Article By: Michael-Allan MarionThe St. John’s College Green Eagles and the North Park Collegiate Trojans demonstrated what keen competition with no quarter asked and no quarter given means, as the Eagles finally prevailed 42-40 in double overtime to win the Brant County senior girls basketball championship on Thursday.
Wielding fog horns and other noisemakers in the host Assumption College gymnasium, a crowd of close to 100 was entertained by a closely fought game. The saw end-to-end rushing in which the lead changed hands several times in every quarter and through two four-minute overtime periods.
With that, the Eagles took the best of three championship series in two straight games.
The victory represented the 11th consecutive time the senior Eagles have won the championship.
Team members stood in succession on a ladder and cut one strand at a time of the net beneath the opposing team’s hoop to claim it as their own.
“It’s a proud moment. It’s the culmination of hard work and determination and of a good performance over the year,” St. John’s head coach Matt Lynch said as members of the team went through the net cutting ritual.
He admired how the team handled the pressure of a 100-year history of tasting victory.
“The girls buy into a system with expectation and they accepted them,” Lynch said.
“You can’t say enough that is good about North Park. They played hard over two nights,” he added.
Andrea Hawkins, head coach of the Trojans, was effusive in praise for both teams.
“It was an awesome game,” she said.
“It was one of the best games in high school basketball I’ve seen in a long time.”
Hawkins noted that both teams played defensive in the first half, then broke out in the second.
She was impressed how Kate Overeem for the Eagles and Brooke Cesar for the Trojans were leaders for their respective teams, rushing the ball down the court and setting up plays.
North Park was ahead 10-8 at the end of the first quarter with a three-pointer from Amber Legett, a three-pointer and basket from Noelle Adams, and a basket from Brooke Cesar.
St. John’s responded with baskets from Sadie Lemmon, Emily Dignan, Ashley Derks and two points on foul shots made good by Kate Overeem.
The second quarter was just as close with the Eagles claiming the lead 15-14 at the half. Brooke Cesar found the basket twice for North Park, while Lemmon, Bridget Kwasnik and Overeem kept St. John’s in the game, pecking at the competition’s ears.
The third quarter was even closer, ending with St. John’s in the lead 26-25.
Both teams upped the pressure in the fourth quarter, each team putting points on the board to finish the regular part of the game 35-35, throwing the game into overtime.
Overeem scored a basket early in the four-minute period, but Cesar tied the game with a shot at the last second to tie the game again at 37-37.
The crowd was on their feet through much of the second four-minute overtime period. After more jockeying brought the two sides to 40-40, Lemmon launched the ball for a championship-winning basket with only 16 seconds to go.
The senior Eagles won their 11th consecutive championship.
They advance to the CWOSSA finals next Friday and Saturday at Waterloo Collegiate Institute.
“I wish St. John’s the best of luck at CWOSSA. They’re playing for us,” she said.
“We’re going to be back next year doing the same thing.”
Retrieved From: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2016/11/11/sweet-victory-for-st-johns-college-green-eagles
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