WCSSAA Senior: CHCI's Farkic, WO's Glendinning Continue Impressive Seasons; Moran Heating Up

Nina Farkic (CHCI)

There aren't too many seasons on record where a Senior Girls' leading scorer averages more than 20 PPG in WCSSAA league play.

This year, for the first time in a long time, there's the potential that we could see two -- or even more -- crack that 20 PPG mark.

Guard Nina Farkic of Cameron Heights is currently leading the scoring race, pouring in 21.8 PPG to this point in the season.  She's scored in double-figures in all 8 games, with two 30+ efforts (33 and 34) and another two games of 20+ (23 and 25).

Waterloo-Oxford is probably a year or two away from having some team success at the senior girls' level, but Emily Glendinning has been a bright spot in their season to this point.  Glendinning is right behind Farkic at a 20.9 PPG clip, which includes a season-high of 31 points, and three more games in the "high 20s" -- 26, 26, and 29.

Personally, I think those numbers are even more impressive given the fact that opposing teams know that those girls are ones to try to limit on the offensive end --- they get a lot of attention, but still manage to pile up the points.

Given Cameron Heights' team success (unbeaten to this point in the season), Farkic is considered a legitimate MVP candidate.

The other player that is currently warranting some serious consideration, playing for the league's other unbeaten team, is only in grade 10.

SJAM's Kate Moran has come on as of late, scoring 20+ points in 3 of SJAM's last 4 games.  Furthermore, she's been doing it against some of the better teams in the WCSSAA league, including WCI, Jacob Hespeler, and Bluevale.

I don't have Moran's full scoring details from all games this season, but I'd believe she'd be sitting in the 15-17 PPG range -- so she could certainly be another 20+ per game scorer if she continues her recent trend over SJAM's remaining games.

Thursday: WCSSAA & D10 Picks

WCSSAA (YTD 39-9, .813)
BCI over GPSS (by 21)
SJAM over ECI (by 35)
CHCI over KCI (by 17)
EDSS over PHS (by 7)
JHSS over GCI (by 9)
GRCI over WODSS (by 36)
WCI over HHSS (by 16)

D10 (YTD 16-4, .800)
BMAC over ODSS (by 27)
CCVI over CWDHS (by 25) 
GCVI over OLOL (by 13)

D8 Senior Wednesday: Playoff Picture Continues to Clear Up

After a full slate of games in the D8 Senior Girls' basketball league on Wednesday, the playoff picture is starting to take shape.

Two of the games played yesterday were between teams currently in the top 5 positions in the league standings.

In Waterloo, the Resurrection Phoenix improved to 7-0 and maintained their hold on first place following a 51-29 win over St. David (4-3).  The Celtics hung around a bit in the first half, but a big surge to start the second half for Rez helped them break the game open.

Krissia Vasquez and Meghan Sharpe had 9 each to lead Rez, while Megan Goar had a game-high 12 for the Celts.

St. Mary's, meanwhile, was able to pull out a 29-21 decision at Monsignor Doyle yesterday, keeping them in 3rd place in the 8-team circuit.  Brittany Gulic (9) led the Eagles while Vanessa Vint also had 9 for the 'Stangs.

Jamie Torrance Perks of Rockway had Wednesday's highest point output, tallying 21, but it wasn't enough as the Flames fell to Woodland 40-34.  Brooke Mulder had 13 to lead WCHS.

Lastly, St. Benedict was a 41-27 winner over PRDG, with Afifa Salaad (13) and Laura Ivits (9) leading the way.  Alliyah Rowe had 11 for PRDG in that one.

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

* - clinched playoff berth (top 6 qualify; top 2 earn first-round byes)

D8 Junior Wednesday: Junior Phoenix Topple Celtics in Battle of Unbeatens

In a battle between 6-0 junior teams yesterday at St. David, the Resurrection Phoenix were able to hold off the pesky St. David Celtics by a 41-30 final, remaining as the league's lone unbeaten team.

St. David's offensive abilities -- led by Naomi Cruz with 12 points -- helped them maintain contact with Rez and not let this one get away from them against the favoured Phoenix.  In fact, St. David's 30 points marked the first time this season that a team had scored more than 20 against Resurrection in league play.

Sydney Gucker-Wickie (9) and Haley MacArthur (7) were Resurrection's top scorers.

There was one other junior game on Wednesday, which saw Woodland defeat Rockway by a 21-11 final.  Alanna Parker had 8 for the Cavs, while Kat Dyck Steinman netted 5 for the Flames.

For Woodland, that win keeps their playoff hopes alive and also clinches them a berth in the CWOSSA "A" tournament; they have now won both regular season meetings against RMC ensuring that they will finish no lower than 5th.

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

D8: Wednesday Picks

YTD:  14-1 (.933)

A full slate of four games today in the D8 Senior Girls' basketball league:

Resurrection (6-0) at St. David (4-2)
My Pick:  RCSS by 21
The Phoenix should be able to contain the Celtics on the road today and continue their winning ways.

St. Benedict (5-1) at PRDG (0-6)
My Pick:  SBCSS by 32
Shouldn't be much trouble here for the St. Benedict Saints, as they seek to improve to 6-1 today.

St. Mary's (4-2) at Mons. Doyle (3-3)
My Pick:  SMHS by 13
The Eagles have a bit too much offensive firepower for the 'Stangs to handle, although MDCSS could keep it close in their home gym.

Rockway (1-6) at Woodland (2-5)
My Pick:  WCHS by 16
The Cavs can all but wrap up the league's "A" CWOSSA berth with a win on Wednesday, which has a very good chance of happening, especially at home. 

D10 Tuesday: No Surprises as League Enters Stretch Drive

There were no surprises on Tuesday afternoon in the D10 Senior Girls' league, as all 3 "favourites" posted comfortable double-digit wins.

The closest game saw the Centennial Spartans go on the road and post a 45-32 win at Lourdes, backed by a big game by Carter Godman, who contributed 28 points.  Lauren Zonneveld added 12 for CCVI, while Rainey Psenicka had 11 for the Crusaders.

GCVI was a 54-12 winner over CWDHS, with Kristin Kohlmier scoring 12 to pace the Gaels.  Grace Rooney had 6 for the Falcons.

JF Ross moved to 7-1 on Tuesday with a 39-15 win at Orangeville.  Candice Geisel and Alessia Bolzon had 11 each for the Royals to lead the way.

D10 Senior Standings
T1.  GCVI 7-1
T1.  JF Ross 7-1
3.  Bishop Mac 5-2
4.  Centennial 4-4
5.  Lourdes 3-5
6.  CWDHS 1-7
7.  Orangeville 0-7

Junior
Two of the top teams in CWOSSA, the Lourdes Crusaders (#2) and Bishop Mac Celtics (#3) continued to impress on Tuesday.

Lourdes was a 56-22 winner over Centennial, with Jada Codrington having another 20+ effort, scoring 22 points.  Sabrina Smith scored 7 for the Spartans.

Bishop Mac took out St. James, 52-22, with Madison St. Denis leading the Celtic charge with 13.  Sophia Lago had 9 for the Lions.

In a low-scoring affair, GCVI eked out a 22-19 win at CWDHS.  Tessa Ladhani had 7 for the Gaels, while Amanda Gray scored 8 for the Falcons.

Orangeville was Tuesday's other winner, posting a 35-16 win over JF Ross.  Scoring details weren't immediately available.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Lourdes 9-0
2.  Bishop Mac 8-1
3.  St. James 6-3
4.  Centennial 5-4
5.  Orangeville 4-5
T6.  GCVI 2-7
T6.  CWDHS 2-7
8.  JF Ross 0-9 

WCSSAA Junior: Raiders Top Lancers in "Top 4" Battle

While the SJAM Highlanders and the Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders continue to lead the way in the WCSSAA standings with unblemished 8-0 records, the two teams nipping on their heels, the KCI Raiders and the Elmira Lancers did battle yesterday afternoon out in Elmira.

In the end, it was the Raiders picking up a big win, 47-37, over EDSS.  Grace Mickie (14) and Maggie McLean (11) led the KCI scoring, while Natalie Mayer had 14 and Jaclyn Wideman 10 for the Lancers.

As for the aforementioned Crusaders and Highlanders, W-O was a 57-36 winner over Galt, backed by 21 from Rachael Beitz and another 9 from Mackeely Shantz.  Juleyanna Dunlop had 13 for the Ghosts.

SJAM took a 39-25 decision over Bluevale, with Claire Strong (15) and Adelaide Saunders (8) being the top scorers.  Avery Webster had 12 for the Knights there.

In other games:

Cameron Heights 39, Preston 17
Zoe Hoyte had 8 and Neha Lalany 7 for Cameron as they improved to 5-3 on the season.  Sam Marson led Preston with 6.

Grand River 43, Jacob Hespeler 29
Madeline Clarke led the Rens with a 14-point effort as they toppled the Hawks at home. Jaden Lynch had 13 for JHSS.

WCI 27, Forest Hts. 20
Adri Kellerman was held to just 8 points for WCI on Tuesday, but Ana Sebbane had 10 and WCI took an upset win at FHCI.  Alannah Spurling was tops for the Trojans with 7.

Southwood 17, Huron Hts. 9
A defensive battle here, to say the least.  Scoring details weren't immediately available.

Glenview Park 47, Eastwood 24
Yang Oyual had 15 and Katelyn Kivell 14 as the Panthers picked up a road win on Tuesday.  Maggie Gibson had 10 for ECI.

WCSSAA Junior Standings
T1.  WODSS 8-0
T1.  SJAM 8-0
3.  KCI 7-1
4.  Elmira 6-2
T5.  Cameron Hts. 5-3
T5.  Southwood 5-3
T5.  Grand River 5-3
T8.  Forest Hts. 4-4
T8.  Glenview Park 4-4
T10.  Galt 3-5
T10.  Huron Hts. 3-5
T12.  Jacob Hespeler 2-6
T12.  WCI 2-6
T12.  Bluevale 2-6
T15.  Eastwood 0-8
T15.  Preston 0-8

WCSSAA Senior: Highlanders, Gaels Continue Winning Ways

As we enter the final third of the WCSSAA Senior Girls' season, the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels and the SJAM Highlanders continue to lead the pack with unblemished league records.

Both clubs picked up wins again yesterday afternoon, all while getting another solid performance from one of their star players in the process.

SJAM's Kate Moran had a 23-point effort as the 'Landers went on the road and defeated Bluevale, 44-32.  Joanna Bamberger had 8 more for SJAM, while Zoey Scanling and Rachael Hamm had 8 each for the Knights.

At Cameron, Nina Farkic poured in 25 points to lead the Gaels to a 48-32 win over the Preston Panthers.  Andjela Stankovic netted 9 more for Cameron, while Claire Gagne was Preston's top performer, also with 9.

In other games:

Grand River 46, Jacob Hespeler 30
With Nyamuoch Teny now out of the lineup, the other Rens stepped up -- especially on the defensive end -- in a win over JHSS.  Nancy Michael (17) and Tara DeBoer (14) led the scoring efforts; Taylor Finamore and Maddy Adams had 6 each for Hespeler.

WCI 48, Forest Heights 28
The Vikes improved to 5-2 and are right in the thick of things for a first-round playoff bye.  Danielle Sauve had a big game, pouring in 25 points for WCI, while Mackenzie Obermayer added 8.  Des Chanthaboury and Mae Palubeskie had 10 each for the Trojans.

Galt 35, WODSS 19
Solid defensive effort by the Ghosts on Tuesday helped them pick up the win; Emma Buck led the way with 14 while Beth Fleming netted 7.  Emily Glendinning had 10 for the Crusaders, with Hadley Wagler adding 5.

Elmira 47, KCI 29
The Lancers gave their playoff positioning a big boost with a home win over KCI.  Nicole Cressman put home 24 points in the win, while Karley Sider added 9.  Olivia Mickie had 11 and Alia Hazineh 10 for the Raiders.

Glenview Park 28, Eastwood 20
Big win for the Panthers on Tuesday, and a solid game from Darcy Simmons who had 18 points.  Danielle Gardiner led the Rebs with 9.

WCSSAA Senior Girls Standings
1.  Cameron Heights 8-0
2.  SJAM 7-0
3.  Grand River 7-1
4.  WCI 5-2
5.  Jacob Hespeler 5-3
T6.  Bluevale 4-3
T6.  Huron Hts. 4-3
8.  Galt 4-4
T9.  Elmira 3-4
T9.  Preston 3-4
11.  Glenview Park 2-5
12.  KCI 2-6
---
13.  Eastwood 1-6
14.  WODSS 1-7
15.  Forest Hts. 0-8

WCSSAA & D10: Tuesday Picks

WCSSAA (YTD 33-8)
SJAM over BCI (by 9)
CHCI over PHS (by 15)
WCI over FHCI (by 27)
EDSS over KCI (by 2)
JHSS over GRCI (by 3)
GPSS over ECI (by 6)
GCI over WODSS (by 17)

Should be an interesting day in the WCSSAA league.  Grand River is scheduled to being the portion of their schedule without leading scorer Nyamuoch Teny, so the GRCI-JHSS game will definitely be one to keep an eye on today.

D10 (YTD 13-4)
GCVI over CWDHS (by 32)
CCVI over OLOL (by 5)
JFR over ODSS (by 27)

D8: Monday Results - Cavaliers Sweep Flames

Only one game to report from yesterday in the D8 Senior league, where Woodland Christian gave themselves the "inside track" to the league's "A" CWOSSA berth by defeating rival Rockway, 41-24.

Brooke Mulder had 12 in the win for the Cavs, while Jamie Torrance Perks netted a game-high 18 for the Flames.

The win moved WCHS to 2-5, now one game up on Rockway (1-6) and two games clear of PRDG (0-7).

All of the league's top teams were idle on Monday --- Resurrection (6-0), St. Benedict (5-1), St. David (4-2), St. Mary's (4-2).  A full slate of games are scheduled for tomorrow.

Junior
On the junior side, Woodland was also a winner, posting a 29-12 victory over Rockway.  Sydney Vanderhoep had 10 points to top the WCHS scoresheet.

The win was Woodland's first of the year, as they improved to 1-5.  Rockway now sits at 0-7 in the 6-team league.

Resurrection and St. David, the league's two undefeated teams at 6-0, will meet for the first time on Wednesday.  Those two teams are well in front of the 3rd and 4th place teams, St. Benedict (3-3) and St. Mary's (3-4), and as such, they can lock up home advantage for the D8 semifinals with 1-2 more victories.

Updated CWOSSA "Top 10" Rankings: Junior & Senior Girls

A busy week last week, and didn't get to post these on Friday as I usually do.  Here are the "updated" CWOSSA rankings:

Junior
1.  Brantford CI / Brantford (1)
2.  Our Lady of Lourdes / Guelph (2)
3.  Bishop Macdonell / Guelph (3)
4.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener (4)
5.  Waterloo-Oxford DSS / Baden (5)
6.  North Park CVS / Brantford (7)
7.  Sir John A. MacDonald / Waterloo (8)
8.  Kitchener CI / Kitchener (6)
9.  St. James HS / Guelph (10)
T10.  Assumption College / Brantford (NR)
T10.  St. John's College / Brantford (9)

Senior
1.  St. John's College / Brantford (1)
2.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener (3)
3.  Sir John A. MacDonald / Waterloo (5)
4.  John F. Ross CVI / Guelph (2)
5.  Grand River CI / Kitchener (4)
6.  Cameron Heights CI / Kitchener (6)
T7.  Guelph CVI / Guelph (T10)
T7.  Bishop Macdonell / Guelph (9)
9.  North Park CVS / Brantford (7)
10. Assumption College / Brantford (8)

Basketball Referee Bill Moffett Passes Away After Courageous Battle With Cancer

Back at it today, and, unfortunately, starting off with some sad news to report.

Long-time Kitchener-Waterloo area basketball official Bill Moffett passed away over the weekend, following a courageous battle with cancer.  He was 59 years old.

If you've played high school basketball in Waterloo Region at some point since the 1970s, there's a good chance that "Billy Mo" refereed one of your games at some point --- along with his "real jobs", he was a referee for 37 years.

SJAM coach Steve Peng noted on Twitter yesterday that Bill's career as a referee stretched to the point where he was refereeing generations of local talent:

@CWOSSABball Billy reffed me in the early 80's. He said recently he was a couple years away from reffing FOUR generations of athletes. Wow.

— Steve Peng (@stevepeng66) October 19, 2015

It goes without saying that Bill will be sorely missed in our gyms.

I also wanted to share a neat story that was posted by one of Bill's referee colleagues, Jay Kaufman, as an online condolence:
----------

I have many stories about Bill AKA 'Billy Mo' to his referee pals.  I've known Bill for as long as I can remember from his reffing with my dad.  When my dad passed away suddenly in 1995, Bill was part of a core gang of KWOABO who helped out the family in any way they could.  I'll never forget him for that.  He was a family friend.

Regardless, the story I remember most is refereeing a WOSSA final with him up-country.  I absolutely loved our trips up-country.  BIll usually drove because I was without a car at the time and I've never laughed so hard in my entire life.  Bill loved to make people laugh and had a fantastic sense of humour.  Anyway, on this one particular occassion I drove myself in my Mom's van - when the transmission decided to crap out on me on my way to this very important WOSSA game.  With barely enough juice left in my ancient cell phone, I somehow managed to find the number to the school and called the school.  Lucklily they picked up!  I relayed to the secretary that I was to referee this game and that I was stranded and to contact Bill about my situation.  She put me on hold and Bill came back on the line asking me where I was stranded. 

Twenty minutes later, Billy Mo picked me up on the side of the road and drove me to the game.  

Before doing so, he made both coaches aware that my car had broken down and the game would go on, but it might tip off a tad late because he had to get his partner in crime!  We got there about fifteen minutes after the game was supposed to tip off, but the game went on.  He then drove me back to my van on the way home, waited with me for the tow truck to take it to a shop, followed the tow truck to the shop and made sure everything was cool before driving me home - all whilst cracking jokes the whole way!

That's the kind of man Bill was.  I'll miss him a great deal.

------------

As an FYI for those inquiring, visitation and funeral details have been announced.  Visitation will be tomorrow (Wednesday, October 21st) at the Henry Walser Funeral Home (507 Frederick St., Kitchener, ON), from 3-5pm and 7-9pm.

Bill's funeral will be on Thursday, October 22nd, at 11am, and will be held at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Downtown Kitchener (137 Queen St. S.).

D10 Junior Thursday: Top Teams Post Wins

The top four junior squads in the D10 league all were victorious on Thursday afternoon.

The Lourdes Crusaders remained undefeated, moving to 8-0 with a 42-17 win over CWDHS.  Jada Codrington was again strong for Lourdes, with 17 points, while Amanda Gray and Abby Taylor had 6 each for the Falcons.

Bishop Mac improved to 7-1, following a 59-11 win over JF Ross.  Grace Drewry (15), Rachel Guanzon (10) and Madison St. Denis (10) were all in double-figures for the Celtics.  Elizabeth Manning and Aleisha Lewis had 4 each for Ross.

Centennial topped GCVI, 39-28, with Sabrina Smith providing a big 17 points for the Spartans.  Mandeep Jawanda replied with 12 for the Gaels.

St. James slipped past Orangeville 45-39 in Thursday's other game.  Sophia Lago (STJ) and Hanna Bellai (ODSS) had 19 each for their respective clubs.

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

D8 Wednesday: Junior Phoenix Nearly Post Shutout

The Resurrection Phoenix junior girls did their quest to set the all-time D8 junior record for fewest points allowed in a season a big favour on Wednesday afternoon against St. Mary's.

The Phoenix shut-out the St. Mary's Eagles, 28-0, through three quarters, before the Eagles scored the only point in the fourth frame for a 28-1 final.

Delina Romano led the way for Rez with 12, while Sydney Guker-Wickie had 8.  Makenna Gomes had the St. Mary's free throw.

With the defensive effort on Wednesday, this year's Phoenix sit at 74 points allowed through 6 games, a 12.3 PPG clip.  Last year's Phoenix squad set the D8 record, with 156 points allowed in 10 games, for a 15.6 PPG mark.

Of course, two of Rez's four remaining games are against St. David, a team that is tied for first with the Phoenix with an identical 6-0 mark, so it certainly won't be easy.

The only other junior game on Wednesday saw St. Benedict get 12 points from Trinity Lombardi in a 41-8 win over Rockway.

Senior Girls
On the senior side of the D8 league on Wednesday, Resurrection stayed perfect with a 50-30 win over St. Mary's.  Krissia Vasquez had 18 in the win for Rez, while Brittany Gulic had 11 for the Eagles.

Megan Goar had 14 for St. David to lead them to a 35-15 win over Monsignor Doyle in a battle of D8's "AA" schools.  Sara Dubrick had 6 for the 'Stangs.

Woodland was a 49-18 winner over PRDG at home, with Jasmine DeWeerd leading the way for the Cavs with 14.  Cassandra Dumouchel had 9 for the Chevaliers.

The other game on Wednesday saw St. Benedict move to 5-1 by handling Rockway, 57-15.  Julia Mascarenhas poured in 28 points for the Saints in that one.

WCSSAA Junior: Crusaders Beat Raiders in Battle of Unbeatens

Racheal Beitz poured in 24 points as the WODSS Crusaders kept their unbeaten WCSSAA record intact, knocking off previously unbeaten KCI by a 45-35 final in Baden yesterday afternoon.  

Grace Mickie (15) and Maggie McLean (11) were the top KCI performers.

The Crusaders share their unblemished 6-0 record with the SJAM Highlanders, who were 48-11 winners at home over Cambridge Southwood.  Sophie Kralj (8) and Sara Abusier (8) led the 'Landers; Jamie Syms had a game-high 9 for the Sabres.

In other games:

Forest Heights evened their record at 3-3 following a 34-12 win at Eastwood.  Alannah Spurling netted 12 points to lead the Trojan attack; Maggie Gibson had 6 for ECI.

Cameron Heights defeated Jacob Hespeler in a score similar to the senior tilt, this one going down as a 40-33 CHCI win.  Quinn MacPherson (15) and Kara Day (14) led the Gaels; Krissy Riggan had 9 for the Hawks.

Elmira was a 45-25 winner at Galt, with Natalie Mayer having a huge 26-point effort in the win.  Juleyanna Dunlop was strong in defeat for the Ghosts, with 18.

The other game Tuesday saw Grand River defeat Preston, 54-20.  Jenna Crawford had 17 for the Rens, while Amber Hayward scored 6 for the Panthers.