WCSSAA Senior Qualifying Round: Sabres Get Past Improved Crusaders

When I arrived at Southwood after an appointment on Thursday afternoon, the Sabres were getting a game from a fiesty WODSS squad; the Sabres held a 34-26 lead with about 5:30 remaining in the game.

However, timely stops on the defensive end, and a solid edge in the rebounding department (I'd say probably 3:1 for the remainder of the game) allowed Southwood to keep some distance between themselves and Waterloo-Oxford and close out a 43-31 first-round WCSSAA Senior Girls' playoff win.

As I mentioned in my tweets yesterday, the 11th seeded Crusaders had improved tremendously throughout the season (they actually lost their season opener to Southwood last month by a 35-11 score).

Taylor White put home 20 points in the victory for SSS with Megan Cole adding 14.  Tess Pettigrew led the way for WODSS with a 14-point effort.

There was one lower-seeded team advancing on Thursday:

(9) Galt 51, (8) Elmira 30
My Pick:  EDSS by 13
The Ghosts didn't fall victim to the tough Elmira gym, pulling away from the Lancers en route to a big victory.  Emma Buck had 12 and Molly Bradford 10 for the Ghosts in the win; Karley Sider led Elmira with 11 while Sidney Jones scored 9.

(7) KCI 42, (10) SJAM 18
My Pick:  KCI by 15
Again, the Raiders put up a 40+ effort en route to a win (5 in a row between the regular season and playoffs).  Alia Hazineh had 12 for KCI, while Olivia Mickie added 9.  Taylor Trush led the way for the Highlanders with 7.

(5) WCI 44, (12) Huron Hts. 21
My Pick:  WCI by 34
The Vikes cruised past the Huskies at home, with Kaylee Anagnostopoulos (13) and Danielle Sauve (11) providing double-digit efforts.  Kiana Chin led the Huskies with 8, while Cassidy Dietrich had 6.

WCSSAA Senior Quarterfinals - Tuesday
(9) Galt at (1) Grand River
(7) KCI at (2) Cameron Heights
(6) Southwood at (3) Jacob Hespeler
(5) WCI at (4) Bluevale

CWOSSA Qualification:
CHCI & GRCI get "AAAA" CWOSSA berths if Bluevale beats WCI.  If WCI wins, semifinal results will determine CWOSSA representatives.

Jacob Hespeler, Bluevale, KCI and Galt are the remaining "AAA" CWOSSA teams.

Southwood is "AA" this season.

WCSSAA Junior Qualifying Round: Top Seeds Advance to Quarterfinals

There were a couple of close games, but no surprises as far as lower seeding teams winning on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the WCSSAA Junior Girls' playoffs.

The closest game of the day was a 5-point affair between #10 Eastwood and #7 Huron Heights, with the Huskies prevailing by a 30-25 final score.  As I mentioned in my preview, I thought that the Rebels might have a better showing than they did on Tuesday, particularly if they were able to do a better job of containing Jamila Beckford.

Beckford had 9 points, but good contributions from Michelle M'Carthy (10) and Brooklyn Cole (7) helped out the Huskies.  Emma Miller (8) and Danielle Gardiner (7) led the way for the Rebels.

Despite being a #7 seed, Huron Heights actually will qualify for CWOSSA "AAAA" unless #8 Cameron Heights can upset #1 SJAM in their quarterfinal game.

Here's a look at the other three games:

(5) Elmira 45, (12) Glenview Park 12
My Pick:  EDSS by 15
These teams had played a 3-point game during the regular season but the Lancers didn't have any trouble advancing on Thursday.  Jaimee MacDonald (11) and Natalie Mayer (10) had double-digit efforts for the Lancers, while Chuchu Oyual had 7 for GPSS.

(6) Preston 30, (11) Grand River 18
My Pick:  PHS by 22
The Rens did keep this one a low-scoring affair to give them a shot at it, but couldn't find enough touch on the offensive end to do so.  Brooke Davidson and Blaire Raftis had 8 points each for the Panthers; Angelica Lloyd led the Rens with 6.

(8) Cameron Hts. 50, (9) WCI 42
My Pick:  CHCI by 7
Zoe Hoyte had 18 points and Tamara Grahovac added 13 as the Gaels topped the Vikes in the 8/9 game.  Victoria Giguere (18) and Ramla Abdalla (14) were both solid in defeat for WCI.

WCSSAA Jr. Quarterfinals - Tuesday
(8) Cameron Hts. at (1) SJAM
(7) Huron Hts. at (2) WODSS
(6) Preston at (3) Jacob Hespeler
(5) Elmira at (4) Galt

D10 Thursday: Crusaders Top Royals To Clinch Third

The Lourdes Crusaders did what they had to do.

Knowing they needed not only a win, but also a win by 4+ points to move past the JF Ross Royals into third place in the D10 Senior standings, the Crusaders did just that on the final day of D10 basketball, topping JFR by a 50-43 final score.

Rainey Psenicka had a solid game for Lourdes, pouring in 22 points, while Jackie Iezzi added 10.  Maddy Darling was the top scorer for JF Ross with 15 points.

The other three senior games on Thursday went as anticipated.

GCVI did their part in trying to secure a home playoff game, only to be foiled by Lourdes' win.  The Gaels defeated St. James, 55-27, with Sydney Wilson (17) and Roshni Patel (10) leading the way.  Kelsey Widdrington and Meghan Santi had 9 each for the Lions.

First-place Bishop Mac handled Orangeville 67-24, with Johanna deJong knocking in 16 points and Leah Parisotto adding 13.  Acadia Smith scored 14 for the Bears in that one.

The other game saw Centennial cruise past CWDHS, 41-24.  Erin MacKay had 8 for the Spartans, while Rebecca Bell had 11 for the Falcons.

The final D10 Senior Standings are as follows:
1.  Bishop Mac 13-1
2.  Centennial 11-3
3.  Lourdes 9-5
4.  JF Ross 9-5
5.  Guelph CVI 8-6
6.  St. James 4-10
7.  CWDHS 2-12
8.  Orangeville 0-14

And, for the Quarterfinals next week:
(1) Bishop Mac vs. (8) Orangeville
(2) Centennial vs. (7) CWDHS
(3) Lourdes vs. (6) St. James
(4) JF Ross vs. (5) Guelph CVI

Junior
The final day of D10 junior play saw no surprises, with the higher-placed team in the standings pulling out the victory in all four games.

Centennial defeated CWDHS 53-17; Bishop Mac cruised past Orangeville 48-12; Lourdes topped JF Ross 49-33; and Guelph CVI bested St. James 43-23.

The final standings, therefore, go as follows:
1.  Bishop Mac 14-0
2.  Lourdes 12-2
3.  Centennial 10-4
4.  Guelph CVI 7-7 
5.  JF Ross 7-7
6.  St. James 4-10
7.  CWDHS 1-13
8.  Orangeville 1-13

And your Quarterfinals are:
(1) Bishop Mac vs. (8) Orangeville
(2) Lourdes vs. (7) CWDHS
(3) Centennial vs. (6) St. James
(4) Guelph CVI vs. (5) JF Ross

Brantford Expositor: SJC, BCI in Senior Final

Article By:  Expositor Staff 
 
The St. John's Green Eagles move on to next week's best-of-three championship series after handily defeating Assumption College 60-12 in the Brant County senior girls basketball semifinal on Thursday.

The Eagles will play the Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs, who defeated North Park Collegiate, 45-42, on Thursday.

Against the Lions, the Eagles, who are undefeated in the city, dominated from the outset, putting four points on the board less than a minute into the game.

By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles were up 30-1.

"The girls came to play tonight," said St. John's coach Matt Lynch.

"It was a great effort right from the very start.

"They played very unselfish basketball. There was great communication. They were playing for each other, not for themselves."

The Green Eagles, wearing pink jerseys and shorts in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, had widened their lead to 41-4 by half-time.

The Lions were able to add three points to the board during the third quarter, including a two-point basket right at the buzzer.

Disappointed Lions coach Rick Baldin said his team suffers from a lack of consistency, leadership and communication.

"St. John's is a great team and I wish them the best of luck in the playoffs," he said.

Lynch said he's happy with his team's level of play and expects a competitive final series next week.

"It's always nice to play for a championship," he said.

Top SJC scorers were Kendra Van Leeuwen, 19, Alaina McMillan, 13, Megan Thompson, 9, and Leah Coon, 8.

Scoring two each for ACS were Chelsea Murray, Jordan Beda, Megan Mamela, Pamela Bejarno, Atalanta Crosby and Julius Taylor.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2014/10/30/high-school-girls-basketball-playoffs-sjc-bci-in-senior-final

D10: Final Regular Season Picks

YTD:  39-6 (.867)

Assuming I can get three of these games right today, I'll finish the season at over 85%, which is a nice improvement over last season (slightly under 80%).  

A couple of these ones today are pretty straightforward, but there's a toss-up that will be a huge determinant of the final playoff picture --- so I'll start with that one:

JF Ross (9-4) at Lourdes (8-5)
My Pick:  JFR by 6
This game is big, as 3rd place in the D10 standings is on the line.  The Crusaders, having lost to Ross by 3 in their previous game, will need a 4+ point win to move past the Royals on +/- differential (a 1 or 2 point Lourdes win would mean Ross would still finish 3rd).

The Royals are arguably the hottest team in D10 right now, and a win today would mean that they'd set themselves up to play Centennial in the semifinals --- a game for all the marbles and an "AAAA" CWOSSA berth.  I think that motivation helps them to a win today.

ODSS (0-13) at Bishop Mac (12-1)
My Pick:  BMAC by 42
Unfortunately for the Bears, Orangeville has to travel to first place Bishop Mac today, and then again next Tuesday for the first round of the D10 playoffs.  BMAC should win both, starting with this one today.

Centennial (10-3) at Centre Wellington (2-11)
My Pick:  CCVI by 34
Again, this is another first-round playoff matchup, although the Falcons will travel to the Spartans on Tuesday.  Like the game above, look for the higher-seeded team (CCVI) to control it.

St. James (4-9) at Guelph CVI (7-6)
My Pick:  GCVI by 18
The Gaels still have a shot at hosting a quarterfinal playoff game, but it will take a win on their part as well as a Lourdes loss to do it.  I think they'll take care of the part that they can control, but we'll see if the Ross Royals can help them out.

WCSSAA Senior: Thursday's First Round Qualifying Games

With five of the eight teams playing today being "AAA" in classification, today's games should help to sort out who the third CWOSSA qualifier from WCSSAA might be in the senior division.

A couple of interesting matchups today, and at least one that features a heavy favourite.  Here's a look:

(12) Huron Heights at (5) WCI
Regular Season:  WCI 71, HHSS 16 (9/25)
My Pick:  WCI 62, Huron Heights 28

The Huron Heights Huskies won their regular season finale and qualified for the playoffs.

Their reward?  A date with the WCI Vikings, who are the #5 seed with the depth in the league this year but are just as competitive as the top four teams.

In other words, it's a bit of an uphill battle for the Huskies.  WCI to win big.

(11) WODSS at (6) Southwood
Regular Season:  SSS 35, WODSS 11 (9/18)
My Pick:  SSS 42, WODSS 29

These teams met to open the regular season at Southwood, and one of these team's WCSSAA season will end today back in Cambridge.

Things are a bit different than when they first met; both teams have made strides through the season but the Crusaders in particular are playing much better.

I like Southwood to get another strong performance from Taylor White and win this one, but I think it should be closer than the first time around.

(10) SJAM at (7) KCI
Regular Season:  KCI 40, SJAM 29 (10/23)
My Pick:  KCI 46, SJAM 31

The Raiders were buried under (arguably) the toughest schedule in the league, which featured games against four of the league's top five teams in the first month of the season.

After struggling a bit offensively in the early going, they've also found their touch as of late --- scoring 40+ in their final 5 league games (one of those against first-place Grand River).

I'll go with KCI to win this one, especially at home. 

(9) Galt at (8) Elmira
Regular Season:  EDSS 34, GCI 24 (10/25)
My Pick:  Elmira 39, Galt 26

Speaking of tough schedules, the Ghosts rebounded from an 0-4 start to have a shot at the 7 seed in the WCSSAA playoffs, before losing to KCI on Tuesday.

The Lancers, meanwhile, have had strong outings during their campaign --- particularly at home, where they lost to Cameron Heights by single digits.

Home-court will be huge for the Lancers here, which is why I'm pegging them to win this one.

WCSSAA Junior: Thursday's First-Round Playoff Games

There's going to be a bit of familiarity as the qualifying round tips off today in the WCSSAA Junior Girls' league.

In fact, of the four games on the schedule, two (ECI/HHSS and WCI/CHCI) are match-ups that just occurred on Tuesday.

Here's a look at the schedule:

(12) Glenview Park at (5) Elmira
Regular Season:  EDSS 39, GPSS 36 (10/7)
My Pick:  Elmira 45, Glenview Park 30

Interestingly enough, despite their seeding, these teams battled to within 3 points during the regular season.  The Panthers are one of the more interesting teams in the WCSSAA league, having defeated WCI, and played several of the top 5 teams within single digits (Galt, Elmira).  

That said, I don't think Elmira will overlook Glenview here.  Although Natalie Mayer was Elmira's leader during the regular season, they have a few more offensive contributors than the Panthers do, and I think that will be the difference here.

(11) Grand River at (6) Preston
Regular Season:  PHS 36, GRCI 17 (10/16)
My Pick:  Preston 44, Grand River 22

Early on in the season, it looked as though the Panthers might be one of the top couple of teams in the league --- and, despite their seeding, they just might be (after knocking off #3 Jacob Hespeler in their regular-season finale).

They can get another shot at the Hawks with a win here against Grand River; the Rens have only topped the 30 point mark once against a non-playoff team, so their shot at winning this would be to grind this one to a halt and keep it in the 20s.  I don't see that happening.

(10) Eastwood at (7) Huron Heights
Regular Season:  HHSS 40, ECI 25 (10/28)
My Pick:  Huron Heights 39, Eastwood 31

The key for the Rebels today will be trying to contain Jamila Beckford, one of the league's top scorers, who even had a couple of 20+ efforts during the regular season (and 16 in their game on Tuesday).

Beckford averaged 13.7 PPG during the regular season, but had 10 or less in three of Huron Heights' four losses.  I think we'll have a good idea of how this game went simply by looking at the boxscore.

Huron to win, but I think ECI learns from Tuesday and puts in a better showing.

(9) WCI at (8) Cameron Heights
Regular Season:  CHCI 42, WCI 36 (10/28)
My Pick:  Cameron Heights 35, WCI 28

Cameron Heights is another team that has had an interesting season.  In fact, they were relatively competitive against the top two teams in the league --- being the only school that didn't lose to both by 20+ points.

They also had a blowout win (32-13) over the #6 seed, Preston, beat #5 Elmira 28-14, and kept a couple other games against top teams close.  In my view, they've had the toughest schedule in the league.

Both teams have about three key scoring options (WCI - Victoria Giguere, Emma Cheeseman, Ramla Abdalla; CHCI - Zoe Hoyte, Tamara Grahovac, Kara Day) so unlike some of the other games, you can't necessarily key defensively on one player.

Should be another good game, but I like CHCI at home.

D8: Playoff Matchups

The D8 standings are now final, and we can tell you the playoff schedule (to be confirmed once the MDCSS-SMHS "B" Division score is updated):

Junior

Monday, November 3rd - Semifinals
(1) Resurrection vs. (4) St. David
(2) St. Mary's vs. (3) St. Benedict

** - St. David & St. Benedict tied with 5-5 records; however, St. Benedict had a +/- of +1 in those games.

Final:  Friday, November 7th

Senior

Monday, November 3rd - Quarterfinals
(1) St. Benedict - Bye
(2) Resurrection - Bye

(3) St. David vs. (6) SMHS/MDCSS
(4) Woodland vs. (5) SMHS/MDCSS

Wednesday, November 5th - Semifinals
(1) St. Benedict vs. Winner of (4/5) Game
(2) Resurrection vs. Winner of (3/6) Game

Final:  Friday, November 7th

WCSSAA Senior: Tuesday Scores

Again, the full final standings are found below (scroll down for those).

Grand River 70, WODSS 20
My Pick:  GRCI by 32
The Rens completed their perfect season with a win at home over WODSS.  Maya Day had 18 and Nancy Michael 17 for the Rens, while Payton Hofstetter (9) and Riley Mitchell-Becker (5) led the Crusaders.

Jacob Hespeler 58, Preston 20
My Pick:  JHSS by 28
The Hawks solidified the 3rd spot in the WCSSAA playoffs with their intra-Cambridge win over Preston.  Candice Wright had 14 and Sam Tonner 12 for the Hawks; Olivia Naylor topped Preston with 10.

KCI 45, Galt 36
My Pick:  KCI by 9
Teams certainly picked up the pace in this one, as I popped in to check it out and left when the score was 8-8 with about 2:30 left in the 2nd quarter.  The win clinched the 7 seed for the Raiders, who were backed by 11 from Frances Campbell and 9 by Alia Hazineh.  Emma Buck had a game-high 14 for the Ghosts.

SJAM 28, Forest Hts. 24
My Pick:  SJAM by 18
The 'Landers got a bit of a scare in their finale from the winless Trojans, but were able to prevail.  Taylor Trush led SJAM with 13 points, while Linna Liou also had a double-digit effort in leading FHCI with 11.

Bluevale 49, Elmira 20
My Pick:  BCI by 17
No trouble for the Knights at home as they assured themselves of a first-round bye in the WCSSAA playoffs.  Bluevale's balanced scoresheet was led by Natalia Mlynski (9), Maddy Weber (8), and Maddie Fielding (8).  Kelsie Freeman led the Lancers with 8.

Huron Hts. 41, Eastwood 14
My Pick:  HHSS by 4
I saw this as a coin-flip between two 2-9 teams but it was anything but as the Huskies won big and clinched the final playoff berth.  They were backed by a 22-point effort from Kiana Chin.  Emily Hunt had 6 for ECI.

Cameron Hts. 46, WCI 35
My Pick:  CHCI by 7
This was the game of the day, as it had huge playoff seeding implications.  The Gaels used a 10-2 third quarter run to seize control and ended up pulling out a victory (clinching 2nd overall in the process).  Nina Farkic had 15 and Andjela Stankovic 11 for the Gaels, while Kaylee Anagnostopoulos had a game-high 19 for the Vikes.  

WCSSAA Junior: Tuesday Scores

I've already done up the final WCSSAA standings and playoff matchups at the conclusion of yesterday's games, so scroll down for those.  Here are yesterday's recaps:

Cameron Hts. 42, WCI 36
The Gaels take 8th place (and a home playoff game) with the win, where they'll take on WCI (9th) again on Thursday.  Zoe Hoyte had 16 in the win for CHCI, with Mikayla Carmichael adding 6.  Victoria Giguere (14) and Emma Cheeseman (10) were tops for WCI.

Huron Hts. 40, Eastwood 25
The Huskies ended up in 7th due to tiebreak formula, but finished their regular season on a winning note.  Jamila Beckford notched 16 in the win, with Brooklyn Cole adding 7.  Emma Miller had 9 for the Rebels.

Elmira 36, Bluevale 21
Elmira's win clinched them 5th place in the WCSSAA standings.  Natalie Mayer had 10 points to lead the way for the Lancers, while Maddie Chamney-Farrand, Tania Binji and Avery Webster had 4 each for the Knights.

SJAM 67, Forest Hts. 10
The 'Landers completed their unbeaten regular season at the expense of the last-place Trojans.  Griffin Lack-Shane (15) and Joanna Bamberger (13) led the way for SJAM in this one, while Natalie Walsh had 5 for Forest Heights.

Galt 36, KCI 25
Galt's road win locked up a first-round playoff bye, and puts them in the driver's seat for an "AAA" CWOSSA berth.  Rachel Clement had 10 and Amy Newman 9 for the Ghosts, while Simone Clarke led the Raiders with 11.

WODSS 39, Grand River 22
The Crusaders will finish 2nd in the standings following their win over GRCI.  Emily Glendinning (13) and Madalyn Davidson (8) topped their scoresheet, while Jenna Crawford had 7 for the Rens.

Preston 32, Jacob Hespeler 23
The Panthers are going to be a very dangerous 6 seed in the WCSSAA playoffs --- in fact, these teams will most likely meet again in the quarterfinals.  Brooke Davidson had 9 to lead Preston, while Maddy Adams scored 8 for the Hawks.  

D10: Playoff Picture

With one game left in the D10 standings, here's how things are looking in terms of the 8-team playoff seeding; we'll start in the Senior circuit:

Senior
1.  Bishop Mac - Clinched First Place Overall

2.  Centennial - Clinched Second Place Overall (by virtue of +/- over JF Ross)

3.  JF Ross - Can finish no worse than 4th; can clinch 3rd with a win or a loss by 1 or 2 points against Lourdes on Thursday.

4.  Lourdes - Can finish no worse than 5th.  Clinches 3rd with a win by 3 points or more against JF Ross.  Clinches 4th place with a win by 1 or 2 points against JF Ross OR a loss by GCVI against St. James.  Would finish 5th (+/- tiebreak) with a loss to JF Ross and a GCVI win over St. James.

5.  Guelph CVI - Can finish no worse than 5th.  Clinches 4th with a win over St. James and a Lourdes loss to JF Ross.

6.  St. James - Will finish 6th in the standings.

7.  CWDHS - Will finish 7th in the standings.

8.  Orangeville - Will finish 8th in the standings.

Playoff Matchups:
(8) Orangeville at (1) Bishop Mac
(7) CWDHS at (2) Centennial
(6) St. James at (3) OLOL/JFR
(5) GCVI/OLOL at (4) OLOL/JFR/GCVI

Junior
1.  Bishop Mac - Clinched First Place Overall.

2.  Lourdes - Clinched Second Place Overall.

3.  Centennial - Clinched Third Place Overall.

4.  JF Ross - Clinch 4th Place with a win over Lourdes in final game OR a Guelph CVI loss to St. James.

5.  Guelph CVI - Own +/- tiebreak over JF Ross.  Therefore, clinch 4th place with a win over St. James and a JF Ross loss to Lourdes.  Can finish no worse than 5th.

6.  St. James - Will Finish 6th in the standings.

7.  CWHDS - Clinch 7th Place with a win over CCVI or an Orangeville loss to BMAC.

8.  Orangeville - Will finish 8th unless they defeat BMAC (and CWDHS loses to CCVI).

Playoff Matchups:
(8) ODSS/CWDHS at (1) BMAC
(7) CWDHS/ODSS at (2) OLOL
(6) St. James at (3) Centennial
(4/5) Guelph CVI vs. (4/5) JF Ross - these teams will meet in the playoffs; final seeding TBD.

D10: Scores & Standings Update

Here's yesterday's scores & standings from the D10 league:

Senior
Bishop Mac 54, St. James 39
BMAC:  Cindy Seke & Tianna Sullivan 10
STJ:  Meghan Santi 13

JF Ross 45, CWDHS 13
JFR:  Mya Leacock 8
CWDHS:  Kayla Teeter 4

Centennial 57, Guelph CVI 56
CCVI:  Emma Cain & Carter Godman 17
GCVI:  Sydney Wilson 26, Abbey MacIntyre 8

Lourdes 50, Orangeville 9

D10 Senior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 12-1
2.  Centennial 10-3
3.  JF Ross 9-4
4.  Lourdes 8-5
5.  Guelph CVI 7-6
6.  St. James 4-9
7.  CWDHS 2-11
8.  Orangeville 0-13

D10 Junior Girls
Lourdes 41, Orangeville 18
OLOL:  Jada Codrington 16
ODSS:  Lindsay Grant 8

JF Ross 51, CWDHS 10
JFR:  Catie Terrey 17, Ruth Agyemang 10
CW:  Jaclyn Lochert 6

Bishop Mac 48, St. James 16
BMAC:  Grace Drewry 12, Sophia Nash 8
STJ:  Kate Glaab 10

Centennial 23, GCVI 19
CCVI:  Lauren Zonneveld 7
GCVI:  Cassandra Reynolds 12

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 13-0
2.  Lourdes 11-2
3.  Centennial 9-4
3.  JF Ross 7-6
5.  GCVI 6-7
6.  St. James 4-9
7.  CWDHS 1-12
8.  Orangeville 1-12

Guelph Mercury: Ross Royals Keep Spot in OFSAA Girls' Hoops Tournament in Sight

Article By:  Rob Massey

GUELPH — Like the Centennial Spartans, the John F. Ross Royals also have their eye on the CWOSSA berth in the OFSAA AAAA provincial girls' basketball championship tournament that is to be held in Guelph next month. 

"Our goal going into this (season) was to win D10 and get to CWOSSA so we could make it to OFSAA," Ross coach Jamie Gusba said. "We haven't been there since Gemma Bullard and Jasmine Douglas, that crew played together. Dennis Wilkes was coaching that team. We haven't been there for a while so we're itching. This is the year to do it." 

Ross secured a home game in next week's quarter-finals with a 45-16 victory over the Centre Wellington Falcons at Ross Tuesday. The Royals will finish either third or fourth, that position being dependant on the result of their final regular-season game Thursday against the Lourdes Crusaders. 

If the Royals win that game or lose it by one point or two, they'll finish third. If Lourdes wins by three or more points, the Crusaders will get third. 

"We're in control," Gusba said. "If we beat Lourdes, we'll get third, and we're looking to do that." 

Top four finishers host quarter-final matches. The league's regular season will finish with five teams having winning percentages of .500 or better and the bottom three having winning percentages of .357 or lower. 

Both the Royals and Crusaders will be looking to grab third to avoid a fourth-place finish and a quarter-final date with the fifth-placed team. 

"We've now got a healthy team, and that's big," Gusba said. "We've had some ankle sprains and some other stuff to deal with. We've got seven Grade 12s so we're an experienced team. We only lost a couple of players from last year's team so the experience is going to come in big for the playoffs." 

Centennial, Ross and the Orangeville Bears are the District 10 teams that will battle for the lone District 10 spot in the CWOSSA AAAA tournament. 

If things play out a certain way, the Spartans and Royals could be semifinal combatants. 

"That would be a huge game," Gusba said. "Not only would you get to go to the University of Guelph for the (D10) final, you get to go to CWOSSA for a shot at getting to go to OFSAA." 

The OFSAA AAAA girls' basketball championship tournament presented by Reid's Heritage Homes is to be held in Guelph Nov. 20 to 22. Preliminary games are to be played at Centennial and College Heights while the semifinals and final are to go at the University of Guelph's Mitchell Athletics Centre. 

Tuesday, Ross went on a 16-point run to start the second quarter, and that put the game away early. Ross led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter, 30-10 at halftime and 38-15 after the third quarter. 

Mya Leacock and Ali Darling led the Royals with eight points apiece while Heather Anderson had seven and Teddi Taran netted six. 

Kayla Teeter had four for Centre Wellington while Maddie Fennell and Nicki Sinkner netted three apiece.

Retrieved From:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports-story/4949414-ross-royals-keep-spot-in-ofsaa-girls-hoops-tournament-in-sight/

Brantford Expositor: Senior Lions Advance To Play Green Eagles

The Assumption Lions advance after easily defeating Paris in the Brant County senior girls basketball quarter-finals on Tuesday.

The semifinals are set for Thursday when Assumption will take on St. John's.

"We played well," Lions coach Rick Baldin said after his team's 50-15 win over Paris.

"What is most important is that we play more consistent basketball. We need to communicate more and read the game more."

The Lions came out strong in the first half, putting up 10 points in the first quarter, while the Panthers remained scoreless.

By half-time, Paris was on the board with seven points, with the Lions at 29.

Assumption guard Paula Bejarano said she feels prepared for Thursday's match against undefeated St. John's.

"Lions never give up," she said. "I believe in my team."

Baldin, who noted that Assumption has a young team with only a couple of Grade 12 players, said the Lions need to play a more competitive game in order to take on St. John's.

"They're a very tough team. Consistency is the key for us."

Panthers coach Dani Hawkins said that, despite the loss, her team played a decent game.

"What we did well was adjust as Assumption kept switching defences. It's the first time we've done that successfully this season. But we missed a lot of easy shots and that's frustrating."

Paris will play Pauline Johnson on Thursday, with the winner advancing to CWOSSA AA.

"I think that will be a very competitive match," said Hawkins.

Assumption's leading scorers in Tuesday's game were Kayla Gaucher, Atalanta Crosby and Chelsea Murray, each with seven points.

Baldin said Lauren Snider, Paula Bejarano and Pamela Bejarano also played strong games.

Leading scorers for Paris were Suzanne Kelly, 6, Avery Hamill, 4, and Sarah Pfeiffer, 3.

Final WCSSAA Junior Standings + Playoff Rankings

1.  SJAM 12-0
2.  WODSS 11-1
3.  Jacob Hespeler 10-2
4.  Galt 9-3
5.  Elmira 8-4 (A-B-C Tiebreak Rule)
6.  Preston 8-4 (A-B-C Tiebreak Rule)
7.  Huron Hts. 8-4 (A-B-C Tiebreak Rule)
8.  Cameron Hts. 7-5
9.  WCI 6-6
10.  Eastwood 4-8 (H2H over GRCI + GPSS)
11.  Grand River 4-8 (H2H over GPSS)
12.  Glenview Park 4-8
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13.  Bluevale 3-9
T14.  Forest Hts. 1-11
T14.  KCI 1-11

Note:  A-B-C Tiebreak rule is 5.3.7 from the WCSSAA regulations.  In a three-way tie where all teams have not played each other, if team "A" beats team "B", and team "B" beats team "C" (but A & C have not played), then the final standings go A, B, C.

In this regard, Elmira (A) defeated Preston (B), and Preston (B) defeated Huron Heights (C).  Elmira & Huron Heights did not play.  Therefore, Elmira 5th, Preston 6th and Huron Heights 7th.

First Round Playoff Games:
(12) Glenview Park at (5) Elmira
(11) Grand River at (6) Preston
(10) Eastwood at (7) Huron Hts.
(9) WCI at (8) Cameron Hts.

Byes:  (1) SJAM, (2) WODSS, (3) Jacob Hespeler, (4) Galt.

Final WCSSAA Senior Standings + Playoff Rankings

We'll do an in-depth post later on.  For now:

1.  Grand River 12-0
2.  Cameron Hts. 11-1 (H2H over JHSS)
3.  Jacob Hespeler 11-1
4.  Bluevale 10-2
5.  WCI 9-3
6.  Southwood 8-4
7.  KCI 7-5
8.  Elmira 6-6 (H2H over GCI)
9.  Galt 6-6
10.  SJAM 5-7
11.  WODSS 4-8
12.  Huron Hts. 3-9 (H2H over ECI)
----
T13.  Eastwood 2-10
T13.  Preston 2-10
15.  Forest Hts. 0-12

First Round Playoff Games
(12) Huron Hts. at (5) WCI
(11) WODSS at (6) Southwood
(10) SJAM at (7) KCI
(9) Galt at (8) Elmira

Byes:  (1) Grand River, (2) Cameron Hts., (3) Jacob Hespeler, (4) Bluevale.

D10: Tuesday Picks

There doesn't seem to be a lot of upset potential with today's games, but we'll start with a game that certainly has the potential to be interesting:

Guelph CVI (7-5) at Centennial (9-3)
My Pick:  CCVI by 8
A lot on the line for both teams here.  A Centennial win would wrap up 2nd place in the D10 standings, while the Gaels are in a fight with JF Ross and Lourdes for the 3rd and 4th spots (and a home first round playoff game).  Could be tight, but I'll go with the Spartans here.

Bishop Mac (11-1) at St. James (4-8)
My Pick:  BMAC by 24
Both teams are firmly locked into their respective playoff seeds (1st and 6th), so not much on the line here for either team.  Bishop Mac should still win handily.

CWDHS (2-10) at JF Ross (8-4)
My Pick:  JF Ross by 33
The Royals have been surging in the second half of the season, and I look for that to continue here today at home.

Lourdes (7-5) at Orangeville (0-12)
My Pick:  OLOL by 39
Lourdes will keep their shot at 3rd or 4th in the D10 standings alive with a win on the road here.

WCSSAA Tuesday: Final Regular Season Day; Plenty On The Line

YTD:  67-9 (.882)

The 9 losses in the picks column sure appear a lot more impressive than double digits, but there are a couple tough games on today's schedule that could trip me up.

Before we get to today's contests, there was some business to take care of last night, as Waterloo-Oxford defeated Forest Heights, 30-12.  Payton Hofstetter (WODSS, 9) and Sona Khalifeh (FHCI, 6) were the respective leading scorers.

That win actually clinched a playoff spot for the Crusaders; I've updated my previous post on the WCSSAA playoff possibilities which you may want to check out again to see where we stand heading into today.  I should note that I had erroneously listed Bluevale's record at 10-1 after last Thursday; obviously their loss against Grand River means they're 9-2 --- so we could have a three-way potential tie between the Knights, Vikes and Gaels should WCI defeat Cameron Heights.


Now, on to today's games:

Cameron Heights (10-1) at WCI (9-2)
My Pick:  CHCI by 7
Without question, the game of the day here.  A Cameron Heights win would lock themselves up in the #2 position, but a loss could slip them as far down as 5th (depending upon tiebreak results), where they would be forced to play an opening round playoff game.  That said, if they can be as impressive as they were against Jacob Hespeler last week, I think they can sneak out a win on the road here -- but it won't be easy.

Galt (6-5) at KCI (6-5)
My Pick:  KCI by 9
The Raiders are always tough at home in their "cozy confines", and I'll take them to win another big game here.  Winner will likely finish 7th, depending on how Elmira does in their game.

Elmira (6-5) at Bluevale (9-2)
My Pick:  BCI by 17
The Lancers have proven to be tough outs at times for some of the top WCSSAA teams (just ask Cameron Heights), but they are much stronger at home.  That's why I'm going with the Knights here.

Jacob Hespeler (10-1) at Preston (2-9)
My Pick:  JHSS by 28
A Preston loss here would eliminate them from playoff contention.  Meanwhile, the Hawks are assured the 3rd seed, and could move up into second with a win and a Cameron Heights loss.

Forest Heights (0-10) at SJAM (4-7)
My Pick:  SJAM by 18
The Highlanders are basically locked into the #10 seed in the WCSSAA standings; they could drop to 11th with a loss but I don't see that happening here.

WODSS (4-7) at Grand River (11-0)
My Pick:  GRCI by 32
The Rens should complete their undefeated season (and wrap up the WCSSAA #1 seed) here at home today.

Eastwood (2-9) at Huron Hts. (2-9)
My Pick:  HHSS by 4
Despite their records, both teams have been playing much better as of late, which makes this pick even tougher.  I'll give this coin flip to the home Huskies, with a playoff berth riding on the line.