WCSSAA Junior: Lancers, Crusaders Continue Winning Ways

There's some good junior basketball being played on the periphery of the WCSSAA boundary.

Following the 3rd game date, both Elmira and Waterloo-Oxford are among the four remaining undefeated teams, and both have picked up victories in impressive fashion.

In fact, essentially all of their 6 combined wins have come by double-digits (EDSS defeated CHCI by 9 in their opener).

Yesterday reaffirmed their strong start, as the Lancers toppled Southwood 33-19 and WODSS cruised past Bluevale 54-18.

For the Crusaders, Madalyn Davidson and Madi Sadler had 10 points each in their win, while Avery Webster led Bluevale with 5.

Elmira received 8 from their season leading scorer Natalie Mayer and 10 more from Jaclyn Wideman in their home victory; Maddie Bannon had 4 for the Sabres.

In other action on Thursday:

Jacob Hespeler 34, Eastwood 29
The Hawks picked up their first win of the season by toppling ECI at home.  Sonja Matthews had 16 and Krissy Riggan 10 for JHSS; Maggie Gibson led Eastwood with 6.

Grand River 43, Glenview Park 27
Yang Oyual of GPSS had 12 points to lead all scorers, but it wasn't enough to offset the balanced GRCI scoresheet as the Rens picked up their first win of the season.

SJAM 45, Galt 20
Claire Strong poured in 14 points and Adelaide Saunders added 8 as SJAM continued their hot start.  Juleyanna Dunlop had 8 for the Ghosts.

Cameron Hts. 46, WCI 25
Mariah Zervos (15) and Kara Day (9) led the Gaels to victory on Thursday; Adri Kellerman was again the leading WCI scorer, with 13.

KCI 45, Huron Hts. 14
KCI remained undefeated with a big win at Huron Heights.  Grace Mickie had 21 and Natalie Armatage 10 for the Raiders; Juzaine Miller scored 6 for Huron.

Forest Hts. 35, Preston 10
Alannah Spurling scored 12 for FHCI in guiding the Trojans to their first victory of the season.  Angela Josifova had 4 for PHS.

WCSSAA Junior Standings
T1.  WODSS 3-0
T1.  KCI 3-0
T1.  Elmira 3-0
T1.  SJAM 3-0
T5.  Bluevale 2-1
T5.  Southwood 2-1
T5.  Galt 2-1
T8.  Forest Hts. 1-2
T8.  Glenview Park 1-2
T8.  Huron Hts. 1-2
T8.  Jacob Hespeler 1-2
T8.  Grand River 1-2
T8.  Cameron Hts. 1-2
T14.  Eastwood 0-3
T14.  Preston 0-3
T14.  WCI 0-3

D10: Senior Royals Make Statement; Celtics Pick Up Big Win

The JF Ross Royals have established themselves as the clear favourites in the D10 Senior Girls' basketball league.

The Royals had a statement victory last night, posting a big 67-22 victory over the Centennial Spartans.  Maddy Darling (17), Mya Leacock (11) and Catie Terrey (11) were all in double-figures for the double blue, while Carter Godman and Lauren Zonneveld had 7 each for CCVI.

The win, coupled with Guelph CVI's 4-point loss to Bishop Macdonell (a team that JF Ross defeated earlier in the season) gives the Royals sole possession of first place in the D10 senior standings.

That game went down as a 37-33 Celtic victory, with Johanna de Jong hitting 12 points for BMAC and Rachel DiGravio adding 6.  Abbey MacIntyre (10) and Sydney Wilson (9) led the Gael effort.

The other game on Thursday saw Lourdes handle ODSS by a 54-17 final.  Big game by Rainey Psenicka, who poured in 28 points for Lourdes, with Natasha Martinez adding 10.  Acacia Smith had 5 for the Bears.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  JF Ross 3-0
2.  Guelph CVI 3-1
T3.  Centennial 2-2
T3.  Lourdes 2-2
5.  Bishop Mac 1-1
6.  Orangeville 0-2
7.  CWDHS 0-3

Junior
All four home teams posted comfortable victories on Thursday afternoon.

Centennial was a 42-8 winner over JF Ross, with Sabrina Smith (14) and Lauren Thomas (6) providing the top efforts for the Spartans in that one.

Bishop Mac was a 46-12 winner over GCVI, continuing their win streak to start the year.  Grace Drewry and Rachel Guanzon had 14 each for the winners.

Lourdes also remained undefeated, posting a 34-16 win at home over Orangeville.  Jessica Mathieu led the charge for the Crusaders with 14 points, while Jada Codrington added 11.

St. James received a 20-point effort from Sophia Lago in a 51-19 win over CWDHS.  Amanda Gray had 8 for the Falcons.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Lourdes 4-0
2.  Bishop Mac 3-0
T3.  Centennial 3-1
T3.  St. James 3-1
5.  Orangeville 1-2
6.  CWDHS 1-3
T7.  JF Ross 0-4
T7.  Guelph CVI 0-4

D8: Wednesday & Thursday Results

Senior
There were 5 games over the past couple of days in the D8 Senior circuit, with four teams playing back-to-back days both Wednesday and Thursday.

The tightest game of all of them saw St. Benedict snip past St. David, 47-38.  Megan Goar of St. David continued her fantastic start to the season, pouring in 29 points and bringing her league-leading scoring average up to 23.6 PPG, while Julia Mascarenhas (16) and Afifa Salaad (13) both had double-figure efforts for St. Benedict.

Monsignor Doyle took a 32-21 win over PRDG, with Yassy Smith netting 15 points.  Angela Mugisha led the Chevaliers with 8.

St. Mary's was a 54-28 winner over Woodland, starting quickly and cruising to victory.  Summer Pahl led the Eagles with 15, while Gracie Roorda had 8 for the Cavs.

Resurrection swept a couple of "A" CWOSSA schools in Rockway and Woodland over the past couple of days.

On Wednesday, Megan Fergusson (who has accepted an NCAA D1 hockey scholarship) led the Phoenix with 10 points in a 43-16 win over Rockway.

Last night, it was Krissia Vasquez (14) and Patricia Enrique (8) leading the way in a 50-9 victory over Woodland.  Brooke Mulder had 5 for Woodland.

D8 Standings
T1.  Resurrection 3-0
T1.  St. Benedict 3-0
T3.  St. David 2-1
T3.  St. Mary's 2-1
T3.  Mons. Doyle 2-1
T6.  PRDG 0-3
T6.  Rockway 0-3
T6.  Woodland 0-3

Junior
An interesting scheduling quirk on the junior side of the league, as Woodland and Resurrection played each other Wednesday and Thursday, due to a WCHS field trip.

Wednesday's game went down as a 35-13 Rez victory, with Chloe Bugdale (9) and Buse Bin-Edward (8) leading the charge.  Jenna Diumering had 7 for Woodland.

Yesterday, Rez held WCHS to single digits, winning 41-8.  Sydney Guker-Wickie had 13 to lead the Phoenix, while Sydney Vanderhoef had 4 to top the Cavalier scoring.

Other results included St. Benedict doubling up on St. Mary's, 25-12 on Wednesday; scoring details were not immediately available from source.

St. David moved to 4-0 and first place on Wednesday by taking care of Rockway 40-8.  Emily White had 12 for the Celts to lead all scorers; Michaiah Bender netted 6 for the Flames.

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

WCSSAA & D10: Thursday Picks

We'll catch up a little bit later on with some of Wednesday's results, but here are my selections for today's games:

WCSSAA (13-1 YTD)
SJAM (by 14) over Galt CI
BCI (by 22) over WODSS
CHCI (by 6) over WCI
JHSS (by 29) over ECI
KCI (by 17) over HHSS
GRCI (by 34) over GPSS
PHS (by 18) over FHCI

D10 (4-1 YTD)
GCVI (by 4) over BMAC
JFR (by 12) over CCVI
OLOL (by 25) over ODSS

D8: Wednesday Picks

YTD:  3-0

We have a full slate of action in the D8 league today, with all 8 teams in action:

St. David (2-0) at St. Benedict (2-0)
My Pick:  SBCSS by 7
The Celts have the offensive talents to keep this one close, but I like the homecourt Saints to be ahead at the end.

Resurrection (1-0) at Rockway (0-2)
My Pick:  RCSS by 31
The Phoenix should be able to pick up their second consecutive comfortable win to start the season, this time at the expense of the Rockway Flames.

Mons. Doyle (1-1) at PRDG (0-2)
My Pick:  MDCSS by 12
PRDG might give the 'Stangs a run at home, but Yassy Smith and Doyle should prevail in this one.

St. Mary's (1-1) at Woodland (0-1)
My Pick:  SMHS by 18
Woodland showed they can put up some points in their opener, but the (greater) firepower of St. Mary's should allow them to take this one.

D10 Tuesday Results

It was a light day yesterday in the D10 league, with only 2 Junior and 2 Senior games on the schedule.

On the senior side, the Centennial Spartans took care of business on the road, knocking off CWDHS by a 40-28 final.  Carter Godman (12) and Lauren Zonneveld (10) led the Spartan charge, while Grace Rooney had a game-high 14 for the Falcons.

GCVI continued their hot start, moving to 3-0 following a 53-38 win at nearby Lourdes.  Sydney Wilson poured in 21 points and Abby MacIntyre added 13; Hannah McIntosh had 17 and Rainey Psenicka 10 for Lourdes.

On the junior side, Jessica Mathieu had 9 for a balanced Lourdes scoresheet in a 47-7 win over GCVI, moving the Crusaders to 3-0 and (for the time being) in sole possession of first place.

Centennial posted a 51-36 win at CWDHS, with an outstanding effort from Sabrina Smith as part of their tally (28 points).  Amanda Gray (14) and Abby Taylor (10) both were double-figure scorers for Centre Wellington.

WCSSAA Senior Tuesday: Vikes Edge Knights in Battle of Waterloo

With having a bye on the league's opening date, it was almost October by the time the WCI Vikings tipped off their WCSSAA season yesterday --- but they made the most of the wait, edging their crosstown rival Bluevale Knights by a 41-40 final.

Danielle Sauve knocked home 15 points, and Emma Cheeseman supplied 7 more for WCI.  Maddy Weber (14) and Maddie Fielding (12) both had double-digit efforts for Bluevale.

In other action on Tuesday:

Huron Hts. 33, Glenview Park 23
Rookie Jamila Beckford poured in 18 points as the Huskies improved to 2-0 on their campaign.  Brielle Guttensohn added 7 more for HHSS; Darcy Simmons led Glenview with 9.

SJAM 53, Forest Hts. 13
Another bunch of 'Landers in double-figures on Tuesday -- this time it was Joanna Bamberger (17), and Milica Koprivica and Griffin Lack-Shane with 11.  Tyrah Wilson had 9 for Forest Heights.

Grand River 56, KCI 33
Nyamuoch Teny continues to make the most of her (limited) time remaining on the WCSSAA courts; she led the Rens with 16 in a comfortable home win.  Nancy Michael added 10 for the Rens, while Alia Hazineh and Simone Clarke scored 6 each for KCI.

Preston 33, Galt 31
This was the lone pick I had incorrect on Tuesday, so props to the Panthers for edging the Ghosts on the road.  Brooke Davidson had 9 for Preston as their balanced attack was able to withstand a big effort from Galt's Emma Buck, who had 19.

Jacob Hespeler 45, Elmira 38
The Lancers gave the Hawks a run at home, but JHSS would prevail in the end.  Maddy Adams (14) and Charlotte Clifford (10) were double-digit Jacob Hespeler scorers; Nicole Cressman led Elmira and all scorers with 20.

Cameron Heights 53, WODSS 26
In a game that featured the two current PPG leaders in the WCSSAA league, Cameron Heights got 17 from Nina Farkic (25.5 PPG through two games) in a win at WODSS.  Emily Glendinning scored all 26 for WODSS to continue her 26.0 PPG clip; she's now scored 52 of WO's 54 points through two games.

WCSSAA Junior Tuesday: 7 Clubs Continue Winnings Ways

After two game dates of action in the WCSSAA Junior Girls' league, there are still seven teams that have yet to taste defeat.

The KCI Raiders, Galt Ghosts, SJAM Highlanders, Bluevale Knights, Southwood Sabres, WODSS Crusaders and Elmira Lancers all tasted victory for the second consecutive outing.

Of course, if you see that only two clubs (GPSS and HHSS) are 1-1 and do the math, that means there's still seven clubs also searching for their first win of the season.

Here's a rundown of the action:

Glenview Park 24, Huron Hts. 23
Both teams are now 1-1 after the Panthers nipped the Huskies on the road.  Gelsa Chin had 10 to lead the way for GPSS; Michelle M'Carthy led Huron with 9.

Bluevale 30, WCI 26
Adri Kellerman had another solid effort for WCI, leading all scorers with 15 points, but it wasn't enough as the Vikes fell in a close one on the road.  Avery Webster and Rachel Deans each had 8 for the Knights.

SJAM 40, Forest Hts. 15
SJAM's second consecutive win -- and almost by the identical score as their first game -- came at the expense of the FHCI Trojans.  Sophie Kralj (9) and Olivia Moreau (8) led SJAM's balanced attack, while Vanessa Nkansah-Okoree had 6 to lead Forest Heights.

KCI 35, Grand River 26
Big game here between a couple clubs anticipated to be in the upper part of the league standings went the way of the visiting Raiders.  Grace Mickie notched 12 for KCI while Jenna Crawford led the Rens with 7.

Galt 37, Preston 22
The Ghosts have looked good in their first couple of outings, getting 13 from Azaliah Colqunoun and 12 by Juleyanna Dunlop in Tuesday's win.

Elmira 31, Jacob Hespeler 12
Natalie Mayer had a second-straight solid scoring outing, with 16 points, as the Lancers handled the Hawks at home.  Nathalie Hilbert added 6 for EDSS, while Sonja Matthews led Hespeler with 8.

WODSS 48, Cameron Hts. 21
Second consecutive big win for the Crusaders, who return several key players from last year's finalist team and look like they will be solid again.  Madalyn Davidson (10) and Madeline Woolvett (8) were the leaders for WO on Tuesday; Zoe Hoyte had 8 for the Gaels.

Southwood 29, Eastwood 16
Avery McLaren had 6 and Maggie Muir 5 for the Sabres on Tuesday in their second consecutive victory; Maggie Gibson led the Rebs with 6.

Week 1: D8, WCSSAA, D10 Players of the Week

A new feature that I'm incorporating this year will be my league "players of the week" in both the junior and senior ranks.  The criteria will be based upon league games, with some special consideration given to outstanding tournament or exhibition performances.

(I will try to include D5 as well, but getting full scoring details from all games is often an issue - if you can help me out with that, please do!)

Of course, most teams may have only played one league game last week, but that just makes my job a little bit tougher.  Here are my selections:

District 8
Note - D8 selections include games played yesterday (Monday).

D8 Junior - Sydney Guker-Wickie, Resurrection
The Grade 9 PG looked very comfortable in distributing and scoring the basketball in the Phoenix's big win against St. Benedict, and played very well in the Eastwood tournament as well, although she did miss a couple of games due to injury.  It's early, but I would bet that she'll be in the discussion for league MVP when the season is over.

D8 Senior - Megan Goar, St. David
Goar averaged 21.0 PPG -- scoring 25 & 17 in two league contests -- which saw the Celtics victorious in both.  As an "AA" school this year, the Celtics are looking at making some noise at the regional level and Goar will be a big part of their success.

WCSSAA
WCSSAA Junior - Natalie Mayer, Elmira
Mayer was a force last year as a grade nine, helping Elmira to a 5th place finish in the league standings.  Back this year, she was on her "A" game in helping the Lancers to a big road win at Cameron Heights on Thursday --- she poured in 21 points in a 42-33 win.  Look for the talented threat to be among the league's scoring leaders on a regular basis.

WCSSAA Senior - Nina Farkic, Cameron Heights
With an honourable mention to Nyamuoch Teny for scoring 23 points despite playing through an injury that will end her season in mid-October, Farkic was sensational with a 34 point outburst in helping Cameron Heights to a 43-24 victory over Elmira.

D10
D10 Senior - Ali Darling, JF Ross
A bunch of candidates on the D10 senior side, but Darling's 20-point effort in a 43-33 opening road win at Bishop Mac was certainly impressive.  The Royals, who look to be in my "top 10" rankings when they are released for the first time, followed that up on Thursday with a comfortable win over Orangeville.

D10 Junior - Bishop Mac Junior Team
OK, I cheated here, but the Bishop Mac juniors have gotten off to a great start with two lopsided wins and their balance is equally impressive.  The Celts had EIGHT players score four points or more in their opening win (53-18) over JF Ross and then placed three in double-figures (Vanessa Tassone, Grace Drewry, Rachel Guanzon) in a 61-14 victory over St. James.

D4: ECHS, WSS Seniors Post Opening Day Wins

The D4 league got under way yesterday with a couple of games:

Senior - Emmanuel Christian 18, Erin DHS 16
Low-scoring affair here, with ECHS squeaking out the win.  Laura VanRantle (8) and Julia Westrik (8) did most of the damage in the victory, while Danielle Tutt had a game high 10 for the Raiders in the loss.

Senior - Westside 41, Wellington Hts. 28
The Thunder got their season off to a nice start with a road win in Mount Forest.  Cassidy VanderByl was the top scorer for Westside with 12, while Elyse Bridgewater put home a game-high 14 for the Wolverines.

Junior - Emmanuel Christian 15, Erin DHS 14
Like the senior contest, this affair was a low-scoring affair in favour of ECHS.  Amy Kohelenberg and Laura Vis had 4 each for ECHS; Riley Miller and Savannah Sketchley had the same tallies for Erin.

D8: Nearly Perfect Start to Picks Season on Monday

Thanks to the three winners in the D8 Senior circuit yesterday for making me look good as far as picks are concerned.

All three of my spreads were within one point -- St. Benedict by 15 (won 44-28), St. Mary's by 22 (won 37-14) and St. David by 23 (won 39-17).

It probably won't happen again the rest of either the girls or boys' seasons, so I'll enjoy that while it lasts.

Here's the rundown, starting in senior:

Senior
St. Benedict 44, Mons. Doyle 28
Laura Ivits (14) and Afifa Salaad (10) both scored in double-figures for the second consecutive league game as the Saints moved to 2-0.  Yassy Smith had an impressive showing for the 'Stangs in the loss, pouring in 20.

St. David 39, Rockway 17
Megan Goar's league leading scoring average now sits at 21.0 PPG after she scored 17 against the Flames on Monday.  Ciara Dunne added 9 for the Celts, while Jamie Torrance led Rockway with 5.

St. Mary's 37, PRDG 14
The Eagles evened up their record at 1-1 on the season with a home win over PRDG.  Summer Pahl netted 15 in the win, while Amanda Rowe had 9 for the Chevaliers.

Junior
Two games from Monday in D8:

St. David 27, St. Benedict 26
A tight one in Waterloo, but the Celts improved to 2-0 with a win over St. Benedict (0-2).  Naomi Cruz had 8 in the win for St. David.

St. Mary's 24, Rockway 13
Jess Srouji (8) and Sunday Okot (6) led the St. Mary's scoring attack, while Jil Martin had 6 to top the Flame scoresheet in this one.

WCSSAA & D10: Tuesday Picks

WCSSAA (YTD 7-0)
Galt over Preston
WCI over Bluevale
Jacob Hespeler over Elmira
SJAM over Forest Hts.
Cameron Hts. over WODSS
Grand River over KCI
Huron Hts. over Glenview Park

D10 (YTD 2-1)
Centennial over CWDHS
Guelph CVI over Lourdes

CWOSSA News & Notes: Monday

Resurrection Seniors Take CCVI Title
At the one-day tournament hosted by Guelph Centennial on Friday, the Resurrection senior girls took home the title with a couple of impressive victories.

The Phoenix knocked off St. Marcellinus (Mississauga), 47-13, in their opener before defeating host Centennial 58-27 in the championship final.

Resurrection resumes league play this week by completing the tour of the D8's "A" teams, Rockway and Woodland.  They defeated PRDG in their opener.

D4 Tips Off Today
District 4 basketball tips off this afternoon with one doubleheader, and another Senior Girls' game.

The doubleheader sees the Junior and Senior teams from Emmanuel Christian travelling to Erin DHS, while Wellington Heights hosts Westside in the other senior game today.

Anything Else?
As always, feel free to advise me of any results, tournaments, or other interesting tidbits.  Easiest is by e-mail -- mark @ cwossabasketball.com.

D8: Monday Picks

YTD:  0-0

St. Benedict (1-0) at Mons. Doyle (1-0)
My Pick:  SBCSS by 15
D8's all-Cambridge rivalry tips off with both teams having won their opener.  I look for the Saints to pick up the win today at Doyle.

Rockway (0-1) at St. David (1-0)
My Pick:  SDCSS by 23
The Flames could only muster 19 points in their opener against MDCSS, and things won't get any easier on the road today against St. David.  Look for the Celts to win here.

PRDG (0-1) at St. Mary's (0-1)
My Pick:  SMHS by 22
Playing their second straight "large school" to open the season, PRDG will drop their second consecutive to open the season while the Eagles should even their record.

ECI Junior Tourney: Chatham-Kent Spoils CWOSSA Party

The Eastwood Junior tournament this past weekend featured 9 CWOSSA teams, and one out-of-town entrant.

That out of town entrant, though, Chatham-Kent, is one of the stronger junior girls' teams in the province.  CKSS won all of their games by double-figures en route to the tournament crown.

Here's a look at the results.  Of note, games were played as two "12 minute halves", hence why the scores may seem a bit lower than you'd expect.

Pool A
KCI 40, Eastwood 7
Resurrection 25, SJAM 20
SJAM 31, Eastwood 6
Chatham-Kent 35, KCI 18
Chatham-Kent def. Eastwood
Resurrection 38, KCI 20
Chatham-Kent 32, Resurrection 12
KCI 25, SJAM 19
Resurrection 32, Eastwood 17
Chatham-Kent 41, SJAM 21

Pool B
St. John's 24, Grand River 22
Southwood 18, Huron Hts. 12
Grand River 21, Southwood 18
St. John's 29, WCI 13
Grand River 36, WCI 20
St. John's 40, Huron Hts. 20
WCI 22, Huron Hts. 16
St. John's 32, Southwood 8
Grand River def. Huron Hts.
Southwood 18, WCI 16 (OT)

Semifinals
Resurrection 26, St. John's 22
Chatham-Kent 33, Southwood 6

Final
Chatham-Kent def. Resurrection