D10 Picks: Thursday

YTD: 19-4 (.826)

Bishop Mac (6-3) at Centennial (6-4)
My Pick:  BMAC by 5
The first game between these clubs was a 2-point affair, and this one shouldn't be any different.  The Spartans are playing well as of late, including a win against rival Ross on Tuesday, but I'll go against the grain and take the Celts here.

Orangeville (0-9) at CWDHS (1-8)
My Pick:  CWDHS by 8
The Falcons can lock up the #6 seed in the D10 playoffs with a win at home today against Orangeville.

JF Ross (7-2) at Lourdes (4-6)
My Pick:  JFR by 14
The Royals will look to get back on track with a win today against Lourdes, which I like for them to accomplish.

WCSSAA Picks: Thursday

YTD:  46-9 (.836)

Bluevale (6-3) at Cameron Hts. (10-0)
My Pick:  CHCI by 9
The Knights are no push-over, but the Gaels are tough at home.  I look for them to complete their perfect season at home today.

Eastwood (1-8) at Elmira (4-5)
My Pick:  EDSS by 18
The duo of Nicole Cressman and Karley Sider will look to give Elmira's playoff seeding a boost; they should be able to at home against ECI.

Glenview Park (2-7) at KCI (2-7)
My Pick:  KCI by 12
I think the Raiders are better than their record would indicate, and will take them here.  Winner of this game will essentially lock up a playoff berth.

SJAM (9-0) at Preston (4-5)
My Pick:  SJAM by 16
Preston has played some of the top teams tight, so the 'Landers certainly can't take them lightly. 

Forest Hts. (0-9) at Galt (4-6)
My Pick: Galt by 15
The Ghosts should be able to make some inroads on the three teams ahead of them (all tied at 4-5) by winning at home against FHCI.

Huron Hts. (4-4) at Grand River (8-1)
My Pick:  GRCI by 22
Grand River is locked into at least the #3 seed, a win today for them will set up a big game on Tuesday against SJAM, with the winner taking at least the #2 seed.

WCI (7-2) at WODSS (1-8)
My Pick:  WCI by 28
A win by WCI will basically lock up a first-round bye, and they should be able to handle WODSS on the road here today.

D8 Wednesday: Phoenix Seniors Clinch Top Spot

The Resurrection Phoenix Senior Girls' squad clinched the top overall seed for the upcoming District 8 playoffs last night, defeating the St. Mary's Eagles by a 49-37 final score.

With the win, Rez is now 9-0, two games up on second place St. Benedict (7-2), with only one game remaining.

Speaking of the Saints, they avoided a scare at the hands of St. David, coming away with a 38-37 victory to maintain their hold on 2nd place in the D8 standings.  Afifa Salaad poured in 22 points for the Saints, while Abby Howard and Megan Goar had 8 each for the Celtics.

In other games on Wednesday, Cassandra Dumouchel had 11 points in helping PRDG to their second straight win, 30-25 over Rockway.  Jamie Torrance Perks had a game-high 12 points for RMC.

Monsignor Doyle was also a winner Wednesday, 39-28 over Woodland. Shayna Alliman had a game-high 21 for the 'Stangs, while Jasmine DeWeerd had 13 for the Cavs.

D8 Senior Girls Standings
1.  Resurrection 9-0
2.  St. Benedict 7-2
3.  St. Mary's 6-3
4.  St. David 4-5

D8 Senior Girls:  B Tier
5.  Mons. Doyle 5-4
6.  Woodland 3-7
7.  PRDG 2-7
8.  Rockway 1-9

Junior
The top two teams in the D8 league both posted victories on Wednesday.

St. David was a 42-18 winner over St. Benedict, with Danielle Simons (8), Emily White (8) and Martinique Stastina (7) keying a balanced scoresheet.  Trinity Lombardi had 7 for SBCSS.

Resurrection posted a 49-12 win over Rockway, with Sydney Gucker-Wickie (15) and Chloe Bugace (10) both in double-digits for Rez.  Kat Dyck-Steinman had 4 for the Flames.

D8 Junior
1.  Resurrection 9-0
2.  St. David 7-1
T3.  St. Benedict 3-5
T3.  St. Mary's 3-5
T3.  Woodland 3-5
6.  Rockway 0-9

WCSSAA Senior: Gaels, Highlanders Close In On Perfect Seasons

The Cameron Heights Gaels and the SJAM Highlanders are closing in on perfect seasons in WCSSAA Senior Girls' basketball.

Yes, both of them.

As luck would have it, the two unbeatens will not play each other during regular season play this season, with an 11-game partial round-robin schedule and 15 teams in the WCSSAA league.

The two teams did meet up in a tournament game at Jacob Hespeler, with the Highlanders winning a single-digit affair.

Of course, there's still a lot of work for both to do as each still has at least one tough game on their remaining schedule -- CHCI has yet to play Bluevale, while SJAM still has to get past Grand River.

On Tuesday, things were relatively easy for both teams as SJAM handle WODSS by a 49-24 final score, and Cameron Heights was a 20-point winner over Forest Heights, 48-28.

For SJAM, Kate Moran and Joanna Bamberger had 14 points each against the Crusaders, while Emily Glendinning scored a game-high 17 for the Crusaders.

Nina Farkic, the league's leading scorer, had 23 for the Gaels in their win, while Katrina Stickel added 10.  Sona Khalifeh had 13 for the Trojans.

In other games Tuesday:

Grand River 48, Eastwood 21
Nancy Michael had 9 for the Rens as they took out rival Eastwood.  Kezia Bernard had 6 for the Rebels.

Bluevale 56, Galt 31
Rachael Hamm poured in 23 and Zoey Scanling added 14 as Bluevale toppled Galt.  Emma Buck led the Ghosts with 8.

Jacob Hespeler 58, Glenview Park 11
Charlotte Clifford (18) and Shianne Riggan (15) led the Hawks in this Cambridge battle, while Chudear Oyual led the Panthers with 4.

WCI 35, Preston 27
Danielle Sauve's 13-point effort paced the Vikes to a home win against Preston.  Claire Gagne had 9 in response for Preston.

Elmira 43, Huron Hts. 31
Elmira's top duo of Karley Sider (19) and Nicole Cressman (9) again led the way for the Lancers in a win on Tuesday.  Brielle Guttensohn had 12 for the Huskies.

WCSSAA Standings - Senior
1.  Cameron Hts. 10-0**
2.  SJAM 9-0**
3.  Grand River 9-1**
4.  WCI 7-2*
---
5.  Jacob Hespeler 7-3*
6.  Bluevale 6-3*
T7.  Huron Hts. 4-5*
T7.  Elmira 4-5*
T7.  Preston 4-5*
10.  Galt 4-6*
T11.  Glenview Park 2-7
T11.  KCI 2-7
13.  Eastwood 1-8
14.  WODSS 1-9
15.  Forest Hts. 0-9 

* - clinched playoff berth
** - clinched first-round bye

Guelph Mercury: GCVI Senior Girls Finally Hand Bishop Mac a Setback

Article By:  Rob Massey

GUELPH — The Guelph CVI Green Gaels snapped a long losing streak against the Bishop Macdonell Celtics in District 10 senior girls' basketball play Tuesday and secured a home playoff game in the process. 

A strong second quarter sparked the Gaels to a 44-36 win over the Celtics in league play at GCVI. With the win, the Gaels climbed to 9-1 while the Celtics sit at 6-3. 

"Beating BM is a monkey off our back," GCVI coach Matt Blair said. "They're a very good team and very disciplined. It's been a few years since we've beaten BM so we're happy about that." 

The Gaels had lost at least 19 consecutive league games to Bishop Mac dating back to the 2006 season. Individual game results from before that season are not available. 

GCVI did edge the Celtics 35-34 in the 2010 semifinals before falling 52-18 to the Centre Wellington Falcons in the final. The Gaels haven't won a playoff game since as they've been ousted from the quarterfinals in four consecutive years. 

That the Gaels are leading the D10 loop must have seemed like a dream at the beginning of the season as the Gaels struggled to find players. A helping hand from the junior squad that sent three Grade 10 players to the seniors allowed the Gaels to keep the team going. 

"First practice, we had six kids so we were beating the bushes to get kids," Blair said. "We're ecstatic (about the record)." 

"I'm really proud of our team and how we came together," GCVI captain Sydney Wilson said. "I knew that we'd be good and we had a lot to work on, but I didn't expect the team to come together this well." 

The top four finishers in the seven-team league will get home games in the playoffs. The first-place team will get a bye to a semifinal match they'll host while the second-, third- and fourth-place teams will host quarter-final matches. 

"I do think that we play very well here," Wilson said after Tuesday's home win. "We practise here. We know the floor so it's really an advantage for us." 

Wilson, who had buzzer-beaters at the end of the first and second quarters, led the Gaels with 20 points Tuesday while Jenna Falconer had 10 and Cassie Reynolds five. 

Sophie Nash had nine points for Bishop Mac while Rachael DiGravio collected eight and Dianne Priamo added six.

 

Centennial 40 Ross 36

Carter Godman connected for 18 points for Centennial while Ashlan Best followed with seven. Maddy Darling collected 12 for Ross while Mya Leacock netted 11.

 

Lourdes 47 Orangeville 18

Jenna Vettoretto led Lourdes with 18 points while Madelyn McIntosh had 10. Acadia Smith gathered nine for Orangeville.

D10 Jr. Girls Basketball

Lourdes 41 Orangeville 19

Scoring details not reported.

 

St. James 47 Centre Wellington 14

Sophia Lago hit for 17 points for St. James while Amanda Gray had six for Centre Wellington.

 

Centennial 39 Ross 24

Sabrina Smith struck for 13 points for Centennial while Megan Vandermere had 10 and Abby Cain added seven. Courtney Ing had five for Ross while Payton Rickers and Aliesha Lewis had four apiece.

 

Bishop Macdonell 52 Guelph CVI 5

Ashley Coverdale had 13 points for Bishop Mac while Grace Drewry chipped in with 11. Leksi Dawes and Hannah Saunders had two apiece for GCVI. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports-story/6048406-gcvi-gaels-senior-girls-finally-hand-bishop-mac-a-setback/

WCSSAA Junior: Crusaders Take Battle Of Unbeatens, 1st Place in Standings

Rachael Beitz (20) and MacKeely Shantz (15) combined for 35 points as the Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders improved to 10-0 in WCSSAA Junior play following a 46-38 win at SJAM yesterday afternoon.

Olivia Moreau led the Highlanders with 11 points.

With the win, WODSS snapped SJAM's 22 game league winning streak, and 24 game league + playoff win streak.  The Crusaders, meanwhile, now have the league's longest winning streak overall including playoffs (the 10 games this year), and the longest regular season win streak (19 games) which dates back to October, 2014 --- a loss to, you guessed it, SJAM.

In other games on Tuesday:

KCI 40, Southwood 19
The Sabres hung around for a bit against the Raiders in this one, with some second-chance opportunities helping them stay within 6 (21-15) midway through the third.  It was all KCI from there, though, as they finished the game on a 19-4 run.  Both teams had balanced scoresheets -- Grace Mickie (7), Maggie McLean (6) and Mikaela White (6) led KCI while Vanessa Fita, Nia Ehrenberg, and Jamie Syms had 4 each for the Sabres.

Grand River 32, Eastwood 20
The Rens improved to 6-4 with a win over ECI.  Madeline Clarke had 10 and Jenna Crawford 9 for GRCI; Hannah Bradshaw netted 10 for the Rebs.

Bluevale 28, Galt 23
Both teams are now 4-6 after this result; Avery Webster scored 13 for the Knights while Juleyanna Dunlop had a game-high 14 for the Ghosts.

Glenview Park 37, Jacob Hespeler 32
Katelyn Kivell had 10 points as the Panthers improved to .500 with a win at Hespeler.  Sonja Matthews had a tremendous effort, as she poured in 25 points for JHSS in the loss.

Cameron Hts. 36, Forest Hts. 22
Kara Day scored 7 and Mariah Zervos added 6 as the Gaels toppled Forest Heights on the road.  Alannah Spurling had 7 to lead the Trojans.

WCI 39, Preston 34
Another day, another fine effort by Adri Kellerman, who scored 26 points in WCI's victory.  Sam Marson had 9 to lead the way for the Panthers.  After starting 1-6, the Vikes have now reeled off 3 straight wins to sit on the "plus side" of the playoff cut-off line -- although their last two games are against WODSS & EDSS.

Elmira 37, Huron Hts. 14
Natalie Mayer had 15 and Kodylyn Tanner added 8 as the Lancers essentially secured a first-round playoff bye with the win, moving to 8-2 and 2 games clear of the teams tied for 5th at 6-4.  Michelle M'Carthy had 7 for HHSS.

WCSSAA Standings - Junior
1.  WODSS 10-0**
T2.  SJAM 9-1**
T2.  KCI 9-1**
4.  Elmira 8-2*
---
T5.  Cameron Hts. 6-4*
T5.  Grand River 6-4*
T5.  Southwood 6-4*
8.  Glenview Park 5-5*
T9.  Galt 4-6
T9.  WCI 4-6
T9.  Bluevale 4-6
T9.  Forest Hts. 4-6
---
13.  Huron Hts. 3-7
14.  Jacob Hespeler 2-8
T15.  Eastwood 0-10
T15.  Preston 0-10

* - clinched playoff berth
** - clinched playoff bye (first round)

D8: Wednesday Picks

YTD:  18-1 (.947)

Monsignor Doyle (4-4) at Woodland (3-6)
My Pick:  MDCSS by 7
It was only a two-point game the last time these teams met, and I'm anticipating a similarly tight game today.  MDCSS has been playing well of late, so I like for them to take the win here.

PRDG (1-7) at Rockway (1-8)
My Pick:  RMC by 5
PRDG, fresh off their first win, is looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, although they'll have to win their remaining games and get some help.  I think RMC puts and end to those hopes today, although it should be a good game.

St. Benedict (6-2) at St. David (4-4)
My Pick:  SBCSS by 7
The Saints, who have Rez left on Monday, can't afford a loss today which would put them at risk of not hosting a D8 semifinal game at home.  Will be keeping an eye on this one, but the Saints should be able to get it done.

St. Mary's (6-2) at Resurrection (8-0)
My Pick:  RCSS by 16
Thanks in part to the Eagles' win over SBCSS on Monday, Rez can clinch top spot in the D8 circuit with a win in either of their remaining two games (SMHS/SBCSS).  I think they take care of that today at home versus St. Mary's.

D8 Monday: Good, Bad Day For Eagles

Or, should I say it was a good day for the St. Mary's Senior Girls and a "not so good" day for the St. Mary's Junior Girls?

Regardless, Monday's Eagle results certainly made things a bit more interesting in both leagues as far as the playoff picture is concerned.

On the senior side, St. Mary's upset the St. Benedict Saints, 34-26, to improve to 6-2 and in a tie for 2nd place with the Saints.  Both teams will play Resurrection and St. David in their final two league encounters; St. Benedict does hold the "head to head" tiebreak by virtue of a 9-point victory in their first game.

Summer Pahl had 11 and Lexi Stoyakovich 9 for SMHS on Monday, while Afifa Salaad had 9 for th Saints.

Other senior games Monday saw Resurrection remain undefeated with a 35-16 win over St. David; Krissia Vasquez led the Phoenix with 11 while Megan Goar replied with 9 for the Celts.

PRDG picked up their first win, a 28-14 decision over Woodland.  Cassandra Dumouchel had 11 for the Chevaliers there.

Yassy Smith poured in 25 points for Monsignor Doyle in a 43-27 win over Rockway.  Jamie Torrrance Perks had 9 for the Flames.

D8 Senior Standings
1.  Resurrection 8-0
2.  St. Benedict 6-2
3.  St. Mary's 6-2
T4.  St. David 4-4
T4.  Mons. Doyle 4-4
6.  Woodland 3-6
7.  PRDG 1-7
8.  Rockway 1-8

On the junior side, the St. Mary's Eagles were upset  by the visiting Woodland Cavaliers, 26-25.  The win was important as the Cavs (3-6) are now still in the running for the 4th and final junior playoff berth with the Eagles (also 3-6).

That berth will (likely) be determined on Monday, when St. Mary's visits Woodland for their second meeting.  WCHS also plays St. Benedict, while the Eagles take on St. David next Wednesday.

The other game Monday saw Resurrection cruise past St. Benedict, 36-16.  Sydney Gucker-Wickie had 10 for Rez, while Trinity Lombardi led SBCSS with 8.

D8 Junior Standings
1.  Resurrection 8-0
2.  St. David 6-1
3.  St. Benedict 3-4
T4.  St. Mary's 3-6
T4.  Woodland 3-6
6.  Rockway 0-8

Senior Girls: SJC Eagles Drop Close One in Hamilton

The #1-CWOSSA ranked St. John's Green Eagles of Brantford had another successful weekend, going 2-1 at the St. Thomas More tournament in Hamilton.

In pool play, the Eagles went 2-0 with victories over Hamilton Brebeuf (66-37) and Oakville Loyola.

In the semifinals, the Eagles were nipped by hosts St. Thomas More, 43-41.  SJC had defeated STM at a tournament earlier this year.

St. Thomas More upset 5-time defending OFSAA champion St. Mary's (Hamilton) by the same score, 43-41, in the tournament's championship final.

Junior Girls: #1 Brantford CI beats #2 Lourdes To Take Crusader Classic Title

BCI/OLOL In Action Saturday

Our Lady of Lourdes HS in Guelph hosted their annual "Crusader Classic" Junior Girls' tournament this past weekend, and it was even more anticipated than usual given that my current top two CWOSSA ranked teams, Brantford CI and Lourdes, would be in attendance.

The tournament was a 6-team, pool play affair.  More on the championship final in a second, but here were the pool play and semifinal results:

Pool A
Lourdes 31, Christ The King (Georgetown) 20

St. John's (Brantford) 29, Christ The King 21

Lourdes 48, St. John's 26
OLOL:  Jada Codrington 23 (incl. 5 3's)
SJC:  Sophie Lawson 8

Pool B
Brantford CI 56, Bluevale 13

St. David 39, Bluevale 13

Brantford CI 55, St. David 11
BCI:  Kennedy Chisholm 18 (incl. 4 3's)

Semifinals
Lourdes 28, St. David 21
OLOL:  Jada Codrington 12
SDCSS:  Naomi Cruz 5

Brantford CI 53, St. John's 25
BCI:  Taylor Hill 18 (12 in the 1st Q)

Championship Final
In a defensive battle, the Brantford CI Mustangs took out the host Lourdes Crusaders by a 32-21 final score.

After BCI led 22-11 at the half, the second half was a hard-fought, tight defensive battle on both ends, with neither team giving the other many opportunities on the offensive end.

The 'Stangs made the most of the limited opportunities, going on an 8-1 "run" over the 3rd and early 4th quarters; a Taylor Hall three-pointer extended the BCI lead to 30-12 with 6:00 to play.

Lourdes didn't quit, and kept fighting until the finish -- going on a 9-2 run of their own.  Jada Codrington hit a three-pointer in the final minute to cut the deficit to 11, 32-21, which ended up being the final score.

Though both teams have very talented rosters, Kennedy Chisholm (BCI) and Codrington (OLOL) were two players of note. Chisholm in particular has the ability to contribute offensively either by scoring, or by finding teammates (she had a couple of nice "dime drops" to BCI post players for layup opportunities).  

Codrington, on the other hand, is an athletic wing forward who plays very solid defense and has great offensive abilities as well (as you've seen from some of her league scoring totals).  She makes great cuts off the ball to try to get herself open, and her shooting ability extends past the three-point stripe.

It was a great game to see, and might be the last time we'll see these two play this season --- Lourdes is an "AA" CWOSSA school, while Brantford CI is "AAA".

Projecting the "AAA" CWOSSA Bracket

A long way to go, of course, but it's interesting to start to take a look at what might materialize at this year's CWOSSA "AAA" tournament.

For the first time, the tournament will be an 8-team, "set" bracket, and be a modified single elimination tournament (each team guaranteed 2 games, but not necessarily 2 losses for elimination).

Teams will be placed into the bracket as follows, and then first-round winners will play first-round losers in the quarterfinal round, with those winners advancing to the semifinals.

Here's how it will stack up (in terms of entries), and then below, I've slotted some teams in based upon current league positioning -- of course, each team is essentially one playoff upset away from not being in the tournament at all:

WCSSAA #1 vs. D10 #2
WCSSAA #3 vs. D5 #1

D8 #1 vs. D10 #1
D5 #2 vs. WCSSAA #2

Senior Girls:
Cameron Heights vs. JF Ross
Grand River vs. St. John's

Resurrection vs. Guelph CVI
D5 #2 vs. SJAM

Junior Girls:
Waterloo-Oxford vs. Orangeville
Brantford CI vs. Kitchener CI

Resurrection vs. Centennial
North Park vs. SJAM

...the tournament will "shift" slightly each year; entrants will remain the same but the first-round match-ups will not.  For more details on that, visit cwossa.ca

CWOSSA "Top 10" Senior Rankings: Week 4

Here's my thoughts following this week's games:

1.  St. John's College / Brantford (1)

2.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener (2)

3.  Sir John A. MacDonald / Waterloo (3)

4.  Cameron Heights CI / Kitchener (6)

5.  John F. Ross CVI / Guelph (4)

6.  Grand River CI / Kitchener (5)

7.  Guelph CVI / Guelph (T7)

8.  Bishop Macdonell CHS / Guelph (T7)

9.  North Park CVS / Brantford (9)

10.  Waterloo CI / Waterloo (NR)

Teams On The Radar (The "Next 5" - No Particular Order):  Cambridge St. Benedict, Brantford Collegiate, Brantford Assumption, Cambridge Jacob Hespeler, Waterloo Bluevale.

CWOSSA "Top 10" Junior Rankings - Week 4

Having only been able to release the "week three" rankings a few days' ago, there's no change in the rankings from that point.  With a few games between ranked opponents in the next week or so, expect some movement shortly:

1.  Brantford CI / Brantford (1)

2.  Our Lady of Lourdes HS / Guelph (2)

3.  Bishop Macdonell CHS / Guelph (3)

4.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener (4)

5.  Waterloo-Oxford DSS / Baden (5)

6.  North Park CVS / Brantford (6)

7.  Sir John A. MacDonald / Waterloo (7)

8.  Kitchener CI / Kitchener (8)

9.  St. James CHS / Guelph (9)

T10.  Assumption CS / Brantford (T10)

T10.  St. John's College / Brantford (T10)

WCSSAA Senior Thursday: Gaels Stop Raiders, Clearing Latest Hurdle

1 down, 2 to go.  For the regular season, anyways.

The Cameron Heights Golden Gaels extended their record to a perfect 9-0 on Thursday afternoon, stopping the KCI Raiders by a 50-39 final score at KCI, which is always a tough place for opposing teams to play.

Nina Farkic continued her strong efforts, with 18 points for Cameron, while Jovana Zubic was also in double-figures with 10.  Simone Clarke and Alia Hazineh had 11 each for KCI.

Cameron's last two games (senior teams play an 11-game schedule due to the absence of Southwood in the circuit) will be against winless Forest Heights, and then Bluevale, who are 5-3 on the season.

Already holding tiebreakers (head to head wins) over Grand River and WCI, it therefore would appear extremely unlikely that the Gaels will finish any worse than the #2 seed.  

In other games Thursday:

Bluevale 48, Glenview Park 20
Kaela Knowles put home 14 points for Bluevale in improving to the aforementioned 5-3 record, while Darcy Simmons had another solid double-digit game for GPSS, with 12.

SJAM 51, Eastwood 12
Milica Koprivica had 18 and Kate Moran 13 as the Highlanders are also perfect (8-0) following a win at ECI.  Dea Wentzell had 4 for the Rebs.

Preston 26, Elmira 25
A low-scoring affair saw the Panthers slip past the Lancers, thanks to 7 each from Heather Harrigan, Alayna Johnson, and Blaire Raftis.  Nicole Cressman had a big outing for Elmira, with 17.

Jacob Hespeler 53, Galt 39
An important win for JHSS on Thursday, with Shianne Riggan scoring 15 and Charlotte Clifford adding 10.   Emma Buck had a game-high 18 for the Ghosts.

Grand River 34, WODSS 15
The Rens handled W-O on Thursday, with Nancy Michael's 12 points leading the way.  Emily Glendinning had 6 for the Crusaders.

WCI 58, Huron Hts. 32 
Danielle Sauve had her second consecutive 25-point game in leading the Vikes to victory on Thursday.  Jamila Beckford also had a nice game for Huron, scoring 21.

WCSSAA Senior Standings
1.  Cameron Hts. 9-0
2.  SJAM 8-0
3.  Grand River 8-1
4.  WCI 6-2
5.  Jacob Hespeler 6-3
6.  Bluevale 5-3
T7.   Preston 4-4
T7.  Huron Hts. 4-4
9.  Galt 4-5
10.  Elmira 3-5
11.  Glenview Park 2-6
12.  KCI 2-7
13.  Eastwood 1-7
14.  WODSS 1-8
15.  Forest Hts. 0-8

WCSSAA Junior: Huge Standings Logjam Still To Be Worked Out

With three games left in the WCSSAA Junior Girls' basketball schedule, there's still a ton to be decided as far as the standings are concerned.

In fact, just two games separate 5th in the standings from 10th place overall, and 3 games separate 5th place from 13th (only the top 12 teams make the playoffs).

In other words, it should be an exciting final 1.5 weeks of the season!

As for yesterday's results:

KCI 40, Cameron Hts. 29
Grace Mickie had 12 and Mya Ching'anda scored 8 for KCI as they inched closer to clinching a first-round playoff bye.  Zoe Hoyte had 9 for the Gaels.

Elmira 36, Preston 17
Natalie Mayer scored 11 points to help the Lancers improve to 7-2 on the season; Emma Naylor was the top Preston performer, with 7.

Galt 30, Jacob Hespeler 26
Sonja Matthews had a big 16-point effort for the Hawks, but it wasn't quite enough as the Ghosts edged JHSS in Hespeler yesterday afternoon. Charlie Ridge had 10 for GCI.

WODSS 53, Grand River 29
The Crusaders' balance was on display again yesterday, with MacKeely Shantz scoring 17 and Rachael Beitz adding 16.  Jenna Crawford had 10 for GRCI.

WCI 37, Huron Hts. 34
After being down towards the bottom of the standings earlier, the Vikes are on a bit of a roll and are back in the playoff picture.  Adri Kellerman had 13 and Ana Sebanne 11 in yesterday's win, while Michelle M'Carthy had 11 for the Huskies.

SJAM 47, Eastwood 15
SJAM remained unbeaten on Thursday, thanks to a balanced attack -- Claire Strong (10), Madi Sherman (9), and Sophie Kralj (9).  Maggie Gibson had a game-high 12 for Eastwood.

Bluevale 29, Glenview Park 22
The Knights picked up a big playoff berth boost on Thursday with a win in Cambridge.  Avery Webster had 12 to pace Bluevale, while Didimo Otong had 8 for Glenview.

WCSSAA Junior Standings
T1.  WODSS 9-0**
T1.  SJAM 9-0**
3.  KCI 8-1**
4.  Elmira 7-2**
5.  Southwood 6-3
T6.  Cameron Hts. 5-4
T6.  Grand River 5-4
T8.  Forest Hts. 4-5
T8.  Glenview Park 4-5
T8.  Galt 4-6
T11.  Bluevale 3-6
T11.  Huron Hts. 3-6
T11.  WCI 3-6
14.  Jacob Hespeler 2-7
T15.  Eastwood 0-9
T15.  Preston 0-9

** -  clinched playoff berth

D10 Thursday: No Surprises as Favourites Take Victories

There weren't many upsets expected on Thursday afternoon in the D10 Junior or Senior Girls' basketball leagues --- and that held true to form with favourites being victorious in all 7 games.

In fact, the closest game was a 15-point GCVI win over Lourdes on the senior circuit; it was also the lone game decided by fewer than 20 points.

In that one, Sydney Wilson (24) and Cassie Reynolds (18) had big games for the Gaels in the victory.  Rainey Psenicka had 13 and Hannah McIntosh 12 for Lourdes.

In the other two senior games, Centennial was a 43-20 winner over CWDHS, and Bishop Macdonell handled Orangeville, 60-19.

In the latter game, Madi Martinez led the Celtics with 14, while Acacla Lader had 13 for the Bears.

Centennial was led by Carter Godman (17) in their game; CWDHS' scoresheet was topped by Abby Clayton, with 8.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  GCVI 8-1
2.  JF Ross 7-1
3.  Bishop Mac 6-2
4.  Centennial 5-4
5.  Lourdes 3-6
6.  CWDHS 1-8
7.  Orangeville 0-8

On the junior side, the league leading Lourdes Crusaders continued their winning ways, by taking out the GCVI Gaels, 50-26.  Jada Codrington had 16 in the win, while Tessa Ladhani netted 8 for the Gaels.

Bishop Mac remains hot on Lourdes' heels following a 55-20 home win over Orangeville.  Rachel Guanzon scored 15 for the Celts, while Hannah Bellai had a nice game in defeat for ODSS, with 12.

Centennial was a 44-20 winner over CWDHS, with Abby Cain (12) and Sabrina Smith (11) leading the way.  Jadyn Lachert had 9 for the Falcons.

The other game Thursday saw St. James handle JF Ross, 50-5.  Scoring details weren't immediately reported.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Lourdes 10-0
2.  Bishop Mac 9-1
3.  St. James 7-3
4.  Centennial 6-4
5.  Orangeville 4-6
T6.  GCVI 2-8
T6.  CWDHS 2-8
8.  JF Ross 0-10

WCSSAA Senior: CHCI's Farkic, WO's Glendinning Continue Impressive Seasons; Moran Heating Up

Nina Farkic (CHCI)

There aren't too many seasons on record where a Senior Girls' leading scorer averages more than 20 PPG in WCSSAA league play.

This year, for the first time in a long time, there's the potential that we could see two -- or even more -- crack that 20 PPG mark.

Guard Nina Farkic of Cameron Heights is currently leading the scoring race, pouring in 21.8 PPG to this point in the season.  She's scored in double-figures in all 8 games, with two 30+ efforts (33 and 34) and another two games of 20+ (23 and 25).

Waterloo-Oxford is probably a year or two away from having some team success at the senior girls' level, but Emily Glendinning has been a bright spot in their season to this point.  Glendinning is right behind Farkic at a 20.9 PPG clip, which includes a season-high of 31 points, and three more games in the "high 20s" -- 26, 26, and 29.

Personally, I think those numbers are even more impressive given the fact that opposing teams know that those girls are ones to try to limit on the offensive end --- they get a lot of attention, but still manage to pile up the points.

Given Cameron Heights' team success (unbeaten to this point in the season), Farkic is considered a legitimate MVP candidate.

The other player that is currently warranting some serious consideration, playing for the league's other unbeaten team, is only in grade 10.

SJAM's Kate Moran has come on as of late, scoring 20+ points in 3 of SJAM's last 4 games.  Furthermore, she's been doing it against some of the better teams in the WCSSAA league, including WCI, Jacob Hespeler, and Bluevale.

I don't have Moran's full scoring details from all games this season, but I'd believe she'd be sitting in the 15-17 PPG range -- so she could certainly be another 20+ per game scorer if she continues her recent trend over SJAM's remaining games.