15U Girls National Championship - Day 3

Saskatchewan 75 - Newfoundland 51

First game of the day saw the home team Saskatchewan taking on Newfoundland.  Coming off a rest day, Saskatchewan was fresh and ready from the start.  Going on an early run, controlling the tempo and dominating the boards, Saskatchewan led 44-25 at the half.  The hometown team didn't let up in the second half as four players scored in double-digits to take the game 75-51 over Newfoundland.  Saskatchewan top scorers were Hannah Smith (12 points) and Alexandra Mann (12 points), while Alyssa Maloney (12 points) led Newfoundland in scoring.  

Alberta 73 - New Brunswick 77

The most exciting game of the championship thus far featured a matchup between Alberta and New Brunswick.  In a game where there were 13 lead changes, 9 times tied and an overtime period, the see-saw battle surely got all the spectators on the tips of their toes.  Alberta started the game with a 12-0 run, hustling on the offensive boards and making the most of their second chance points.  New Brunswick answered with an 11-0 run of their own in the beginning of the second quarter to shrink the Alberta lead to just four points heading into halftime.  New Brunswick's feisty style of basketball continued to frustrate Alberta in the second half, as they forced the team to turnover the ball over 26 times leading to 22 points.  The two teams traded baskets back and forth and the game was tied at the end of regulation.  In overtime, New Brunswick made a few clutch baskets led by their game high scorer Allie McCarthy (18 points, 9 steals) to steal the game from Alberta by a score of 77-73.  Alberta was led by Tea Demong (16 points, 15 rebounds).  

Manitoba 55 - British Columbia 56

In similar fashion, the next game was another nail biter right to the finish between Manitoba and British Columbia.  Both teams needed this win to determine their matchup for first round of playoffs.  Manitoba came out on top in the first half, outrebounding their opponent and knocking down a few clutch 3-pointers to lead 31-20 at halftime.  In the fourth, B.C. came out attacking Manitoba led by Shemaiah Abatayo (13 points) and cluth free throw shooting by Naomi Kent (10 points) to edge out a come from behind win over Manitoba by a score of 56-55.  Manitoba's top scorer was Aira Abello (11 points).

Ontario 65 - Quebec 59

In the battle for first place, the two powerhouse teams from Ontario and Quebec squared off in an exciting matchup.  The two teams were evenly matched throughout the contest exchanging baskets back and forth.  Quebec, lead by Lisa Tesson who scored 10 of her 21 points in the 1st half, took a 26-20 lead in halftime.  But Ontario refused to go away and turned up their pressure in the third quarter. Aaliyah Edwards' (26 points) relentless attack drew multiple fouls putting her to the line where she made the most of her chances.  Ontario continued their attack in the fourth and prevailed by a final score of 65-59.

Nova Scotia 49 - Saskatchewan 69

The 5th game of the day featured the home town team Saskatchewan taking on Nova Scotia.  The undefeated Saskatchewan team did not disappoint as they came out firing on all cylinders, starting the game on a 13-0 run.  Playing in front of their families and friends, the Saskatchewan team rebounded, transitioned the ball, and scored off second chance points to take a 37-24 lead at halftime.  This momentum carried in the second half as Saskatchewan controlled the game to win it by a score of 69-49.  Cara Misskey (13 points), Kennedy Hollinger (13 points) and Jade Belmore (13 points) were Saskatchewan's top scorers.

Newfoundland 58 â- Alberta 73

The last game saw Newfoundland taking on Alberta.  The game was a see-saw affair early on with both teams trading baskets and exchanging leads throughout the first half.  The score was 29-25 for Newfoundland at halftime.  In the second half, Alberta came out as a different team dominating the boards and scoring off transition to take the lead.  Led by Larissa Stephenson (15 points) and Danielle Nadeau (13 points), Alberta continued to pour it on in the last quarter to win the game by a score of 73-58.  Newfoundland's top scorer was Maggie Pottle with 15 points.  

15U Boys National Championship - Day 3

Newfoundland 68 â- New Brunswick 80

The undefeated New Brunswick team took on Newfoundland in the first game of Day 3.  Newfoundland looked to be in control early on capitalizing on some poor shooting from New Brunswick and transitioning to some easy baskets.  New Brunswick eventually got their shooting touches back, dropping some timely 3-pointers to bring the game closer, trailing by just 1 point, 33-34, at halftime.  The teams traded baskets back and forth in the second half, with Newfoundland scoring most of their points in the paint, while New Brunswick's deadly 3-point attack by Timothey Kabre (22 points) and Luke Stewart (20 points) lit it up from downtown.  New Brunswick continued to pour it on to win the game by a score of 80-68.  Newfoundlandâ??s top scorer was Matthew Pennell (17 points).  

Manitoba 84 - British Columbia 71

In the second game of the day, Manitoba matched up against British Columbia.  The athletic Manitoba team out-hustled B.C. early on, grabbing offensive boards and capitalizing on second chance points.  They were also able to force B.C. to turn the ball over 15 times in the first half and scored 13 points off the turnovers to take a 39-29 lead into halftime.  In the second half, both teams went on small runs back and forth - Manitoba lead by Mason Kraus (22 points) and B.C. led by Kai Leighton (18 points).  While B.C. was able to pull the game closer to within seven points at the end of the third quarter, Manitoba eventually pulled away winning the game by a score of 84-71.

Saskatchewan 55 - Quebec 69

The next game featured a matchup between home team Saskatchewan taking on Quebec.  The two teams battled hard in the 1st half exchanging baskets back and forth with leads changing multiple times.  With a bit of urgency, the bigger Quebec team started utilizing their size to control the temple in the 2nd half.  Out-rebounding Saskatchewan 55-38 throughout the game, Quebec was able to limit 2nd chance points, while attacking the home town team on their offensive boards.  Lead by Bennedict Mathurin (24 points, 9 rebounds), Quebec came away with a victory by a score of 69-55.  Saskatchewan was lead by Daniel McCulloough with 15 points.

Ontario 92 - Nova Scotia 64

The 4th game of the day featured the undefeated Ontario boys taking on the defending champions from Nova Scotia.  The much bigger Ontario team wanted to make a statement early on as they utilized their size, scoring 26 of their 37 points in the first half inside the paint, while controlling the boards on both ends of the court.  Ontario led 37-27 at halftime.  Nova Scotia came out in the third quarter pushing the tempo thanks to a few quick baskets in transition.  They went on a quick run early in the third and got the deficit to within seven points.  But the feisty Nova Scotia squad ran out of steam and could not match up to the more physical Ontario team losing the contest by a final score of 92-64.  Ontario had five players scoring in double digits.  

Alberta 107 - Newfoundland 52

With playoff positioning on the line, Alberta faced off against Newfoundland. While Newfoundland stayed tough in the early going, Alberta simply overpowered their opponent in this contest.  Led by Owen Weaver (23 points, 12 rebounds) and four other players in double digits, Alberta took full control of the game scoring 48% from the field.  The final score was 107-52.  Newfoundland's top scorer was Matthew Pennell with 17 points.

New Brunswick 79 - Manitoba 75

In the final game of the day, New Brunswick took on Manitoba.  With playoffs implications on the line, both teams battled hard in the early going.  Manitoba had no answer for New Brunswickâ??s big man Norman Burry who dominated the paint and scored 31 points in the game.  However, Manitoba, trailing most of the game, fought hard to stay within striking distance.  Led by their leading scorer Mason Kraus (18 points) and Emmanuel Ugbah (16 points), Manitoba tied it up at the end of regulation.  In overtime, New Brunswick was able to convert on key free throws down the stretch to close out the game 79-75.

All games will be played at the University of Regina Center for Kinesiology Health and Sport (CKHS). This newly renovated facility has 3 FIBA regulation sized basketball courts with a seating capacity of 2,000 people.

Catch all the action from the 2017 15U Boy's and Girl's National Championships streaming here.

Tournament at a Glance

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