Scoreboard

Senior girls basketball GHAC: St. Mary's vs. Nelson

By Emma Lisson

Coming off a loss to Saint Thomas Moore in the city championship, St. Mary's did not want a repeat in the GHAC game Tuesday night. A hard fought defensive battle between the two teams left St. Mary's on top with a 57-51 win over Nelson highschool of Burlington. Leading the Crusaders was Vanessa Bonomo with hard drives to the basket, drawing fouls which sent her to the line allowing her to work her magic. Her foul shooting was phenominal, accounting for most of her points. Colleen Daly and Dana Bensen-Bilkvest were the play makers of this game, moving the ball excellently and seeing the court wonderfully. Their fast paced play helped the crusaders take advantage with many fast breaks.

However the defense of the Nelson team held them to less than 30 points in the first half, forcing St. Mary's to buckle down and speed up their already fast paced play.

 April Coyne stepped up the defensive play in the second half for St. Mary's with 2 blocked shots and numerous steals, helping the crusaders build up a 10 point lead after the third quarter. 

A late comeback from the Nelson team was in the making, but the St. Mary' s defence proved to be just too strong and the Nelson team fell just a bit short.

St. Mary's moved on to play in the GHAC final for a bid to OFSAA on Wednesday night and came out victorious in that game aswell. St. Mary's will be playing in OFSAA later this month.

Westdale Wins Basketball Championship

Warriors take title for 15th Consecutive Year

By Emily Power

On Friday the Westdale Warriors defeated the Ancaster Royals 62-37, winning the Senior Girls’ Basketball City Championship for the fifteenth year in a row. The Warrior girls dominated the entire game, with consistently accurate shots, and aggressive defence.

Hosted by Westdale, the game opened with energetic cheering from the Westdale crowd, who far outnumbered the Ancaster supporters. The Warriors gained momentum, winning the first quarter 16-10, with stellar shots by Westdale’s Lauren Wheeler and Anna Southall-Millward.

The second quarter started roughly for Ancaster with a missed pass, followed by a time-out called by head coach John Scott. But the Royals returned with a three-pointer by Danielle Piano. Westdale’s Julia Vidic rallied back with a great pass from Lauren Wheeler, and a strong drive to the net. Next, Warrior Emma Stallwood was fouled shooting behind the three-point line, earning three foul shots for Westdale. Sinking one shot out of three, she ended the second quarter with a 13 point lead for Westdale (32-19). Throughout the second quarter, Westdale’s Lauren Wheeler, Julia Vidic, and Adrianna Cascuccio dominated offensively with amazing shots. Warrior Keira McKee led Westdale defensively with several steals, but Ancaster kept up with great shots by Danielle Piano.

After half time, Westdale pushed the scoreboard up and up. The Warriors controlled the third quarter, sinking shot after shot. Westdale’s Adrianna Casuccio, Anna Southall-Millward, and Julia Vidic showed off their accuracy, scoring continuously. Warrior Lauren Wheeler always found the open man, sending pass after pass, which led to several break-away runs and lay-ups by Anna Southall-Millward, and Keira McKee.

Though Westdale was scoring well on the offensive end, they committed several fouls on defensive end of the court. Throughout the third quarter, the Warrior girls were giving foul shots to Ancaster, who scored accordingly. But when the eight minutes were up and the third quarter ended, Westdale was winning 46-30, and the enthusiastic Warrior crowd proudly shouted a resounding “READ THE SCOREBOARD!” to the Royals’ fans.

The fourth and final quarter opened with the Ancaster Royals franticly trying to make shots, but when they failed Westdale once again took over, scoring basket after basket. First, Warrior Lauren Wheeler scored two points, and teammate Julia Vidic followed with a three-pointer. Next, Westdale fouled Ancaster defensively several times, but the Royals failed to sink their foul shots, trailing behind Westdale by 20 points. Westdale continued their lead with Lauren Wheeler and Heather O’Brien getting two points each, pushing the score to 58-34 for Westdale. Then Ancaster called time-out, but when the Royals returned to the court, Westdale went right on scoring with another two points from Warrior Julia Vidic.

In the final minutes of the game, Ancaster fought back, getting two points and raising the score to 60-36 for Westdale. Warrior Becca Wood got two more points for Westdale, and in the final few seconds Ancaster swished one foul shot, making the final score 62-37 for the Westdale Warriors.

Spotlight on a Patriots Star

By Bonnie Chen

It seems like female teams are often behind the limelight in athletics, whether they excel or not. This year, the Patriots built up a completely new senior roster in girl's basketball, with only one returning player. Those who watch these games most definitely notice who this one player is because she is persistent, hardworking, and will always motivate the team to strive forward. Her regular position is guard, but she has played every position this year for the team. This one player is Carly Wallwork.

Carly Wallwork is a senior student at Orchard Park and is greatly involved with the school's athletics. I had the opportunity to briefly interview her regarding the progress of the girl's basketball team.

What is the starting line-up?
"The starting line-up is usually myself, Mya Wetlauffer, Andjela Borovac, Katelin Smith, Sarina Giordano and Vanessa Sargeant"

When was your most successful season for O.P?
"I think that my most successful year since I've played was in grade 9. We placed fourth after regular season and we have never placed that well before!"

How many points do you average a game?
"I'm not really sure ... but it's usually 10-15"

Do you think O.P will advance in playoffs?
"I think we have what it takes to excel in playoffs. Tomorrow will be a tough game because we lost to them before but I know we can beat them. We just have to come out with some energy and play together as a team"

Carly has proven for four years that her skill on the court is remarkable and that practice undoubtedly makes a player stronger.
Carly said: "This may just be the most successful year for O.P girl's basketball in all the years I've been here, which is awesome. We have achieved making the playoffs with the help of Coach O'Leary and Coach B! I have learned so many skills that I will definitely carry on with me after high school, especially when I become a high school coach myself."

Lady Rams Take 3rd in Trinity College Tournament

After winning two of three games, Hill Park's Senior Girl's Basketball team placed 3rd of 8 teams

By: Jill Baker

None of them will deny that the weekend was exhausting, but Hill Park's Senior Girl's Basketball Team would eventually agree that the two day tournament at Trinity College in Port Hope was a success.

Thier first game, on the evening of Friday the 17th, turned out in a win for the Rams, despite the fire drill that breifly postponed the game in the first quarter. The opposing team, Quinte, put up a good fight, losing by less than ten points to the Rams.

After a nice sleep in, the girl's took to the court at 11:30 the next morning in a gruelling neck and neck game. The game ended with Hill Park down by only 3 points, however it was not a disappointemtn. For the Ram's star players, Chantal Deketele, Alicia Turner, Megan Godfrey, Lindsey Babineau, Tori Haufek and Jenn Hall, the game meant a chance to prove their skill against worthy opponents.

The girls finished up the tournament with a game against Bayside, this game ending in favour of the Rams. And what a way to finish off the trounament, as the game was a clean sweep, and the Rams finished fifteen points ahead. All of Hill Park's players got their chance to shine in this game, with special mention to guards Ally Mackenzie and Chelsea Rolph, as well as post player Danielle Hamm.

Overall the weekend was a great success, their wins placing the team third overall, which was exciting to say the least. All of the girls enjoyed strolling the Trinity College Campus, and shopping in town, not to mention the late night shananigans at the hotel.

Special thanks to Rick Morton, for leading the girl's to their top three finish, and Nancy Haufek, for her excellent pictures.

 

Senior Girls' Basketball: Macnab vs. Highland

By: Lisa Crawford

On Wednesday October 15th, Macnab played Highland. It was a great game, and Macnab ran their plays very well without rush. The final score was 51-43 for Macnab. I interviewed one ofthe captains on the Macnab team. I asked, "What did you contribute most to the game, Emily?" " I communicated very well and I did well with defense. I got a lot of steals and used tight pressure."

Good job Macnab, keep it up!

Girls Basketball: Bishop Ryan Takes on Bishop Tonnos

Midget Girls come out on top.

By: Jenna Frank

Last night, the Bishop Ryan's girls' basketball teams took on Bishop Tonnos on home court.

The midget girls played a fantastic game defeating the Titans 40-24. Annmarie Savelli led the way with 10 points. Guards Anna Boric and Carly Antonucci both had a great game, contributing to the Celtic win. This win improves their record to 8-2.

In junior action, Katarina Scierko played the entire game leading both the offense and defense. Olivia Del Busso #15 led the team with 10 points under the net. Alexandria Botelho #22 had a good game under the boards as well. The entire team put forth a great effort, but were defeated.

Finishing off the night, the Senior Celtics took on a tough Titans team. BR's girls came out strong, but not strong enough. Point guard Natasha Valconi, along with Sarah Deck, each scored 5 points. Lauren Bosnjak stepped up to the foul line several times during the first half to put some points on the board for the Celtics, despite injury. With a slow start to the game, and the accuracy of the Titans at the foul line, the Lady Celtics were defeated.

The junior girls will play in a tournament this weekend in Milton. Next Tuesday, the Celtics play at home and face off against St. Mary's.