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15 U National Championship - Semifinal Recap

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Jul 29, 2017

15U Girls National Championship

SemiFinals #1: Quebec 63 - British Columbia 36

The first semifinal matchup featured No. 2 seed Quebec and No. 3 British Columbia.  While B.C. made adjustments from their loss to Quebec during round robin play on the defensive end, they struggled offensively in the early going.  Shooting just 19% from the field in the first half, B.C. trailed Quebec 31-14 at halftime.  Quebec continued to pour on their attack in the second half, controlling the tempo and taking it strong to the basket.  Led by Sarah Bailly (18 points), Quebec was able to win the game convincingly by a score of 63-36.  British Columbia's top scorer was Kiara Ker (10 points).

Semi-Finals #2: Ontario 76 - Saskatchewan 52

The next semifinal matchup featured top seed Ontario taking on the home team, No. 5 seeded Saskatchewan.  Ontario took control in the early going, jumping out to an 10-0 run and had a 21-12 lead after the first quarter.  Saskatchewan, behind the support of their home town fans would rally back led by Kennedy Hollinger's16 points in the half to bring the game to within six, trailing 34-40 at the break.  Saskatchewan held on tough in the early going of the second half until Ontario decided to turn it up a notch going on a 13-5 run to close off the third quarter.  Limiting Saskatchewan to only 2 points in the entire fourth quarter, Ontario went on to win 76-52.  Led by Aaliyah Edwards' 30 points & 12 rebounds effort Ontario earned their berth to the gold medal game where they'll take on No. 2 seed Quebec on Saturday.  Saskatchewan will play in the bronze medal game against British Columbia.

Classification Game: Newfoundland 55 - New Brunswick 46

New Brunswick Top Scorer - Allie McCarthy (13 points)

Newfoundland Top Scorer - Maggie Pottle (15 points)

15U Boys National Championship

Semi-Finals #1: Quebec 89 - Alberta 76

In the first semifinal matchup of the day, No. 2 seed Quebec took on No. 6 Alberta.  The bigger, more athletic Quebec squad applied tremendous pressure early on, forcing Alberta to turn the ball over, leading to easy transition baskets.  Quebec was also able to use their size to punish their opponent scoring 44 of their 48 first half points in the paint.  At the half, Quebec lead 48-32.  In the second half, Alberta's duo of Owen Weaver (18 points) and Nathan Barton (15 points) put on strong performances to bring the game to within 10 points. But the Quebec team, lead by Bennedict Mathurin (29 points), was simply too strong as they cruised to a 89-76 victory over Alberta.

Semi-Finals #2:  Ontario 77 - Saskatchewan 45                                                                                                                                                                                                            

In the second semifinal showdown, top seeded Team Ontario took on hometown favourites, No. 4 seeded Saskatchewan.  Coming off a huge win against New Brunswick in the quarter-finals the night before, Saskatchewan had ideas of upsetting the perennial powerhouses from Ontario.  Playing in front of an energetic home crowd, Saskatchewan played tough against the much bigger Ontario team in the early going trailing only by three points after the first quarter.  However, the story changed in the second quarter as Ontario took control of the offensive boards and capitalizing on second chance points to lead 34-18 at halftime.  In the second half, Ontario continued to run away with the game, out-rebounding their opponent 60-34 throughout the contest.  With five players scoring in double digits, Ontario walked away with a 77-45 victory.  Ontario will play No. 2 Quebec for the gold medal tomorrow, while Saskatchewan will play Alberta in the bronze medal game.

Classification Game: British Columbia 71 - Newfoundland 62

British Columbia Top Scorer - Cameron Slaymaker (21 points)

Newfoundland Top Scorer - Matthew Pennell (27 points)

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