U15 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 2 SUMMARY

GIRLS:

Ontario 82 British Columbia (Blue) 54

Ontario Girls managed to go 3-0 in round robin play after a win over BC Blue 82-54 on Court 1 at the Tournament Capital Center.  A strong offensive game led Ontario to take the first quarter 29-15.  With help from guard Dakota Whyte (Ajax), Ontario guard Katie Polischuk (Brantford) ran a quick offence and found many opportunities to run smart and effective plays, leading their team into the third quarter 40-27.  British Columbia’s defence fought hard in the second half, but the BC Blue McDonald’s Player of the Game guard Cherub Lum (Vancouver) was not able to shut down Polischuk, despite leading with six points and seven rebounds.  Polischuk, the McDonald’s Player of the Game for Ontario, contributed 13 points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and two assists.

Nova Scotia 47 Alberta 72

Guard Montana Romeril (Calgary) led Alberta to a 72-47 victory over Nova Scotia.  The victory bumped Alberta's record to 1-1; the loss brought Nova Scotia's record to 0-3.

Alberta came out strong and took an early 10-0 lead.  Nova Scotia picked up the slack and narrowed the margin to 19-13 at the end of the first quarter.  The maritime squad continued to chip away at the lead in the second quarter, getting within two points.  Alberta went to the locker room with a 35-27 halftime lead.  Alberta separated themselves from Nova Scotia in the latter stages of the third quarter and at the break they led 58-38.  The hole was too deep for Nova Scotia to dig themselves out of in the fourth.

Romeril topped the score-sheet with a game-high 21 points.  Forward Jordan MacLean (Hinton) brought in 13 rebounds for Alberta.  Nova Scotia was led by guard Mendeira Smith (Halifax) who knocked down 17 points.  Forwards Denesha Sule (Cole Harbour) and Madison Swan (Oxford) each pulled in 10 rebounds for Nova Scotia.  MacLean was the McDonald’s Player of the Game for Alberta and Smith was chosen for Nova Scotia.    

Manitoba 51 Newfoundland 48

Manitoba came out on top as they beat Newfoundland 51-48.  The first quarter was low-scoring, with tough defence from both teams and Newfoundland leading 10-12.  The rest of the first half followed in the same pace, ending with Newfoundland increasing their lead to 6 points, leaving the score at 22-28.  Manitoba’s #11 Kara Falkowski (Winnipeg) had 11 rebounds throughout the match, helping her team catch Newfoundland at the end of the third at 36-36.  In the last five minutes of the game, Manitoba pulled away with a series of layups and steals, finishing the match on a strong note.  The McDonald’s Players of the Game were Falkowski with 16 points and Newfoundland’s Jessica Powell with 16 points and 12 rebounds.       

Saskatchewan 53 British Columbia (Red) 48

A courageous defensive effort helped Saskatchewan silence the home crowd in a 53-48 victory over BC Red.  Saskatchewan's final record for the seeding round is 2-1 and they will take second place in Pool B.  BC Red sits at 0-2 with one match to play.

Coming into the game, the teams had two things in common: both had lost to Manitoba and both were hunting for second in their pool.  Neither team could pull ahead for most of the first quarter, but thanks to solid defence in the last two minutes, Saskatchewan earned a 14-9 lead.  Saskatchewan's defence continued to shut down BC Red, helping them in achieving a 10-point lead.  However, pressure late in the second quarter and a few clutch three-pointers gave BC Red the momentum back.  They headed into the intermission only down 26-25.

BC Red initially gained the lead in the third quarter until a 10-0 run by their opponents tilted the scale.  As a result, Saskatchewan entered the fourth quarter with a 36-34 lead.  The entire fourth quarter was extremely close, but in the end Saskatchewan was able to hold off their west-coast competition.

Forward Charlotte Kot (Regina) led all Saskatchewan scorers with 14 points and guard Sara Hubenig (Regina) snatched 10 rebounds. BC Red was led by guard Natalie Carkner (Port Coquitlam) who netted 13 points. Three players had six rebounds for BC Red: forward Megan Sherwood (Port Coquitlam), forward Hillary Janssens (Surrey), and hometown guard Abby Grinberg (Kamloops).  The McDonald’s Players of the Game were guard Desarae Hogberg (Regina) for Saskatchewan and Carkner for BC Red.

Alberta 40 British Columbia (Blue) 77

BC Blue showed that they are going to be a playoff threat by defeating Alberta 77-40 to clinch second place in Pool A.  The win gives BC Blue a seeding round record of 2-1 while Alberta finishes as the third-best team in Pool A with a 1-2 record.

BC Blue didn't waste any time getting their offence firing--they started the first four minutes of the game with a 12-0 run. At the end of the first quarter BC Blue was in charge with a 27-7 lead.  The second quarter saw much of the same as BC Blue continued to apply pressure. The ladies in blue dominated their neighbouring province; at the half BC Blue had a comfortable 44-19 lead.  BC Blue breezed through the third quarter and they were up 67-27 at the break. Alberta played a strong fourth quarter but the game had already been decided.

Guard Alisha Roberts (Burnaby) dropped the most baskets for BC Blue, ending the match with 15 points.  Hometown forward Emma Wolfram (Kamloops) gathered 17 rebounds for BC Blue and finished the game with a double-double. Alberta's high scorer was wing Renee Byrne (Devon) who sank nine points. Forward Jordan MacLean (Hinton) scooped up seven rebounds for Alberta.  Roberts of BC Blue and guard Montana Romeril (Calgary) of Alberta were named the McDonald’s Players of the Game.

British Columbia (Red) 76 Newfoundland 42

It wasn't a bronze medal, but BC Red got an equally important prize for overtaking Newfoundland 76-42 and winning Pool B's third place game.

The reward is avoiding a first round elimination date with Ontario.

BC Red finished with a 1-2 record and Newfoundland went 0-3 through seeding round play.  BC Red showcased most of the offence early in the first quarter.  A scare came to the western province when forward Emily Hyman (Vancouver) was taken off in a stretcher with just over three minutes left to play in the frame.  BC Red shook off the loss and claimed a 17-10 lead at the break.  In the second quarter, they spread the gap further and enjoyed a 36-20 lead at halftime.     

Newfoundland was unable to gain any ground in the third quarter and still found themselves down 16 points at the rest.  BC Red started the fourth quarter with a 50-34 lead and kept pressing until the final whistle.

Hometown guard Abby Grinberg (Kamloops) led the way for BC Red with 17 points.  Teammate forward Hillary Janssens (Surrey) brought in 13 rebounds.  Guard Taylor Hayes (Goulds) led Newfoundland with 10 points while post Jessica Powell (Goulds) hauled in six rebounds in the loss.  The McDonald’s Players of the Game were Grinberg of BC Red and Hayes of Newfoundland.

BOYS:

Ontario 82 British Columbia (Blue) 73

Home team Ontario prevailed in a hard fought match against visiting team BC Blue 82-73 this morning to open day two of the U15 National Championships.  At the first quarter, Ontario managed to keep a seven-point lead at 34-27.  Ontario guard Duane Notice (Woodbridge) helped the team continue to lead throughout the third quarter, ending with a nine-point spread 57-48.  BC Blue centre Nick Irvine (Burnaby) and forward Dave Manshrek (Vancouver) continued to play tough defence in the first three quarters of the game, helping BC push to within six points with under two minutes left in the quarter.  Notice led his team well, and through a series of impressive offensive plays, managed to keep the BC team from getting any closer than seven in the fourth quarter.

McDonald’s Players of the Game Notice had 35 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, and BC Blue’s Dave Manshrek had 15 points and 13 rebounds.  Ontario finished round robin with a perfect record of 3-0.

Saskatchewan 73 Alberta 82

Alberta gave themselves a chance to earn second place in Pool A after a well-deserved 82-73 victory over Saskatchewan.  The win evens out Alberta's record to 1-1 while Saskatchewan drops to 0-3 in seeding round play. 

The lead switched hands numerous times in the first quarter and Saskatchewan held a slim 28-26 advantage at the break.  The second quarter was also back and forth. With two minutes left in the frame, Saskatchewan went on a run to lead 47-41 heading into the second half. Saskatchewan seemed to have all the momentum, but a late third quarter surge by Alberta erased a 10-point deficit and they found themselves leading 62-61 entering the last quarter.  Alberta continued into the fourth quarter on fire. They went on an 11-2 run and were leading 73-63 with five minutes remaining in regulation. They never looked back.

Post Connor Foreman (Camrose) put up the big numbers for Alberta, leading the team in points (22) and rebounds (13).  The majority of Saskatchewan's points were put up by guards Graham Black (Saskatoon) and Xavier Kosolofski (Regina).  Each put up 20 points in the loss. Kosolofski also tied with forward Tyson Leibel (Saskatoon) for a team-high seven rebounds.  Guard Cooper Hamaliuk (Cochrane) was Alberta's McDonald’s Player of the Game with Black taking the award for Saskatchewan.

Nova Scotia 75 Newfoundland 94                          

A close game resulted in Nova Scotia falling short to Newfoundland 75-94.  It was a constant battle in this round robin match as Nova Scotia lost the first quarter 18-22, took the second with 40-35, and played a very tough third quarter still ahead 65-60.  Newfoundland came alive early in the fourth, pushing to tie and then pass Nova Scotia.

Due to a tremendous team effort led by guard Mitchell Hearn (St. Mary’s Bay), with an impressive 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, the visiting team passed the ball well around the perimeter and managed to outsmart the tough Nova Scotia defence.  McDonald’s Players of the Game were Newfoundland’s Hearn and Nova Scotia’s Antonio Simmonds, who finished with 23 points and three rebounds. 

Manitoba 55 British Columbia (Red) 60

BC Red took advantage of the home crowd and defeated Manitoba 60-55 in one of the closest games of the tournament thus far.  The first quarter saw several lead changes before BC Red began to build a lead towards the end.  The scoreboard read 18-11 after 10 minutes.  Manitoba wasted no time fighting back in the second quarter.  After just three minutes, they had already cut the lead down to one point.  The teams consistently exchanged baskets and at the half the score was 32-28 for BC Red.

Manitoba went on a 6-1 run to take the lead back two minutes into the second half. They held a 45-42 advantage at the start of the fourth quarter.  With 28 seconds left in the game and one second left on the shot clock, guard Denzel Laguerta (Burnaby) hit a jump shot to give BC Red a three-point lead.  Next, BC Red instantly stole the ball and guard Nick Termansen (Burnaby) ran in for a fast-break lay-up to seal the deal for his team.

Centre Cameron Smythe (Vancouver) drained 13 points and added an impressive 18 rebounds for BC Red.  Forward Kristjan Lamont (Winnipeg) also had a double-double for Manitoba with 20 points and 10 rebounds.  Both athletes were named McDonald’s Players of the Game.

Alberta 66 British Columbia (Blue) 78

In their second game of the day, BC Blue came back from a loss this morning to beat Alberta 66-78.  With both teams wanting this last game for a better place in the next round of the U15 National Championships, a high-paced and rough first half occurred.  BC Blue kept their lead going into the third quarter at 20-34.  Dave Manshrek (Vancouver) pitched in with 11 points in the game and helped carry BC Blue’s lead into the fourth with the score at 39-53.  His teammate, guard Mitchell Goodwin (Armstrong), had a strong game with nine rebounds and 19 points.  The McDonald’s Players of the Game were BC Blue’s Goodwin and Alberta guard Kyle Peterson, who had a great game with four rebounds, 13 steals, and 18 points.

British Columbia (Red) 74 Newfoundland 60

BC Red won the closing game against Newfoundland by the score of 74-60.  BC took an early lead and led by 19-12 after the first quarter, only to fall short a point going into halftime 36-37.  A second wind helped BC Red establish a six-point lead in the third and push forward, thanks to guard Tom Ghag (Surrey).  BC continued to keep a slim lead at the beginning of the fourth, but managed to create an 11-point difference with five minutes left. McDonald’s Players of the Game were BC Red’s Ghag with 19 points and Newfoundland’s Adam Keatings (Mount Pearl) with 11 rebounds.  BC Red has gone 3-0 in round robin play, putting them in first place in their pool.  Meanwhile, Newfoundland has gone 1-2, putting them in second.

(with information from TRU Athletics)
(photo from Vision Quest - visionquest1@shaw.ca)