"AAA" Senior CWOSSA: Why Each Team Has A Chance To Win

For the final CWOSSA preview, I'll change things up a bit.  

If there's one thing that we've seen in CWOSSA Senior Girls' basketball this year, it's that parity has reigned supreme.  

Two of the four "power conferences" (WCSSAA & D10) didn't have an undefeated team, while the St. John's Green Eagles came out of a very deep D5 league having to endure some close victories -- including an OT win in the second game of the championship final against North Park.

For those reasons, and several others, I've come up with reasoning as to why each team can advance to the CWOSSA final this weekend.  Here goes:

St. John's Green Eagles
Why They Can Make The Final:  Experience.

The Green Eagles have tremendous coaching, veteran players that have played in big games before (including last year's OFSAA Gold Medal game), as well as experience in another area -- close games.

SJC played in the deepest league in CWOSSA this season, and had to battle through tough games day in, and day out.  This should serve them well this weekend.

Keep an eye on guard Kaitlyn Overeem, who will be one of the best players in the tournament.

Resurrection Phoenix
Whey They Can Make The Final:  Balance & Guard Play

Guard play is always a key in high school basketball, and the Phoenix have that in spades -- scrappy PG Krissia Vasquez and SG Meghan Sharpe lead the way, while you can also classify grade 10 G/F Sydney Guker-Wickie as a backcourt player.  All three are quite possibly CIS talents.

The Phoenix don't overly rely on one player for their offense, as they've received contributions from all members of the starting five at various points this season.  It could be a key factor in helping them through the weekend.

WCI Vikings
Why They Can Make The Final:  Homecourt Advantage

Sure, the Vikings are a bit of an underdog entering play this weekend, but they do have one thing going for them that no other team in the tournament will have --- all games will be played on their home floor.

Of course, one thing will be making sure that the students stick around for their first game, which doesn't tip off until 3pm on Friday.

Adri Kellerman, Victoria Giguere, and Ramla Abdalla are a trio of Vikes to keep your eye on.

Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders
Why They Can Make The Final:  Confidence

Confidence should be at an all-time high for the Baden Bunch, who have picked up steam through the playoffs.  Their playoff run included a 28-point semifinal win over WCI, as well as a 49-33 win over Jacob Hespeler in the WCSSAA final -- two of the six teams that will be competing this weekend.

The 'Saders have also stacked up fairly well against the top two-ranked teams in the tournament, losing to St. John's by single-digits and being tied with Resurrection into the 3rd quarter before the Phoenix went on a scoring run and won.

Grade 12 G/F Emily Glendinning leads the charge for WODSS, although Mackeely Shantz has been shouldering the scoring load in their playoff run.  Shantz averaged 17.6 PPG through WO's playoff run.

Rachael Beitz and Madeline Woolvett are also key to the W-O attack.

Jacob Hespeler Hawks
Why They Can Make The Final:  The Draw

Sure, the Jacob Hespeler Hawks have the unenviable position of being in a pool with two teams that have been at the top of CWOSSA throughout the season -- St. John's and Resurrection.

That said, if there's a silver-lining, just one JHSS upset in pool play could let them end up with a semifinal game against (probably) Waterloo-Oxford or WCI, two teams that they've seen throughout their season and know that they can beat.

Charlotte Clifford, Sonja Matthews, Carlie Riggan and Maddy Adams have been the Hawks' big performers of late.

Guelph CVI Gaels
Why They Can Make The Final:  The Darkhorse/Being Overlooked

The Gaels are certainly the "darkhorse" of the tournament, entering with a 7-5 final record in D10 play.

Despite that mark, the Gaels certainly have the capability to compete, as referenced by a 38-35 league win over the eventual D10 champions, Lourdes.

For Gael fans, I'll use the "flip side of the coin" argument as JHSS above.  GCVI benefits from not being in the same pool as St. John's and Resurrection, which increases their chances at making the semifinal --- where, in a one-game scenario, anything can happen.

Emina Bektic, Kristen Kohlmeier, and Abbey MacIntyre are among their key contributors.

Projections
I'm certainly curious to see how St. John's and Resurrection stack up in their rematch, which is the first game on the docket at 9am.  Both teams were missing a couple of key components last time around (a game which Rez won).

Pool A:  St. John's 2-0, Resurrection 1-1, Jacob Hespeler 0-2
Pool B:  WODSS 2-0, WCI 1-1, Guelph CVI 0-2

Semifinals:  Resurrection over WODSS; St. John's over WCI

Championship Final:  St. John's 47, Resurrection 42