Despite the fact that the Resurrection Phoenix and the SJAM Highlanders have been my top two ranked CWOSSA Junior Girls' teams all season, there were still a lot of firsts over the weekend at WCI.In fact, both of the schools in Saturday's final had never won a CWOSSA Junior Girls' championship. SJAM, meanwhile, had never even advanced to a CWOSSA final.
The clubs had met on Friday morning to tip-off the CWOSSA championship, and the teams gave fans a taste of what to expect during the rematch in a game that ended 38-36 for Resurrection.
In Saturday afternoon's final, the Phoenix got off to a hot start, perhaps taking advantage of some early SJAM nerves (Resurrection had played in the CWOSSA final a season ago). Rez's Jama Bin-Edward put home 4 early points and was dominant on the boards, with 8 first quarter rebounds, as the Phoenix took an 11-4 lead after one.
However, fouls were quickly accumulating for Rez as Jama Bin-Edward picked up two in the first quarter and fellow starter Maddy Antwi also grabbed a couple of early fouls.
With both girls having to sit on the bench for the majority of the second quarter, the Highlanders found their footing, going on a 10-5 second quarter run to cut the lead down to 2 (16-14).
SJAM got within a point before Meghan Sharp hit a mid-range jumper (two of her 8 1st half points) just before the first-half expired to give Rez a three-point lead (21-18) at halftime.
Joanna Bamberger, who had some nice drives inside (8 points) and solid shooting from Emily Domerchie (7 points) keyed the Highlander first-half attack.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter. Rez held a (very slim) lead for the majority of the frame, but with Jama Bin-Edward picking up her 4th foul, the 'Landers took full advantage of one of Rez's inside presences being out of the game and took their first lead of the game at 26-24.
After three, the 'Landers were still up, 27-26.
With one of their top scorers on the bench, Resurrection was going to need contributions to come from other sources --- and they did.
Sixth woman, Grade 9 forward Delina Romano (in the game for Bin-Edward) had a huge fourth quarter for the Phoenix, who perfectly executed a high-low game to get Romano inside for a couple of layups over the quarters' opening minutes and restore a Rez lead at 30-27.
She wasn't just doing it on the offensive end, as she forced a couple turnovers and had a steal on the defensive side, before getting herself free inside for another bucket as Rez took a 33-28 lead midway through the final frame.
Bin-Edward came back in with about 3:30 left to go, but Rez coach Chad Tyszka elected to keep his hot hand off the bench in the game.
That decision would pay dividends shortly thereafter when Bin-Edward was blocked by SJAM's Kate Moran, but Romano was able to force a jump ball, giving possession back to the Phoenix.
Bin-Edward would drive inside for two on the ensuing possession, bumping the Resurrection lead to 36-28 and 2:30 left.
SJAM wouldn't quit, however, and actually scored the next four points (36-32, 0:58 left) to put the pressure back on Resurrection.
Krissia Vasquez made 1-of-2 FTs on the ensuing possession, where Resurrection was able to get the offensive rebound and get fouled again, resulting in another two points from the line, this time from Jama Bin-Edward.
Bin-Edward then blocked Emily Domerchie's three-point attempt on the other end to essentially seal the game; the Phoenix added a couple additional free throws for the final margin.
As mentioned, it would be Resurrection's first-ever Junior Girls' CWOSSA championship (they did have a senior title back in the mid-90s).
For Rez, Krissia Vasquez led the way with 12 points and 4 rebounds, while Jama Bin-Edward notched a double-double consisting of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Meghan Sharp (8 points + 7 rebounds), Delina Romano (6 points + 2 rebounds), Buse Bin-Edward (3 points, alongside 10 rebounds and an impressive 8 assists) and Maddy Antwi (3 points + 3 rebounds) rounded out the RCSS scoring.
SJAM received 10 points and 5 rebounds from their leading scorer, Joanna Bamberger. Emily Domerchie had 8 points and 7 rebounds, while Kate Moran posted 6 points and 10 rebounds. Griffin Lack-Shane had a nice stat line, with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Phoenix finished the year undefeated against CWOSSA opposition, and 27-1 overall, including three tournament championships. Their only loss came against traditional girls' powerhouse, and probably the #1 Junior Team in the province, undefeated Sarnia Northern by single digits in tournament play.
It's safe to say that if there were a provincial "top ten" ranking of junior teams, it's quite likely that both Resurrection and SJAM would be there.
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