A busy weekend, with both "AAA" (Cambridge) and "AAAA" (Brantford) CWOSSA taking place. Let's take a look at all four divisions that will be contested this weekend:
"AAA" Junior
The Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders enter the CWOSSA tournament as the #1 seed and the distinct favourite to capture the title. The Crusaders have been dominant to this point in the season (as we've documented before). Their balanced guard play (led by Madison Horst and Rebecca Payne) and strong interior game (Alisha Glendinning) make things difficult for opponents inside or out.
The #2 seeded St. James Lions are no slouch and could give the Crusaders a run for their money. Guard Chelsey Gazzola and forwards Keely McVicar and Nastassja Herriot will have to be at their best for the Lions to roar to the CWOSSA crown.
Brantford Collegiate, the #3 seed, enters the tournament a bit under the radar and may be able to pull out a victory. They come from the always competitive Brant County league, where they finished 2nd to St. John's (losing the final series 2-1).
The 4/5 matchup in junior features the North Park Trojans (who won a competitive tournament in Guelph - featuring WCI, Lourdes, Bishop Mac among others) and the Elmira Lancers, while the Jacob Hespeler Hawks, despite being at #6, will be playing on their homecourt so they could potentially pull a first-round surprise against Brantford CI.
Rounding out the field are the St. David Celtics (#7) and Westside Thunder (#8), both of whom will be in tough in their first round matchups, but there's a reason why the games are played!
Mark's Predictions
#1 WODSS over #8 WSS
#4 NPC over #5 Elmira
#3 Brantford over #6 JHSS
#2 St. James over #7 SDCSS
Semifinals
#1 WODSS over #5 Elmira
#2 St. James over #3 Brantford
Final: #1 WODSS over #2 St. James
"AAA" Senior
Things are a bit more "wide open" on the senior side of things, at least in the opening round. Compared to junior, the #3 through #6 rankings were fairly fluid, so we shouldn't be surprised to see a potential upset.
The #1 North Park Trojans (also last year's champs) feature a balanced attack that is energized by distributing PG Reo Roland. Alyson DeLorenzi is another Trojan to keep an eye out for on the offensive end.
The #2 squad, Preston Panthers, are seeking their first-ever CWOSSA title on the senior side. They have one previous junior crown, which was 35 years ago (1976). Like NPC, the Panthers have a balanced attack keyed by forwards Kirsten Leach and Nikea Worrell, while G/F Ashley White has had a very successful rookie campaign.
The homecourt Jacob Hespeler Hawks have been awarded the #3 seed, and are looking to make some noise despite their youth. Their core members (Brooklyn Wright, Taylor Dennis) were key members of last year's junior "AAA" championship squad.
One of the more dangerous teams in the tournament, the St. James Lions, are the #4 team. The Lions are one of the better three-point shooting teams in the tournament, and have the ability to shoot themselves into (or out of) any particular game. St. James defeated the #2 Panthers in the championship final of the Elmira tournament earlier this year.
Speaking of Elmira, the Lancers are the Lions' first-round opposition at #5. A youthful squad, the Lancers have shown the ability to make some noise (reference their upset win over Eastwood in the WCSSAA regular season).
An intriguing unknown at #6, the Westhill (Owen Sound) squad could potentially pull a first-round upset. They defeated a very tough Westside (Orangeville) team --- who beat ECI and gave St. James a run for their money (even holding a late lead) in another CWOSSA qualifier.
A pair of Mustangs --- Brantford CI (#7) and Monsignor Doyle (#8) round out the field.
Mark's Predictions
#1 North Park over #8 MDCSS
#4 St. James over #5 Elmira
#2 Preston over #7 Brantford CI
#3 Jacob Hespeler over #6 Westhill (in a very close game)
Semifinals
#3 Jacob Hespeler over #2 Preston
#1 North Park over #4 St. James
Final
#1 North Park over #3 Jacob Hespeler
No comments:
Post a Comment