D10 Senior Final: Darling, Royals Extend Gaels Streak Another Year

Make it 46 years and counting.

The GCVI Gaels, seeking their school's first Senior Girls' D10 title since 1969, put forth a valiant effort last night at the University of Guelph, but came up short in a 42-34 JF Ross victory.

The win was JF Ross' first Senior title since 2007.

The Royals started hot from the outside, with Maddy Darling and Candice Geisel connecting on back-to-back three pointers midway through the opening frame, establishing a 6-point Ross lead.

The Gaels would battle back before the opening frame was out, led by outstanding guard Sydney Wilson.  She was able to drive and create contact, earning herself 8 free-throw opportunities in the opening quarter, which ended 13-12 for the Royals.

The second frame, however, belonged to Ross.  Maddy Darling did much of her first-half damage (15 points) in that quarter, as the Royals outscored GCVI 14-3 to take a 27-15 lead going into halftime.

A back-and-forth third quarter saw the Royals look like they were about to pull away before a late spurt by the Gaels kept them within striking distance (down 14) after three.

The Royals needed all of those points as their offense eluded them in the fourth quarter, but their defense stood tall.  In a quarter where they managed just two free throws, they were able to hold the Gaels to just 8 points and hang on for the win.

That's not to say that there weren't a few nervous moments down the stretch after a Jenna Falconer three-pointer cut Ross' lead to single digits (40-31) with three minutes to play.  GCVI then promptly ramped up the pressure and was able to get a couple of turnovers, but they couldn't find the range on the offensive end.

Although disappointed with the loss, the Gaels certainly put forth a huge effort and left it all on the floor --- diving after loose balls, crashing the offensive glass, and the like.  

GCVI's work on the offensive glass resulted in a whopping 62 shot attempts, 15 more than the Royals had.  Unfortunately for Gael fans, GCVI shot just 19% from the floor, making 3 less field goals for the game than Ross.

"We worked as hard as we could, I have no disappointment in the girls' effort. They left everything on the floor," GCVI coach Matt Blair told the Guelph Mercury.

For JF Ross in the win, Maddy Darling finished with a game-high 20 points, which included 3 three-pointers.  One of them, the right-handed shooter actually shot it left-handed.

Catie Terrey had a nice effort off the JFR bench, chipping in 7 points, while Ana Vuckovic had 6 points and 6 rebounds.  Also hitting the scoresheet for the Royals were Candice Geisel (3), Mya Leacock (2 points + 10 rebounds), Ali Darling (2), and Heather Anderson (2).

Sydney Wilson was strong in defeat for GCVI.  She stuffed her stat sheet, racking up 13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists alongside a handful of steals and at least 3 blocks (I didn't keep official stats on the latter two).

Forward Emina Bektic added another double-double, with 10 points and an impressive rebounding total of 15.  Also scoring for the Gaels were Jenna Falconer (6), Cassie Reynolds (2), and Cassidy Andrews (2).

Both teams will advance to the "AAA" CWOSSA championships this weekend in Waterloo.  JF Ross will play arguably the most intriguing first-round match-up on the draw, as they will battle Kitchener Resurrection.

GCVI's first-round opponent will be the winner of tonight's WCSSAA final between SJAM and Cameron Heights.

Boxscore
JFR   13-14-13-02 = 42
GC    12-03-11-08 = 34

JF Ross (42)
M. Leacock     0-8 FG, 2-6 FT, 10 Reb, 1 Ast - 2 Pts.
C. Geisel         1-5 FG, 0-0 FT, 5 Reb, 2 Ast - 3 Pts.
M. Darling     8-17 FG, 1-4 FT, 3 Reb, 2 Ast - 20 Pts.
A. Darling       1-5 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 2 Ast - 2 Pts.
A. Vuckovic    2-3 FG, 2-2 FT, 6 Reb, 1 Ast - 6 Pts.
--------
C. Terrey         3-8 FG, 1-2 FT, 2 Reb, 0 Ast - 7 Pts.
H. Anderson    0-1 FG, 2-2 FT, 3 Reb, 1 Ast - 2 Pts.
B. Nelson        0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
A. Bolzon        0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 4 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
A. Sukhdeo      0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  15-47 (.319).  Free-Throws:  8-16 (.500).  Three-Point Goals, 4-12 (.333):  M. Darling 3-6, C. Geisel 1-3, A. Darling 0-3.

Guelph CVI (34)
K. Kohlmeier    0-0 FG, 0-2 FT, 2 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
C. Reynolds      1-6 FG, 0-0 FT, 4 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
J. Falconer       2-17 FG, 1-4 FT, 2 Reb, 2 Ast - 6 Pts.
S. Wilson         3-21 FG, 7-11 FT, 11 Reb, 2 Ast - 13 Pts.
E. Bektic          5-9 FG, 0-0 FT, 15 Reb, 0 Ast - 10 Pts.
-----
C. Andrews       1-6 FG, 0-0 FT, 5 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
K. Drewry         0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
M. Lukic           0-1 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
A. Male             0-2 FG, 0-2 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  12-62 (.193).  Free-Throws:  8-19 (.421).  Three-Point Goals, 2-18 (.111):  S. Wilson 1-6, J. Falconer 1-8, A. Male 0-1, C. Reynolds 0-3.