This should be good.The three top "AAA" CWOSSA Junior teams -- Brantford Collegiate, Orangeville DSS, and the KCI Raiders -- have all qualified for CWOSSA this weekend.
All three were first-place finishers during the regular season in their respective leagues, with BCI & KCI also taking home playoff crowns (ODSS lost a 2-point heartbreaker to Bishop Mac in the D10 final).
The other three teams joining them -- and hoping to play the role of spoiler -- will be St. Benedict CSS, Owen Sound DSS, and Waterloo SJAM.
Friday's games will be played at SJAM, with the Saturday semifinals and finals going at Waterloo Collegiate.
Schedule Link: http://scorestop.com/cgi-bin/scores/sportCustom.cgi?divisionID=664&seasonID=88
Preview/Picks
With excellent guard capability, the BCI Mustangs look like slight favourites to capture their second consecutive title. Jordi Clark, Paige Bradshaw, and Lindsay Bannucchi all had strong outings against St. John's in the D5 title game, and will be looking to carry that over to the CWOSSA championship.
Orangeville DSS and the KCI Raiders are the other two teams that I project as championship contenders.
For ODSS, Lauren Foullong is a gifted player on both ends of the floor, but particularly on the offensive end. She has great range on her jumper, and also has great ability to create space to get off shots -- including a nice "step-back" off the dribble. Maggie Franz is their second option offensively, although the Bears have seen several players hit double-figures at various times during the season, including the D10 finals where Shannon Baggs had 12.
KCI rolled through the WCSSAA league and might be one of the sharper teams entering play on Friday, given that they just played their league championship on Tuesday. Grace Mickie, Natalie Armatage, Maggie McLean, and Mikaela White, are the main offensive scoring threats for the Raiders.
Owen Sound is an interesting "darkhorse", given that they defeated a WCSSAA semifinalist (Waterloo-Oxford) in the CWOSSA play-in game. Unfortunately for OSDSS, they're in a pool with the above two teams (ODSS/KCI) but, as we know, anything can happen in a one-game scenario.
The SJAM Highlanders, who played the Raiders tough during their regular season meeting, are hosting the tournament's pool games, which is certainly an advantage for them. The 'Landers will be in a pool with Brantford CI and the District 8's representative, St. Benedict. Key players to watch for those teams include Olivia Moreau, Claire Strong & Sarah Hardy (SJAM) as well as Trinity Lombardi and Angie Tran (SBCSS).
Projections
Pool A: Brantford CI 2-0; SJAM 1-1; St. Benedict 0-2
Pool B: Orangeville DSS 2-0; KCI 1-1; Owen Sound 0-2
Semifinals: Brantford CI over KCI; Orangeville over SJAM
Championship Final: Brantford CI over Orangeville
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