Gold Medal Match: Olds Broncos 74, Dynamiques de Sainte-Foy 69

In front of a packed gymnasium and an electrified crowd, the host Dynamiques de Sainte-Foy Dynamiques and the Olds Broncos faced each other in the gold medal game at the 2019 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship.

The Dynamiques’ Frédérique Larouche opened the scoring after a minute and 30 seconds on a pass from Sabrine Khelifi, but the Broncos took the lead shortly after. The deafening crowd tried to get Brittney Thibeaux off her game during free throws but CCAA Player of the Year kept her focus, consistently hitting her shots.  The score was 21-14 for the Broncos at the first quarter’s end.

The second quarter play was closely fought and very offensive, with the Broncos ending the half ahead by a score of 37 to 29.

The Dynamiques started the second half with strong play, led by Sabrine Khelifi, and cut the Bronco’s lead to 41-35. However, the Broncos stayed calm and Thibeaux scored basket after basket, maintaining the lead. The Dynamiques continued to hold tough, hitting their free throws and clawing back to within four points with two minutes to play in the third quarter. The frame ended with the Broncos leading 55-51.  The decisive quarter saw the Dynamiques work hard and slowly chip away at the lead, but the Broncos held their ground in the final minute to win the game, 74-69.

The Player of the Game for the Dynamiques was Gabrielle Cloutier, with 12 points and three three-pointers. For the Broncos, Kristina Bajovic took player-of-the-game honors with 14 points.

Bronze Medal Game: Dawson Blues 74, VIU Mariners 64

The Dawson Blues (RSEQ) maintained pressure throughout the match and took the bronze medal by virtue of a 74-64 win over the VIU Mariners of the PACWEST.

Dawson’s Sorelle Ineza opened the scoring early but the Mariners fought back, setting the stage for a hard-fought, intense battle for bronze. Ineza scored 10 points in the first frame, leading the Blues to a first quarter lead of 21-16.

The intensity continued in the second quarter, with the game tied 26-26 with 3:52 left in the half. After a Blues foul, Shayce Johnston hit both free throws, giving the Mariners a slight 30-28 lead. The frame ended with the score 33-31 in favour of the Mariners.

The second half started with the score tight and the intensity high. The lead went back and forth and the third quarter ended with the score deadlocked 51-51. The Blues carried the play in the last part of the game, taking a 70-56 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

For the Mariners, Player of the Game honours went to Emily Clarke, with eight points and four rebounds. CCAA All-Canadian Amber Lease also played a strong game, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

For the bronze medal winners, Dahomée Forgues was named player of the game with 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Sorelle Ineza also offered a standout performance, with 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists.

Match 11: St. Clair Saints 73, MSVU Mystics 65

The St. Clair Saints were victorious in the tournament’s qualification match. After a slow start for both teams, the Saints took a 21-15 lead over the MSVU Mystics. The Saints widened their lead in the second quarter, finishing the half with a 35-22 advantage.

After half time, the Mystics seemed to find their groove and cut into the Saints’ lead. With three minutes left in the third quarter, the Saints were leading by 9 points (49-40). The tide appeared to turn when the Mystics’ Kelsey McGrath drained a three-point shot, energizing her team. Her teammate Thalia Jones tied the game 51-51 and then again, 53-53, hitting two free throws near the end of the third quarter. The Saints squeaked ahead to take a 54-53 lead at the end of the third.  

It was back-and-forth throughout the fourth quarter, but the St Clair Saints slowly pulled ahead for good, winning 73-65.

The Mystics’ Thalia Jones was selected Player of the Game with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 steals. The Saints’ Noor Bazzi was selected player of the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the winning effort.

Another notable performance came from the Saints Jana Kucera with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Match 10: VIU Mariners 71, Keyano Huskies 61

In a hard-fought contest to earn a spot in the bronze medal game against the Dawson Blues, the VIU Mariners and the Keyano Huskies faced off in the second bronze semi-final match.  

After ten minutes of play, the Huskies held a two-point lead over the Mariners, 16-14. Shayce Johnston of the Mariners took things in hand early in the second quarter, tying up the game 16-16. The Mariners sustained pressure allowed them to take a 37-34 lead into the second half.    

The Huskies fought hard to get back into the game in the third quarter, but the Mariners, backed by their many fans in attendance, took advantage of their chances and held them off. Both teams stepped up the pace at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Mariners, in part due to CCAA All-Canadian Amber Lease’s efforts, kept their lead. The Mariners held on to punch their ticket to the bronze medal game.  

For the winning team, there was little surprise that Amber Lease was selected as the Mariners’ Player of the Game, with 22 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. For the Huskies, Moiyan Toure was named Player of the Game with 20 points and a remarkable 18 rebounds.  

Sarah MacDonald of the Huskies had an exceptional game with 15 points and 3 rebounds. The Mariners’ Shayce Johnston (28 points, 9 rebounds) and Avery Snider (16 points, 6 rebounds) also turned in stellar performances.

Match 9: Dawson Blues 85, Fanshawe Falcons 70

The first game of Day 3 pitted the Fanshawe Falcons (OCAA) against the Dawson Blues (RSEQ). Determined to reach the bronze medal game, the two favoured teams at the start of the tournament played an intense 40 minutes. Seconds into the game, Laura Vere of the Falcons hit a superb three-pointer. The Blues immediately replied and the first quarter ended in a 23-23 tie. The second quarter was just as exciting, both teams neck and neck, and the frame ended in a 43-40 lead for the Falcons.

Second-half play was just as tight and halfway through the third quarter the score was deadlocked, 52-52. The Blues held a 65-63 lead at the end of the third and took control of the game in the fourth quarter, winning 85-70 and moving on to the bronze medal match.

Player of the Game honours went to Fanshawe’s Mikhaila Wright, who scored 13 points including three three-pointers. Chuot Angou also played an outstanding game, scoring 20 points. As for the winning team, Dawson’s Roxane Makolo was named Player of the Game, turning in a performance of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Her teammate Mackenzie Ahs-Smith also stood out, scoring 17 points and collecting 11 rebounds.

More information: Schedule & Results / Photos / Awards

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