ALGONQUIN 74, FANSHAWE 42

ETOBICOKE, Ont. – The belairdirect OCAA Women's Basketball Championship concluded Saturday evening with the two-time defending champion Algonquin Thunder of Ottawa looking to make it three years in a row on top of the OCAA. Standing in their way would be Fanshawe Falcons from London.

Unfortunately for Fanshawe, Algonquin's championship experience proved to be overwhelming.

Algonquin defeated Fanshawe 74-42 to become only the third team in OCAA history to win three straight OCAA gold medals.

"This took a lot of hard work from 15 girls," praised Algonquin head coach John MacInnis. "Our motto this year was 'the mission' and they really bought into that. They got off to a rocky start at the beginning of this tournament but they really showed their colours here today."

Did they ever. Algonquin would trail only once in this game, when the score was 2-0. This was as complete a victory as any coach could ask for.

Looking to the Nationals, Coach MacInnis believes "It's really just keeping with what we have. We feel that we can play competitively against the other (top) teams from all across Canada, our defence and our rebounding can take us to wherever we want to go, and we have confidence. The last few years we were a bit timid but we know what to expect going there now and it should be fun."

Player of the Game honours for Algonquin went to Jesa Rada who finished with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Player of the Game honours for Fanshawe went to Janine DeLeon who finished with six points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Sandre Bascoe was named OCAA Championship MVP and showed why when it mattered most. She was only two assists shy of a triple-double and finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocked shots and three steals in the gold medal game.

Bascoe was humble about the whole ordeal. "I'm really not worried about the MVP award right now. I'm just happy our team came through with the goals we set to accomplish at the beginning of the year." With nationals on the horizon, Bascoe knows that "it will be a big test for us, everyone is there to compete and hopefully we can come through and bring home a gold."

The first quarter was deadlocked 6-6 before Algonquin went on a 14-0 run to end the quarter taking a commanding 20-6 lead into the second quarter.

The Falcons would show some life in the second, though, scoring three unanswered buckets to make it 20-11.

But this would be as close as Fanshawe would get for the rest of the game.

Algonquin restored a 13-point lead after a Trish Grey lay-up assisted by Bascoe with less than six minutes left in the half.

Algonquin began to assert themselves and show why they had won back-to-back titles.

A number of beautiful flashes, cuts and passes that resulted in quick baskets from guards Rada and Samantha Lariviere and assisted by Abeer Farhat would leave the Falcons defence a step behind and down 35-20 at the half.

Centre Stacey Poapst would put up one of the most dominating defensive performances of any player in this tournament, swatting any and all shots from the Falcon forwards during the second quarter. She would record all four of her blocked shots in the game during the second quarter.

Bascoe led all players with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots at the half.

Felicia Mazerolle led Fanshawe with eight points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal at the half.

The second half would be much of the same dominance, with great passing from Algonquin and stifling defence. They would lead by as much as 27 (56-29) in the third, and 34 (74-40) in the fourth.

Fanshawe would not have an entirely bad game, with guard DeLeon hitting a couple impressive threes with hands in her face. The Falcons would also shoot a fair 70 percent from the line in the first half.

Both teams will still have a chance at a national title though, as Ontario will have two seeds at the CCAA National Championship being held March 15-17 in Truro, N.S.

Source: Humber College