Norfolk News: Dynamic Duo Lead Raiders To Senior Girls' Basketball Title

Photo By:  Darryl Smart

Article By:  Darryl Smart

Emily Leger and Breanne VandeVen have cemented themselves as queens of the hard court in Norfolk County. 

Leger started with an early three-pointer to set the tone, and added 18 more points to lead the Delhi Raiders to a 49-34 win over the Simcoe Sabres to capture another Norfolk Secondary School Athletic Association senior girls basketball title Wednesday on their home court. 

“It’s so awesome,” Leger said as she held a piece of the net after cutting it out. “It’s such a great feeling to win. It sure didn’t come easy. SCS came swinging at us. They played a great game. It feels amazing.” 

“It’s really exciting,” VandeVen said. “It’s been an amazing run. For Emily, Kelsey (Ward) and I, this is our fourth (NSSAA) championship in a row since coming to the school. It really is special. This means a lot. We all wanted to win really bad today. It really is a big accomplishment.” 

And to win their fourth-consecutive NSSAA basketball title, the dynamic duo led by example. 

After scoring 14 first-half points, Leger cooled off in the second. But that’s when VandeVen heated up. With only five points at the half, she hit two-straight three-pointers to lead the team down the stretch. 

Tessa Hamilton also added 10 points, with Kara Ebdon netting three. 

Taome Muntz-Flowerday led the Sabres with 12 points, while  Rachel Krisko scored eight, Tori Matthews had seven, Hailey Taylor five, and Shian LaSalle added two. 

“At the half the coaches told us to calm down and just play our game,” VandeVen said. “We just had to go out there and do what we do. The first half there were a lot of jitters. But in the second, we all calmed down and play like we do.” 

Leger said despite losing only once in Norfolk since Grade 9, which came at the hands of the Sabres last year during a regular season game, they weren’t taking anything for granted. 

“They’ve been our biggest rival, and have given us the best games, so we knew they’d come here and bring it,” Leger said. “I was nervous before the game. 

“This is super special to win this,” she said. “There was a bit of pressure to win it again. But I think it made us want it that much more.” 

With another NSSAA title in tote, the Raiders travel to St. Mary’s High School in Owen Sound for the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association AA championships next week. 

“We want to make some noise,” VandeVen said. “We got to the semifinals last year. We just have to play the way we can. Hopefully we can go further.” 

Retrieved From:  http://www.norfolknews.ca/sports-story/4962690-dynamic-duo-lead-raiders-to-senior-girls-basketball-title/

D8: Senior Girls' Semifinals

With D8's junior semifinals having been completed on Monday, there's still the senior side of things to get sorted out before the league's finals go on Friday.

Perhaps most importantly, the location of said finals will be determined today as the finals will be hosted by the highest remaining senior seed.  St. Benedict (#1) will host unless they are defeated by #5 St. Mary's.

Here's a look at the two match-ups:

(5) St. Mary's at (1) St. Benedict
Regular Season:  SBCSS 34-19
My Pick:  SBCSS 42, SMHS 29

These teams only played once during the regular season, with the Saints picking up a win at St. Mary's.

Obviously, St. Benedict enters this one as the favourite, but they can't discount the fact that the Eagles have been rapidly improving, particularly on the offensive end.  Yes, they were playing in the "B" Division, but the Eagles went from a team barely able to crack 20 points early in the season to a team scoring in the mid 30s consistently.

Brittany Gulic has been particularly impressive for St. Mary's, scoring 13 points or more in each of St. Mary's last three games.  Obviously, containing her will be a key for the Saints, since the Eagles don't have a multitude of offensive weapons.

The Saints, meanwhile, will have to shake off a bit of rust as they've been off since last Wednesday (October 29th) due to their first-round bye.  The Eagles can do themselves a favour by getting off to a decent start, which would put the pressure squarely on the favoured Saints.

Overall, I don't think this will be a blowout but the fact that the Saints have more offensive weapons (Afifa Salaad, Julia Mascarenhas, and Kayla Leusink in particular) should make the difference in this one.

(2) Resurrection vs. (3) St. David
Regular Season:  RCSS 2-1 (33-28, 43-29; 20-37)
My Pick:  RCSS 39, SDCSS 33

These two teams are quite familiar with each other, having met three times during the course of the season (once in the initial round-robin stage and then twice after the league was tiered).

Resurrection won the first two, while St. David was victorious in the last game --- although it was a meaningless contest as far as the standings were concerned and both teams gave their benches a fair amount of action in that one.

Rez's Celia McGlynn averaged 15.0 PPG against the Celtics this season (during the two meaningful games, anyways), while Megan Goar has also posted double-digit efforts for the Celts each time out.  For St. David to be successful here, they're going to need a second scoring option to emerge as well --- in their two losses against Rez, their second-leading scorer posted 5 points both times.

Should be a good battle, and I'll give the slight edge to Rez at home.

Senior Boys: Eagles Tip Off Season Tomorrow

It may still be a bit early to think about the boys' basketball season, with most of the fall sports (boys volleyball, football, and girls' basketball) still ongoing.

Don't tell that to the St. Mary's Eagles, as the projected preseason CWOSSA Senior Boys' #1 team will travel to Toronto tomorrow to participate in the prestigious Father Henry Carr Nike Early Bird Classic.

Obviously, there are no slouches at this event, and the Eagles are in one of the three-team pools with D'Youville (Brampton) and Eastern Commerce (Toronto).

The participants are as follows:
Pool A: Henry Carr (Toronto), Thornlea, Holy Trinity (Oakville)

Pool B: d'Youville (Brampton), Eastern Commerce, St. Mary's (Kitchener)

Pool C: Vaughan, St. Mike's (Toronto), Bishop Reding (Milton)

Pool D: Cardinal Newman (Hamilton), Mother Teresa (Scarborough), Campion (Brampton)

The Eagles will play both of their games tomorrow, at 4:30pm vs. Eastern Commerce and then a quick turnaround at 7:30pm against D'Youville.

Should they finish 1st or 2nd in the pool, they'll advance to Saturday play.  First-place finishers advance to the semifinals, while 2nd place teams will advance to the consolation semifinals.

WCSSAA Senior Girls QFs: Raiders Shock Gaels, Vikes Steal CWOSSA Berth

If there was a team in the WCSSAA Playoffs that those at the top of the standings didn't want to face, it was probably the KCI Raiders.

The Raiders, who struggled early in the season as their (mostly) youthful roster adjusted to senior basketball, came on down the stretch and were playing some of the best basketball in the league entering the playoffs.

Just ask the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels.

The Gaels, who along with Grand River appeared to be the two teams with the best chances of advancing to OFSAA "AAAA" from CWOSSA, will instead watch from home after the #7 Raiders upset the #2 Gaels by a 49-46 score yesterday at Cameron Heights.

The Gaels narrowly led 13-12 after one quarter, and 28-22 at the half, before the Raiders surged over the final two frames to pick up the victory.

Alia Hazineh had 16 and Thea Taylor 10 for the Raiders, while Hunter Johns was strong in defeat for the Gaels with a 23-point effort.  Nina Farkic added 18 more for Cameron.

Cameron Heights could have still advanced to "AAAA" CWOSSA with a Bluevale (#4 seed) win over #5 WCI, but it was not to be as the Vikes snatched a 55-51 road win in that quarterfinal game.

Kaylee Anagnostopoulos pumped home 24 points for the Vikes, with Danielle Sauve adding 17 more.  Julia Curran scored 19 and Zoey Scanling added 15 for the Knights.

In the other quarterfinals, #3 Jacob Hespeler survived a chippy affair against one of their Cambridge rivals #6 Southwood, 46-37.  Jasmine Ramcharan had 15 and Candice Wright 12 for the Hawks, while Taylor White had a game-high 16 for the Sabres with Brianne Jewell scoring 8.

Top-seeded Grand River, meanwhile, cruised past #9 Galt 58-31.  Maya Day scored 17 and Tijana Abadzic added 8 for the Rens; Erin Wilson scored 9 and Sophie Caiton had 7 for the Ghosts.

Semifinals (played at the higher seeds) on Thursday will feature #5 WCI at #1 Grand River, and #7 KCI at #3 Jacob Hespeler.

CWOSSA Qualification
Like the junior ranks, the senior CWOSSA berths have also been determined.

For "AAAA", the two remaining Quad-A schools, #1 Grand River and #5 WCI, will get WCSSAA's CWOSSA berth.  

On the "AAA" side, semifinalists (#3) Jacob Hespeler and (#7) KCI secured their CWOSSA berths, and will be joined by #4 Bluevale, the highest-seeded AAA team eliminated in the quarterfinals.

WCSSAA: Junior Girls' Quarterfinal Results

The top four teams are all through to the WCSSAA Junior Girls' semifinals --- barely.

The #3 Jacob Hespeler Hawks, who lost to #6 Preston last week, had their hands full with the Panthers again on Tuesday but were able to sneak out a 32-31 overtime victory to secure their spot in the semifinals (and earn themselves an "AAA" CWOSSA berth in the process).

Charlotte Clifford put home 14 points for JHSS there, with Kayla Gallant adding 8.  Alayna Johnson (9) and Brooke Davidson (6) were the top Panther scorers.

Also joining the Hawks at "AAA" CWOSSA will be the Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders and the Galt Ghosts, by virtue of their wins on Tuesday.

#4 Galt locked things down defensively in a 30-17 victory over #5 Elmira.  Beth Fleming had 11 in the win for the Ghosts, with Juley Dunlop notching 7.  Natalie Mayer did most of the Lancer damage, scoring a game-high 13.

#2 Waterloo-Oxford put up 69 points in a 69-33 win over #7 Huron Heights.  Madeline Woolvett and Madalyn Davidson each had 14 points for the Crusaders, while Jamila Beckford ended her WCSSAA season with another strong effort, scoring 19 points.

The top-seeded SJAM Highlanders cruised to a 51-23 win over #8 Cameron Heights.  Griffin Lack-Shane (13), Emily Domerchi (12), and Kate Moran (12) were the Highlander leaders, while Tamara Grahovac had 7 for Cameron.

In semifinals, which will be played Thursday at the higher-seeded schools, #1 SJAM will host #4 Galt, and #2 WODSS will play #3 Jacob Hespeler.

CWOSSA Qualification
The semifinal results also confirmed all of WCSSAA's Junior CWOSSA berths.

For AAAA, the #1 SJAM Highlanders earned one of the berths with their victory, while #7 Huron Heights will assume the other CWOSSA berth.  There were only three "AAAA" schools in the quarterfinals, so the Huskies just needed either a win or a Cameron Heights loss to qualify for CWOSSA.

As previously mentioned, WCSSAA gets three "AAA" berths this year, so the three AAA schools that advanced to the semifinals will assume those --- #2 WODSS, #3 Jacob Hespeler, and #4 Galt.

D10: Quarterfinal Tuesday Results

Things essentially went to form in both the Junior and Senior D10 girls' basketball playoffs yesterday afternoon, with the home team winning all but one game (#5 JF Ross defeating #4 Guelph CVI in the junior ranks).

Starting on the senior side, three games were never in doubt as the top three teams all posted wins by 20+ points.

Lourdes, the #3 seed, had some difficulty with St. James during the regular season but had things clicking on Tuesday during a 55-32 victory.  Rainey Psenicka led the way with 18 points, while Aida Raab added 11.

Von Davis was the top scorer for St. James with 8.

#2 Centennial doused #7 Centre Wellington 56-19, with Emma Cain scoring 16 and Megan Paddock adding 10.  Nikki Sinkner did most of the damage for CWDHS, netting 13 points.

Bishop Mac, the top seeded squad in D10, had their way with #8 Orangeville, posting a 79-16 win.  Tianna Sullivan led the Celtics with 17 points, while Emma Wells had 9 for the Bears.

The game of the day --- as many expected --- was at JF Ross where the #4 Royals held off the #5 Guelph CVI Gaels by a 51-48 score.  GCVI missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have potentially sent the game to overtime.

Scoring details were not immediately available from that game.

Semifinals on Thursday will see #1 Bishop Macdonell host #4 JF Ross, and #3 Lourdes travel to play #2 Centennial.  The D10 final is scheduled for the University of Guelph this Saturday at 8pm.

Junior
Like the senior side, the top three teams easily advanced through to the semifinals.

#1 Bishop Macdonell routed #8 Orangeville 56-14, with Leah Parisotto chipping in 14 and Grace Drewry adding 12.  Lindsay Grant had 6 to lead the Bears.

Lourdes, the #2 seed in D10, posted a 52-10 victory over #7 CWDHS.  Jada Codrington and Jessica Mathieu each had 11 points in the win there.

#3 Centennial received double-digit efforts from Ashlan Best (15) and Lauren Zonneveld (11) in their 45-25 win over St. James.  Sophia Lago was the top St. James scorer, with 9.

Like the senior game, the junior JF Ross-GCVI affair was also a 3-point Ross win, 37-34.  Catie Terrey was tremendous for the Royals in the victory, posting an 18-point effort, while Alessia Bolzon added 8.  Cassie Reynolds and Emina Bektic each had 10 for GCVI.

Semifinals on Thursday will see the #1 Bishop Mac Celtics host #5 JF Ross, and #2 Centennial host #3 Lourdes.

CWOSSA Qualification
It was not all bad news for Guelph CVI fans on Tuesday, as both their junior and senior teams punched their ticket to "AAA" CWOSSA as a result of losses from the other "AAA" D10 teams, St. James and CWDHS.  GCVI, therefore, gets the CWOSSA berths based upon a better finishing seed in the D10 standings.

The other CWOSSA spots are still up for grabs.

The two "AA" schools, Bishop Mac and Lourdes, are both still alive in both the Junior and Senior playoffs.  A loss by either Lourdes school in the semifinals, and Bishop Mac would get the CWOSSA berth.

As for "AAAA", both JF Ross and Centennial remain active in both sets of playoffs as well.  Centennial has the inside track in both instances to the CWOSSA berth as JF Ross will need to beat Bishop Mac (both junior & senior) on Thursday to have a shot at advancing.

Brantford Expositor: BCI Prevails in Junior Championship Opener

Article By:  Vincent Ball
 
There were some terrific individual performances but it was team defence and a balanced scoring attack that carried the day in the opening game Tuesday of the Brant County junior high school girls basketball championship series.

Brantford Collegiate Institute Colts used aggressive defence and got some timely scoring by a couple of key players to beat the St. John's College Green Eagles 60-56 in a highly entertaining game.

"I think everyone played well and we played aggressively," said Kennedy Peirce, who scored 19 points for BCI.

"We played well as a team but I think we could have done a better job of rebounding. I think we need to come back even stronger in our next game.

Peirce had a terrific opening half. He scored three three-pointers, including a couple that were back-to-back in the second quarter. But the Mustangs got points from other players, including Neyla Piovesan, who scored a three-point buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter.

Piovesan finished with nine points, Taylor Hill scored 10, while Maddie Sanderson and Lacey Madia each scored seven.

The Green Eagles got an outstanding performance from Kaityln Overeem, who battled hard underneath the hoop all game. She drew numerous fouls and scored 12 of her 14 points from the foul line.

Emily Dignan, meanwhile, also had an outstanding game for the Green Eagles scoring 29 points.

But the Green Eagles will have to do better if they want to even the series on Thursday, coach Alexa Santilli said following the game.

"We've always had a tough battle with BCI and we have to do a better job of working as a team," Santilli said. "Boxing out and doing a better job on the boards will be huge for us in the next game.

"There were a lot of positives for us but we have to make sure everyone comes to play."

Game 2 of the final is Thursday 5:30 p.m. at Pauline Johnson Collegiate.

In the opening game of the senior girls' final, St. John's defeated the BCI Mustangs 84 to 20.

The Green Eagles were led in scoring by Megan Thompson with 17 points and Kendra Van Leeuwen and Alaina McMillan, with 15 each.

BCI got points from Madison McBride, Kiana Madia and Summer Sakaluk.

St. John's used tough defence all over the court to force a lot of turnovers which often led to baskets. But when the game was clearly out of reach, the Green Eagles stopped with the full court press.

Game 2 of the senior girls' final goes Thursday at 7 p.m. at PJ.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2014/11/04/high-school-girls-basketball-playoffs-bci-prevails-in-junior-championship-opener

Heinbuch Classic: 2014 Teams, Draw Released

(Update:  Here's a Link To the Draw)

The start of November means the start of boys' basketball tryouts and practices in the CWOSSA region.

With that comes the release of some tournament schedules, including the prestigious 31st annual Heinbuch Classic.

As usual, the tournament takes place towards the end of November (it's the 28th and 29th this year), but it's the first year that the tournament will be primarily played in Waterloo, with first and second round games being played at RIM Park in Waterloo.

Needless to say, that's a great set-up for hoops fans as attendees of recent OBA tournaments (and, of course, OFSAA AAAA Boys Basketball in 2007) can attest.

Games will continue on Saturday, at both WCI & SJAM in Waterloo.

Before we get to the draw, here's a list of the CWOSSA participating teams:
Cameron Heights (Kitchener)
Eastwood (Kitchener)
Grand River (Kitchener)
North Park (Brantford)
SJAM (Waterloo)
St. Mary's (Kitchener)
Waterloo CI (Waterloo)

The First Round Draw Is As Follows:
SJAM vs. North Park
Eastwood vs. Welland Notre Dame
Grand River vs. Toronto Oakwood
Windsor Herman vs. Ottawa Lisgar

St. Mary's (K) vs. Burlington Nelson
Hamilton St. Thomas More vs. Ajax J. Clarke Richardson
WCI vs. Hamilton MacNab
Cameron Heights vs. Ottawa St. Patrick's

....we've got SJAM vs. North Park (all-CWOSSA) in the first round and we're guaranteed at least another "all-CWOSSA" second round game as Eastwood will play one of those teams depending on the results.

Analysis
The early-season CWOSSA favourites, the St. Mary's Eagles, will have as good a shot at any of ending the CWOSSA (and more importantly, the Waterloo Region) championship drought.

The Eagles, who return virtually all of their scoring offense from a season ago, lost in last year's championship
final to Toronto Oakwood (69-57).  

This was the first time a Waterloo Region based team had advanced to the tournament's final since 2004, when KCI dropped a 61-49 decision to Mother Teresa of Scarborough.

Again, a Waterloo Region team has never won the Heinbuch. 

I'd expect St. Mary's, Cameron Heights (likely my preseason CWOSSA #2 team) as well as the SJAM Highlanders to be the CWOSSA teams with the most potential of "making some noise" here at the Heinbuch.

It's been 15 years since a CWOSSA-based team has tasted victory --- that was the Brantford Assumption Lions back in 1999.  That year, in fact, was the second straight year a CWOSSA team had won (St. James won in 1998).

Good luck to all participants (and, in particular, our CWOSSA clubs!).

BAA: Playoff Update

Senior
Most of the results are in from the league's quarterfinals.  QF winners advance to tomorrow's "BAA Final Four" event in Kincardine, where the semifinals and finals will be played on the same day.

North - QF's
(1) St. Mary's 37, (4) Peninsula Shores 28
SM:  Katie Langdon, 25

(2) OSCVI 29, (3) Grey Highlands 22
OS:  Sidney Foss, 12
GH:  Jane Flapper, 6

South - QF's
(1) Kincardine 28, (4) Sacred Heart 8

(2) Walkerton vs. (3) John Diefenbaker - Result Pending

Semifinals
OSCVI vs. Kincardine
WCDS/JDSS vs. St. Mary's

Junior

North - QFs
(1) Peninsula Shores 32, (4) West Hill 24
PS:  Steenika Gilbert, 15
WH:  Kaelin Linthorne, 8

(3) OSCVI 30, (2) St. Mary's 19
OS:  Abbie Radboarne, 8
SM:  Katheryn Schreiber, 8

South - QFs
(1) Kincardine def. (4) Chesley

(3) John Diefenbaker 16, (2) Sacred Heart 10

Semifinals
Peninsula Shores vs. John Diefenbaker
OSCVI vs. Kincardine

D10: Playoff Picks

It's quarterfinal Tuesday in the D10 league today; here's a look at the games on tap, starting in senior:

(1) Bishop Mac vs. (8) Orangeville
Season Series:  BMAC 2-0 (67-24, 52-13)
My Pick:  Bishop Mac 58, Orangeville 23

The Bishop Mac Celtics, who suffered just one loss during the regular season, are the obvious favourites against winless Orangeville DSS.  The Celtics could essentially name their score, but I think they'll make sure to avoid injuries and rest up for the semifinals.

(2) Centennial vs. (7) CWDHS
Season Series:  CCVI 2-0 (53-13, 41-24)
My Pick:  CCVI 55, CWDHS 21

Again, another game that projects to be a mismatch on paper (then again, there's a reason why you actually play the game...).  The Spartans should win this one handily at home.

(3) Lourdes vs. (6) St. James
Season Series:  OLOL 2-0 (38-34, 43-37)
My Pick:  OLOL 44, STJ 32

Now things get interesting.  The two games between these clubs during the regular season were both decided by 6 points or less --- including one about 2 weeks ago at St. James.

The Crusaders are the favourites here, but this isn't a "gimme" by any means and is certainly a game to keep an eye on.

(4) JF Ross vs. (5) Guelph CVI
Season Series:  1-1 (GCVI 44-35, JFR 44-40)
My Pick:  JFR 47, GCVI 43

Each team won one of the regular-season meetings --- interestingly enough as a road team on the other squad's home court.  

Needless to say, the Royals will be looking to reverse that trend here.  Even with a loss at Lourdes on the last day of the regular season, the Royals have been playing well down the stretch and I think they'll eke out a win in this one.

And, moving over to the junior side of things....

(1) Bishop Mac vs. (8) Orangeville
Season Series:  BMAC 2-0 (40-6, 48-12)
My Pick:  BMAC 44, ODSS 11

Like their senior counterparts, the junior Celtics shouldn't have much trouble advancing to the semifinals today. 

(2) Lourdes vs. (7) CWDHS
Season Series:  OLOL 2-0 (38-17, 41-7)
My Pick:  OLOL 48, CWDHS 15

The Lourdes Crusaders have scored 38+ points in each game this season.  The most CW has scored in a game has been 32.  That's about all you need to know for this one --- Crusaders to roll.

(3) Centennial vs. (6) St. James
Season Series:  CCVI 2-0 (35-21, 42-26)
My Pick:  CCVI 38, STJ 24

Centennial can lock up D10's "AAAA" CWOSSA berth with a win here and losses by Orangeville (very likely) and JF Ross (toss-up).  Actually, losses alone would give the berth to the Spartans but they'll want to take care of business (and should) at home.

(4) Guelph CVI vs. (5) JF Ross
Season Series:  1-1 (GCVI 34-24, JFR 38-32)
My Pick:  GCVI 36, JFR 31

Like their senior teams, who are also meeting today, both of these clubs each won a game on the road during their two regular season meetings.  The Gaels would prefer this to be a low-scoring affair, while the Royals' chances will increase if this game is played in the high 30s (or low 40s).  I'll go with the home squad, but it's certainly another game to keep an eye on.

Simcoe Reformer: Undefeated Titans Excited For Junior Girls' Basketball Final

Article By:  Darryl Smart

It’s been a dream season for Richard VanDeWiele and his Holy Trinity Titans, yet the junior girls basketball team has taken nothing for granted. 

After completing a perfect Norfolk Secondary School Athletic Association regular season, the Titans continued to roll, beating the Valley Heights Bears 33-24 in one semifinal game Monday at home. 

“They played hard and they dig, dig, dig,” VanDeWiele said. “In junior basketball, anything can happen. They had that one girl tonight that hit a couple big shots. No lead is too big because if she hit a couple more, it could’ve been a totally different game.” 

With the win, the Titans will take on the Simcoe Sabres in Wednesday’s final at 6 p.m. at Delhi District Secondary School. 

“The girls are excited about it,” VanDeWiele said. “Today they knew they were going to have to come here and work.” 

The Titans coach looks at the opening quarter as a perfect example. 

“We’re down 6-4 and they came back strong,” VanDeWiele said. “Earlier in the year they would’ve got frustrated. But now they’re much more patient. They know they can do this. They just have to bare down.”

Which is something they’ve had to do all season and hope to do in the final. 

“We had a nice season,” VanDeWiele said. “But nothing has come easy, that’s for sure. In every game the girls had to work their tails off. The main thing is they work hard and have a lot of fun out there. 

“I’m really happy that all 13 girls played, and contributed,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. With this group, every girl is learning their positions, and getting better.” 

Kate Wilhelmus Rachel Winger, and Sydney Buis scored six points each for the Titans, while Brooke Magalas, Danika Blake and Anna Mitchell added four. Justice Wilks and Taylor Ongena each netted two points and Ling Li Wong had one. 

Leanne Curwain led the Bears with six points, while Courtney Cridland had four. Ashley Loshaw, Laura Reimer and Clair Weaver each netted three. Alana Bridges, Julia Knelsen and Caitlin Kuchar scored two each, with Sabrin Mattinson adding one. 

The Sabres earned a date with the Titans thanks to a 29-11 win over the Delhi Raiders. 

Hayley Smith led the Sabres with seven points, with Julia Samborski adding six, while Emily Shuttleworth and Bianca Bowen netted four points each. Alexandra Dockx scored three points, while Victoria Lewis and Erica Wilhelmus had two, with Kassie Courrier adding one. 

Victoria Johnson led the Raiders with six points, while Sierra DeMaere added three, and Lily Johnson netted two. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.norfolknews.ca/sports-story/4959174-nssaa-senior-girls-basketball-rematch-set/

Simcoe Reformer: NSSAA Senior Girls Basketball Rematch Set

Article By:  Darryl Smart

Morgan Hotz and her Simcoe Sabres teammates wanted another shot at the Delhi Raiders, and thanks to a 37-27 come-from-behind victory over the Holy Trinity Titans, the rematch of last year’s Norfolk Secondary School Athletic Association senior girls final is set. 

“We’re really excited to get back to the final,” Hotz said. “It’s really nice to get back there. We all really wanted to get back to the final, especially after losing to them (Delhi) last year.” 

But to do it, the second-place Sabres need to gut it out against a gritty Titans team that gave them all they could handle. 

“It wasn’t a surprise they came out hard,” Hotz said. “They’ve got a good team so we were preparing ourselves for a good game. We certainly didn’t overlook them because we knew it would be a tight game.” 

After jumping out to an 8-0 lead, it wasn’t until 2:41 left in the first quarter before the Titans got a point. Despite that, the Titans chipped away and were within a pair at the half. 

By the end of the third quarter, the Titans had a four-point lead, and looked poised to upset their rivals. 

But Hotz and her teammates had something to say about that, regaining the lead midway through the fourth quarter, and not looking back. 

“I feel like we really came back well in the second half,” Hotz said. “We did a great job of coming together as a group and pulling this win out. 

“He (coach Bill Macovik) said he was really proud of us for the way we came back, and how we were communicating,” she said. “We’ve been tested a lot this year. We’ve realized that you can’t get down on yourself because the game isn’t over until it’s over.” 

Hotz led the Sabres with 10 points, while Tori Matthews had eight and Hailey Taylor added seven. Rachel Krisko scored five points, with Tiara Catherwood netting four. April Harriott scored two, while Taome Muntz-Flowerday and Tonya Keane pitched in with one each. 

In the other semifinal, the first-place, and undefeated Raiders rolled over the Waterford Wolves. 

The dynamic duo of Emily Leger, Breanne VandeVen led the Raiders, scoring 15 and 16 respectively, while Kara Ebdon and Tessa Hamilton each netted six. Kelsey Ward scored four points, while Kassidy Deming had two. 

The NSSAA senior girls basketball final between the Sabres and Raiders takes place 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Delhi District Secondary School.

Retrieved From:  http://www.norfolknews.ca/sports-story/4959174-nssaa-senior-girls-basketball-rematch-set/

WCSSAA Senior: Quarterfinal Tuesday

As usual, it's not only semifinal spots, but also CWOSSA berths that are on the line this afternoon as the WCSSAA quarterfinals tip off.  Here's what we've got scheduled:

(9) Galt at (1) Grand River
Regular Season:  Did Not Play 
My Pick:  GRCI 62, GCI 35

As a reward for defeating Elmira, the Galt Ghosts now get the unenviable task of trying to slow down the league's top offense, the Grand River Renegades.

The Rens have yet to be held under 50 points in a game during the WCSSAA regular season, and hit the 60+ mark three times while also going for 70+ three other times.  

In other words, Galt's going to have to put up some serious points to keep this one competitive.

(7) KCI at (2) Cameron Heights
Regular Season:  Did Not Play 
My Pick:  CHCI 49, KCI 33

The KCI Raiders have been improving rapidly, particularly at the offensive end as the season has gone on.

That said, they'll face their toughest foe in some time as they travel to Cameron Heights to take on the #2 Gaels.  

The Raiders usually seem to be a pest come playoff time, so it will be interesting to see what Coach White has up his sleeve.  On paper, the Gaels appear to be the clear favourite here.

(6) Southwood at (3) Jacob Hespeler
Regular Season:  JHSS 46, SSS 25 
My Pick:  JHSS 43, SSS 31

I think the Sabres are a bit better than they showed the first time these squads met.  The Hawks, who put up a 1-loss regular season record, should soar to the victory here but it can be interesting when these Cambridge rivals meet. 

(5) WCI at (4) Bluevale
Regular Season:  BCI 47, WCI 44
My Pick:  WCI 53, BCI 50

I can't pick all the favourites to advance, can I?  Basically, that's the reasoning for this pick in what should certainly be the most hotly contested of today's four senior quarterfinals.  These teams played a 3-point game during the regular season and I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar result today.

WCSSAA Junior: Quarterfinal Tuesday

(8) Cameron Heights at (1) SJAM
Regular Season:  SJAM 49, CHCI 31
My Pick:  SJAM 54, CHCI 26

The SJAM Highlanders have been alone at the top all season, as the "wire to wire" leaders of the pack.  The Cameron Heights Golden Gaels actually gave them a fairly competitive game (by SJAM's standards) during the regular season, but that was at home.  Things will be a bit trickier for them in the Highlanders' cozy confines in West Waterloo.  SJAM to win big here.

(7) Huron Heights at (2) WODSS
Regular Season:  WODSS 53, HHSS 30
My Pick:  WODSS 48, HHSS 27

Assuming Cameron Heights does not upset SJAM in the aforementioned game, the Huron Heights Huskies will get an "AAAA" CWOSSA berth --- the first Junior Girls' berth in team history, regardless of whether they win or lose.

The Crusaders are too strong, especially at home here.

(6) Preston at (3) Jacob Hespeler
Regular Season:  PHS 32, JHSS 23
My Pick:  JHSS 33, PHS 30

Arguably the most intriguing matchup on either the junior or senior WCSSAA sides on Tuesday; the Panthers actually beat the Hawks last week to finish the regular season.  I'll go with the Hawks to get some revenge here (at home this time, no less), but it's certainly a game to keep an eye on.

(5) Elmira at (4) Galt
Regular Season:  GCI 27, EDSS 26
My Pick:  GCI 34, EDSS 29

You would expect this one to be fairly close, based upon the seedings --- and the regular season outing, a 1-point Ghost win.  Wouldn't be surprised to see this one go either way, but I'll stick with my "safe" trend of taking the home teams and pick a Galt win in this one.  

This is essentially a CWOSSA qualifier, with the winner most likely getting an "AAA" CWOSSA berth (pending the results of the other games, of course).

D8 Monday: Several Lower-Seeded Teams Pull Upsets

Well, it was a good thing I didn't have time to get any picks in yesterday.

As I was dealing with a bit of a water issue in my home, I didn't get around to yesterday's column.  However, it's safe to say that I certainly would have got a couple of picks wrong had I ventured into making selections.

On the senior side of things (first-round games), the St. Mary's Eagles (#5) defeated the #4 Woodland Cavaliers by a 38-29 final.  Brittany Gulic (SMHS) and Kirstin Hofstee (WCHS) each had 15 points for their respective clubs.

The other senior game went as expected, with the St. David Celtics (#3) knocking off the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs (#6) in a 43-22 game.  Bobbi-Sue Hentges had 16 and Megan Dally 8 for the Celts, while Yasmeen Smith scored 12 for the 'Stangs.

That game also served as a "partial CWOSSA qualifier", meaning that St. David will advance through to play Westside SS (District 4) for a CWOSSA "AAA" berth.

One of the junior semifinals also went as expected, with undefeated #1 seed Resurrection dominating #4 St. David in a 50-7 rout.

Jama Bin-Edward had 13 and Krissia Vasquez 11 for the Phoenix in that win.

The "upset of the day" was seeing the #3 St. Benedict Saints squeeze past #2 (and CWOSSA #6 ranked) St. Mary's by a 41-36 final.  Scoring details weren't immediately available.

However, you have to certainly give St. Benedict credit for their improvement throughout the season --- their first meeting against St. Mary's went in the books as a 46-15 Eagles win.

D8 Playoff Schedule - Senior (Semifinals)
(1) St. Benedict vs. (5) St. Mary's
(2) Resurrection vs. (3) St. David

Final (Friday, 8pm @ Highest Senior Seed):  SBCSS/SMHS vs. RCSS/SDCSS

D8 Playoff Schedule - Junior (Final)
(1) Resurrection vs. (3) St. Benedict - 6pm Friday (Played @ highest senior seed)