Tournament Updates

Gryphon-Celtic Classic

Scores weren't immediately available, but we can provide you with the winners:

Bishop Mac over Jacob Hespeler

Etobicoke CI over Assumption (Brantford)

CWDHS over Ingersoll

Kingsville over St. Mary's (Kitchener)

Consolation games start at 9am tomorrow, at the University of Guelph.  The championship semifinals will be at Noon and 1:30pm, with the championship at 5:00pm.

WCI at the St. Mary's Tip-Off Classic

A strong all-around effort allowed the WCI Vikings to take out one of the top teams from the GTA, Michael Power (a quarterfinalist at OFSAA AAAA last year) by a 56-43 final.  Lindsay Taylor had the hot hand for WCI, dropping at least 6 three-balls (although it wasn't recorded on the scoresheet).  Key defense was provided by Julia Pavlik, while Alex Klein and Lindsay Lessard provided solid efforts on the glass to help secure the WCI win.

The Vikes will play Eastern Commerce (Toronto) and St. Laurent (Quebec) tomorrow.

Brantford: Trojans End Green Eagles' D5 Win Streak

It had to end at some point.

After going undefeated for the past couple of years within the D5 league, the St. John's Green Eagles were defeated by the North Park Trojans 45-40 last night in Brantford.

Cassie Fletcher contributed 12 points for NPC, while Laura Chapple and Allyson DeLorenzi each had 9.  St. John's received 9 from Shawni Hnatiuk and 8 from Megan Piette.

This result, coupled with North Park's earlier regular season loss to Assumption, means that Assumption now hold sole possession of first place at 3-0 in the D5.  The Lions routed Paris DHS 39-8, backed by 8 points from Hayley Rathwell.

The other senior showdown in Brant County saw Brantford CI defeat Pauline Johnson 49-34.  According to the Brantford Expositor, the 'Stangs were shorthanded and had to call up a couple of junior players to help out.  Summer Sakaluk, a grade 9 junior, actually scored 14 points in the win.

D5 Senior Standings
1.  Assumption 3-0
T2.  North Park 2-1
T2.  St. John's 2-1
T2.  Brantford CI 2-1
T5.  Paris DHS 0-3
T5.  Pauline Johnson 0-3

Junior D5

No real surprises in junior as all three games were decided by fairly large margins:

Assumption 56, Paris 22
ACS:  Lexi Gleason & Krista Vanderzander 8

Brantford 67, Pauline Johnson 15
BCI:  Bayley Vachon 22, Summer Sakaluk 14
PJ:  Tasha Irwin 9, Meagan Baines 4

St. John's 44, North Park 26

D5 Junior Standings
1.  St. John's 3-0
T2.  Assumption 2-1
T2.  North Park 2-1
T2.  Brantford 2-1
T5.  Paris 0-3
T5.  Pauline Johnson 0-3

Guelph Schools Run into Eastern Commerce Buzzsaw at Sheridan Tourney

Last weekend, the St. James Lions and JF Ross Royals, two of the top teams in the D10 league, travelled to the GTA to participate in the Sheridan College "Lady Bruin Classic" tournament.

The Royals started out with a very difficult matchup, against the Eastern Commerce Saints, who (as noted below) are generally considered one of the top teams in the province.  EC would prevail by an 83-36 final in that one.

The Royals rebounded to defeat St. Francis Xavier (Mississauga) 52-13 in the consolation semifinal before getting edged 55-51 by Aurora in the consolation final.

St. James defeated St. FX 48-22, before falling against Eastern Commerce in the semifinals 77-19.  It was a game that was actually tight early, with EC leading by a 14-8 score after one --- before the tide turned in that one.

In Crown Magazine Online's recap of the tournament, they gave special mention to JF Ross 5'5" G Julia Robertson:

"Julia had a very good shooting performance connecting for 16 pots in the 2nd half of the Consolation Finals. Overall that game She nailed five 3-pointers en route to a 23 point performance as the Royals came up just short against the Aurora Eagles.  Although she didn’t shoot the lights out like this her in previous games, she did shoot well enough to stay on the radar to see how things develop from a shooting perspective."

Vikes Head to Hamilton For Tough St. Mary's Tournament

The WCI Vikings will be in tough this weekend in a highly competitive tournament field for the St. Mary's HS (Hamilton) Senior Girls' Tip-Off Classic.

WCI has been placed in a pool with Eastern Commerce of Toronto (who have won a couple high-profile events already and are generally considered a top "3-4" team in the province), Michael Power of Toronto (an upper tier GTA team generally considered in the top 5-10 GTA clubs; OFSAA "AAAA" quarterfinalist last year), and St. Laurent of Quebec (quick search yielded no info on them, but have to assume they'll be good if they're coming from Quebec for a tourney!)

The Vikes tip-off today against Michael Power at 3:30pm, with the remaining two pool games tomorrow.  Only the top team in each pool advances to the semifinals.

Good luck!

CWOSSA Power Ranking: AAA

The "AAA" side of things has already been a lot more volatile than the "AAAA" rankings, that is for sure.  We've had some big shifts this week already --- thanks in part to the fact that no AAA school is undefeated in WCSSAA, D8, D5 or D10.

AAA - Senior
1.  North Park - Brantford (1)
2.  St. James - Guelph (2)
3.  Elmira DSS - Elmira (3)
4.  Preston - Cambridge (5)
5.  Guelph CVI - Guelph (10)
6.  Jacob Hespeler - Cambridge (7)
7.  Southwood - Cambridge (NR)
8.  Brantford CI - Brantford (4)
9.  Kitchener CI - Kitchener (6)
10.  Galt CI - Cambridge (8)

HM:  Westside SS - Orangeville
Dropped Out:  Westside SS (Last Week:  9)

AAA - Junior
1.  Waterloo-Oxford - Baden
2.  St. James - Guelph
3.  North Park - Brantford
4.  Brantford CI - Brantford
5.  Kitchener CI - Kitchener
6.  St. David - Waterloo
7.  Elmira DSS - Elmira
8.  Guelph CVI - Guelph
9.  Jacob Hespeler - Cambridge
10.  Southwood - Cambridge

CWOSSA Power Ranking: AAAA

I'll throw out my initial junior power rankings today as well, at least for AAA & AAAA.  Might wait until Monday for the "AA" and "A" rankings with some key tournament action this weekend.

In the case of the senior rankings, last week's rank is in brackets.

AAAA - Senior
1.  Waterloo CI - Waterloo (2)
2.  Centre Wellington - Fergus (4)
3.  Assumption - Brantford (5)
4.  St. John's - Brantford (1)
5.  St. Mary's - Kitchener (3)
6.  Bluevale - Waterloo (8)
7.  Eastwood - Kitchener (6)
8.  Cameron Heights - Kitchener (7)
9.  John F. Ross - Guelph (9)
10.  St. Benedict - Cambridge (NR)

HM:  Forest Heights
Dropped Out:  Forest Heights (Last Week:  10)

AAAA - Junior
1.  St. John's - Brantford
2.  Waterloo CI - Waterloo
3.  Grand River - Kitchener
4.  Cameron Heights - Kitchener
5.  Resurrection - Kitchener
6.  Assumption - Brantford
7.  John F. Ross - Guelph
8.  Centennial - Guelph
9.  St. Mary's - Kitchener
10.  Forest Heights - Kitchener

BAA: Thursday

A couple of BAA scores to pass along (scoring details weren't available):

Senior

Owen Sound CVI 54, Grey Highlands 17

Junior

Georgian Bay 34, West Hill SS 15

D10: Thursday Results

Senior

Bishop Mac 43, JF Ross 34
My Pick:  BMAC
My hunch paid off as the Celtics take the win at home.  Tesha Kraszkiewicz and Andrea Priamo had 14 each for the Celts, while Sydney Resch had 10 and Julia Robertson 7 for the Royals.

Guelph CVI 33, Lourdes 30
My Pick:  OLOL
The Gaels squeaked past Lourdes on the road to pick up a big win.  Sierra McLaren was on fire for them on Thursday, putting home 19 points.  Hanna Chadwick added 7 for GCVI, while Lourdes received 6 each from Hannah Pearsall and Melinda McNiece.

Centre Wellington 47, Centennial 20
My Pick: CWDHS
The Falcons stay undefeated by coasting past CCVI on the road.  Jaime Janssen (22) and Erica McFadden (13) had their usual strong performances.  The Spartans were led by Kendra Achonwa's 11.  The CW win and JF Ross' loss means that the Falcons are now by themselves in first.

St. James 65, Orangeville 29
My Pick:  STJ
No trouble for the Lions as they cruised past the ODSS bears.  Scoring details weren't immediately available.

Senior D10 Standings
1.  Centre Wellington 4-0
T2.  Bishop Mac 3-1
T2.  JF Ross 3-1
T2.  St. James 3-1
5.  Guelph CVI 2-2
6.  Lourdes 1-3
T7.  Orangeville 0-4
T7.  Centennial 0-4

Junior D10

Bishop Mac 25, JF Ross 21
BMAC:  Jessica Morris 6

Centennial 32, Centre Wellington 28
CCVI:  Hannah Newman 16, Emma Korol 8
CW:  Chloe Trapp 13, Mathilde Moreau 7

Lourdes 47, Guelph CVI 43
OLOL:  Monica Trimble 16, Erika Beaver 9
GCVI:  Sydney Wilson 25, Ijoema Staunton 12

St. James 57, Orangeville 29
STJ:  Chelsey Gazzola 22, Donna Zen 10
ODSS:  Rachel Adams 10, Samantha French 10

Junior D10 Standings
T1.  Lourdes 4-0
T1.  St. James 4-0
3.  Bishop Mac 3-1
4.  Centennial 2-2
T5.  CWDHS 1-3
T5.  Guelph CVI 1-3
T5.  JF Ross 1-3
8.  Orangeville 0-4

WCSSAA: Thursday Results

Looks like things might be a little more interesting in WCSSAA than I first anticipated entering September.

The Bluevale Knights have established themselves as a serious contender for one of the two AAAA CWOSSA berths, after derailing the Elmira Lancers 63-31 on the road last night.  Grade 11 guard Natalie Bishop poured in 23 points in that one.

The WCI Vikings and Cameron Heights Golden Gaels also continued their winning ways, as they stayed undefeated with their respective victories.

Here's a rundown:

WCSSAA Senior

Preston 56, Forest Heights 50
My Pick:  PHS
Veteran Panthers Kirsten Leach (25) and Nikea Worrell (16) combined for 41 points as the Panthers got a big win at home on Thursday.  Blair McNaughton netted 16 for the Trojans, while Ali White had 6.

WCI 57, Galt 21
My Pick:  WCI
WCI wins another big one --- though the 36 point margin of victory actually equalled their "smallest win" to this point in the season.  Lindsay Taylor (13) and Lindsay Lessard (10) had the double-digit performances for the Vikes, while Melica Stevanovic (4) and Suzanna Lam (3) topped the GCI scoring.

Jacob Hespeler 43, SJAM 28
My Pick:  JHSS
Scoring details weren't submitted, but the Hawks keep rolling at the expense of the winless 'Landers.

Eastwood 50, Huron Heights 20
My Pick:  ECI
ECI's Michelle Hudyn didn't eclipse the 30-point mark for the first time this year (21 points; she's still averaging 31.0 PPG), but the Rebs obviously didn't need that much from her in this one.  Meagan Karai added 14 for ECI, while Emily Bidinosti again led HHHS with 10.  Melissa Wightman had 6 more for the Huskies.

Southwood 36, Grand River 19
My Pick:  GRCI
That will teach me to pick against the high school in my Cambridge neighbourhood.  Kayleigh Hutt-Taylor outscored the Rens by herself, pouring in 22 points; Anne Stotesbury added 5.  Kailey DeBoer had 9 and Candice Scott 6 for Grand River.

Bluevale 63, Elmira 31
My Pick:  EDSS
I couldn't have been more wrong with this pick, but after EDSS knocked of Eastwood, can you really blame me?  Natalie Bishop was tremendous for the Knights with the aforementioned 23 points, while Sarah Hamm (11) and Amy Shinkar (6) rounded out the top 3.  Krista Weins scored 18 and Julia Frey had 4 for Elmira.

Cameron Heights 45, KCI 30
My Pick:  CHCI
The Gaels keep winning at the expense of the (now) 1-3 KCI Raiders.  Liz McLellan had another big game, with a 23-point effort; Ashanti Lewis was also in double-figures for Cameron with 13.  Nikaya Snell (6) and Isabell Mills (5) led KCI.

Bye Win:  GPSS

Senior WCSSAA Standings
T1.  WCI 4-0
T1.  Cameron Heights 4-0
T1.  Bluevale 4-0
T4.  Elmira 3-1
T4.  Preston 3-1
T4.  Jacob Hespeler 3-1
7.  Eastwood 2-1
T8.  Forest Heights 2-2
T8.  Southwood 2-2
10.  Grand River 1-2
T11.  KCI 1-3
T11.  Galt CI 1-3
T11.  Glenview Park 1-3
T14.  Huron Heights 0-4
T14.  SJAM 0-4

WCSSAA Junior

Waterloo-Oxford 45, Glenview Park 7
The Crusaders continue their strong play, backed by 15 from Madison Horst and 9 from Libby Brenneman.  Jocelyn Kivell (5) and Josie Makcrow (2) accounted for the Glenview scoring.

KCI 50, Cameron Heights 44
In a big junior game, the Raiders knock Cameron from the unbeaten ranks.  Kelsey Dawe had 16 and Frances Campbell 14 in the win, while CHCI was led by Omnia Osman (12) and Tonisha Lewis (11).

Elmira 35, Bluevale 24
The Lancers are also 3-1 at the expense of the Knights.  Last year's defending champs are still searching for their first win ---- although the teams that they have lost to are a combined 12-4.  Both teams featured balanced scoring attacks on Thursday; for Elmira, Nicole Cressman had 10, Bailey Bond netted 9 and Karley Sider had 8.  BCI received 6 each from Jill Beingessner and Julia Curran, while Rachel Matthews scored 4.

Grand River 56, Southwood 41
The Rens continued their high-scoring ways on Thursday.  Caroline Lorkovic (17) and Jamie Noonan (12) topped the GRCI scoresheet, while Taylor White was a big story for Southwood, pouring in 27 points.  Carrigan Lee added 6 more for the Sabres.

Eastwood 32, Huron Heights 31
In a squeaker, the Rebs improve to 2-1.  Sam Legue (10) and Mel Samuel (9) led the way; Huron received 19 from Jenna Gangl and 6 from Katrina Kostecki.

Jacob Hespeler 48, SJAM 41
Big win for the Hawks as they improve to 2-2 while dropping the 'Landers to the same mark.  Again, the Wrights did the bulk of the damage for JHSS with Courtney Wright scoring 20 and Candice Wright adding 14.  Brianna Iltshishin (16) and Safina Husein (10) were the top SJAM scorers.

WCI 37, Galt 13
After coming close to missing the playoffs last year, the WCI Vikings are back on top of the junior circuit.  Kaylee Anagnostopoulos (15) and Isabella Kellerman (12) were the top scorers on Thursday.  The Ghosts received 7 from Courtney Davis and 6 from Kadja Mohamed to account for their points.

Forest Heights 38, Preston 14
Shannon Scott scored 10 and Tameika Elliot added 8 as the Trojans continued their early season roll.  Hayley McGoldrick (4) and Alex Fisher (4) topped PHS.

Junior WCSSAA Standings
T1.  WODSS 4-0
T1.  WCI 4-0
3.  Grand River 3-0
T4.  Forest Heights 3-1
T4.  KCI 3-1
T4.  Cameron Heights 3-1
T4.  Elmira 3-1
8.  Eastwood 2-1
T9.  SJAM 2-2
T9.  Jacob Hespeler 2-2
T11.  Southwood 1-3
T11.  Galt 1-3
T13.  Bluevale 0-4
T13.  Preston 0-4
T13.  Glenview Park 0-4
T13.  Huron Heights 0-4 

Brant News: Week 2 a Test For Eagles

By:  Jason Teakle

The second week of the Brant County high school senior girls’ basketball season will go a long way to determining early favourites.


The St. John’s College Green Eagles and Assumption College Lions are tied atop the standings with 2-0 records, while the North Park Collegiate Trojans and Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs sit at 1-1.

The Green Eagles, winners of five-straight county championships, will see where they stand with Week 2 games against the Trojans and Lions.

“It’s going to be an exciting and competitive league this year with several teams that can beat each other on any given night,” Green Eagles coach Matt Lynch said. “We are moving into two big games against the Trojans and Lions to see where we stand.”

The Green Eagles opened the season with a 61-16 victory against the Pauline Johnson Collegiate Thunderbirds and a 55-18 win against the Mustangs on Tuesday.

The Lions kept pace with a 46-39 win against the Trojans and a 54-10 win against the Thunderbirds.

Following the loss to the Lions, the Trojans rebounded with a strong game against the Paris District High School Panthers on Tuesday.

The Trojans beat the Panthers 41-18.

Trojans head coach Andrea Hawkins said she was impressed by her team’s performance.

“They moved the ball well,” Hawkins said. “My kids played good defence and made adjustments when I asked them to.”

North Park’s Abbey Sayles said her team has been working hard on its offence, with some rookie players added to the senior team this fall.

“We wanted to get our offence down so if we subbed one of the new players in they would know the plays,” Sayles said. “We worked our offence really well.”

The Panthers opened their season with a loss 50-9 against the Mustangs last Thursday.

Despite two losses to open the season, Panthers head coach Dani Hawkins said the team had a good showing in its second outing.

“We are working on boxing out, our help-side defence and looking to attack the basket on offence,” Hawkins said. “We showed improvement in all areas (Tuesday).”

Thursday’s games have the Green Eagles playing the Trojans,the Thunderbirds playing the Mustangs and the Lions taking on the Panthers.

Next Tuesday’s contests feature the Panthers at Thunderbirds, Green Eagles at Lions and Trojans at Mustangs.

http://brantnews.com/index.cfm?page=sports&section=read&articleId=11495

Walkerton DSS Hosts Junior Tourney This Weekend

The Walkerton DSS Raiders are hosting an 8-team junior tournament at home this coming weekend.

Participating teams include:

Walkerton DSS

Rockway (Kitchener)

Kincardine DSS

Wellington Heights SS (Mount Forest)

Westside SS (Orangeville)

Peninsula Shores (Wiarton)

St. Anne's CSS (Clinton)

South Huron DHS (Exeter)

Based upon early returns, the favourites might be Wellington Heights, who have gotten off to a 3-0 start in D4 play.  They've been backed by the strong play of Nicole Bauman, who is averaging around 20 PPG in those games.

The participation of Rockway, Peninsula Shores and Walkerton (all "A" schools) will definitely help with the rankings in that division!

Warriors Add CWOSSA Talent

The University of Waterloo Warriors women's basketball team has added a couple of ex-CWOSSA roundballers to their 2011-12 roster.

Cameron Heights standout guard and WCSSAA first-team all-star, 5'7" PG Erin Robbins, will add backcourt depth while 5'10" F Sam McIntyre, a former Bluevale student (and 2nd team WCSSAA all-star 2009) will help out with things in the frontcourt.

They'll join two other Warrior veterans already on the roster --- Mackenzie Lougheed (Owen Sound CVI; 1.7 PPG in 2010-11) and Laura Burnett (Kitchener Rockway; 4.3 PPG in 2010-11). 

Together, they'll be seeking to improve on a winless (0-25) season in 2010-11.  That being said, you can't teach experience and 12 members of the '10-11 Warriors were either 1st or 2nd year students. 

Let's hope this year turns out a bit better for my alma mater.

Gryphon-Celtic Invitational: Senior Girls

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics are co-hosting their annual tournament this coming Friday & Saturday with the University of Guelph.

Friday games (starting at noon) will all be at Bishop Mac, while Saturday action takes place on the court at the U of G.

There are 5 CWOSSA teams entered, and all 5 have a legitimate shot at making the CWOSSA championship in their respective division.  Here's a look at the draw:

Bishop Mac vs. Jacob Hespeler (Noon)
Assumption (Brantford) vs. Etobicoke (1:30pm)
Ingersoll vs. Centre Wellington (3:00pm)
St. Mary's (Kitchener) vs. Kingsville (4:30pm)

To talk about the overall strength of the field, Etobicoke was the #11 seed at "AAA" OFSAA last year, while Kingsville was #4 at "AA" OFSAA --- beating Bishop Mac in the bronze medal game.

Very intriguing, to say the least ---- especially with some of the potential matchups that could result among the AAAA schools (Assumption/CWDHS/St. Mary's).  Hopefully, it will help to sort out my AAAA ranking!

As an FYI, Saturday sees the consolation semifinals (9 and 10:30) followed by the championship semifinals (Noon and 1:30).  The consolation final is at 3pm, while the championship goes at 5pm.

D4: Wednesday Results - Krushnisky Paces Royals To Win

Senior

Centre Dufferin 33, Wellington Heights 20
Rachel Krushnisky was a one-woman wrecking crew for the Royals in this one, as she poured in 25 points for CDDHS en route to the win.  Becca March added 6 more for CDDHS, while Mikayla Pletch (5) and Becky Harper (4) topped the WHSS scoresheet.

Westside SS 37, Woodland CHS 12
No trouble for the preseason D4 favourites here, as they cruised to a comfortable win against the Cavaliers.

D4 Senior Standings
1.  Westside 3-0
2.  CDDHS 2-0
3.  Norwell 1-1
4.  Wellington Heights 1-2
T5.  Erin DHS 0-2
T5.  Woodland CHS 0-2

Junior

Wellington Heights 37, Centre Dufferin 22
WH:  Nicole Bauman 22, Charlotte Brunkard 6
CDDHS:  Alexis Keller 4, Vanessa Lightle 4

Westside 36, Woodland CHS 20

D4 Junior Standings
1.  Wellington Heights 3-0
2.  Norwell 2-0
3.  Woodland 1-1
4.  Westside SS 1-2
T5.  Erin DHS 0-2
T5.  CDDHS 0-2

BAA North: Wednesday

A couple of scores to report out of the BAA on Wednesday for you.

In senior action, the Saugeen DSS Royals won a thriller, edging the Kincardine DSS Knights by a 32-31 final.

The junior game went the other way, with Kincardine using a strong defensive effort to limit the Saugeen DSS offense in a 28-15 win.

Scoring details were not available.

D10 Picks: Thursday

YTD Record:  9-2 (.818)

JF Ross (3-0) at Bishop Mac (2-1)  **Game of the Day**
My Pick:  BMAC
Just playing a hunch here in what should be a close game.

Centre Wellington (3-0) at Centennial (0-3)
My Pick:  CWDHS
A few years back, these teams records probably would have been reversed at this point of the season.  CW to pick up a win here and (at least) maintain a tie for first, depending on how JF Ross fares.

Guelph CVI (1-2) at Lourdes (1-2)
My Pick:  OLOL
Lourdes has had a tough schedule to start out the season, having had to deal with Bishop Mac and CWDHS in back-to-back games.  I'll pick them at home here today.

Orangeville (0-3) at St. James (2-1)
My Pick:  STJ
The Lions will improve to 3-1 at the expense of the Bears.

WCSSAA Thursday: Mark's Picks

I'm hoping that the "positive picking trend" can carry over from Tuesday's games, where I went 5-1.

This brings the current YTD to 15-5 (.750).  Going to try to aim for that 80% mark on the year, so I'll again need a good run out of these games:

KCI (1-2) at Cameron Heights (3-0)
My Pick:  CHCI
Like the Buffalo Bills, probably not too many people would have thought that the CHCI Golden Gaels would be off to a 3-0 start before the season had started, yet here they are.  I'll take the Gaels to improve to 4-0 with a win at home today.

Huron Heights (0-3) at Eastwood (1-1)
My Pick:  ECI
The Rebs haven't played a league game in a week, thanks to the Tuesday power outage in Kitchener.  Still, they shouldn't have trouble with the HHHS Huskies.

Southwood (1-2) at Grand River (1-1)
My Pick:  GRCI
Toss-up game here in my opinion; edge to the homecourt Renegades.

Galt (1-2) at WCI (3-0)
My Pick:  WCI
Look for the WCI Vikings to continue their roll through the WCSSAA schedule on Thursday.

Bluevale (3-0) at Elmira (3-0) **Game of the Day**
My Pick:  EDSS
Two clubs with a lot of grade 11 youth on their rosters.  Should be a great game; again, I'll go with the homecourt team here in a close one.

SJAM (0-3) at Jacob Hespeler (2-1)
My Pick:  JHSS
The Hawks have quietly gotten off to a nice start, but they won't remain under the radar for long.  Based upon their upcoming schedule, there's a good chance they'll probably be looking at a 5-2 or 6-1 record by mid-October.  First things first, they get a win over SJAM today.

Forest Heights (2-1) at Preston (2-1)
My Pick:  PHS
I'll continue to roll with the Panthers in what could be an interesting contest in West Cambridge.

Bye:  Glenview Park (will improve to 1-3)

D8: Wednesday Results - Stangs Top Celts in Big AAA Game

Senior

Well, I won't be going perfect in the D8 league picks.

That's thanks in part to the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs, who got a leg-up on the race for that AAA berth by defeating the St. David Celtics in a low-scoring affair, 19-13. 

Also, the St. Mary's Eagles may have found themselves some competition in the D8 league, as the St. Benedict Saints stayed close and only succumbed by a 43-38 final.

Here's the rundown & standings:

St. Mary's 43, St. Benedict 38
My Pick:  SMHS
At this point, it appears that both of these teams are the strong favourites to appear in the finals.  The Eagles get the edge with the win on Wednesday; Kaitlyn Schenck poured in 28 points to pace SMHS.  For SBCSS, Dana Milani had 15 and Alisa Tkaczyk netted 11.

Monsignor Doyle 19, St. David 13
My Pick:  SDCSS
The 'Stangs picked up a crucial win in the fight for the final playoff spot (and likely the AAA CWOSSA berth that will go along with it).  Marley Gray had 5 in the win for Doyle, while St. David received 5 from Nicole Jamison and 4 from Kayleigh Bell.

D8 Senior Standings
1.  St. Mary's 4-0
2.  Monsignor Doyle 2-1
T3.  St. Benedict 1-1
T3.  Resurrection 1-1
-----
5.  St. David 1-3
6.  Rockway 0-3

Junior

St. Mary's 40, St. Benedict 15
A bit of an eye-opening scoreline here, as the Eagles get a massive win on Wednesday.  Scoring details were not available from source.

St. David 44, Monsignor Doyle 17
After getting upended by Rez on Monday, the Celtics regained their winning form with a comfortable win over Doyle.  Heather Sandall contributed 14 in the win, while Bernie Leland, Lindsay Geffros and Cassie Duffhues had 6 more each for St. David.  Taylor Fitzpatrick again led MDCSS with 5.

D8 Junior Standings
1.  Resurrection 2-0 (1.000)
2.  St. David 3-1 (.750)
3.  St. Mary's 2-2
4.  St. Benedict 1-1
----
5.  Monsignor Doyle 1-2
6.  Rockway 0-3

Elmira Junior & Senior Tournaments: This Weekend

The Elmira Lancers are hosting their 8th annual Junior & Senior girls' tournaments this coming weekend (September 30th/October 1st).

There are four junior teams participating in a "round-robin" format and then six senior teams playing in two separate pools (after pool play, one more game for each team - e.g., 1st in Pool A plays 1st in Pool B for the championship).

It is a nice mix of teams, mostly from the CWOSSA "AAA" classification.

Here's who will be competing:

Senior Teams:  Elmira, St. James (Guelph), Preston, Kincardine DSS, West Hill (Owen Sound), Sacred Heart (Walkerton).

Junior Teams:  Elmira, St. James (Guelph), Sacred Heart (Walkerton), Northwestern (Stratford).

Games tip off at noon on Friday and go all day on Saturday as well.

News and Notes: Wednesday

Loehle Suits up at Niagara
Former Monsignor Doyle PG (Class of '10) Josh Loehle has cracked the roster at Niagara College of the OCAA.

Here's a look at Loehle from his playing days with the 'Stangs:





Early Returns:  CWOSSA Girls "AAAA" (Senior)
It may only be late September, but it would appear as though a few teams have an early grasp on CWOSSA "AAAA" berths.

In the WCSSAA league, the WCI Vikings appear to be headed to yet another CWOSSA appearance, especially considering their strong start.  The second WCSSAA spot will be a battle between several other clubs, including Cameron Heights, Bluevale, Eastwood and Grand River.

The D5 spot, as always, will be coming down to either St. John's or Assumption.  The Green Eagles appear to have the inside track early --- but don't discount the Lions.  Keep in mind the core of this team won the 2009 "AAAA" junior championship.

Things seem a lot more decided already in the D10 and D8 leagues.  With the Centre Wellington Falcons and JF Ross Royals off to 3-0 starts, the other two "AAAA" teams (Centennial and Orangeville --- GCVI is "AAA" this year) are sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum.  Now, upsets can happen but based upon what we've seen transpire to this point, CW and JF Ross look like a CWOSSA spot is theirs to lose. 

Speaking of having a firm grasp on a CWOSSA spot, the St. Mary's Eagles have almost done a full circle of the D8 schedule and have yet to be tested.  Today's game against St. Benedict remains as the lone question mark --- if they can handle the Saints with ease, we can pretty much pencil them into the CWOSSA mix, barring some sort of disasterous outing in the playoffs.  Now, that being said, the Eagles will need some tough competition in their tournament and exhibition schedule to get themselves prepared for CWOSSA, as they appear to be the class of the D8 league to this point.

Early Returns:  CWOSSA Girls "AAA" (Senior)
The North Park Trojans are poised for a CWOSSA "repeat" but will have their share of challengers.

Early contenders would appear to be the the St. James Lions (D10) as well as the Elmira Lancers, Preston Panthers and the upstart Jacob Hespeler Hawks in the WCSSAA circuit.  A potential "darkhorse" team would be the Westside Thunder out of the D4 league; however, they would have to get past the Lions in order to make it to CWOSSA. 

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Still a ton of basketball to be played, but it's interesting to at least think about how things could begin to play out down the line!

D8 Wednesday Picks

YTD D8 Picks:  7-0 (1.000)

Two games on tap today.  They are:

St. Benedict (1-0) at St. Mary's (3-0)
My Pick:  SMHS
A potential "finals preview here" (though we'll see what the Resurrection Phoenix have to say about that).  I think the experience of the Eagles will shine through again here as they will pick up another comfortable win.

Monsignor Doyle (1-1) at St. David (1-2)
My Pick:  SDCSSIt could get interesting, especially with a lot on the line (both these clubs are fighting it out for the D8's "AAA" CWOSSA berth).  I'll give the edge to SDCSS at home.

Simcoe Reformer: Tip-Off For the Title Chase

Article By:  Jacob Robinson

If nothing else, this year's NSSAA senior girls basketball season should be an interesting one. With Port Dover out, the remaining five schools all have something to shoot for.


Holy Trinity returns with a young group, fresh off taking down the previously undefeated Sabres in last season's final. Though they've lost four strong starters, the Sabres have the tools to once again challenge for a championship.

The veteran-laden Delhi Raiders will be looking to improve on their .500 record from a season ago, and have been moved up to a double-A classification this season.

While the Waterford Wolves and Valley Heights Bears will battle for the title of best single-A team in Norfolk, both teams will also be searching for a top playoff spot. With a record of 5-5 last season, Valley Heights went to the final four and has many returnees throughout their lineup, but Waterford was strong in their first outing this season and despite a shortage of numbers, will be a tough opponent for anyone all season long.

HOLY TRINITY TITANS
Last year's finish : Won NSSAA title.
Last year's record: 8-2
Key losses : PG/SG Sam Mitchell, C Annessa Casier
Leaders: C Jenna West, SF Bianca Koop

Strengths: With West -- a Grade 11 that played up a level last season -- leading the charge, the Titans are a athletic group that can run the floor with the best of them. Holy Trinity has been one of the best teams at moving the ball in the county, and don't appear ready to relinquish that status.

Things to watch for: With Mitchell gone, the Titans are without one of their pillars from recent seasons and lose their overall leader. This year's version is young, and has been known to be at their best with the season on the line, they'll need more of that to go back-to-back.


SIMCOE SABRES
Last year's finish: Lost in NSSAA Final
Last year's record: 10-0
Key losses: PG Stephanie Potts, G Kendall Warboys, Olivia Richards, SG Kristen Clendinning
Leaders: PG/SG/SF Jordan Vanderhaegen, C Alyssa Becque, F Amber Deeleebeeck

Strengths: With a tournament already under their belt, the Sabres come into the 2011 campaign with plenty of experience. They lost their distributor in Potts, a scrappy defender in Warboys and good shooter in Richards, yet Vanderhaegen may be the sharpest shooter in the league, and Becque is a force in the paint.

Things to watch for: With plenty of focus early in the season being spent on offence, Simcoe is quickly shifting its attention to defending. The team got all they wanted from a scrappy Wolves team with just six players in Game 1 thanks in large part to a slow start.

VALLEY HEIGHTS BEARS
Last year's finish: Lost in NSSAA semifinals
Last year's record: 5-5
Key Losses: Savannah Dewdney
Leaders: PG Savannah Shea, F Kelsea Lloyd

Strengths: With four starters back from last season, the Bears have shown an ability to work well as a group early on this season. The team is strong in the paint and has one of the league's top point guards/athletes in Shea.

Things to watch for: Though they suffered a lopsided loss to Delhi in their opening contest, the Bears were without two of their better players. The team will need to shoot the ball more in order to stick with the higher scoring teams in the league.

DELHI RAIDERS
Last year's finish: Lost in NSSAA semifinals
Last year's record: 5-5
Key losses: Kathleen Reeves, Aleisha Christo
Leaders: C Mandy Mahler, PF Emily Brooks

Strengths: There's no lack of athleticism on the Raiders roster this season, or chemistry for that matter. Much of the DDSS squad has suited up together in the past, and the team has some strong rookies joining the pack from the junior ranks. This team could be real good if they keep working to get better every game they play.

Things to watch for: The Raiders have had limited practice team early in the season, and although they didn't show it in an opening season victory against Valley Heights, will need to learn on the fly to begin the year.

WATERFORD WOLVES
Last year's finish: Missed the playoffs
Last year's record: 2-8
Key losses: N/A
Leaders: PG Gillian Bergsma, G Stephanie Ionita, C Rachel Szymezko

Strengths: As evidenced in their opening performance, the Wolves don't have many players, but the ones that are on this year's squad are going to pour everything they have into each game. With Bergsma, Ionita and Szymezko, Waterford has a foundation that can be a handful for opponents at both ends of the floor.

Things to watch for: With just seven players on the roster in Game 1, the Wolves will need to be a well conditioned, disciplined bunch if they hope to stay in games, especially during the second half. They've already shown they won't give up, but more players would certainly help.

Retrieved From:  http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3314960

D4: Results & Standings

Senior (Monday Games)

Wellington Heights 37, Erin DHS 27
WHSS:  Becky Harper 21, Melissa Nauta 6
EDHS:  Pier Zuk 9, Holly Katting 6

Westside SS 55, Norwell 18
WSS:  Toni Juric 23
NDSS:  Karlee Duggan 14

Centre Dufferin 19, Woodland 18
CDDHS:  Rachel Krushnisky 11, Becca March/Gen Potovszky 4
WCHS:  Rebekah Oasteshot 15

Senior Standings
1.  Westside 2-0
2.  Centre Dufferin 1-0
T3.  Wellington Heights 1-1
T3.  Norwell 1-1
5.  Woodland CHS 0-1
6.  Erin DHS 0-2

Junior

Norwell 21, Westside 20
NDSS:  Laura Rumph 11, Laura Roth 8
WSS:  Larissa Jensen 8, Brandy Davad 8

Wellington Heights 36, Erin DHS 12
WHSS:  Nicole Bauman 14
EDHS:  Erin Morrison 6

Woodland CHS 27, Centre Dufferin 24
WCHS:  Rachel Guetter 6, Emily Piddict 4
CDDHS:  Kendra Ferguson 3

Junior Standings
T1.  Wellington Heights 2-0
T1.  Norwell 2-0
3.  Woodland CHS 1-0
4.  Centre Dufferin 0-1
T5.  Erin DHS 0-2
T5.  Westside SS 0-2