Waterloo Chronicle: Vikings Team On a Mission

Article By:  Bob Vrbanac

It was the first time in a decade that the Waterloo Vikings senior girls basketball team didn’t have its name engraved on either the WCSSAA or CWOSSA titles.

And that doesn’t sit well with returning veterans like Alyssa Shortt, the team’s starting point guard, who still thinks back to the championship game against the KCI Raiders that broke their decade-long streak.

“It showed us that you have to come out strong in every single game because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” said the 18-year-old finishing up her last season with the Vikings. “We didn’t give the effort we normally give.”

That’s won’t be the case this year as the Vikings take nothing for granted as they look to start a new title run. The Jacob Hespeler Hawks were the unfortunate victims of that renewed sense of purpose last Thursday as the Vikings opened up the WCSSAA regular season with a dominating 58-13 win.

That domination was even more pronounced in the first half as the Vikings built up a 35-5 lead by halftime before liberally using their bench.

Shortt had 10 points in limited action, while Lindsay Taylor led all Vikings scorers with 14 points.

But Shortt, the Vikings’ floor general, will set the tone for the Vikings this year.

She’s determined to go out on a high note before making the leap to play basketball at the university level.

“My style is lead by example, and if I work hard the rest of the girls will follow,” said Shortt, who also plays club ball for the K-W Lightning basketball program.

“This is my last year of high school basketball, and I know I will be disappointed in myself if I don’t leave everything on the floor.

“After last year’s disappointment at WCSSAA, we have to win it, and if I don’t work hard and push myself I’ll regret it the rest of my life.”

The Vikings are also getting a push by playing an extensive tournament schedule to bring up the level of consistency they’ll need to compete in the postseason. They only have two weekends off during the season as they travel to tournaments around the province.

That’s already paid dividends as they won the John F. Ross preseason tournament last week, defeating the defending OFSAA double A champions, Bishop Macdonell, in the finals.

Co-coach Doug Ranton, one of the architects of the Vikings’ decade of dominance, said it was a great run but last year made the girls even hungrier.

“This might be one of the hardest working groups we’ve had in a few years,” said Ranton. “We definitely have more depth this year.

“We also have more balanced scoring this year, and some kids who can put up big numbers.”

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Retrieved From: http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/sports/article/220205

WCSSAA Picks: Thursday Games

YTD Record:  12-2 (.857)

Note:  All Games are 3:30pm starts in the senior league today.  SJAM will get the "automatic win" today against HHHS in the schedule, to improve to 2-1.

Waterloo-Oxford (0-2) at Forest Heights (0-2)
Pick:  WODSS

One of these clubs will get their first win on the season here this afternoon.  I lean slightly towards the Crusaders here, but they'll need to contain Blair McNaughton and, on the flip-side, get a big game out of Brittany Bell.

Southwood (1-1) at Cameron Heights (2-0)
Pick:  CHCI

Look for the Gaels to take a huge jump in my CWOSSA weekly rankings tomorrow.  They are an impressive club and should go to 3-0 here.

Preston (1-1) at Bluevale (2-0)
Pick:  BCI

Preston is no push-over, as the Eastwood Rebels found out in the season-opener.  Assuming Bluevale doesn't overlook the Panthers, they'll take another league win heading into the weekend.

WCI (2-0) at Glenview Park (0-2)
Pick:  WCI

The Vikes have way too much depth for the Panthers here.

Grand River (0-2) at KCI (2-0)
Pick:  KCI

The Rens are better than their 0-2 record might indicate (having played GCI & WCI to start their season).  That said, they're playing KCI on the road here so look for the Raiders to move to 3-0.

Galt (1-1) at Elmira (1-1)
Pick:  EDSS

Should be a tight one out in Elmira between two clubs who many think will join KCI as the "AAA" CWOSSA reps for WCSSAA.  After a tough game against Cameron, I think Elmira should be able to right the ship at home.

Jacob Hespeler (1-1) at Eastwood (2-0)
Pick:  ECI

Michelle Hudyn is averaging 18.5 PPG in league play over her first 2 games; the Hespeler Hawks are averaging 24.0 PPG as a team.  I think the Hawks need to keep this in the low 30s to have a chance, but look for ECI to be ahead at the finish.

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Junior matchups see all the above teams do battle at 5:00pm, with one exception of course --- the Huron Heights Huskies will host the SJAM Highlanders (an SJAM "home game") at 3:30pm.

D10 Picks: Thursday Games

Season Picks Record:  11-1 (.917)

Centennial (1-2) at Lourdes (2-1) **Game Time Note:  12:30pm**
Pick:  OLOL

An interesting 12:30pm start time today over at Our Lady of Lourdes, with the Spartans making the 5 minute trek down Edinburgh Rd. to battle the Crusaders.  If you're around Guelph and looking for some noon-hour hoops, head on over for what should shape up to be a good game between these two clubs.  That said, Lourdes is the better of these two clubs at this juncture of the season, so I'll tab them for the home win.

Centre Wellington (1-2) at JF Ross (3-0), 4:00pm
"Upset Special" Pick:  CWDHS

This is a tougher pick than the records would indicate.  CWDHS' 2 losses have come to (arguably) 2 of the top 3 teams in the league --- Bishop Mac and Lourdes.  Furthermore, those two losses have been by a COMBINED 4 points.  They always seem to pose some problems for the Royals, and I think that trend may continue today.  Look for Jaime Janssen to exploit her size advantage and go for double digits en route to what should be a tight road win for the Falcons in what appears to be a coin-flip on paper. 

St. James (0-3) at Bishop Mac (3-0), 5:30pm
Pick:  BMac

Look for these teams to continue to head in opposite directions here.  Bishop Mac gets the win.

Orangeville (0-3) at Guelph CVI (2-1), 5:30pm
Pick:  GCVI

Though the Bears are looking improved thus far in the season, it still isn't quite enough to take out GCVI on the road.

Junior Games:
Centennial (1-2) at Lourdes (3-0), 2:00pm
St. James (3-0) at Bishop Mac (2-1), 3:45pm
CWDHS (0-3) at JF Ross (0-3), 4:00pm
Orangeville (1-2) at GCVI (2-1), 4:00pm

BAA South: Score Report

A couple of quick scores to report from the BAA on Wednesday:

Senior - Chesley DHS 35, John Diefenbaker SS (Hanover) 20

Senior - Walkerton DSS 31, Sacred Heart (Walkerton) 22
WDSS:  Becky McTeer & Megan Lamont - 8 each.

Junior - John Diefenbaker SS 32, Chesley 8 (JD:  Keira Mortimer, 12 points)

D4: Westside Senior Thunder Continue To Roll

Senior

Westside 56, Wellington Heights 18

A second straight big win for the Thunder to start the season.  Brooke Rowland led the way (and joined the 15+ club in the process) with a 20 point performance.

Norwell @ Centre Dufferin --- Not Reported

Senior Standings

1.  Westside 2-0

2.  Centre Dufferin 1-0

3.  Wellington Heights 1-1

T4.  Woodland Christian 0-1

T4.  Norwell 0-1

T4.  Erin DHS 0-1

Junior

Centre Dufferin 28, Norwell 17
CDDHS' win evens up both teams' records at 1-1 on the campaign.  Laura Roth had 6 for Norwell in the loss, while Robyn Van Dyk contributed 7 for the Royals.

Wellington Heights 33, Westside 27
What a difference a year can make.  The junior Westside Thunder fall to 0-2 after a loss to Wellington Heights.  Last year, they went undefeated in league play outscoring their opposition by an average of 35 PPG.  With the bulk of talent moving up to senior, it looks like things will be a bit more balanced in the D4 this year.

A couple of big performances in the game ---- Nicole Bauman had 13 for WHSS, while Toni Juric led the Thunder (and all scorers) with 14.

Junior Standings
T1.  Woodland Christian 1-0
T1.  Erin DHS 1-0
T3.  Centre Dufferin 1-1
T3.  Norwell 1-1
T3.  Wellington Heights 1-1
6.  Westside SS 0-2

D8: Wednesday Results & Standings

Senior

 St. David 45, Resurrection 39

Big win for the Celts as they stay undefeated at 3-0.  Tabitha Siegfried led the way with 13 while Carly Cameron added in 12.  Megan Robinson had 12 points for Rez, while Melissa Stocco contributed 8.

Monsignor Doyle 52, Rockway 13

Blowout win for Doyle as they pick up their first D8 win on the year at the expense of winless Rockway.  Amelia Walsh and Alex Tkaczyk had 11 each in the win, while Rockway was led by Alex Hood's 9 points.

Senior Standings

1.  St. David 3-0

2.  St. Mary's 2-0

3.  St. Benedict 1-1

T4.  Resurrection 1-2

T4.  Monsignor Doyle 1-2

6.  Rockway 0-3

Junior

Resurrection 46, St. David 30

The Phoenix take sole possession of first place with a solid performance on Wednesday.  Sarah Schulz had 14 to lead the victors, while Shannon Pringle had 10 for SDCSS.

Monsignor Doyle 40, Rockway 15

Don't look now, but the Doyle Mustangs have 2 wins and are currently ahead of the traditional D8 "powers" over the last couple of years (St. David & St. Mary's).  Their balanced scoring today saw 3 players with 8 or more points ---- Taylor Fitzpatrick (10), Jade Loehle (8) and Mariana Turcotte (8).  Emma Kschesinski had 5 for the Flames while Stephanie Veltri added 4.

Junior Standings

1.  Resurrection 3-0

2.  St. Benedict 2-0

3.  Monsignor Doyle 2-1

4.  St. David 1-2

5.  St. Mary's 0-2

6.  Rockway 0-3

Simcoe Reformer: Sabres Simply Solid

Article By:  Jeff Dertinger

Retrieved From:  http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2777928

There's really only one way to describe the opening night performance of the defending champion Simcoe Sabres senior girls basketball team.

Solid.

It wasn't a mind-blowing performance by any means. Heck, it wasn't even particularly fancy. Last night's 38-17 home court victory against the Port Dover Lakers was workmanlike, it was efficient -- it was an all-around good base on which to build another championship season from.

"We played pretty well," Sabres centre Chloe McConnell said afterwards. "We had lots of crisp passing, we moved up and down the court quickly, and we played good defence."

McConnell's sentiments were bang on. Simcoe controlled the flow of the game, dominated both the offensive and defensive boards, and worked through their plays competently. The most impressive aspect was that all 14 players in the lineup saw action, and the Sabres never missed a beat no matter which group of five was on the court.

It wasn't all sunshine and roses, of course. Simcoe struggled to make any shots from outside the key, with the exception of Jordan Vanderhaegen, who drained a few 15-footers and led all players with 13 points. But that's to be expected in the first game of the season.

"They weren't them all, but they were taking good shots, and that's what I like to see," SCS coach Bill Macovik said. "We have been emphasizing hitting the boards, and they did a real good job of that too. Our big girls -- Chloe, Sarah (Allemang), Alyssa (Becque) and Jade (Ebdon) really came through tonight."

Simcoe jumped to an early 9-1 lead in the first four minutes and never looked back. The score was 22-10 by halftime and 30-12 by the end of the third. Allemang was a force inside, finishing with 12 points.

For the Lakers, last night's game wasn't really about winning and losing. Port Dover is a team featuring just nine players. Two of those are exchange students (Cassandra Dupias of France and Mizuki Fujimoto of Japan) and one is a junior-aged athlete (Justine Shortt). All three played their hearts out Tuesday.

The Lakers do have two standout shooters in Laura Clyne and Robin Beemer. Beemer hit a couple deep shots in the first quarter, but left the game at halftime due to an ankle injury. Clyne was left as the only real offensive weapon, and she finished with a team-high 10 points.

This season is all about learning and improving from game to game, and coach Pawnee Pepper had no qualms with the way the girls in green played last night against a tough Simcoe squad.

"They did all right," Pepper said. "They ran some plays, sunk a few baskets -- we definitely need to work on our defence -- but that's just the first game."

Port Dover does not have a junior girls team due to lack of players, so the SCS juniors had a bye.

The senior Lakers will host Delhi on Thursday, while the Sabres welcome Valley Heights to SCS. For Simcoe, there's no doubt what the goal for this season is.

"I think we have a very good team from top to bottom," McConnell said. "We all played together as a group two years ago (in junior) and won it all. Hopefully it turns out just as great this time around."

Brantnews.com: Trojans Prepare for Tough Game

Article By:  Tom Kennedy

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantnews.com/sports.cfm?page=sports&section=read&articleId=8839

The North Park Collegiate Trojans senior girls’ basketball team is two days away from what the players and coach believe will be their toughest game of the regular season.


The Trojans will meet last year’s city champions and provincial gold medalists, the St. John’s College Green Eagles, on Thursday (at NPC at 7 p.m.) and are using every chance they can to prepare themselves for the challenge.

On Tuesday, the Paris District High School Panthers hosted the Trojans and the visitors notched a 45-11 win.

More important than the victory, Trojans coach Andrea Hawkins said her team was improving with every game.

“They’re doing well,” Hawkins said. “We’ve started doing the little things better and our defence really improved this weekend and I think we will handle the pressure against St. John’s well this time.”

Despite the fact that Hawkins expects the Green Eagles to be a very strong opponent, she knows the game will help her team further improve and build toward its goal of advancing past the city finals to the AAA Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association tournament.

"I love playing against the Green Eagles because we’re only going to get better,” she said. “We’re trying to prepare for CWOSSA and playing St. John’s will on make us better.”

On the other side of the court, the Panthers are also working toward goals as coach Dani Hawkins watches her team build on its strengths and deal with a lack of experience but wealth of enthusiastic athletes.

“They’re coming to practice and they’re working hard,” Panthers coach Hawkins said. “They are starting to play real tough defence and starting to pass really well.

“We don’t have a lot of experience,” she said. “I have no kids who play club basketball right now, we always have a team, but I’ve got 11 kids who only started playing when they were 14.

While the Trojans controlled the game, leading 17-6 at half time before extending their margin significantly, the Panthers coach saw a lot of promise, particularly in her team's defence.

The Panthers defensive work overall was strong and, in particular, Brittany Gillmor broke up several Trojans’ plays by stealing the ball and shooting down the court to net two pointers.

Overall, the Trojans used the game to practice their systems and approaches to both offence and defence, while also rotating in younger and less experienced players to ensure depth on the bench.

The Trojans were led in scoring by Cassie Fletcher (14 points), Allyson Ballantyne (10 points) and Laura Chapple (5 points). The Panthers top players were Sam Ferretti, Olivia Aerosmith and Gillmor.

In the other girls’ basketball game played at Paris District High School, the Trojans defeated the Panthers 49-15. The Trojans top players were Abbey Johnston (15 points), Sara Rawls (9 points) and Rebecca Adkins (8 points). The Panthers top players were Alex Forsyth (6 points), Beth Stulen (5 points) and Skylar Wright (2 points).

BAA North: Tuesday Results

A couple of quick scores from BAA action on Tuesday afternoon:


Senior

West Hill 35, Grey Highlands 25
WH:  Nicole Deyell 16
GH:  Brittany Priddle 8


OSCVI 41, Peninsula Shores 13
OSCVI:  Erika French 9, Keshia Jacques 8
PS:  Top Scorer - Torrey Craig

Georgian Bay 25, St. Mary's (OS) 22
GB:  Jordan Smith 12
SMHS:  Kristen Eckert 10


Junior

Peninsula Shores 40, OSCVI 37
PS:  Rachel Ward 15 (including the game winning basket with seconds remaining)
OSCVI:  Amanda Martin 8

St. Mary's (OS) 36, Georgian Bay 27
SMHS:  Katie Langden 27
GB:  Tessa Sheriden 6

D10: Tuesday Results & Standings

Here's the rundown from Tuesday in the D10 league, starting in the senior division:

Senior

Lourdes 44, Orangeville 23
No trouble here for the Crusaders as they beat an improving ODSS squad.  Cierra Carere led the way with 10 points; Tori Quinn put in 7 points for the Bears.

JF Ross 49, St. James 27
The Royals improve to 3-0 on the year with a win against their East Guelph rivals.  Three rookies led the way for JFR in this one --- Sydney Resch (12), Carolyn Holmes (10) and Silvie Cafarella (7).  St. James also had a rookie lead their scoring, with grade 11 guard Erica Zen putting home 12 points.

Bishop Mac 56, Centre Wellington 53
In a score that probably opened some eyes, the CWDHS Falcons nearly took out the BMac Celtics at home; however, the Celts survived the challenge and now have won 37 consecutive D10 league & playoff games.  Top scorers for Bishop Mac on this night were Alison Morris (15) and Rebecca Keil (14).  For the Falcons, Erica McFadden had a game-high 18 points, while Jamie Janssen added in 16.

Guelph CVI 47, Centennial 22
No trouble for the Gaels here in a battle of 1-1 clubs.  Alisha Warnholtz had 13 and Lindsay Thompson 11 for the victors, while Charlotte Clarke led the Spartans with 7.

Senior Girls Standings
T1.  Bishop Mac 3-0
T1.  JF Ross 3-0
T3.  GCVI 2-1
T3.  Lourdes 2-1
T5.  CWDHS 1-2
T5.  Centennial 1-2
T7.  St. James 0-3
T7.  Orangeville 0-3


Junior

Bishop Mac vs. Centre Wellington (not reported as of yet)

Lourdes 59, Orangeville 23
A big win for the Crusaders as they prepare for a rare afternoon date on Thursday with rival Centennial at home.  They'll enter that contest as one of two 3-0 teams in the league.

St. James 44, JF Ross 23
The Lions continue to roll, this time at the expense of the JF Ross Royals.  Brittany Gazzola (18) and sister Chelsey (11) led the way here, while Stephanie Gordon had 8 for Ross.

Guelph CVI 48, Centennial 46
Tight matchup between the two teams that likely will be the CWOSSA "AAAA" representatives for the D10.  Katie Strongman (14) and Jamie Young (8) paced GCVI, while Hannah Fergusson had a game-high 21 for Centennial.


Junior Standings
T1.  St. James 3-0
T1.  Lourdes 3-0
3.  GCVI 2-1
4.  Bishop Mac 1-1
T5.  Centennial 1-2
T5.  Orangeville 1-2
7.  Centre Wellington 0-2
8.  JF Ross 0-3

WCSSAA Senior: Tuesday Results & Standings

Here's the rundown for Tuesday's WCSSAA senior action:

Eastwood 53, Forest Heights 34

Michelle Hudyn put in 22 points, while Caitlyn Schlegel (14) and Jamie Cote (11) were also in double figures for Eastwood en route to a 2-0 start to their season.  Blair McNaughton was tops for the Trojans with 18 points.

Southwood 32, Galt 26

Went with Galt in this one, and the Sabres made sure that I went another day with at least one incorrect selection.  Alex Palvetzian had 10 and Emily Vandonk 7 for SSS; Christine Phillips (11) and Liz Phillips (9) were tops for Galt.

KCI 50, Glenview Park 31

Another solid effort for KCI as they improve to 2-0 on the year.  Kate McTavish (17) and Skye Johns (11) contributed double-digit efforts for the Raiders, while GPSS was led by 8 from Alyssa Goodridge.

Jacob Hespeler 35, WODSS 28

Big road win for the Hespeler Hawks as they even up their record at 1-1 on the year.

Bluevale 35, SJAM 32

A bit tighter than I would have thought, but BCI gets the job done at home nonetheless.  Shannon Curran was huge for the Knights in this one, with 19 points; teammate Jen Gilmour added in 5.  For SJAM, Malena McCrossan-Moses had 8.

WCI 41, Grand River 16

Two games in, and the Vikes have outscored their opposition 99-29.  Today's balanced attack was led by Alex Klein (8) and Alyssa Shortt (6).  The Rens got 5 points from Kailey DeBoer.

Cameron Heights 53, Elmira 26

Looks like the Gaels might all of a sudden be the front-runners for a CWOSSA berth along with WCI.  They received 18 from Erin Robbins, while Liz McLellan added in 14.  Lydia Frey had 10 in a losing effort for Elmira.

Senior Standings

T1.  WCI 2-0

T1.  Bluevale 2-0

T1.  KCI 2-0

T1.  Eastwood 2-0

T1.  Cameron Heights 2-0

T6.  Elmira 1-1

T6.  Galt 1-1

T6.  Jacob Hespeler 1-1

T6.  Southwood 1-1

T6.  SJAM 1-1

T6.  Preston 1-1

T12.  WODSS 0-2

T12.  Forest Heights 0-2

T12.  Glenview Park 0-2

T12.  Grand River 0-2

WCSSAA Junior: Tuesday Results & Standings

Eastwood 26, Forest Heights 19

The Rebels even up their record at 1-1 with a road win over FHCI.  Andrea Sharpe paced the Rebels with 11 points, while Meagan Meade had 7 for the Trojans.

Southwood 47, Galt 18

No trouble here for the Sabres as they also even their record at the expense of one of their Cambridge rivals.  Cali Doran (11) and Rachel Simas (10) paved the way with their double figure performances for the Sabres; Galt was led by 5 each from Ashlyn Beckman and Courtney Davis.

KCI 36, Glenview Park 26

The Panthers hung around for a bit before finally giving way to the Raiders --- Christiana Koebel led KCI and all scorers with 14 points in the contest.

Preston 40, Huron Heights 24

Ashley White continued her strong play for the Panthers, hitting for 13 points in this one.  Teammate Jenna Mitchell had 4 points, while HHHS received 9 from Emily Bidihosti and 7 from Megan Parsons.

Jacob Hespeler 49, Waterloo-Oxford 42

I had been hearing some rumblings about the Crusaders being for real and it looks as though that may be the case as they give JHSS a tough time in Baden.  The Hawks required a 19-point effort from Brooklynn Wright and 14 from Taylor Dennis to get the victory.  WODSS was led by their stellar 1-2 combo of Maddie Horst (13) and Alisha Glendinning (10).

Bluevale 44, SJAM 17

The Knights continued to roll by handling the 'Landers with ease.  Their balanced attack was keyed by Natalie Bishop (11), Sarah Hamm (9) and Beky Matejin (8).  Jillian Reiter was tops for SJAM with 9.

Grand River 39, WCI 16

After a relatively good performance against JHSS in their opener, losses against Rez (on the weekend) and now GRCI have it looking as though WCI's junior dominance may finally be over.  The senior team, though, is another story but more on that later.  Steph Schumacher had 11 for Grand River in the win, while WCI was led by Melissa Eggleton with 7.

Elmira 51, Cameron Heights 26

Tessa Charnuski pumped in 16 points and Krista Weirs 11 for the Lancers as they take their regular season opener in convincing fashion.  Ashanti Lewis was tops for CHCI, with 8 points.

Junior Standings

T1.  Bluevale 2-0

T1.  Grand River 2-0

T1.  KCI 2-0

T1.  Jacob Hespeler 2-0

T1.  Preston 2-0

6.  Elmira 1-0

T7.  Eastwood 1-1

T7.  Southwood 1-1

T7.  Cameron Heights 1-1

T7.  Waterloo-Oxford 1-1

11.  Huron Heights 0-1

T12.  Forest Heights 0-2
T12.  WCI 0-2

T12.  Glenview Park 0-2

T12.  Galt 0-2

T12.  SJAM 0-2

Junior Girls: St. James Lions Hit Roadblock in Toronto

The St. James' Lions, my current #1 AAA junior school, travelled to Toronto to compete at the University of Toronto Junior Girls Basketball Festival ---- and came home consolation champions instead of tournament champions due to a couple of unique occurrences.

(As an FYI - the tournament is fast paced with 12 minute running halves until the final 2 minutes of game play.  That explains what otherwise would appear as "low scores").

Firstly, the Lions got off to a slow start thanks in part to Toronto traffic.  That, coupled with several injuries left St. James without 4 of 5 regular starters heading into action against Markham's Brother Andre SS.  As if that wasn't enough, the Lions then had an off day from the floor, shooting only 2-for-30 as they dropped a 21-7 decision in their opener.

With the Gazzola sisters back in the lineup for the following games, the Lions then reeled off 4 straight wins --- 27-12 over Toronto Northern, 32-4 over Mississauga Applewood SS, 29-9 over Nantyr Shores of Innisfil, and a 32-0 shutout against Mississauga SS.

Brittany Gazzola had 13 against Northern and 11 versus Applewood, while Chelsey Gazzola led the way against Nantyr Shores (9 points) and Mississauga (8 points).

Their 4-1 record tied the Lions for first overall with Brother Andre and Toronto Northern (who beat Andre by 2 in their pool game), and resulted in a coin flip to determine the team that would win the pool and participate in the tournament final. 

Brother Andre again was the beneficiary of some bad luck for St. James, as they took the coin toss (and, eventually, the tournament).  All was not lost for the Lions, however, as they competed in the consolation final against the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) and rolled 27-4 backed by 12 points from Brittany Gazzola.

The Lions are back in action tonight in D10 play (5:30pm) at home against the JF Ross Royals.

D10: Tuesday Games and Picks

YTD Picks Record:  7-1 (.875)

All the senior games are scheduled for 4:00pm starts, with the exception of Lourdes @ ODSS, which tips 15 minutes prior at 3:45.  Junior games to follow the senior games today.

Lourdes (1-1) at Orangeville (0-2)
Pick:  Lourdes

The Crusaders gave Bishop Mac a run last Thursday before falling in a close game.  They should have an easier time here today against the Bears.

GCVI (1-1) at Centennial (1-1)
Pick:  GCVI

Both teams have identical records ---- literally.  The Gaels and Spartans both lost to JF Ross and defeated St. James last week.  I think the (slight) edge at this point goes to GCVI.

Bishop Mac (2-0) at Centre Wellington (1-1)
Pick:  BMAC

The Celts can't take the Falcons lightly, as Centre Wellington knocked off Kitchener St. Mary's (albeit without Kaitlyn Schenck) this weekend --- coming back by drilling a couple threes in the waning minutes of that contest.  That said, look for Bishop Mac's win streak to continue here.

Ross (2-0) at St. James (1-1)
Pick:  JFR

The Ross Royals are probably the surprise team of the league to this point, thanks in part to great contributions from grade 10 rookie Sydney Resch and grade 11 rookie Kelly Dunk in their opening 2 contests.  If they can contain St. James' star grade 11 Erica Zen, they should improve to 3-0 today.

Junior Games
JF Ross (0-2) at St. James (2-0)
Lourdes (2-0) at Orangeville (1-1)
Guelph CVI (1-1) at Centennial (1-1)
Bishop Mac (1-1) at CWDHS (0-2)

WCSSAA: Tuesday Games & Picks

With Huron Heights out of the senior league this year, their games will be treated as "forfeit wins" for the opposition.  As a result, Preston will improve their record to 1-1.  For the record, I won't be including those in my picks record!

The senior contests are all 5pm starts.  Junior games (all the same teams) go beforehand at 3:30, with the Preston Panthers playing host to the junior HHHS Huskies as well at that time.

YTD Picks Record:  6-1 (.857)

Jacob Hespeler (0-1) at WODSS (0-1)
Pick:  JHSS

Coin-flip here, but I'll give the edge to the Hawks based upon their performance this past weekend in their home tournament.

Eastwood (1-0) at Forest Heights (0-1)
Pick:  ECI

Should be no trouble here for Michelle Hudyn and the Rebels as they look to move to 2-0.

Elmira (1-0) at Cameron Heights (1-0)
Pick:  CHCI

Might check this one out at CHCI this afternoon, as these are two up-and-coming teams that I've been hearing a lot of good things about.  Although the Lancers are rolling, I'll stick with the home team here.

WCI (1-0) at Grand River (0-1)
Pick:  WCI

The Vikes look to continue their regular season WCSSAA win streak, and should do so against GRCI today.

Glenview Park (0-1) at KCI (1-0)
Pick:  KCI

The Raiders will be a force to be reckoned with this year.  Though the GPSS Panthers look to be improved, they're still not yet on par with KCI so I'll take the Raiders to cruise at home.

SJAM (1-0) at Bluevale (1-0)
Pick:  BCI

The Knights bounce back after losing to EDSS at the Hespeler tourney.  I look for a double-digit win here.

Galt (1-0) at Southwood (0-1)
Pick:  GCI

The Ghosts got off to an impressive start to their season, with a solid road win at Grand River.  I look for them to continue their road prowess there, though they should be challenged by the homecourt Sabres.

D4: Monday Results & Standings

The D4 league kicked off play on Monday afternoon, with 3 games being played in both the junior and senior leagues.  As of posting, only 2 senior games had been reported so I'll update this post when the additional information comes in.

Here's the rundown:

Senior Girls

Wellington Heights (Mount Forest) - 57
Erin DHS - 22

Elizabeth Vukson pumped in 20 points for WHSS, while Morgan McDougall-Cook added in 12.  Erin received 7 points each from Carleigh Monk and Maddy Ceelen.

Westside SS (Orangeville) - 54
Norwell DSS (Palmerston) - 10

No trouble on this night for the favourites to take the D4 crown as they pound the Redmen (er, Redwomen?) by 44.  Rebecca Junsen outscored Norwell with her 14 point performance, while teammate Ivana Juric chipped in 8.  Karlee Duggan scored all 10 of NDSS' points.

Junior Girls

Norwell DSS (Palmerston) - 24
Westside SS (Orangeville) - 18

Norwell turned the tables in junior girls' play on Westside, and, in the process ended Westside's 12-game D4 league & playoff winning streak.  Scoring details were unavailable from source.

Erin DHS - 31
Wellington Heights SS (Mount Forest) - 23

Woodland Christian (Breslau) - 22
Centre Dufferin (Shelburne) - 21

The Cavaliers (1-9 in 2009) match their D4 win total from a year ago with an opening victory against CDDHS.  Rebecca Oosterhoff had 8 points in the win, while Britney Davison contributed 7 for the Royals.

D8 Monday: Eagles' Senior Girls Post Key Win

The St. Mary's Eagles got a key win in Senior Girls' D8 action on Monday night, upending the Resurrection Phoenix 66-49 on the road to improve to 2-0 in league play.

The Eagles got off to a great start, extending an early lead to double-digits and heading to the locker room at halftime with an 18 point lead.  In the second half, the lead swelled to 25+, before St. Mary's rotated some players in and the Phoenix took advantage, quickly narrowing the gap all the way down to single digits.  SMHS' starters had to go back in to secure the victory.

Scoring details were not immediately available from the D8 sportsline.

In the other senior game on Monday afternoon, the St. Benedict Saints improved to 1-1 with a 46-18 win over the Rockway Flames.  Andrea Zapanza (21) and Rachel Grant (10) contributed double-digit efforts for the Saints, while Alex Hood and Sam Besant led Rockway with 7 each.

Senior Standings
T1.  St. Mary's 2-0
T1.  St. David 2-0
T3.  St. Benedict 1-1
T3.  Resurrection 1-1
------
T5.  Monsignor Doyle 0-2
T5.  Rockway 0-2

In the junior league, the Phoenix cruised past the Eagles by a 33-17 count in a game that probably wasn't quite as close as the final score would indicate.  Resurrection platooned their lineup most of the evening en route to the victory.  Angelika Jarski contributed 14 points for Rez (2-0), while Sydney Bowden chipped in with 4.  Ema Jada and Monica Rocha put in 4 each for St. Mary's (0-2).

The other contest saw the St. Benedict Saints also improve to 2-0 with a 65-18 crushing of Rockway.  Dana Milani (20) and Hillary Ferguson (17) were the high scorers on this night for SBCSS, while Steph Veltri led the Flames with 6 points.

Junior Standings
T1.  St. Benedict 2-0
T1.  Resurrection 2-0
T3.  St. David 1-1
T3.  Monsignor Doyle 1-1
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T5.  St. Mary's 0-2
T5.  Rockway 0-2

BAA: Monday Results

Here are the junior & senior results from Monday afternoon in the BAA (Bluewater Athletic Association):

Senior - BAA South

Walkerton DSS 49, Saugeen DSS 15
Natasha Grabosky, Megan Lamont and Becky McTeer all scored double figures (10 each) in the victory for the Lady Raiders.

Kincardine DSS 57, Chesley DSS 19
The Knights used a balanced attack in their league opener --- 11 players hit the scoresheet in the win.


Junior - BAA South

Kincardine DSS 64, Chesley DSS 4
Like the seniors, the juniors had a double-digit number of girls contributing to the scoresheet (in their case, 10).

Scores and More

Coaches - a quick reminder to send any exhibition or tournament scores to cwossabasketball (at) hotmail.com.

If you can, please include any high scorers (in particular, 15+ efforts that we can add to the list below).

Your help is appreciated!

D8: Monday Games and Picks

Back to league play today with 2 afternoon matchups in both junior and senior D8 leagues.  Here's a quick look at the D8 games:

St. Mary's (1-0) at Resurrection (1-0), 5:00pm
Pick:  SMHS

Should be a good game between the two clubs that most expect will battle for the D8's "AAAA" CWOSSA berth.  The Eagles are coming off a tough tournament loss to Centre Wellington in a tournament final this past weekend ---- although Kaitlyn Schenck did not play in that contest.  She should be back in the lineup tonight for the Eagles.  Assuming she's back to 100%, I like the Eagles to take a road win here.

St. Benedict (0-1) at Rockway (0-1), 5:30pm
Pick:  SBCSS

Both clubs have an opportunity for their first win after each being dumped by the St. David Celtics last week.  At this point in the season, the Saints have the edge and should improve to 1-1.

Senior Picks Record:  4-0 (1.000)


Junior Games

St. Mary's (0-1) at Resurrection (1-0), 3:30pm.
Pick:  RCSS

The Phoenix are coming off an impressive weekend tournament, with wins over WCI and Cameron Heights.  The Eagles on the other hand, lost to Doyle last week (a team that Rez beat in their opener by 30).  The stats and trends point to Rez.


St. Benedict (1-0) at Rockway (0-1), 4:00pm
Pick:  SBCSS

The St. Benedict Saints took their first steps towards a possible D8 championship last week with a 43-13 thrashing of St. David.  Look for a similar result here as they should move to 2-0.

Kincardine Independent: Kincardine Team Preview and KDSS Tournament Results

News and notes from this past week's Kincardine Independent.

Full Article Can Be Found Here:  http://www.independent.on.ca/site/?q=node/1371

Marissa Jolley cuts around Walkerton’s Jessica Geense in senior girls basketball action Friday afternoon at Kincardine District Secondary School. Jolley had nine points in the first half of this game against WDSS. (Josh Howald photo)

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EDSS edged out the Kincardine District Secondary School senior girls basketball team in Saturday’s championship game. GDCI of Goderich won last year’s tournament.

The Knights opened the tournament with a lopsided win over Walkerton District Secondary School. KDSS led that game 10-4 after the first quarter at 21-5 at the half. Kincardine then beat Wellington Heights Saturday morning in the other round robin game.

The annual tournament is held by KDSS in order to prepare for the Bluewater Athletic Association (BAA) regular season, which begins in two weeks. KDSS should have a strong club, with veteran players like Kait McDonnell, Marissa Jolley, Carly Schmidt, Megan Lowry, Lauren Reay and Margot Treidlinger. Coach Vince Yenssen’s team also includes Jenna Rees, Natalie Melick, Faith Mwasalla, Grace Small and Chloe Miller.

This year’s Knights Classic was smaller than in past years. Only four teams played in this year’s tourney – Elmira, Wellington Heights, KDSS and WDSS.

Senior: Lancers Take Hard Road to Victory at Hespeler Tourney

Winning pretty is overrated.

Just ask the Elmira Lancers, who came away victorious in the Senior version of the Jacob Hespeler Invitational touranment held over the weekend.

The Lancers won their three tournament games by a combined 13 points en route to the title.  They knocked off Orangeville Westside in the first round (32-31), Kincardine DSS in the semis (32-27) and then Waterloo Bluevale (32-25) in the championship tilt.

The Lancers were led in scoring by '09 WCSSAA all-star Lydia Frey, who had a solid weekend including a 17-point performance in Elmira's opening round game.  Of course, as you can tell by the above scores, they definitely went to work and ratcheted things up on the defensive end --- allowing just one team to crack the 30 point mark.

The win marked the second consecutive weekend that Elmira has won a tournament championship.  They took the Kincardine DSS "Knights Classic" last weekend (article from last week's Kincardine Independent to be posted shortly).

Here's a complete rundown of the scores:

First Round

Bluevale 36, Jacob Hespeler 29

BCI:  Elissa Dent 7, Deanna Papp 5

JHSS:  Sarah Couchman 6, Sarah Guttin 5

Grand River 46, Preston 28

GRCI:  Kailey DeBoer 13, Candice Scott 9

PHS:  Kirsten Leach 13, Kelly McCooloch 5

Elmira 32, Westside (Orangeville) 31

EDSS:  Lydia Frey 17

ODSS:  Brooke Rowland 11, Ivana Juric 7, Sam Mikulik 7

Kincardine 39, SJAM (Waterloo) 32

KDSS:  Marissa Jolley 20

SJAM:  Malena McCrossan 18

Second Round

Consolation Semifinal #1 - Preston 46, Jacob Hespeler 20

Consolation Semifinal #2 - Westside 54, SJAM 18

Championship Semifinal #1 - Bluevale 49, Grand River 30

Championship Semifinal #2 - Elmira 32, Kincardine 27

Final Round

7th Place Game - Jacob Hespeler 26, SJAM 18

Consolation Final - Westside 26, Preston 25

Third Place Game - Grand River 42, Kincardine 34

GRCI:  Esther Peters 16

Championship Final - Elmira 32, Bluevale 27