U15 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 3 SUMMARY
U15 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 3 SUMMARY
GIRLS:
Nova Scotia 52 Manitoba 64
Tournament play started today with a hard fought match won by Manitoba allowing them to advance to the semifinals over Nova Scotia 52-64. Nova Scotia was hurt by early foul trouble during the first quarter, leaving them down 7-18. During the second quarter, Manitoba pushed forward opening a lead of 18-33 going into the third. A close battle was fought in the third, with Nova Scotia gaining the lead for the first time in the match 44-42. Despite Nova Scotia’s best defensive efforts, Manitoba forward Kara Falkowski (Winnipeg) managed to help lead her team to victory. McDonald’s Players of the Game were Falkowski with 12 points and Nova Scotia’s Zana Cassidy with an impressive 27 points.
Alberta 67 Saskatchewan 55
Alberta stole the chance of medaling away from visiting team Saskatchewan today by beating them 67-55. With fouls that would set the pace of the game, the first half was tough and rough. The score at the halftime was tight and many players had four fouls going into the third quarter. Saskatchewan guard Lindsey Knibbs (Saskatoon) received her fifth foul with 7:00 minutes remaining in the fourth, with opponent #15 Clarise Jennings (Edmonton) following her with 2:46 left on the clock. With 1:15 remaining in the game, Saskatchewan would lose another starter, Desarae Hogberg (Regina), to her fifth foul.
British Columbia (Blue) 67 British Columbia (Red) 50
It was an all-BC game tonight with BC Blue knocking out BC Red 67-50. Emma Wolfram (Kamloops) helped push BC Blue to a successful quarter as her team outscored BC Red 19-7. BC Blue continued to keep a narrow lead after the first half. Guard Alisha Roberts (Burnaby) had a series of smart layups followed with two assists in the third, leading BC Blue 51-38. Red battled back in the fourth, with guard Michelle Spacek (Port Coquitlam) hitting two three point shots. McDonald’s Players of the Game Roberts had 25 points and six rebounds and Megan Sherwood took home 11 points and four steals.
Ontario 75 Newfoundland 20
Ontario proved once again they have their eye on the gold medal, eliminating Newfoundland’s chances with a 75-20. Despite Newfoundland’s hard work and determination, Ontario showed how dominating they are winning all four quarters. McDonald’s Players of the Game were Ontario guard Jenna Bugiardini (Hamilton) and Newfoundland forward Jessica Powell (Goulds).
BOYS:
Saskatchewan 105 British Columbia (Red) 97
The 13th game of the tournament was certainly unlucky for the Pool B champion BC Red as they were narrowly upset by fourth-seeded Saskatchewan 105-97 in overtime. The highly entertaining quarterfinal match was the first of what should be an exciting U15 National Championship elimination round.
At the start, it might have been surprising to spectators that Saskatchewan wasn't the first-seeded team in the game – the underdog prairie province dominated the first quarter 32-17. BC Red pushed back in the second quarter and narrowed the margin to 57-50 at the halftime break. They continued their fight and tied the game just after the five minute mark in the third quarter. After taking the lead back at the break, BC Red entered the fourth up 73-72. The last quarter was a back-and-forth dogfight that ended in an 89-89 tie. Finally, Saskatchewan came out on fire in overtime and sealed the upset.
Post Travis Sylvestre (Lumsden) was Saskatchewan's top scorer with 31 points. He also gathered 14 rebounds in the victory. Guard Denzel Laguerta (Burnaby) recorded a game-high 32 points. Meanwhile, centre Cameron Smythe (Vancouver) led BC Red with eight rebounds in the losing effort. The McDonalds Players of the Game were Saskatchewan's Sylvestre and BC Red's Laguerta.
Alberta 67 Manitoba 60
The playoff rounds started off with a bang for Alberta and Manitoba. With hopes of moving on to the semi-finals, the two teams battled point-for-point in the first quarter until Alberta broke away late in the quarter. Alberta finished the quarter with 22 and Manitoba trailed with 15. At the end of the first half, Alberta maintained the lead with 29 points and Manitoba not far behind with 27 points.
Manitoba came into the second half with guns blazing, but Alberta still stood in the way. The score at the end of the third quarter remained in favour of Alberta 47-39. Despite the eight points Manitoba trailed by, they still had some fight left in them, leaving the final quarter as the deciding factor. During an exciting fourth quarter, Manitoba gave their best. However, it just wasn’t enough to defeat the consistent Alberta team. The final score left Alberta on top 67-60.
Wing Lyndon Annetts (Beaumont) came up strong with 16 points for Alberta while Manitoba’s forward Kristjan Lamont (Winnipeg) finished with 14 points. Meanwhile, post Connor Foreman (Camrose) cleaned the glass, grabbing 13 rebounds for Alberta, and forward Boris Zimbakov (Winnipeg) was also able to snatch 13 rebounds for Manitoba. The McDonald’s Players of the Game were the very deserving Foreman from Alberta and Zimbakov from Manitoba.
British Columbia (Blue) 82 Newfoundland 64
In this game, the east and west coasts were at battle, facing off for a place in the semi-finals. The first quarter ended quickly with BC Blue dominating their east coast opposition 25-12. In the second quarter Newfoundland started to gain momentum and chipped away at the 13-point deficit. However, BC stood their ground, finishing the half with 44 points, and Newfoundland trailed with 28 points heading into the second half.
Newfoundland came out in the third quarter ready to claw their way back into the game. They made a huge a dent, but couldn’t take control of the game completely. The game was now only a one-point difference in favour of BC Blue 53-52. The fourth quarter was a challenge for both teams, yet when it came down to the end of the game Newfoundland came up just short. The result was a win for the home BC Blue team with the final score of 82-64.
On BC Blue’s side, post Nick Irvine (Burnaby) was the lead man on rebounds, picking up 9 rebounds, while guard Mitch Goodwin (Armstrong) led in scoring with 27 points. He also picked up McDonald’s Player of the Game honours for his west coast team. Newfoundland also had key contributors, one of whom was post Adam Keatings (Mount Pearl). He gave his team a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and picked up Newfoundland’s McDonald’s Player of the Game honours.
Ontario 93 Nova Scotia 73
The game featuring Ontario and Nova Scotia was a flurry of red and blue as the two teams fought for a spot in the semi-finals. The first quarter was off to a slow start for Nova Scotia with the team scoring just six points, while Ontario started the game off on a high note by netting 26 points. Although the score after the first ten minutes may have been discouraging, Nova Scotia did not give up. While Ontario maintained control on offense, finishing the second quarter with 48 points, Nova Scotia was able to dig in and get on a roll of their own. They added to their six points with 25 more, leaving the first half with 31 points.
In the third quarter, the underdog Nova Scotia team came to the second half with a new game plan, and Ontario took a turn at getting off to a slow start. Despite the mediocre start, Ontario rebuilt their lead and kept the score in their favour at 71-56. At the end of the fourth quarter, Ontario contained Nova Scotia to 73 points, making it a convincing win for them with 93 points.
The leaders for Ontario were forward Agunwa Okolie (Ajax) with nine rebounds and guard Duane Notice (Woodbridge) with 33 points. Notice was also awarded the McDonald’s Player of the Game for his team. On the other side, Nova Scotia’s leaders were guard J.J. Wilson (Dartmouth) with 17 points and Lorenzo Parker (New Minas) cleaning the glass with 10 rebounds. Nova Scotia’s A.J. Simmonds (Dartmouth) picked up McDonald’s Player of the Game honours.
(with information from TRU Athletics)
(photo from Vision Quest - visionquest1@shaw.ca)
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