D10: Senior Crusaders Knock off Spartans; Gaels Get Past Royals

Wasn't quite my day on the D10 picks side.

I had anticipated a couple of close games between GCVI/JF Ross and Centennial/Lourdes.  Both of those ended up being double-digit wins for the home teams --- the Gaels and Crusaders respectively.

Here's the recaps:

Guelph CVI 42, JF Ross 29
My Pick:  GCVI by 3
Ijeoma Staunton (8) and Cally Strongman (7) paced a balanced Gael attack to a key win at home over the Royals.  Maddy Darling notched 7 for JFR.

St. James 60, Orangeville 9
My Pick:  STJ by 32
The Lions had no trouble scoring the ball on Thursday as they rolled the winless Bears.  Nastassja Herriot (14) and Donna Zen (13) led the way while Shannon Dunford was tops for Orangeville with 4.

Lourdes 46, Centennial 34
My Pick:  CCVI by 5
Took a shot with the Spartans, but it was the Crusaders coming through impressively on Thursday.  Monica Trimble (15) and Alana Toms (9) were the high Lourdes scorers, while Emma Cain led Centennial with 12.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  St. James 6-0
2.  Lourdes 5-1
3.  Bishop Mac 4-1
4.  Centennial 4-2
5.  GCVI 2-4
6.  CWDHS 1-4
7.  JF Ross 1-5
8.  Orangeville 0-6

D10 Junior

JF Ross 56, Guelph CVI 28
Mila Leacock had 15 and Ali Darling 13 for the Royals who doubled up the Gaels on Thursday.  Abbey MacIntyre had 10 for GCVI.

St. James 52, Orangeville 27
Stephanie Giovinazzo poured in 20 while Catie Terry added 12 more for the Lions in their win over ODSS.  Madison Loder had a nice game for ODSS in a losing effort, with 12.

Lourdes 46, Centennial 16
Rainey Psenicka (17) and Hannah McIntosh (11) keyed Lourdes' strong performance on Thursday as they moved to 5-1 at the expense of CCVI.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 5-0
T2.  Lourdes 5-1
T2.  JF Ross 5-1
4.  GCVI 3-3
T5.  Centennial 2-4
T5.  St. James 2-4
7.  Orangeville 1-5
8.  CWDHS 0-6

WCSSAA Senior: Hawks Shock Knights With Late Bucket

After trailing for most of the game, including by 5 (44-39) after three quarters, the Jacob Hespeler Hawks saved their best for last by coming back in the waning seconds and stunning Bluevale 51-48 on a late basket by PG Jasmine Ramcharan.

Both teams now have one loss, though Hespeler vaults ahead of Bluevale in the standings based upon overall record (5-1 vs. 4-1).

Sisters were on the scoresheet in full force on Thursday as Courtney (19) and Candice (14) Wright led the way for JHSS on Thursday, while Sarah Hamm (16) and Rachael Hamm (9) topped the Bluevale attack.

Meanwhile, KCI survived a near upset at the hands of Huron Heights, winning by the slimmest of margins, 42-41.

Four Huron Heights players accounted for all 41 points, all of them in double figures.  Of those, Katrina Kostecki led the way with 11.  Olivia Nelles also scored 11 for the Raiders.

Here's the other scores from Thursday:

Eastwood 33, Preston 24
My Pick:  ECI by 5
Sam Legue poured in 14 points and Mel Samuel scored 7 as the Rebels grabbed win #2 on the year.  Keristen May and Megan Bittner had 6 each for Preston.

Grand River 43, Forest Hts. 16
My Pick:  GRCI by 18
Caroline Lorkovic had 11 and Nyamuoch Teny 9 for the Rens, who picked up an important win on Thursday.  Shannon Scott led the Trojans with 6.

WODSS 50, Galt 12
My Pick:  WODSS by 38
Maddy Horst (18) and Alisha Glendinning (10) were in double figures for the Crusaders during their win on Thursday.  Molly Bradford led Galt with 7.

Elmira 31, SJAM 19
My Pick:  EDSS by 12
After a tough opening schedule, the Lancers are back in the win column after a fine defensive effort.  Karley Sider led the way for Elmira with 10, while Kelsie Freeman and Nicole Cressman had 6 each.  Taylor Trush scored 9 for SJAM.

WCI 50, Southwood 12
My Pick:  WCI by 23
A balanced Viking attack on Thursday was keyed by Dani Sauve (8), Shivangi Patel (6), Courtney Banham (6) and Annabelle Pfeifle (6) in their win over Southwood.  Shayla Carey was the top scorer for SSS with 7.

Bye Win:  CHCI (GPSS)

WCSSAA Senior Standings
T1.  WODSS 6-0
T1.  KCI 6-0
T3.  Cameron Hts. 5-1
T3.  Jacob Hespeler 5-1
T3.  WCI 5-1
6.  Bluevale 4-1
7.  Grand River 4-2
8.  Southwood 2-2
T9.  Huron Hts. 2-4
T9.  Elmira 2-4
T9.  Forest Hts. 2-4
T9.  Eastwood 2-4
----
13.  SJAM 1-5
14.  Preston 0-5
15.  Galt 0-6

WCSSAA Junior: Unbeaten Streaks Continue on Thursday

The four remaining unbeaten WCSSAA teams -- Grand River, KCI, Preston and Jacob Hespeler -- continued their winning ways on Thursday, by posting comfortable (double-digit) wins over their opposition.

We know for sure that one of those four squads will go down on Tuesday, as Jacob Hespeler and Preston are matched up in one of the 3:30pm games that day.

Here's the results:

SJAM 33, Elmira 22
The Highlanders moved to 5-1 with a victory over winless Elmira.  Joanna Bamberger (10), Serena Barry (6) and Milica Koprivica (5) led the Highlanders, while Marlee Kernick had 8 for the Lancers.

KCI 42, Huron Hts. 18
Michaela Schlumberger had 14 to pace KCI to victory on Thursday, keeping them unbeaten as mentioned above.  Stephanie Bidnosti led Huron Heights with 7.

Jacob Hespeler 36, Bluevale 22
The Hawks handed Bluevale their second straight defeat, with Kendra Dennis and Shianne Riggan notching 8 points each.  Kiera Grein had a game-high 9 for Bluevale, while Jasmine Lambert scored 8.

Preston 31, Eastwood 10
The Panthers held their opponents to 10 points or fewer for the second consecutive contest; on the offensive side, Claire Gagne again had a great evening with 21 points.  Danielle Gardiner led ECI with 3.

Grand River 38, Forest Heights 9
The Rens easily dispatched the Trojans on Thursday, backed by 13 points from Maya Day.  Sona Khalifeh had 6 for Forest Heights.

Galt 45, WODSS 43
The tightest game of the day goes to the Ghosts, who edged out WODSS on the road.  Emma Buck (19) and Beth Fleming (9) led the way while Emily Glendinning had a WCSSAA-high 27 points on the day.

Cameron Heights 34, Glenview Park 18
After dropping their first 4, Cameron has won two straight after a win in Cambridge.  Milana Grahovac had 6 for the Gaels, while Chuchu Oyual netted 9 for the Panthers.

Bye Win:  WCI (SSS)

Junior WCSSAA Standings
T1.  Grand River 6-0
T1.  Preston 6-0
T1.  Jacob Hespeler 6-0
T1.  KCI 6-0
5.  SJAM 5-1
6.  Bluevale 3-2
T7.  Eastwood 3-3
T7.  Galt 3-3
T9.  WCI 2-4
T9.  WODSS 2-4
T9.  Cameron Heights 2-4
T12.  Forest Hts. 1-5
T12.  Huron Hts. 1-5
T12.  Glenview Park 1-5
15.  Elmira 0-6 

WCSSAA: Thursday Picks

One game in particular that jumps out from today's listing of 3:30pm WCSSAA senior starts sees Jacob Hespeler (4-1) travelling to Waterloo to take on the undefeated Bluevale Knights (4-0).

These two squads appear to be among WCSSAA's top 4/5 schools, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a second meeting later in the year, either in the semifinals or finals, depending on how things play out.

As for today's game, I'll go with the homecourt Knights to pick up a single-digit win with homecourt being the difference.  Bluevale by 7.

Moving on to today's other games.....

Southwood (2-1) at WCI (4-1)
My Pick:  WCI by 23
We'll see if the Vikes can continue their lights-out shooting from the other evening here tonight against Southwood.  Regardless, I like them to win here.

Grand River (3-2) at Forest Hts. (2-3)
My Pick:  GRCI by 18
Big game for both these teams, particularly Grand River, who dropped to 8th in the WCSSAA standings after their loss on Tuesday.  Look for them to get the win here.

KCI (5-0) at Huron Hts. (2-3)
My Pick:  KCI by 23
The basketball version of today's "Kitchener Klash" should go to the Raiders, but I'll throw in a bonus pick and take the Huskies on the football field.

Galt (0-5) at WODSS (5-0)
My Pick:  WODSS by 38
The (tied for) first-place Crusaders shouldn't have much trouble dispatching the Ghosts at home today.

SJAM (1-4) at Elmira (1-4)
My Pick:  EDSS by 12
With losses to JHSS, Grand River, KCI and Bluevale, you can't fault the Lancers for their 1-4 record.  Look for them to get back in the win column here.

Eastwood (1-4) at Preston (0-4)
My Pick:  ECI by 5
Has a chance to go either way but I'll go with the visiting Rebels in this one.

D10: Thursday Picks

YTD:  17-2 (.894)

A couple of tight games on the agenda today, so pushing that record above 90% might be tough.  Here goes:

JF Ross (1-4) at Guelph CVI (1-4)
My Pick:  GCVI by 3
Not much appears to separate these teams --- not only do they have similar records, but similar performances in league.  Here's their margins of defeat to some of the league's top teams:  Lourdes (GCVI -5, Ross -7); Bishop Mac (GCVI -14, Ross -12); Centennial (both -5); St. James (both -16).  As such, I'll play home advantage and go Gaels by a three-ball.

Centennial (4-1) at Lourdes (4-1)
My Pick:  CCVI by 5
Another one that should be tight.  However, the Spartans appear to be getting hot, so I'll hope that they continue that trend as I'm picking them tonight.

Orangeville (0-5) at St. James (5-0)
My Pick:  STJ by 32
Regardless of the first two, I'm pretty confident I won't be shut-out in my D10 picks today thanks to the first-place Lions.

BAA: Standings Update

Junior

North Division
1.  Peninsula Shores 2-0
T2.  Georgian Bay 1-0
T2.  OSCVI 1-0
4.  St. Mary's (OS) 1-1
T5.  Grey Highands 0-2
T5.  West Hill 0-2

South Division
T1.  Walkerton 2-0
T1.  Sacred Heart 2-0
3.  Kincardine 1-1
4.  Chesley 0-1
5.  Saugeen 0-3

Senior

North Division
1.  Peninsula Shores 2-0
2.  OSCVI 1-0
T3.  St. Mary's (OS) 1-1
T3.  Grey Highlands 1-1
5.  Georgian Bay 0-1
6.  West Hill 0-2

South Division
T1.  Sacred Heart 2-0
T1.  Kincardine 2-0
3.  John Diefenbaker 1-1
4.  Saugeen 1-2
5.  Walkerton 0-3

D8 Wednesday: Senior Phoenix, Eagles Clinch Berth

Things went as expected on Wednesday afternoon in the D8 senior league, with the three "AAAA" schools posting wins over their smaller cousins.

Maybe what wasn't expected, though, is that the Resurrection Phoenix didn't pull away from the Woodland Cavaliers, managing just 35 points in a 35-25 win.

Woodland looks like a possible favourite in the "A" CWOSSA division, given that they've stayed fairly competitive with Rez (10), St. Mary's (14) and St. Benedict (9) in games played at home.

Celia McGlynn had 17 and Sarah Schulz 9 for Rez yesterday, while Emma Roorda had 8 and Kirstin Hofstee 4.

Rez's win clinched them a playoff berth, while the St. Mary's Eagles are also officially in with their win yesterday and losses by Woodland and Rockway.

In the other senior games on Wednesday:
St. Benedict 56, Rockway 16
My Pick:  SBCSS by 31
Kayla Leusink had 22 points to lead the Saints to victory over the Flames on Wednesday; Sam Shu was tops for RMC with 7.

St. Mary's 39, St. David 25
My Pick:  SMHS by 11
Beth Zebib led a balanced Eagle attack with 9, while Maggie Srouji and Brittany Gulic added 6.  Bobbi-Sue Hentges and Liz Scanlon had 6 each for the Celts.

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

D8 Junior

St. Benedict 44, Mons. Doyle 8
The Saints beat up on their Cambridge rivals on Wednesday, staying unbeaten in league play.  Scoring details weren't immediately available from source.

Rockway 32, PRDG 17
A battle between two "A" schools goes to RMC, who had double-digit performances by Alex Johnson (16) and Jamie Torrence Perks (12).  Cassandra Dumouchel netted 13 for PRDG.

St. David 38, St. Mary's 11
The Celts received 10 points from Megan Goar in a big win over St. Mary's.  Alexis Stoyakovich led the Eagles with 3.

Resurrection 52, Woodland 10
Krissia Vasquez had 11 and Rachel Engel 10 for the Phoenix in their win over WCHS on Wednesday.  Madeleine Graham was the lead scorer for the Cavs with 4.

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

Brantford Expositor: Lions Experience Gap

Article By:  Brian Smiley

One game the Assumption College Lions are up, the next they may be down.

But senior girls basketball coach Rick Baldin is sure they're going to see more up days in the future.

"We played North Park and we were 16-2 in fouls, it didn't help," said Baldin, whose Lions were 2-2 heading into a game Thursday against St. John's College at 5:30 p.m.

"Three of our girls who usually start, weren't playing.

"The next game we're playing BCI, we don't play the whole game and we lost in the last 10 seconds."

The problem with Assumption isn't skill because its roster has tons of talent. The trouble is that the Lions need experience, particularly at the senior level.

With 20 players trying out, Baldin selected 12 to play for the team this season. Of those 12, not many played in the league a year ago.

"I've got a good young group," said the coach.

"We only have four people back from last year. Only two (Rikayla Baldin and Sarah Harris) were starters last year."

Baldin, who plays point guard, and Harris, who plays post, are joined by returnees Nicole Shea and Alex Aquino. After that, there's no senior experience.

"This is going to be a growing year for us," said Baldin. "We have a Grade 9 with us, Lauren Snider, who is a very good ball player. Then we have Rikayla and Chelsey Murray, they're in Grade 10. Then we have four of the girls in Grade 11 and then we have our senior group, three Grade 12s."

So far this season, it's been up and down for the Lions. Assumption scored wins against Pauline Johnson Collegiate and Paris District High School and suffered losses to NPC and BCI.

The team will have to use its strengths to get better in the second half of the season.

"We've got a fast young team," said Baldin, who is also happy to have former SJC and Brock University star Jessica Del Signore helping him coach this season.

"Defensively, it's a strong group. We're a quick transition team but we lack experience."

The Lions will get some great game action on Thursday night when they face the Green Eagles.

Assumption lost to SJC in the Brant County final a year ago and now it will be able to measure itself once again against the league's top team.

"I think they have a lot more experienced players than us," Baldin said when comparing the two teams. "Can we match up with those guys? I think if we play our game we can but they're definitely the favourites in the league.

"BCI, North Park and us are going to be very tough. I think St. John's just has that edge in experience."

The Lions, who don't have height, could return all 12 players next year. With a great junior group getting ready to come up, that would make ACS a force.

However, the focus is on this season. As the only school classified to participate in the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association AAAA championships (based on school population), ACS will be looking to get better each game on its way to that tournament.

"We have to grow from each game because we'll be representing our area for Quad-A CWOSSA," said Baldin, adding that the Lions will have to play a qualifier against a school from Guelph.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/10/02/lions-experience-gap

D8: Wednesday Picks

YTD:  14-1 (.933)

With a couple of "AAAA" schools doing battle with "A" schools in D8 action today, the best game on paper should definitely be St. David against St. Mary's, so we'll start the picks with that one:

St. David (4-1) at St. Mary's (4-1)
My Pick:  SMHS by 11
Despite their identical records, I think the Eagles should be able to pick up a double-digit win at home against the Celtics here today.

Resurrection (5-0) at Woodland (0-5)
My Pick:  RCSS by 24
I don't see the Rez starters getting a ton of minutes out in Breslau today.  A Rez win coupled with a Rockway loss would clinch a playoff berth for the Phoenix.

St. Benedict (2-3) at Rockway (0-5)
My Pick:  SBCSS by 31
The Saints should even up their record at .500 here today.

WCSSAA Senior: WCI Picks Up Important Win Against Grand River

When I'm wrong, I'll say I'm wrong.

Sure, I picked the WCI Vikings to win a "close, defensive battle" against the Grand River Renegades but that certainly wasn't the case at all as the Vikes drilled 13 three-pointers en route to a 67-48 win at home on Tuesday.

Heading into Tuesday's game, league games featuring WCI saw an average of 67.7 total combined points (both teams) per contest, meaning the 67 by WCI on Tuesday nearly matched that combined output average.

Danielle Sauve (19), Kaylee Anagnostopoulos (17) and Kaitlyn Bentz (11) were all in double-figures for WCI, while grade 10 rookies Nyamuouch Teny (19) and Tara DeBoer (9) led Grand River.

In other games on Tuesday:

Jacob Hespeler 48, Elmira 40
My Pick:  JHSS by 11
KCI, Grand River, Jacob Hespeler?  Not the easiest stretch of games for Elmira yet they were again competitive in this one.  Twins Courtney and Candice Wright were equal on the scoresheet on Tuesday as each put home 20 points for the Hawks.  Sydney Jones (12) and Karley Sider (10) led Elmira.

Cameron Hts. 57, Forest Hts. 27
My Pick:  CHCI by 17
Shama Saleh had 18 and Nina Farkic 13 as the Gaels ran away from the Trojans in this one.  Cassidy Wettlaufer had 8 and Linna Liou 7 for Forest Heights.

Huron Hts. 43, Eastwood 36
My Pick:  HHSS by 8
Sam Legue had a game-high 16 for the Rebels but it wasn't enough as the Huskies squeaked out a road win at ECI.  Aly Jacobs (11) and Jenna Gangl (10) led Huron, while Mel Samuel was also in double-figures for the Rebels with 10.

WODSS 41, Preston 7
My Pick:  WODSS by 36
Almost a reversal of the junior score as the Crusaders defeated Preston handily in senior.  Alisha Glendinning had 9, while Maddy Horst (8) and Payton Hofstetter (8) added to the balanced attack.

Bluevale 43, SJAM 16
My Pick:  BCI by 27
Sarah Hamm netted 14 and Julia Curran 10 as the Knights stayed unbeaten.  Sam Shantz and Taylor Trush had 8 each for SJAM.

Southwood 33, Galt 26
My Pick:  SSS by 15
A little bit of rust for the Sabres but they still get an important win on the road at Galt.  Cali Doran (15) and Shayla Carey (10) led the way for Southwood, while Molly Bradford (11) and Megan White (6) were the top Ghosts.

Bye Win:  KCI (over GPSS)

WCSSAA Senior Standings
T1.  WODSS 5-0
T1.  KCI 5-0
3.  Bluevale 4-0
T4.  Cameron Hts. 4-1
T4.  WCI 4-1
T4.  Jacob Hespeler 4-1
7.  Southwood 2-1 (.667)
8.  Grand River 3-2 (.600)
T9.  Forest Hts. 2-3
T9.  Huron Hts. 2-3
T11.  Elmira 1-4
T11.  SJAM 1-4
T11.  Eastwood 1-4
14.  Preston 0-4
15.  Galt 0-5

WCSSAA Junior: SJAM Knocks Bluevale From Unbeaten Ranks

There were five undefeated teams heading into WCSSAA junior play on Tuesday afternoon, and there were four at the end of the day as the SJAM Highlanders squeaked past the previously unbeaten Bluevale Knights by a 35-32 final.

Milica Koprivica had 13 points to lead the Highlanders, including a clutch three-pointer that ended up being the difference in the game.  Griffin Lack-Shane added 8 for SJAM, while Zoey Scanling, Maddine Fielding and Kiera Grein had 6 each for the Knights.

As for the other action on Tuesday:

Cameron Heights 25, Forest Heights 18
The Gaels earned their first win of the year at home on Tuesday, thanks to 7 points from Milana Grahovac and 6 by Katrina Stickel.  Morgan Berg and Nyakacge Paljola had 6 each for the Trojans.

Eastwood 20, Huron Heights 17
The Rebels are now 3-2 after getting past the Huskies on Tuesday in a low-scoring affair.  Mariah Blake (8) and Danielle Gardiner (4) paced the way for Eastwood, while Manveen Dhillon and Mikha Simms had 4 each for Huron.

KCI 44, Glenview Park 18
One of the top teams in CWOSSA continued to roll as the Raiders eased past the Panthers.  Michaela Schlumberger had 15 and Nara Marnisen 10 for KCI, while Chuchu Oyual (15) and Claire Rabara (3) accounted for the GPSS scoring.

Preston 35, WODSS 8
The Panthers are probably the most surprising of the remaining unbeaten teams, but they're still without a loss after a great defensive effort.  Claire Gagne (8) and Amie Collins (6) paced the Panthers in this one.

Grand River 48, WCI 20
The Rens jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead and cruised home in the second half.  Guard Maya Day led the GRCI attack with 16, while Jessica Zmija added 13.  Victoria Giguere (9) and Andreea Grandinaru (6) were the top WCI scorers.

Jacob Hespeler def. Elmira
(Scoring Details Not Reported)

WCSSAA Junior Standings
T1.  Grand River 5-0
T1.  Preston 5-0
T1.  KCI 5-0
T1.  Jacob Hespeler 5-0
5.  SJAM 4-1
6.  Bluevale 3-1
7.  Eastwood 3-2
T8.  WODSS 2-3
T8.  Galt 2-3
T10.  WCI 1-4
T10.  Forest Hts. 1-4
T10.  Huron Hts. 1-4
T10.  Cameron Hts. 1-4
T10.  Glenview Park 1-4
15.  Elmira 0-5

D10: Senior Celtics, Lions Continue Winning Ways

Senior D10
The divide between the top four and bottom four teams in the D10 standings continued to grow on Tuesday.

All four teams now have at least 4 wins, while the teams in the 5-8 spots have 0 or 1 wins apiece to their credit.

Meanwhile, it was a good day in the picks column as I had two games picked within one point, and the other within a three-ball.

Here's a recap:

Lourdes 51, Orangeville 22
My Pick:  OLOL by 22
Charlotte Case (15) and Erin Gerstenkorn (12) paced the Crusaders past the Bears on Tuesday.  Shannon Dunford was tops for the Bears with 8.

Bishop Mac 40, Guelph CVI 26
My Pick:  BMAC by 15
After a tough loss last week to St. James, the Celtics moved back in the win column against GCVI.  Rebecca Morris notched 11 while Rachael DiGravio had 6 for the Celts; Ijeoma Staunton had a game-high 13 for the Gaels while Sydney Wilson added 8.

St. James 45, JF Ross 29
My Pick:  STJ by 19
The Lions are still undefeated after their 5th straight win yesterday.  Nastassja Herriot (13) and Ashley Benham (9) paced the scoring attack; Maddy Darling (13) and Teddi Taran (5) were the top Royal scorers.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  St. James 5-0
T2.  Lourdes 4-1
T2.  Bishop Mac 4-1
T2.  Centennial 4-1
T5.  JF Ross 1-4
T5.  CWDHS 1-4
T5.  Guelph CVI 1-4
8.  Orangeville 0-5

D10 Junior
The top three teams in the D10 junior circuit --- Bishop Mac, JF Ross and Lourdes --- all posted impressive double-digit wins on Tuesday:

Lourdes 42, Orangeville 15
Rainey Psenicka had 9 to lead a balanced Lourdes attack to a win over ODSS.  Brin Krueger and Hannah McIntosh added 8 more in the win.

Bishop Mac 39, Guelph CVI 23
Christine Sullivan (10) and Diane Priamo (9) paced the Celtics to victory on Tuesday.  Jenna Falconer led the Gaels with 9.

JF Ross 42, St. James 22
Ali Darling continued her strong play for the Royals as she pumped home 19 in this one to lead all scorers.  Mila Leacock had 6 more for Ross, while Catie Terrey led the Lions with 6.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 5-0
T2.  JF Ross 4-1
T2.  Lourdes 4-1
4.  Guelph CVI 3-2
5.  Centennial 2-3
T6.  St. James 1-4
T6.  CWDHS 1-4
8.  Orangeville 0-5

WCSSAA: Tuesday Picks

YTD:  23-3 (.885)

Welcome back, Southwood.

After missing both games last week due to the fire at their school, the Sabres (1-1) are back in action today as they make the 4km trek over to Water Street to do battle with the Galt Ghosts (0-4).

The Sabres may be a little rusty tonight, given the missed games/practices over the past week, but I still like them to get past Galt today.

I'll go with SSS by 15 in that one.

Here are the rest of today's games, starting with what should be a good one over in Waterloo between the WCI Vikings and Grand River Renegades:

Grand River (3-1) at WCI (3-1)
My Pick:  WCI by 5
Can't underestimate the importance of this game to both of these clubs, who will be in a battle with Bluevale and Cameron Heights for WCSSAA's two "AAAA" berths.  Not much separating these two squads and wouldn't be surprised to see it go either way.  I'll go with the Vikes at home in a defensive battle.

Elmira (1-3) at Jacob Hespeler (3-1)
My Pick:  JHSS by 11
The Lancers are probably the best 1-3 team in the league, so the Hawks can't overlook them at home here today. 

Forest Hts. (2-2) at Cameron Hts. (3-1)
My Pick:  CHCI by 17
Tough schedule for the Trojans, with KCI-WODSS-CHCI-GRCI in succession.  Look for the Gaels to improve their record at home today.

Preston (0-3) at Waterloo-Oxford (4-0)
My Pick:  WODSS by 36
Poor time for winless Preston to get an angry Crusader squad fresh off a loss in a tournament final to CWOSSA AAA rival North Park.  WODSS moves to 5-0 here.

Huron Heights (1-3) at Eastwood (1-3)
My Pick:  HHHS by 8
The Huskies have a bit more offensive talent so I'll go with them to pull out the win on the road today.

Bluevale (3-0) at SJAM (1-3)
My Pick:  BCI by 27
As long as they aren't looking ahead to Thursday's big game against JHSS, the Knights' record should stay perfect after today's game.

D10: Tuesday Picks

YTD:  14-2 (.875)

Only three games on today's D10 schedule.  Here's a look:

Lourdes (3-1) at Orangeville (0-4)
My Pick:  OLOL by 28
The Crusaders should pick up an important win here to try to help them break through the logjam at the top of the D10 standings (one unbeaten team; three with 1 loss).

Guelph CVI (1-3) at Bishop Mac (3-1)
My Pick:  BMAC by 15
The Gaels have been pretty competitive in games to this point, but it hasn't translated into wins.  I expect a similar occurrence here.

JF Ross (1-3) at St. James (4-0)
My Pick:  STJ by 19
The Lions have too much offensive depth for the Royals to handle here.

D8 Monday: Senior Phoenix Alone In First After Win

D8 Senior
The Resurrection Phoenix are alone in first place in the D8 senior standings after a 39-20 win over St. David on Monday, a game that was a battle between two 4-0 teams.

The Phoenix got 18 points from Sarah Schulz and 9 from Celia McGlynn, though their work on the defensive side of the ball was more impressive as they held the Celts to less than half of their seasonal PPG average (45.5 PPG) --- most of which came with the game already decided, as the Phoenix led 24-1 at halftime. 

Elizabeth Scanlon (5) and Bobbi-Sue Hentges (4) led the Celtics.

In other action on Monday:

St. Mary's 41, Woodland 27
My Pick:  SMHS by 24
The Eagles continued to remain in the top tier of the standings with a road win at Woodland.  Beth Zebib (14) and Angela Mercurio (11) led the way on Monday, while Emma Roorda (11) and Kirstin Hofstee (9) paced WCHS.

St. Benedict 51, Rockway 19
My Pick:  SBCSS by 26
Dana Milani poured in 24 points and Kayla Leusink equalled Rockway's output herself with a 19-point effort as the Saints rolled over the Flames.  Lindsay Mustard was tops for Rockway with 6.

Senior D8 Standings
1.  Resurrection 5-0
T2.  St. Mary's 4-1
T2.  St. David 4-1
4.  St. Benedict 2-3
-----
T5.  Woodland 0-5
T5.  Rockway 0-5

D8 Junior
The Woodland Cavaliers are in the win column --- in decisive fashion --- after a 46-9 win over fellow "A" school, PRDG.

Brooke Mulder (10) and Bethany Mofstee (9) were the top Cavalier scorers, while Cassandra Dumouchel led PRDG with 4.

In other Monday action:

Resurrection 41, St. David 25
Well, the streak of holding opponents to under 10 points comes to an end, but it was still another big win for the Phoenix on Monday.  Meghan Sharp (17) and Krissia Vasquez (16) had impressive offensive performances for Rez; Megan Goar and Ciarra Dunne had 8 each for the Celts.

St. Mary's 26, Mons. Doyle 21
A battle between 2-2 teams went to the Eagles in a low-scoring affair.  Alexis Stoyakovich (10) and Alecia Wilson (6) were the top St. Mary's scorers, while Victoria Barrosso paced the Mustangs with a game-high 11.

St. Benedict 48, Rockway 11
No trouble for the Saints who remain undefeated after a win at home against Rockway.  Afifa Salaad (19) and Laura Ivits (15) paced the Saints, while Jamie Terrance Perks and Alex Johnson had 4 each for the Flames.

D8 Junior Standings
T1.  Resurrection 5-0
T1.  St. Benedict 5-0
T3.  St. David 3-2
T3.  St. Mary's 3-2
5.  Mons. Doyle 2-2
6.  Woodland 1-3
T7.  Rockway 0-4
T7.  Woodland 0-4