North Park Collegiate Trojans qualified Thursday night for the Brant County high school senior girls basketball championship series thanks to Laura Chapple.
The 16-year-old Grade 11 student drove to the basket and scored as the buzzer sounded to end a four-minute overtime period to give a Trojans a dramatic 39-38 victory over the Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs at North Park.
It was the second game-saving basket of the sudden-death semifinal game that Chapple made for the Trojans.
Chapple, an outstanding all-round athlete, floated in a three-point shot with five seconds remaining in regulation time to tie the score 34-34 and send the game into an overtime period.
The Trojans will face the powerful St. John's College Green Eagles for the Brant County championship.
St. John's earned its position by defeating the Assumption College Lions 85-41 in a sudden- death semifinal played at St. John's.
The best-of-three final will be played at Assumption College. The first game is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. and the second is set for Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will be played Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
The Trojans and the Green Eagles will both advance to Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association championship tournaments.
The Trojans will play for the AAA and the Green Eagles will play for the Quad-A crown.
The Mustangs can seek a wildcard berth into the AAA tournament.
The Mustangs were up 38-34 in overtime until Hayley Welsh made a free throw with 24 seconds. Welsh then hit a 12-foot set shot to cut BCI's lead to 38-37.
The Mustangs got possession of the ball for an inbounds play under their own basket and attempted a long pass to North Park's side of the court.
The pass was intercepted and Chapple made a bee-line towards the basket BCI was defending.
Chapple, a left-handed shooter, fought off a defender as she put up the game-winning shot right-handed.
"I knew it was going to be close," Chapple said of trying to beat the buzzer.
"I knew we had to push for the four minutes of the overtime."
"It was a very exciting game, very hard fought on both sides."
Chapple noted the Trojans have a very tight team.
"It's great this year because there's 11 of us who have played together since Grade 4 or 5," she said. "We've got a really good team dynamic."
Allyson DeLorenzi scored 10 points for the Trojans. Chapple and Welsh each got nine points and Reo Roland added six.
The Mustangs, who had victory stolen from them twice in one game, were crushed by the defeat.
Spencer Candy led BCI with 11 points and Tory Candy got 10 points.
Jacqueline Jamula and Claudia DiFrancesco each scored eight points.
Assumption College Lions will face St. John's in the best-of- three junior championship, which also will be played at Assumption on Nov. 9, 11 and, if necessary, 15. The games on Nov. 9 and 11 will start at 5:30 p.m.
In Thursday's semifinals, the Lions defeated North Park 41-31 and St. John's beat the BCI Colts 47-27.
Sara Harris scored 19 points to pace the Lions. Nicole Shoa got eight points, Hayley Rathwell six and Alex Vandyk six.
Abbey Sayles scored 11 points for North Park. Abbey Johnston got six, Kirsten Sowa five and Kyanna Wray four.
"We've got 11 kids who have worked really hard and they're fun to be around," said Lions coach Bill Bourne.
"I think their lowest grade-point average is 85%. It's easy to coach smart kids."
"Sara Harris was thinking about going up to senior but she stayed down. She's the captain and the leader. She works the hardest at practice and the kids really look up to her. It's important for young women to have a leadership role and have it recognized by their peers."
Megan Thompson scored 18 points pace the Green Eagles, who are undefeated in Brant County. Braelyn Vershoore got 10 points and Jessika Dignan added six.
Rachel Adkins and Lexi Lancaster each scored nine points for the Colts. Cara Homeniuk netted five points.
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