality.” Cherkas remained disappointed. “I didn’t perform the way I should have. I’m kind of upset at myself and I can’t stand losing to a team when I know I didn’t perform my best. As a team we didn’t perform our best.” Regina guard Becky Schmidt said the Cougars “fell apart. UBC is very experienced, very disciplined, and we fell apart. There’s not much explaining to do. … Their top players starting hitting shots. Erica (McGuiness) and Cait Haggarty were missing in the first half and then came back. That’s what good players do and we didn’t have anyone step up.” Forward Jessica Lynch said the Cougars will be eager to host the next nationals, given the loss. “Everyone’s upset and no one wants to lose like that. Next year, now that we know what it’s like to be in the final, we’re going to really push it. It feeds our appetite for sure.” Erica McGuinness was chosen player of the game for U.B.C., while Jessica Lynch earned the laurels for Regina. Erica McGuinness paced the Thunderbirds with 24 on 8-17 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Cait Haggarty added 12 on 4-13 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Julie Little scored 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 3 steals. Leanne Evans notched 12 on 6-8 from the floor, 9 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks. Zara Huntley scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Montanna Dunmore added 2 and Alex Vieweg 2, while Candace Morriset was scoreless. She nabbed 3 boards and dished 2 assists. Kira Carre was scoreless. U.B.C. shot 25-55 (.455) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 12-23 (.522) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 17 fouls, 17 turnovers, 11 steals and 4 blocks. Jessica Lynch paced Regina with 15 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 8 boards and 4 steals. Rebecca Schmidt notched 11 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 steals. Jacquie Kenyon scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Megan Cherkas scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 3 boards and 2 assists. Stacey Walker added 4 and Chelsea Cassano 4 on 1-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Maja Kralovcova scored 2 and Carmen Stewart 2, along with 3 boards. Brittany Read and Gabrielle Gheyssen were scoreless. The Cougars shot 17-51 (.333) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 21 fouls, 21 turnovers, 10 steals and 2 blocks.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Erica McGuinness (UBC); Cait Haggarty (UBC); Jessica Lynch (Regina); Rachel Hart (McMaster); and Marie-Michelle Genois (Laval)
The bronze medalist McMaster Marauders: Lindsay DeGroot; Deanna Hollinger; Rachel Hart; Amanda D’Ortzenio; Julia Critchley; Taylor Smith; Chiara Rocca; Taylor Chiarot; Cari Te Boekhorst; Alicia Fidanza; Rebecca Rewi; Alyska Lukan; coach Theresa Burns; SID Robert Hilson; athletic director Therese Quigley
The silver medalist Regina Cougars: Jessica Lynch; Rebecca Schmidt; Chelsea Cassano; Gabrielle Gheyssen; Carmen Stewart; Maja Kralovcova; Jacquie Kenyon; Megan Cherkas; Brittany Read; Stacey Walker; Shalyn Kivela; Meryl Jordan; Ashley Wishira; Julia Schmidt; Danielle Schmidt; coach Dave Taylor; assistant Steve Burrows; assistant Cymone Bouchard; athletic director Dick White
The champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Erica McGuinness, Julie Little; Leanne Evans; Cait Haggarty, Candace Morriset, Alex Vieweg, Montanna Dunmore; Zara Huntley; Kira Carre; Robyn Fashler; coach Deb Huband; assistant Carrie Watson