U15 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 4 SUMMARY

GIRLS:

Nova Scotia 78 Newfoundland 44

Nova Scotia kicked off Friday's action with a 78-44 victory over their maritime rivals, Newfoundland.  Although medals were out of the picture, Nova Scotia won a shot at being the fifth best team in the nation.

The east-coast battle started off evenly matched as the lead changed hands several times in the first quarter. Between the quarters Newfoundland was trailing Nova Scotia 19-16.  Nova Scotia took over in the second quarter and earned a 38-27 lead heading into the second half.  The third quarter was owned by Nova Scotia and they expanded their lead to 63-33.  Finally, Newfoundland stepped up their game in the fourth but it wasn't enough.

Guard Candace Smith (New Minas) knocked down 16 points and shot 67 per cent from three-point land for Nova Scotia in the victory. Nova Scotia's rebound leader was forward Denesha Sule (Cole Harbour) with 13 boards. Post Jessica Powell (Goulds) had a game-high 22 points for Newfoundland.  She also brought in 10 rebounds, giving her a double-double.  Smith of Nova Scotia and Powell of Newfoundland were the McDonald's Players of the Game.

Saskatchewan 51 British Columbia (Red) 53

Solid free-throw shooting propelled BC Red to their first playoff win, a 53-51 victory over Saskatchewan.  First quarter action was offensively balanced as Saskatchewan snatched a slim 14-13 lead at the first break.  However, BC Red was dominated on the boards in the second frame and Saskatchewan took a 29-21 lead at the intermission.  BC Red improved their rebounding and bounced back in the third quarter, narrowing the lead to 40-39.  The fourth quarter was a thrilling finish. With 13.9 seconds left in the game, BC Red led 52-51. Forward Megan Sherwood (Port Coquitlam) was fouled and made one shot.  Saskatchewan had one last chance to tie or win the game; they rushed the ball back down the court and put up a three-point shot, but it rimmed out.

BC Red was carried by a balanced offence.  Sherwood was their highest scorer with 11 points. Guard Natalie Carkner (Port Coquitlam) gathered eight rebounds for the winning side. Saskatchewan's forward Charlotte Kot (Regina) was the game's highest scorer--she had 14 points. Kot also brought in 12 rebounds for a double-double.  The McDonald's Players of the Game were forward Hillary Janssens (Surrey) of BC Red and Kot of Saskatchewan.

Ontario 77 Manitoba 45

Ontario got one step closer to defending their national title after a dominant 77-45 semi-final win over Manitoba, raising Ontario's perfect tournament record to 5-0.

Ontario started the game off with a 15-0 run. Midway through the first quarter, Manitoba got rid of their nerves and put points up on the scoreboard. They ended the quarter down 23-12.  Ontario increased their lead in the next quarter, giving them a comfortable 46-20 halftime lead.  Manitoba played a solid third quarter and didn't allow Ontario to build much on their point advantage.  After 30 minutes had been played, Ontario led 61-34.  At one point in the fourth, Manitoba climbed to within 21 points of their competition; however, that was as close as they would come.

Guard Danielle Boiago (Hamilton) led Ontario with 21 points.  Guard Jenna Bugiardini (Hamilton) grabbed nine rebounds for the winning side.  Meanwhile, Manitoba's high scorer was guard Taneesha Greaves (Winnipeg) with 13 points. Post Emily Loewen (East St. Paul) tied Bugiardini with a game-high nine rebounds for Manitoba.  The McDonald's Players of the Game were Ontario guard Erica McFadden (Dover Center) and Greaves of Manitoba.

British Columbia (Blue) 70 Alberta 57

BC Blue stamped their ticket to the gold medal final after a 70-57 victory over Alberta, upping their tournament record to 4-1.  The first five minutes of the game were back and forth; the next five minutes were owned by BC Blue.  At the end of the first quarter they had taken a sizeable 15-7 lead.  Alberta refused to let BC Blue run away with the game and they exchanged baskets throughout most of the second quarter.  However, the west-coast province went on a late surge and improved their lead to 39-23 at the half.

Alberta kept the game interesting by chipping away at the lead in the third quarter.  BC Blue entered the fourth up 53-43.  Foul trouble hurt BC Blue in the last period and Alberta came within nine points.  In the end, BC Blue held on for the gold medal berth.

BC Blue's high scorer was guard Alisha Roberts (Burnaby) with 15 points.  Local forward Emma Wolfram (Kamloops) delivered an impressive 19 rebounds in the winning effort.  Alberta was led on the score sheet by forward Jordan MacLean (Hinton).  She had 19 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double.  Roberts of BC Blue and MacLean of Alberta were the McDonald's Players of the Game.

BOYS:

British Columbia (Red) 71 Nova Scotia 63

Day four of the U15 National Championships started with a victory for BC Red as they defeated Nova Scotia 71-63.  A very close first quarter left BC Red on top by one 16-15.  Early in the second quarter, BC Red’s Cameron Smythe (Vancouver) received a foul for holding, only to receive a technical directly after when he disputed the call.  Late in the first half, Nova Scotia guards Justin Beals (Dartmouth) and JJ Wilson (Dartmouth) shot four consecutive three-point shots, allowing Nova Scotia to end the quarter leading 29-30.  BC Red fought back hard from the start of the third, allowing them to pass Nova Scotia and take the lead 56-41.  Both teams suffered losses to their starting line ups in the final quarter, with BC Red’s Cole Penman and Nova Scotia’s Lorenzo Parker leaving the floor.  The McDonald’s Players of the Game were BC Red’s Allan Wu and Nova Scotia’s Wilson.        

Manitoba 64 Newfoundland 55

Manitoba captured a win today over Newfoundland 64-55.  With both teams fighting for a spot in the 5^th place game, a high-fouling first half occurred.  The game, unlike the 68-90 victory in round robin in favour of Manitoba, was not as easily taken away from the feisty Newfoundland.  Newfoundland kept it fairly close with the first quarter score at 18-12 and second quarter 37-28, both in favour of Manitoba.

During the second half, Newfoundland found a second gear and kept the pace that the Manitoba offence had set.  The score was within just three points with six minutes left in the fourth, but due to a series of shooting fouls against Newfoundland, Manitoba was able to maintain the lead.  With less than three minutes left in the final quarter, Manitoba’s Boris Zimbakov (Winnipeg) and Newfoundland’s Garrett Neville (St. Mary’s Bay) received their fifth and disqualifying fouls.

The McDonald’s Players of the Game were Manitoba’s Kristjan Lamont (Winnipeg) with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Newfoundland’s Garrett Neville with 14 points and six rebounds.

Ontario 101 Saskatchewan 65

Saskatchewan played a strong game but lost to Ontario today 101-65.  Led by guard Xavier Kosolofski (Regina), Saskatchewan had an aggressive and fast first quarter, matching Ontario’s talent and only down by four points 20-16.  With the first quarter behind them, Ontario used well-rounded player Duane Notice (Woodbridge) and great perimeter player Daniel Nwosu to cushion their lead and leave the first half at 50-38.

After half time, Saskatchewan was unable to stop the Ontario teamed that had turned up the intensity.  Ontario pushed a smart offence on Saskatchewan and they were unable to answer back.  McDonald’s Players of the Game were Ontario’s Henry Tan (Maple) with five rebounds, two steals, and 16 points, and Saskatchewan’s Kosolofski with three steals and 19 points.       

British Columbia (Blue) 73 Alberta 63

With a chance at the gold medal on the line, British Columbia accepted the challenge and defeated team Alberta 73-63.  During the first quarter, Alberta found themselves down by five but managed to fight back strong after a wisely called time out.  They took the lead going into the second 17-18.  BC Blue came back with a boom, passing Alberta and holding the lead 41-36.  The tall team on the rebounds, Nick Irvine (Vancouver) and Braxston Bunce (Kelowna) were able to collect off of the boards, helping BC Blue defend Alberta long enough to extend their lead.  Alberta’s Cooper Hamaliuk (Cochrane) used his agility and smart thinking to help his team with shots on the perimeter, steals and smart passes throughout the game.  Unfortunately, the determined BC Blue outran the defence in the second half.  McDonald’s Players of the Game were Irvine with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Alberta’s Denzel James (Edmonton) with 21 points and three steals.  

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