D4: Playoffs Set To Go

Up in the "northwest" portion of CWOSSA, the D4 and BAA playoffs are set to roll.

The D4 playoffs tip-off today, with semifinal action in both the junior and senior leagues.

In junior, Wellington Heights (Mount Forest) enters as the prohibitive favourite after finishing with a perfect 8-0 record, well ahead of second place schools Orangeville Westside (5-3) and Centre Dufferin (5-3).

First round D4 junior games are as follows:

#1 Wellington Hts. (8-0) vs. #4 Norwell (2-6), 4:00pm
#2 Westside SS (5-3) vs. #3 Centre Dufferin (5-3), 3:45pm

Over on the senior side, Wellington Heights (7-1) and Centre Dufferin (7-1) are on a collision course to meet up in the championship final.

Wellington Heights has been awarded the #1 seed and will host Erin DHS (2-6) in one semifinal today, while the Royals will face #3 Norwell (3-5) in the other.

As far as CWOSSA qualification is concerned, teams in the D4 range between "A" (Emmanuel Christian) to "AAA" (Centre Dufferin & Westside).  Here's how things look:

"A" (Emmanuel Christian)
Last year's winning district (Jr. and Sr.) 2nd place team plays Emmanuel Christian for a CWOSSA berth.

"AA"
There is only one entry for "AA" teams in D4 this year.  In junior,WHSS, CDDHS and Norwell are "AA" schools.

From the senior circuit, all four schools are "AA".  As such, the playoff champion will be awarded the "AA" berth.

"AAA"
Westside juniors are the lone "AAA" school this year, as CDDHS is now an "AA" level school.  

Westside was originally to play BAA #1 for a berth; however, with no BAA "AAA" rep this year, they will now play WCSSAA #3 for a CWOSSA berth.

Mike Friesen (JF Ross) - Highlight Mix

Came across this the other day --- here's a nice look at a guy who I feel is one of the top CWOSSA prospects from the guard position in the class of 2013, JF Ross SG/SF Mike Friesen: 

D8: Monday Picks

YTD:  14-8 (.636)

Last day of the regular season but not too much in the way of "last day drama" in today's D8 games; the senior playoff match-ups have already been determined (RCSS vs. SBCSS; SMHS vs. WCHS) while over in junior, it's "pretty much official" as Resurrection (12-1) only needs to defeat Rockway (0-13) to officially sew up first place.

Should the unthinkable happen (which I don't think it will) and Rockway pull that monumental upset, St. Benedict could take over first place with a win over St. David.

Assuming RCSS gets that win today, they'll take on St. Mary's in one junior semifinal while St. Benedict and St. David will play again on Wednesday in the other.

Resurrection (9-0) at Rockway (1-8)
My Pick:  RCSS by 32
The Phoenix should complete their undefeated season today at the expense of the Rockway Flames.

Woodland (5-4) at Mons. Doyle (1-8)
My Pick:  WCHS by 22
Woodland will prepare for their semifinal at St. Mary's on Wednesday by taking care of the MDCSS Mustangs here.

Final CWOSSABasketball.com Senior Power Rankings

Like the junior rankings, there was a "wire to wire" #1 on the senior side as well as the WCI Vikings finish the regular season on top of the CWOSSABasketball.com power rankings.

Here's a look at the final rankings:

(1) Waterloo CI Vikings / Waterloo
Last Week:  #1
As mentioned above, wire-to-wire #1 team.  I don't see them losing anytime before CWOSSA, and even then the odds would still be in their favour.

(2) St. John's College Green Eagles / Brantford
Last Week:  #2
Had a bit of a scare in their semifinal as Brantford CI had them tied at halftime before the stronger Eagles powered to victory in the second half.  BCSSAA finals against Assumption are for the city crown as well as an "AAAA" berth.

(3) Assumption CS Lions / Brantford
Last Week:  #3The Lions fought from behind yesterday to take down a tough NPC squad in the BCSSAA semifinals.  See SJC above for the importance of the upcoming BCSSAA finals.

(4) Jacob Hespeler SS Hawks / Cambridge (AAA)
Last Week:  #4
The Hawks will enter the WCSSAA playoffs next week as the #2 seed in WCSSAA, and they've been playing very well as of late.

(5) Bishop Macdonell HS Celtics / Guelph (AA)
Last Week:  #5
The Celts completed a perfect D10 season, and I don't see many issues for them prior to the D10 finals, which could/should be a close one.  That said, there's a reason as to why these games are on the schedule.

(6) Waterloo-Oxford DSS Crusaders / Baden
Last Week:  #6
The Crusaders, despite a depleted lineup, trounced SJAM in their season finale.  They'll take on Southwood next week in a quarterfinal match-up.

(7) North Park CVS Trojans / Brantford (AAA)
Last Week:  #8
Had Assumption on the ropes yesterday and should be a tough out at "AAA" CWOSSA.

(8) Cameron Heights CI Golden Gaels / Kitchener
Last Week:  #10 (Tie)
The Gaels are up and down these rankings like a yo-yo; this week, they're back up after a key win over Bluevale, which earned them a first-round playoff bye.

(9) Bluevale CI Knights / Waterloo
Last Week:  #7
Bluevale dominated SJAM in their qualifying game, and now has an opportunity for revenge as they travel to CHCI next Tuesaday.

(10) Our Lady of Lourdes CHS Crusaders / Guelph (AA)
Last Week:  #10
Rebounded from a narrow win over St. James at home to give Bishop Mac a good run for their money in yesterday's regular season finale.  

Honourable Mentions
Southwood SS / Cambridge
Resurrection CSS / Kitchener
St. James CHS / Guelph

Final CWOSSABasketball.com Junior Power Rankings

This will be the final installment of the weekly "Power Rankings", as all leagues will now head to playoff action if they haven't already.

Here's how things shape up after this week's games:

(1) Grand River CI Renegades / Kitchener
Last Week:  #1
The Rens went wire-to-wire at the top of the rankings, and are a strong favourite at this point for the WCSSAA and, possibly CWOSSA championships.  According to my records, Grand River has only won junior CWOSSA once in school history (1998).

(2) North Park CVS Trojans / Brantford (AAA)
Last Week:  #2
The Trojans will be the "team to beat" in my books at AAA CWOSSA; before that, though, there's some BCSSAA business to take care of as the Trojans will battle St. John's for the league crown in a series that starts next week.

(3) St. John's College Green Eagles / Brantford
Last Week:  #3
The Eagles became the first official qualifier for AAAA CWOSSA yesterday with their semifinal win over rival Assumption.

(4) Waterloo CI Vikings / Waterloo
Last Week:  #4
The Vikes have had a long layoff, last having had a league game back on October 25th.  We'll see if they're rusty next week in their quarterfinal game against Jacob Hespeler. 

(5) Guelph CVI Gaels / Guelph (AAA)
Last Week:  #5
GCVI will enter a competitive D10 playoffs as the #1 seed, but it's far from "clear cut".  They'll be keeping their eye on #3 St. James, as only one of them will advance through to "AAA" CWOSSA.

(6) Kitchener CI Raiders / Kitchener (AAA)
Last Week:  #8
The Raiders, the #3 WCSSAA team, move up as a result of a strong week that included a win over Elmira.  They can officially lock down their "AAA" berth with a win next Tuesday against Bluevale.

(7) Bishop Macdonell HS Celtics / Guelph (AA)
Last Week:  #7
The Celts closed out their season with a couple of comfortable wins over teams near the bottom of the D10 standings; they are virtually a lock to win "AA" CWOSSA --- the bigger question at this point seems to be how they will do in the D10 playoffs.

(8) Elmira DSS Lancers / Elmira (AAA)
Last Week:  #6
Lost to KCI, but still retained a first round bye in WCSSAA.  An "all-AAA" game next Tuesday against Jacob Hespeler (WCSSAA quarterfinal) will provide them with a CWOSSA berth if they can pull out the win.

(9) Resurrection CSS Phoenix / Kitchener
Last Week:  #9
The Phoenix will enter the D8 playoffs as the #1 seed; however, they split their season series with the #2 seed, St. Benedict.

(10) Assumption CS Lions / Brantford
Last Week:  #10
Unfortunately for the Lions, their season is done after a semifinal loss to St. John's in the always-competitive Brantford league.

Honourable Mentions
St. Benedict CSS / Cambridge
St. James CHS / Guelph
SJAM / Waterloo
Bluevale / Waterloo 

WCSSAA Senior: Rens Knock Out Raiders on Road

It certainly appeared as though Kailey DeBoer wasn't going to be satisfied with her last WCSSAA game being played on Thursday at KCI.

Grand River's star G/F was fantastic on both ends of the floor, pouring in 22 points to help the #9-seeded Renegades knock off the #8 Raiders by a 42-30 final.

Both teams showed some nerves early, with the Rens assuming a 6-5 lead after the opening frame.  However, in the second quarter, Grand River established their press and several KCI turnovers allowed Grand River to go on a 7-0 run to start the second frame.  

They would outscore KCI 17-5 in the decisive second quarter, and would hold on to their halftime margin (22-10) in the second half.

Leticia Skeete added 6 for GRCI, while Olivia Nelles paced the Raiders with 12.  Nikaya Snell added 8 more for KCI.

Grand River will now face the unenviable task of trying to defeat the CWOSSA #1 team, the WCI Vikings, next Tuesday in Waterloo.

Here's the rest of Tuesday's results:

Bluevale 58, SJAM 18
My Pick:  BCI by 25
The #5 Knights advanced with little difficulty, thanks to 13 each from Kailee Sawyer and Natalie Bishop.  Sam Fowler had 6 for SJAM.

Southwood 39, Preston 37
My Pick:  SSS by 10
I noted in my picks column yesterday that "I think it'll be a relatively close one over in West Galt".  Talk about an understatement as the Sabres barely survived the Panther attack.  Nicole Barnard had a game-high 18 to help Southwood out, while Taylor White was also in double-figures with 10.  Ashley White (17) and Taylor Devries (10) topped the PHS scoring.

Elmira 41, Forest Hts. 30
My Pick:  EDSS by 6
The Lancers got some revenge for their early season loss to FHCI by advancing to the QFs on Thursday.  Julia Frey was the lone Lancer in double figures, with 11, while Krista Wiens added 8.  Blair McNaughton had a game-high 22 for the Trojans.

Senior Quarterfinals:  Tuesday
(1) WCI vs. (9) Grand River
(2) Jacob Hespeler vs. (7) Elmira
(3) Waterloo-Oxford vs. (6) Southwood
(4) Cameron Hts. vs (5) Bluevale

AAAA Teams Remaining:  WCI, WODSS, Cameron Hts., Bluevale, Grand River.

AAA Teams Remaining:  Jacob Hespeler, Southwood, Elmira

(Note:  The Top 2 AAA & AAAA teams will advance to CWOSSA, while the 3rd place AAA & AAAA teams will play a CWOSSA qualifying game)

WCSSAA Junior: Gaels Squeak QF Win Over Trojans

The 8/9 game between the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels (#8 seed) and Forest Heights Trojans (#9) certainly lived up to its anticipated billing yesterday.

The Gaels snuck out a 37-35 victory on their home floor, advancing them to next Tuesday's WCSSAA quarterfinal round.

Their reward?  A date with the CWOSSA #1-ranked and undefeated Grand River CI Renegades.

Nina Farkic put home 17 points in yesterday's win for CHCI, while Salome Mekasha added 9.   Sona Khalifth knocked in a game-high 20 for the Trojans.

Here are the other three results from yesterday:

SJAM 33, Huron Heights 9
The #5 Highlanders had no trouble with the Huskies here, as they rolled to an easy win.  Milica Koprivica had 11 and Taylor Trush 10 for SJAM, while Kiana Chin had all 9 for Huron.

Bluevale 41, WODSS 25
The #6 Knights had 13 from Megan Reid, 8 from Sarah Bishop and 8 more by Maddy Fielding as they knocked out last year's defending champs.  Hannah Appleton had 9 and Rylee Mitchell-Becker 7 for WODSS.

Jacob Hespeler 39, Galt 26
The win ensures that, at worst, the #7 Hawks will have an opportunity to make CWOSSA through a play-in game (WCSSAA #3 will play Orangeville Westside).  Jasmine Ramcharan (12) and Shianne Riggan (10) were both in double digits for JHSS, while Erin Wilson had 6 and Amy Cureton 4 for the Ghosts.

Next Tuesday:  Quarterfinals
(1) Grand River vs. (8) Cameron Hts.
(2) WCI vs. (7) Jacob Hespeler
(3) KCI vs. (6) Bluevale
(4) Elmira vs. (5) SJAM

AAAA Teams Remaining:  GRCI, WCI, SJAM, BCI, CHCI

AAA Teams Remaining:  KCI, EDSS, JHSS

D10: Quarterfinal Playoff Matchups

Senior

#1 Bishop Mac (12-0) vs. #8 Orangeville (2-12)
Regular Season:  BMAC 2-0 (57-21, 48-23)

#2 Lourdes (11-3) vs. #7 Centennial (2-12)
Regular Season:  OLOL 2-0 (42-19, 52-35)

#3 St. James (9-5) vs. #6 Guelph CVI (3-11)
Regular Season:  STJ 2-0 (53-39, 50-48)

#4 JF Ross (9-5) vs. #5 Centre Wellington (6-8)
Regular Season:  JFR 2-0 (53-46, 39-34)

First Round Notes:

• Winner of #3 STJ vs. #6 GCVI will also get D10's "AAA" CWOSSA berth.
• Winner of #4 JFR vs. #5 CWDHS will get an "AAAA" CWOSSA berth IF #2 Lourdes beats #7 Guelph Centennial
• If #2 Lourdes beats #7 Guelph Centennial, the loser of JFR-CWDHS will play-off against WCSSAA #3 for a CWOSSA berth.

Junior

#1 Guelph CVI (12-2) vs. #8 Orangeville (0-14)
Regular Season:  GCVI 2-0 (43-13, 47-19)

#2 Bishop Mac (11-3) vs. #7 CWDHS (3-11)
Regular Season:  BMAC 2-0 (46-11, 29-12)

#3 St. James (11-3) vs. #6 Lourdes (4-10)
Regular Season:  Tied 1-1 (OLOL 36-32, STJ 38-20)

#4 Centennial (8-6) vs. #5 JF Ross (7-7)
Regular Season:  Tied 1-1 (CCVI 46-37, JFR 39-26)

First Round Notes:

• Winner of #4 CCVI / #5 JFR will get an "AAAA" CWOSSA berth if #2 BMAC beats #7 CWDHS.
• If #2 Bishop Mac beats #7 CWDHS, the loser of JFR - CCVI will play-off against WCSSAA #3 for a CWOSSA berth.

Guelph Mercury: Hoops Celtics Finish Regular Season Undefeated

Article By:  Rob Massey

GUELPH – The Bishop Macdonell Celtics wrapped up an undefeated District 10 high schools senior girls’ basketball league undefeated regular season by rallying in the fourth quarter for a 44-37 victory over the Lourdes Crusaders Thursday.

“We got upset last year and the year before that, so I feel like we all just wanted to finish undefeated,” Bishop Mac forward Andrea Priamo said. “That was the most important thing, I guess, but it just feels good to finish in first.”

“I don’t necessarily think it was that important for us to finish unbeaten,” Bishop Mac coach Karen Bremner said. “It’s a nice little thing to add to our hat, but for us to be able to play in a close game like that was a very good gut check for us. We had not played in very many close games like that and the ones we have (at tournaments), we’ve lost. It was nice for us to have some success in a close one.”

The Celtics were ousted in the semifinals each of the last two years. They had finished 12-2 last year and 13-1 in 2010.

Thursday, Lourdes led 9-3 at the end of the first quarter, 20-16 at halftime and 31-29 after the third quarter.

“We have had some tough games against Lourdes,” Priamo said. “They’re a really good, competitive team.”

For the Celtics, their 44-point performance was the lowest in league play this season.

“I don’t think it had so much to do with what we didn’t do as what Lourdes did do,” Bremner said. “They’re a solid basketball team.

They’re very, very athletic and it’s not surprising that it is competitive between the two of us.”

Andrea Priamo led Bishop Mac with 14 points while Sandra Clark had 11. Rebecca Morris added five with Mackenzie Bernhardt and Jess Morris getting four apiece and Sabrina Cazzola, Anna de Lange and Kaitlyn Phillips two each.

Madison Vettoretto and Monica Trimble each had seven points for Lourdes while Hannah Pearsall netted six, Cecilia Hudecki five and Charlotte Case, Erika Beaver and Victoria Brombal four each.

The game was meaningless as far as the standings were concerned as the teams had already clinched the top two positions, Bishop Mac in first and Lourdes second. The Celtics finish at 14-0 while the Crusaders end at 11-3.

The playoffs start with the quarter-finals Tuesday. The semifinals are set for Thursday and the final for next Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Mitchell Athletics Centre.

“We play best as a team, when we’re not trying to do it all ourselves,” Priamo said. “We’ve been getting better and better at that and that’s our main goal.”

Bremner said the Celtics are going to take next week’s playoffs one day at a time.

“It’s like little mini seasons and that’s how we’re going to treat it,” she said. “(We’ll be) making sure that we’re healthy. We’ve got a couple people who are banged up and have some injuries, so we’ll be making sure we have that under control and just have a solid week at practice.”

Centre Wellington 36 Centennial 35
Hailey Salvian led Centre Wellington with 10 points while Kristen Gora followed with nine. Hannah Ferguson had a game-high 14 for Centennial while Kendra Achonwa collected nine.

St. James 73 Ross 53
Chelsey Gazzola hit for 22 points for St. James while Nastassja Herriot chipped in with 18 and Ashley Benham had 13. Teddi Taran struck for 17 for Ross and was followed by Sydney Resch with 11 and Alanna Vosper with eight.

Orangeville 50 Guelph CVI 42
Claire Fenton collected a game high 27 points for Orangeville while Rachel Adams added 10. The Strongmans, Katie and Cally, each had 14 for GCVI.

D10 Jr. Girls Basketball

Centennial 41 Centre Wellington 15
Emma Cain connected for 11 points for Centennial while Emma Korol had 10 and Sarah Mason and Halle Milne had six apiece. Kayla Teeter led Centre Wellington with seven while Rachel O’Brien and Gabby Teri each had three.

St. James 41 Ross 37
Natassja Herriot sparked St. James with 11 points while Meghan Santi had nine and Kelsey Widdrington five. Ross received 13 points from Maddie Darling and six apiece from Emily-Kate Gray and Candice Geisel.

Guelph CVI 47 Orangeville 19
Sydney Wilson hit for 12 points for GCVI while eight went to Ijeoma Staunton, seven to Erica Stone and six to Roshni Patel. Maggie Scaife had six for Orangeville while Jasmin Krofchick added four.

Bishop Macdonell 30 Lourdes 15
Hannah Kendall gathered eight points for Bishop Mac while Mikayla Tassone, Rachael DiGravio and Danielle Driscoll each had four. Elizabeth Endicott connected for 10 for Lourdes while Elise Roche had four.

Retrieved From:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports/highschool/article/829286--hoops-celtics-finish-regular-season-undefeated

Brantford Expositor: Lions Roar Back in Semifinal

Article By:  Darryl G. Smart

Abby Heron's face said it all.

With two black eyes and a broken nose from a weekend tournament, the Assumption College player kept battling Thursday night against the North Park Collegiate Trojans until she and her teammates finally punched their ticket to the Brant County senior girls basketball final.

But to do it, Heron scored 12 points and Jerika Baldin added 11 in a 42-37 come-from-behind victory at home to set up a rematch of last season's final with the St. John's College Green Eagles.

“It's a pretty big relief,” Heron said. “This was a nervous one. I think they (NPC) came out wanting it, but in the end, especially in the second half, we wanted it more.”

With the Trojans playing the perfect road game, with tough defence and scoring when they had their opportunities, they led by a pair after one quarter and increased the lead to 18-12 at the half.

“We expected them wanting the ball and wanting to win and I think some of our players thought this might be an easy one,” Heron said. “At the half, the coaches said we were giving away too many second chances. In the second half we played like we could. We really brought our 'A' game.”

Pecking away at the lead, the Lions got their first lead of the game thanks to an Emily Gill drive to the hoop that gave them a 22-20 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

After exchanging the lead, the Lions were down 29-25 after three quarters. That's when the veterans stepped up and shut the door on the Trojans in the last five minutes of the game.

“We communicated more and stopped giving them easy baskets like we were,” Heron said. “They were playing good but we were giving them way too much.”

And as one of the veterans, Heron said the key to coming back was simple.

“We were trying to calm them down by saying 'let's just play our game,'” Heron said. “We've been here before and know what to expect. We just had to play our game and not worry about what they're doing."

With the win and the Green Eagles' 36-25 victory over the Brantford Collegiate Mustangs in the other semifinal, it sets up for the rubber match between the two top teams in the league this season.

“I want to win it this year,” Heron said. “I'm excited to play them. We've each won a game this year and in the last game last year they beat us by one. Hopefully it's our turn to win.”

ACS 42, NPC 37. 
ACS: Abby Heron 12, Jerika Baldin 11, Alex VanDyk 6, Emily Gill 6, Rikayla Baldin 5, Nicole Shea 2.
NPC: Abbey Sayles 16, Jessica Grant 12, Allyson DeLorenzi 8, Natasha Linnington 2.

Retrieved From:   http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2012/11/01/lions-roar-back-in-semifinal

Brantford Expositor: Green Eagles Back to The Show

Article By:  Darryl G. Smart

Leah Coon and her St. John's College Green Eagles teammates have been in the strange position of being the hunter opposed to always being the hunted all season.

With a 33-22 victory over the Assumption College Lions Thursday in their Brant County junior girls basketball semifinal, they're one step closer to catching the team that they've been chasing all season long.

“It's a different feeling than last year, but I think losing has given us a different outlook on things,” the Eagles' Leah Coon said. We've had to fight for it this year, and I think that's the best thing that's happened to us.

“We're a lot different because we're the team trying to catch someone,” she said. “We have a lot more energy. We get a little flustered sometimes but I think we'll do well.”

Coon said it was important to have a strong semifinal game. “We know we've beaten them before but we knew we had to go out and play our game and that's it,” Coon said. “We didn't want to worry about what they were doing or worry about playing in the final against North Park. We just had to play our game.”

While the Green Eagles have put together a strong 8-2 record, they've played second fiddle to the front running and undefeated North Park Collegiate Trojans.

In the other semifinal at NPC, the Trojans did their part to make the final the one Coon and her teammates hoped for thanks to a 39-15 win over the Paris Panthers.

“It's going to take a lot of hard work,” Coon said. “They have an amazing starting line. Hopefully we can tire them out through our hard work.

“We know we can beat them because it was that close (the last time they played) and know it's within our reach. We just need to go out and play hard.”

Results
SJC 33, ACS 22. 
SJC: Lauren deMonorency 10, Alex Girardi 6, Jen Garner 4, Nicole Harrison 4, Rebecca Mackinnon 3, Zoie Porteous 2, Leah Coon 2, Sam Dupont 2.
ACS: Atlanta Crosy 6, Chelsey Murray 6, Tatum Osborne 4, Tanisha Osborne 2, Mayahla Markell 2, Jordyn Beda 1, Julia Taylor 1.

NPC 39, Paris 15. 
NPC: Gabrielle Marton 19, Halle Sitarski 10.
Paris: Alicia Kipp 4, Courtney Boehmer 4.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2012/11/01/green-eagles-back-to-the-show

WCSSAA: Junior Qualifying Round Picks

As a bonus, here are my junior picks for today.  Based upon the regular-season games, we should see some close ones here today --- and possibly an upset or two.

Of note, the JHSS/Galt game is a big one as the winner (with both schools being AAA) will automatically become one of the "top 3" WCSSAA "AAA" schools ---- and, at worst, play-off against Orangeville Westside for a CWOSSA berth.

(12) Huron Heights at (5) SJAM
Regular Season:  SJAM 28, HHHS 12
My Pick:  SJAM by 23
 
(11) Waterloo-Oxford at (6) Bluevale
Regular Season:  BCI 32, WODSS 27
My Pick:  BCI by 13

(10) Galt at (7) Jacob Hespeler
Regular Season:  JHSS 41, GCI 38
My Pick:  JHSS by 6

(9) Forest Heights at (8) Cameron Heights
Regular Season:  CHCI 34, FHCI 31
My Pick:  CHCI by 5

WCSSAA: Senior Qualifying Round Previews & Picks

Final Regular Season Record:  86-10 (.896)
Playoffs YTD: 0-0

Losses by the Bluevale Knights and Galt Ghosts on Tuesday pushed me below the 90% mark for the season on WCSSAA picks.....time to get back on track with today's games, which are all 3:30pm starts:

(12) SJAM at (5) Bluevale
Regular Season:  BCI 46, SJAM 24
My Pick:  BCI by 25
The SJAM Highlanders were able to back-door their way into the playoffs after one-win Huron Heights took out Galt CI on the road on Tuesday.  Congrats to the Highlanders for getting back into the playoffs after being on the outside last year, but it looks to be a short-lived trip as they head to Bluevale as a decisive underdog.

On paper, the Knights appear too deep --- particularly at the guard positions where Natalie Bishop and Sarah Hamm formulate one of the best back-courts in the league.  The Knights mustn't overlook the Highlanders, of course, as SJAM is seeking to become the first #12 seed to upset a #5 in WCSSAA qualifying history.

(11) Preston at (6) Southwood
Regular Season:  SSS 43, PHS 30
My Pick:  SSS by 10
As Yogi Berra said, "it's déja vu all over again".  These two teams met in their regular season finale on Tuesday, and are back at it again here.

Preston has been inconsistent at best en route to a 4-8 final record, but they do have the ever-dangerous Ashley White on their roster --- and she can go off for 20+ on almost any given night.  Obviously, the Sabres will have to keep a keen eye on her while using the advantage they have with their front line (Nicole Barnard, Taylor White, Cali Doran).  I think it'll be a relatively close one over in West Galt.

(10) Forest Heights at (7) Elmira
Regular Season:  FHCI 48, EDSS 35
My Pick:  EDSS by 6
These teams met way back on September 25th, and it was actually the Trojans that came away with the home win in that one.  At that point, the Trojans were 3-0 and the Lancers 0-3 --- so since that time, the Lancers are 7-2 while the Trojans are 2-7.  

To be fair to Elmira, they started the season against two of the top teams in the league, WODSS and WCI.  They're now clicking on all cylinders, as evidenced by an upset win over top-4 team CHCI and a strong performance in the league finale vs. KCI.  I'm going to stick with the hot hand here and take the Lancers to win.

(9) Grand River at (8) KCI
Regular Season:  KCI 32, GRCI 28
My Pick:  GRCI by 3
Can't pick all favourites, can I?  This game presents a unique match-up, as the Raiders love to slow things down while the Renegades excel in a faster-paced game.  KCI would love this game in the 30s, while I'm sure the Rens wouldn't mind it being in the 50s.

For Grand River to win, they'll need a key offensive piece to step up alongside Kailey DeBoer --- Leticia Skeete is the likeliest candidate.  On KCI's side, they'll have to get Grand River to play their game and slow down and execute their half-court sets.  I'll go with the Rens by a DeBoer three-ball in a thriller.

D10: Thursday Picks

YTD:  42-7 (.857)

The D10 senior schedule wraps up today with a full slate of games.  Most of the final positioning has already been determined, but there is one possible exception, so I'll start with that one:

St. James (8-5) at JF Ross (9-4)
My Pick:  JFR by 5
The St. James Lions can overtake the Ross Royals for 3rd with an 11+ point win.  I'll still go with the Royals, as I expect a big effort after their upset loss to CCVI the other day.

Lourdes (11-2) at Bishop Mac (13-0)
My Pick:  BMAC by 12
The game won't mean anything to either team as far as final positioning is concerned; however, I think Bishop Mac would like to pick up the "W" to finish with a perfect regular season.  Celts to win.

Orangeville (1-12) at Guelph CVI (3-10)
My Pick:  GCVI by 9
Both teams are locked into their playoff spots (CCVI's win over Ross on Tuesday means that ODSS can't move up).  I'll go with the homecourt Gaels here.

CWDHS (5-8) at Centennial (2-11)
My Pick:  CWDHS by 7
I'll go with the Falcons to have the momentum of a winning streak heading into the playoffs.  

D8 Wednesday: Playoff Picture Set

There's one day of games remaining in the D8 regular season (next Monday) but it won't mean too much as yesterday helped to confirm the semifinal playoff games that will take place on Wednesday of next week.

Over in senior, the Resurrection Phoenix overcame a halftime deficit and some tough defense against leading scorer Sarah Schulz (some triple and even quadruple teams!) to pull out a 34-26 win.  Marley Neiscier led the Phoenix with 15, while Schulz added 12.  Sydney Greulich had 7 and Laura Kay 5 for St. Mary's.

Meanwhile, the Woodland Cavaliers locked down 3rd place with a 2-point thriller over St. Benedict (40-38) --- even though they could not stop SBCSS forward Hilary Ferguson, who went off for 30 points on the afternoon.  Kirstin Hofstee (14) and Rebekah Oosterhof (12) were the top WCHS scorers.

On the junior side, Resurrection will be the #1 seed in D8 (assuming the likely scenario of them defeating 0-13 Rockway in their finale) after getting past St. Mary's 42-18.  The same two teams will meet next Wednesday in one of the two semifinals.

Celia McGlynn led Rez with 16, while St. Mary's was keyed by 8 from Brittany Gulic and 4 by Sara Jankovic.

St. Benedict will finish 2nd after their 48-24 "double-up" of Woodland.  Afifa Salaad had 17 and Kayla Leusink 13 for the Saints, while Julianna Thomson had 14 for the Cavs.

Yassy Smith poured in a game-high 26 as the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs defeated PRDG 58-23.  Victoria Borosso added 12 for MDCSS, and Kristine Boileau led PRDG with 13.

The other game saw St. David rout Rockway 51-13.  Heather Sandall had 14 for the Celtics, while Lindsay Mustard led Rockway with 7.

D8 Senior Standings
1.  Resurrection 9-0**
2.  St. Mary's 8-2**
3.  Woodland 5-4*
4.  St. Benedict 4-6*
-----
T5.  Rockway 1-8
T5.  Mons. Doyle 1-8

Semifinals Next Wednesday:
(4) St. Benedict at (1) Resurrection
(3) Woodland at (2) St. Mary's

D8 Junior Standings
T1.  Resurrection 12-1
T1.  St. Benedict 12-1
3.  St. David 10-3
4.  St. Mary's 7-6
----
5.  Mons. Doyle 5-8
6.  Woodland 4-9
7.  PRDG 2-11
8.  Rockway 0-13

Projected Semifinals Next Wednesday:
(4) St. Mary's at (1) Resurrection
(3) St. David at (2) St. Benedict

* - Resurrection officially clinches 1st with a win Monday vs. 0-13 Rockway, or a St. Benedict loss to St. David.