WCSSAA: Tuesday Picks

YTD:  7-0 (1.000)

It was a perfect start to the WCSSAA Senior Girls' picks, so we'll see if we can keep it rolling today with another full slate of games:

Galt (0-1) at Southwood (1-0)
My Pick:  SSS by 13
With Taylor White and Brianne Jewell, the Southwood Sabres have good ability on the offensive end; that should carry them to victory today at home against the Galt Ghosts.

 
SJAM (1-0) at Huron Heights (0-1)
My Pick:  SJAM by 13
I think Huron Heights is better than they showed in their opener, but I still like the SJAM Highlanders to stay unbeaten in today's matchup.

WCI (1-0) at Grand River (0-0)
My Pick:  WCI by 3
HUGE game right off the bat on the WCSSAA schedule here today, featuring two teams that I think have a legitimate shot of qualifying for AAAA OFSAA.  I've gone back and forth on this one a few times, as there's strong talent on both sides, but I'll go with the WCI Vikings in a good game here.

Bluevale (1-0) at Preston (0-1)
My Pick:  BCI by 23
Julia Curran has gotten off to a strong start for BCI, with several 20+ performances in league and tournament play.  Not sure if another one is in the cards here today, but I still like the Knights regardless.

Waterloo-Oxford (0-1) at Cameron Heights (1-0)
My Pick:  CHCI by 34
The Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders are certainly a different team this year; we should see strong improvement between now and the end of the year for the Baden Bunch but the Gaels are too much at this point.

Jacob Hespeler (1-0) at Elmira (1-0)
My Pick:  JHSS by 9
Kind of an interesting game here as the Lancers catch Jacob Hespeler coming off of an OT loss in their home tournament --- and Elmira is not the easiest gym to play in.  I think the Hawks will avoid the "tournament hangover" enough to move to 2-0 but I think EDSS can give them a bit of a run early.  

Eastwood (0-1) at Forest Heights (0-1)
My Pick:  FHCI by 6
One of these squads will pick up their first win of the season here; the Trojans have a favourable schedule over the next week or so and will need to pick up a couple of wins during that stretch for playoff positioning down the road.  I'll take them in a competitive affair here.

D10: Tuesday Picks

YTD:  4-0 (1.000)

Centennial (2-0) at Orangeville (0-2)
My Pick:  CCVI by 37
The Centennial Spartans should be able to stay undefeated today at the expense of the Orangeville Bears.

Bishop Mac (2-0) at CWDHS (0-2)
My Pick:  BMAC by 38 
....ditto goes for the Bishop Mac Celtics, who are taking on the other winless D10 squad in Fergus.  Look for them to post a comfortable win over the Falcons.

Guelph CVI (1-1) at Lourdes (1-1)
My Pick:  GCVI by 7
An interesting game here between these rival schools that could certainly end up going either way.  I'll go with the veterans of the GCVI Gaels to pull out a squeaker on the road over the youth of the Lourdes Crusaders.

St. James (1-1) at JF Ross (1-1)
My Pick:  STJ by 6
Another rivalry match-up between these two East Guelph schools; not much separates these two so I'll go with the Lions to take a close one on the road.

D8 Monday Results: Saints Stay Perfect With Win over Rez

It was a perfect day for the picks column on Monday, and, speaking of perfect, the Senior St. Benedict Saints are still perfect as far as the standings are concerned, as they made it three in a row on Monday.

Not only that, but the Saints have protected their home floor and now own wins over the two other main contenders for the D8 crown (SDCSS & RCSS) after a 40-29 home win over the Resurrection Phoenix.

Kayla Leusink topped the Saints' scoring with a 14-point effort, while Celia McGlynn was Rez's top scorer with 11.

In other D8 senior action, the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs moved to 2-0 with a 32-20 win over St. Mary's.  Scoring details weren't immediately available.

The other Monday game saw St. David dismantle Rockway by a 43-2 margin.  Bobbi-Sue Hentges paced the Celts with 17 points, while Heather Sandall added 8 more in the win.

D8 Senior Standings
1.  St. Benedict 3-0
2.  Monsignor Doyle 2-0
3.  St. David 2-1
T4.  Resurrection 1-1
T4.  Woodland 1-1
T6.  St. Mary's 0-3
T6.  Rockway 0-3

Junior
There were two games on Monday in the D8 junior league, with MDCSS not fielding a junior entry this season.

The Resurrection Phoenix continued their unblemished league & tournament record with a 57-18 win on the road at St. Benedict.  Krissia Vasquez (18) and Meghan Sharp (13) led the way for the Phoenix, with Maya Danis scoring 9 for the Saints.

The St. David Celtics picked up their first win at the expense of the Rockway Flames, 41-19.  Rachel Sothern (16) and Emily White (6) led the way for the Celts, while Danika Smith-Morrison registered 11 and Leah Bauman 4 for the Flames.

D8 Junior Standings
T1.  Resurrection 2-0
T1.  St. Mary's 2-0
3.  St. Benedict 2-1
4.  St. David 1-2
T5.  Rockway 0-2
T5.  Woodland 0-2

D8 Monday Picks

YTD:  5-1 (.833)

St. Mary's (0-1) at Monsignor Doyle (1-0)
My Pick:  MDCSS by 5
Perhaps I'm reading a bit too much into MDCSS' opening win over Rockway, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and take them at home today against St. Mary's.

Resurrection (1-0) at St. Benedict (2-0)
My Pick:  SBCSS by 4
Could go either way here in this toss-up game, but I'll take the team with the home-court advantage which is the Saints in this instance.  Could be a lot of tight games in the D8 league this year....

Rockway (0-2) at St. David (1-1)
My Pick:  SDCSS by 24
The Celtics should be able to get themselves back in the win column today at the expense of the Rockway Flames.

Senior Girls: Gaels Cruise In Home Tournament

The Cameron Heights Golden Gaels picked up their second tournament title in as many weekends, this time taking their 4-team home tournament in impressive fashion.

The Gaels opened the tournament with a 48-20 win over Guelph JF Ross, with Nina Farkic (20) and Andejla Stankovic (13) leading the way.  Ali Darling netted 8 for the Royals.

Meanwhile, the other opening game saw St. David take out Forest Heights 46-27, backed by a nice 24-point effort from Megan Goar.  Linna Liou had 10 for the Trojans in that one.

Semifinals featured cross-over games between the winners and losers of the opening games.  Cameron Heights took out Forest Heights 44-30, with Farkic (17) and Hunter Johns (11) pacing the way.  Liou and Tyrah Wilson had 12 each for FHCI.

JF Ross nipped St. David in the other semifinal, 30-27.  Mya Leacock led a balanced Royal attack with 6, while Megan Goar was again impressive for the Celts with an 18-point performance.

Goar finished up her tournament with a 19.3 PPG average as she contributed 16 in the 3rd-place game against Forest Heights, which went down as a 51-22 victory for the Celts.  Liou was in double-figures for the third straight game for the Trojans, as she scored 11 points.

The championship final was never in doubt as the Gaels ran away from the JF Ross Royals to a similar score as that of Friday evening, 51-20.  Katrina Stickel was the top Gael with 14, while Teddi Taran had 6 for JF Ross.

The Gaels (1-0 WCSSAA) are back to league play tomorrow at 4:45pm as they host Waterloo-Oxford.

Senior Girls: KCI Raiders Nip JHSS Hawks in OT for Tourney Title

In the championship final of the Jacob Hespeler Senior Girls' Tournament this past weekend, the KCI Raiders were not gracious to their hosts as they nipped the Jacob Hespeler Hawks by 3 points in OT to take home the tournament title.

The win capped an impressive weekend for the Raiders, who had two big wins in their first two games to advance to the final --- a 40-13 win over Kincardine DSS, and a solid 51-22 showing over Cambridge St. Benedict.

KCI, Jacob Hespeler, and Bluevale (who Hespeler knocked off by 6 in the semifinals) look as though they are the teams to beat for WCSSAA's 3 CWOSSA "AAA" berths (WCSSAA now gets 3 reps at AAA effective this season, in case you were curious).

Here are the scores from the weekend:

First Round
Jacob Hespeler 52, Holy Trinity (Simcoe) 13
JHSS:  Candice Wright, 20

Bluevale 58, Lourdes 33
BCI:  Julia Curran, 28
OLOL:  Rainey Psenicka, 12

KCI 40, Kincardine 13
KCI:  Olivia Mickie, 12
KDSS:  A. Playos, 7

St. Benedict 48, St. James 41
SBCSS:  Kayla Leusink, 12
STJ:  Meghan Santi, 15

Consolation Side
Lourdes 43, Holy Trinity 12
OLOL:  Rainey Psenicka, 14
HT:  Filipa Lateo, 3

St. James 41, Kincardine 32
STJ:  Donna Zen, 18
KDSS:  M. Martyn, 8

Cons. Final:  Lourdes 48, St. James 29
OLOL:  Rainey Psenicka, 14
STJ:  Kelsey Widdrington, 9

Championship Side
Jacob Hespeler 43, Bluevale 37
JHSS:  Jasmine Ramcharan, 12
BCI:  Julia Curran, 13

KCI 51, St. Benedict 22
KCI:  Alia Hazineh, 14
SBCSS:  Laura Ivits, 9

Final:  KCI def. Jacob Hespeler by 3 (in OT)

Junior Girls: Phoenix Dominant In Taking Hespeler Tourney Title

After taking CWOSSA "AAAA" silver a season ago with a (mostly) grade nine roster, the Resurrection Phoenix certainly appear as the early favourites as far as District 8 and even CWOSSA may be concerned.

The Phoenix did it with stifling defense over the weekend, holding their first two opponents (Lourdes & Galt) to a combined 27 points.

In the championship final against the SJAM Highlanders (who I feel are one of the top WCSSAA teams and certainly a top 3/4 team in the CWOSSA region), the Phoenix surrendered the first four points of the game before going on a 31-4 run to end the first half up 31-8.

The Phoenix would go on to win the final by a 47-27 final, with Megan Sharpe scoring 21 and Jama Bin-Edward adding 10 in the victory.  Buse Bin-Edward had a solid defensive outing in the victory.

Joanna Bamberger had a solid game for the 'Landers in the final, with 17 points.

Jama Bin-Edward had double-digit efforts in all three Rez contests, including 10 in the semifinal against Galt (a 39-12 final) and 12 in the opener, a 52-15 win against Lourdes.

Here's the results from the weekend:

First Round
Resurrection 52, Lourdes 15
RCSS:  Jama Bin-Edward 12
OLOL:  Hannah McIntosh 4

Galt 34, St. Benedict 24
GCI:  Scorers Unavailable
SBCSS:  Maya Danis 10

SJAM def. Guelph CVI
SJAM:  Joanna Bamberger 13
GCVI:  Emina Bektic 14

Bishop Mac 31, Jacob Hespeler 17
BMAC:  Grace Drewry 10
JHSS:  Charlotte Clifford 8

Consolation Side
Lourdes 52, St. Benedict 22
OLOL:  Jess Mathieu 12
SBCSS:  Maya Danis 14

Jacob Hespeler 38, Guelph CVI 19
JHSS:  Charlotte Clifford 15
GCVI:  Cassie Reynolds 6

Cons Final:  Lourdes def. Jacob Hespeler

Championship Side
Resurrection 39, Galt 12
RCSS:  Jama Bin-Edward 12

SJAM def. Bishop Mac

Final:  Resurrection 47, SJAM 27

Senior Girls: Green Eagles Soar To Tournament Title

The Brantford St. John's College Senior Girls Basketball team was victorious at the 8-team Brantford Invitational Tip-Off tournament, and they did so in impressive fashion this past weekend.

The Green Eagles won their three games by an average of 30 PPG, with the closest margin being a 27-point victory (against both Wallaceburg and WCI).

To be fair, WCI did push the Green Eagles in the first half (11-9 SJC after one and a single-digit lead of 27-19 at halftime) before the depth of the Brantford squad gradually wore down the Vikings in a 58-31 final.

Kendra Van Leeuwen put home 19 points in the victory, while Maddi Cohoon and Megan Thompson added 9 each.

The Green Eagles started their tournament with a win by that same 58-31 score over Wallaceburg DHS, with NCAA D1 Bowling Green assistant coach Jacey Brooks among the observers in attendance.  Thompson had 23 and Van Leeuwen 10 in that victory.

St. John's other victory was a 67-31 defeat of Guelph Bishop Macdonell.  Van Leeuwen (22) and Thompson (18) again paced the way in that one.

Junior Girls: Preston Panthers Capture ECI Rebel Shootout Crown

The Preston Panthers put together a trio of victories over the weekend, culminating with a 36-31 championship victory over the WCI Vikings to take the 2014 edition of the Eastwood Junior Rebel Shootout.

Alayna Johnson (14.0 PPG) was stellar for the Panthers throughout the tournament, who comfortably defeated Eastwood (45-10) and Grand River (40-20) in their two pool games.  Grand River edged Eastwood 27-26 in the other pool game.

Pool "B" saw three very competitive games --- WCI nipped Huron Heights (26-24) before taking out the KCI Raiders in an OT thriller (32-29).  Huron Heights finished 1-1 in pool play with a 29-23 win over KCI.

Huron Heights defeated Grand River 36-27 in OT in a game between teams that finished 2nd place in their pools; KCI edged Eastwood 30-28 in the game between 3rd place pool finishers.

The tournament's leading scorers included Simone Clarke (KCI) at 15.0 PPG, Grand River's Jenna Crawford (14.0 PPG), PHS' Johnson (14.0 PPG), and Ramla Abdalla (WCI) and Blaire Raftis (PHS) who both netted a 9.0 PPG average.

Eastwood Junior Tournament: This Weekend

It's an "all WCSSAA" affair this weekend over at Eastwood Collegiate for their junior tournament, which will be a 6-team, pool play event this year.

Pool "A" will feature the host Rebels, alongside Kitchener Grand River and Cambridge Preston.

The "B" pool will have WCI, KCI and Kitchener Huron Heights.

Games tip off today at 2:30pm and go as follows:

Friday
2:30pm - Eastwood vs. Grand River
4:00pm - Huron Heights vs. WCI
5:30pm - Eastwood vs. Preston
7:00pm - Huron Heights vs. KCI

Saturday
9:00am - Grand River vs. Preston
10:30am - WCI vs. KCI
Noon - 3rd Pool "A" vs. 3rd Pool "B"
1:30pm - 2nd Pool "A" vs. 2nd Pool "B"
3:00pm - 1st Pool "A" vs. 1st Pool "B"

D10: Thursday Results

Senior
JF Ross 60, Orangeville 15
The Royals evened up their record at 1-1 at the expense of the ODSS Bears (0-2).  Teddi Taran and Heather Anderson netted 14 each for the Royals, while Paige Barns led the way for Orangeville with a 9 point effort.

Bishop Mac 49, Guelph CVI 34
Cindy Seke netted 15 as the Celtics went on the road and improved to 2-0.  Sydney Wilson was the leading scorer for GCVI (1-1) with 12 points.

Centennial 40, St. James 25
Centennial looks like a team that will challenge for the D10 title -- at least in the early going -- after posting their second straight double-digit win.  Carter Godman (9) and Emma Cain (7) keyed the balanced attack for the Spartans, while Donna Zen (8) and Stephanie Giovinazzo (6) led the way for St. James.

Lourdes 56, CWDHS 28
The Crusaders evened up their record at 1-1 by doubling up the CWDHS Falcons (0-2).  Rainey Psenicka led the way for Lourdes with a big 20 point effort, while Brin Krueger added 10.  Maddie Fennell led the way for Centre Wellington with 13.

Junior
Centennial 35, St. James 21
Lauren Zonneveld accounted for over half of the Centennial offense, scoring 18 points and keying her team's win over St. James.  Kate Glaab wasn't too shabby for the Lions either, as she netted 15 of her squad's points.

Bishop Mac 51, Guelph CVI 20
The Celtics moved to 2-0 with a comfortable win on the road at GCVI.  Sophia Nash and Tian Wood netted 13 points each for the Celts, while Emina Bektic led the way for the Gaels with 7.

Lourdes 38, CWDHS 17
Jess Mathieu chipped in 16 and Maddy McIntosh added 6 as the Crusaders evened up their record at 1-1.  Grace Rooney (10) and Jaylyn Lockhart (7) accounted for CWDHS' scoring output.

JF Ross 51, Orangeville 17
Allesia Bolzon (17) and Catie Terrey (13) helped the JF Ross Royals to their first win of the regular season over Orangeville.  Hannah Bellai netted 6 for the Bears.

WCSSAA: Thursday Results

Senior
Jacob Hespeler 50, Forest Heights 19
Candice Wright was a dominant force inside in this one, netting 27 points as the Hawks took care of FHCI.  Shianne Riggan added 12 more for Jacob Hespeler, while Linna Liou led the Trojans with 9.

Southwood 35, Waterloo-Oxford 11
The Sabres received 15 from Taylor White and 7 from Brianne Jewell in winning their opener over the Crusaders.  Tess Pettigrew had 4 to lead the way for W-O.

Cameron Heights 53, Galt 23
Hunter Johns and Nina Farkic both chipped in with 14 points as the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels got off to a winning start in league play down in Cambridge.

WCI 48, KCI 30
Kaylee Anagnostopoulos had 18 and Danielle Sauve chipped in 14 as the Vikings were winners in this rivalry game.  Olivia Mickie had 7 and Amy Graves 6 for the Raiders.

SJAM 38, Preston 28 
Taylor Trush pumped in 20 points as the Highlanders started their season off with a win; Deri Curtin also added a double-digit effort with 10.  Breanna Johnson (8) and Avery Levert (6) were the top Panther performers.

Elmira 36, Eastwood 14 
Nicole Cressman (13) and Karley Sider (10) both had double-digit efforts for the Lancers on Thursday in their win.  Mel Samuel led the way for Eastwood with 6.

Bluevale 71, Huron Heights 33
Bluevale exploded offensively in this one, backed by 23 from Julia Curran and 14 by Megan Reid.  Kiana Chin led the way for the Huskies with 13.

Junior
SJAM 44, Preston 25
Kate Moran netted 14 and Griffin Lack-Shane added 9 more as the SJAM Highlanders picked up where they left off from their strong season a year ago.  Brooke Davidson scored a game-high 15 points for Preston.

Jacob Hespeler 53, Forest Heights 9
Charlotte Clifford (16) and Amy Claydon (11) both had double-digit efforts in the Hawks' big win over visiting Forest Heights.  Morgan Bird netted 4 for the Trojans.

Grand River 29, Glenview Park 21
The Rens were pushed by the Panthers but came away with the road win on Thursday.  Jenna Crawford netted 14 and Emma Cudney 6 in the win, while Chuchu Oyual and Claire Rabara had 6 each for the Panthers.

Elmira 51, Eastwood 6
A big win at home to start the season for the Lancers, who were keyed by Jaimee MacDonald (10), Jaclyn Wideman (9) and Stephanie Ball (8).  Ashley Legue had 4 for the Rebels.

Huron Heights 34, Bluevale 22
Jamila Beckford and Brielle Guttensohn had 9 each to pace the Huskies over the Knights.  Avery Webster and Jasmine Lambert put home 5 points each for the Knights.

Galt 40, Cameron Hts. 32
Beth Fleming poured in 24 points to help the Ghosts get past Cameron Heights at home.  Zoe Hoyte led a balanced Gael attack with 7.

WCI 48, KCI 30 
Ramla Abdalla (18), Victoria Giguere (12) and Emma Cheeseman (11) were all in double-digits for the Vikings on Thursday night in their home win over KCI.  Simone Clarke had 13 for the Raiders, with Cassia Gohl adding 5.

Brantford Expositor: Green Eagles Ready to Defend Title

Article By:  Sean Allen

The St. John’s College Green Eagles were more than prepared to defend their eight-consecutive Brant high school senior girls basketball crowns with the players expected to return. 

When they got news that power forward Megan Thompson would be returning for her fifth and final year of eligibility, it was the icing on the cake. 

“It was a big bonus,” coach Matt Lynch said. “She brings a lot on offence and leadership.” 

Thompson joins a returning core that includes Canadian national team member Kendra Van Leeuwen and fellow returnee Maddi Cohoon. Both girls already have experience on the senior team, despite only being in Grade 11. 

Grade 12 players Leah Coon and Jen Garner will have big roles on offence. The team also boasts three members of last season’s undefeated junior Green Eagles team in Lauren deMontmorency, Alex Girardi and Ashley Derks. 

Van Leeuwen has been developing with the senior team since she was in Grade 9 and will now, for the first time in her high school career, be playing against girls her own age. 

“We’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of talented girls come through the school,” Lynch said. “But it’s not just talent. They have the right attitude and mentality as well.” 

That will be the case again this year, as the Green Eagles take on Grade 9 player Alaina McMillan in her first year of high school. 

Lynch expects another season of strong contention for the title in Brant. He said the strength of the local girls basketball program has helped make the Eagles better competitors at the regional Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association tournament each season. 

The Green Eagles won the AAA CWOSSA championship last season and will be aiming to knock off the Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs and North Park Trojans for another chance this season. 

The Green Eagles, Mustangs and Assumption College Lions will all have a chance to see plenty of each other this weekend as St. John’s College hosts a high school tournament. 

Five other entries from around the province will join them for the two-day tournament. 

The Green Eagles and Lions will have already had a taste of each other as they meet to tip-off the regular season on Thursday at St. John’s College. The juniors play at 4 p.m. and the seniors at 5:30 p.m. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantnews.com/sports-story/4866939-green-eagles-ready-to-defend-title/

Jacob Hespeler Junior & Senior Girls Tournament - This Weekend

The Jacob Hespeler Hawks are hosting their annual early-season tournament in Cambridge this weekend; with their two full-size gymnasiums, they are running a junior and senior event concurrently.

First round action will take place on Friday afternoon/evening, with semifinal play going Saturday at Noon and 1:30pm (in both divisions) and the respective championship finals being played at 7:30pm on Saturday.

Here's a look at the draws.....

Junior
On the junior side of things, the Resurrection Phoenix, who I have pegged as one of the top CWOSSA junior teams (returning the majority of their scoring offense from last year's CWOSSA AAAA Silver Medalist squad) appear to be the team to beat entering play this weekend.

In fact, they are in search of back-to-back titles after taking the title at this event last year. SJAM, Bishop Macdonell and Guelph CVI appear to be the other possible title contenders.

First Round - Friday
3:00pm - Resurrection vs. Lourdes
4:30pm - Galt vs. St. Benedict
6:00pm - SJAM vs. Guelph CVI
7:30pm - Bishop Mac vs. Jacob Hespeler

Senior
The Hespeler Hawks are looking to win their home tournament for the second year in a row, and they would appear to be the favourites entering play here.

I'd expect KCI, St. Benedict or St. James to be the squads best suited to knock off the hosts.  Personally, I think the St. Benedict vs. St. James first-round match-up will be a good one; they are two teams that could potentially find themselves ranked in my initial "top 10" CWOSSA ranking tomorrow.

First Round - Friday
3:00pm - Jacob Hespeler vs. Holy Trinity (Simcoe)
4:30pm - Bluevale vs. Lourdes
6:00pm - KCI vs. Kincardine DSS
7:30pm - St. Benedict vs. St. James

D10: Thursday Picks

A quartet of games on today's D10 schedule, which, interestingly enough feature winners from Tuesday and losers from Tuesday going head-to-head:

Orangeville (0-1) at JF Ross (0-1)
My Pick:  JFR
After both these clubs stumbled in their openers, one of them will get one in the win column today.  I'll go with the Ross Royals to take it at home.

OLOL (0-1) at CWDHS (0-1)
My Pick:  OLOL
....ditto goes for this game.  The Lourdes Crusaders should bounce back from their season-opening loss to Bishop Mac and move to 1-1 in this one.

BMAC (1-0) at Guelph CVI (1-0)
My Pick:  BMAC
The GCVI Gaels are my under-the-radar darkhorse in the D10 league this season, with a strong crop of returning players.  I'll stick with the Bishop Mac Celtics here, but am interested to see how this one plays out.

Centennial (1-0) at St. James (1-0)My Pick:  CCVI
Another tough one to call here, but I'll go with the Centennial Spartans in a close one over in East Guelph.