Spartans Senior Girls Basketball Team 2007-2008

Krista Blackned
Ling Chiu
Andrea Dumas
Ruven Ferdinand
Melissa Gilpin
Necola Guerrina
Tania Laroche-Duhamel
Victoria MacIsaac
Christine Osei
Kristina Wilson

Wednesday, February 27

One more magical moment

In this season of thrilling victories, miraculous comebacks and unparalleled success, I think it was fair for me to wonder if this special team had anything left as a final encore. One more compelling storyline? One last dramatic finish? Something befitting our Dream Season?

Simply put, we were running on fumes entering last Wednesday’s ETIAC Playoffs. Our very last legs. The four-month-long grind had taken its toll. The two practices leading up to Wednesday were the worst of the year. Colds and flu symptoms were running rampant throughout the school, with no one being more affected than point guard Andrea Dumas, who gamely decided to make the trip despite spending the previous night in the Health Centre.

But real teammates pick each other up. When one goes down, the rest share the load. And the semi-final game against Massey-Vanier was a shining example of this. With Andrea spending almost half the game on the bench, her teammates stepped forward when they had to the most. Ruven Ferdinand subbed in ably at point guard. Necola Guerrina posted another double-double. Ling Chiu played aggressively on offence. Team defence was much better than our last game versus MVR, led by Tania Laroche’s and Kristina Wilson’s improved play. And most notably Melissa Gilpin had her best game of the year; she took charge on offense, ran the floor, fed the post smartly, and relentlessly attacked the basket. When the dust cleared after a near-perfect first half, no less than seven different players had scored en route to an insurmountable 31-12 lead. From that point on we cruised to a 50-37 victory, with contributions from every single player.

This supreme team effort brought us to the ETIAC Finals for the fourth time in the past 8 years, against a familiar foe. Alexander Galt, intent on revenge for the loss we handed them at the McLeod, had reached the finals by virtue of a hard-fought 30-18 win over BCS in the semis. Hopefully the Crusaders had tired them out a bit…?

Nope, not at all. Galt came flying out of the gate, fashioning a 15-11 lead early in the second quarter. But then Stanstead went on one of those runs that win championships. The defence locked down completely, frustrating the Pipers and limiting them to only two points the rest of the half! And offensively everything started to click. If Mel wasn’t feathering perfect passes into the post for Necola, Andrea was breaking down the Galt zone from the top. And when things go right, they really go right, as evidenced by the last two crazy plays of the half: with 25 seconds to go the ball squirts loose in our defensive end, Mel hits the floor but she can’t hold on, the ball bounces forward, Ling dives for it, bats it forward again, Necola picks it up, finds herself at the opposing 3-point line, collects herself, and drains a perfect triple! And then, 12 seconds later, after another defensive stop, Andrea pushes the ball up the floor and at the buzzer nails another three! (Sound familiar?!). This unlikely 6-point run in the dying seconds of the half made it 30-17, and things looked good for the Red & White.

But not good enough. The Pipers, never ones to quit, dominated the third quarter, in large part because they completely manhandled us on the boards. Offensive rebound after offensive rebound we allowed; second, third, even fourth chances that Galt consistently put back in. When the quarter mercifully ended we had allowed an unacceptable 21 points, all but erasing our halftime advantage.

The final eight minutes of the season would begin with a slim 2-point lead. Here we were again. Would the Spartans prevail one final time in the all-important 4 th quarter? Even with Galt holding all the momentum, on their home court no less?

The answer, as it had been all season long, was yes. And this time it was in large part due to one of the most courageous efforts I’ve seen. Despite nausea, fever and dizziness, Andrea Dumas refused to lose and took over the game on adrenaline alone. And her heroic performance rejuvenated her teammates, who somehow stopped Galt’s momentum and reversed the tide with a reenergized commitment to defence and boxing out.

The final seconds of the season counted down in familiar style, with Andrea dribbling the clock away at the top of the key, the bench on their feet, and the bubbling joy of every Spartan as they realized they’d done it again, they’d realized another impressive goal. 16-6 in the fourth quarter. 58-46 victory. Like every time before, it wasn’t easy. But then again, what worthwhile ever is?

As the team hoisted the Championship Trophy, the only 2008 ETIAC team to win their final game of the season; as dozens of photos were taken, goofy smiles in all of them; as players came to realize that this really was the end of road, that this group of athletes would never play together again; it occurred to me that it will take some time for the girls to really get it, to realize the extraordinary nature of the past four months. The stats below tell much of the story, but not all. Hopefully, at some point, they will come to appreciate just how magical this year was – the most successful season in Stanstead basketball history! And just how proud I am of every one of them.

! WOW !

February 21-22

The McLeod Provincials

This past Thursday and Friday we travelled to the South Shore of Montreal to participate in the McLeod Provincial Tournament, hosted this year by Centennial Regional High School. Stanstead College has never won this historic event, our singular best performance being the silver medal/finalist banner back in 2002, when the Spartans, led by Stanstead greats Megan Lill, Katherine Wright and Janice Wilson, lost valiantly 59-52 to Rikki Bowles’ powerful Massey-Vanier team.

Opening game on Thursday? None other than Quebec High School, that always-tough opponent who would undoubtedly be seeking revenge for their Bailly defeat four days earlier. However, unlike the previous three matchups (two of which were won by the Blazers), this game would surprisingly end in a blowout win for Stanstead, 47-17.

There were two main reasons for this atypical result. First of all, the Spartans were near-perfect on the defensive end. The posts played excellent help defence and rebounded well, while the perimeter defenders, led by Melissa Gilpin, pressured the Blazer guards into countless difficult jump shots. In fact, the Red & White defence held the dangerous Quebec team to only 4 points in the entire second half! What an effort!

Secondly, QHS just had no answer for Player Of The Game Necola Guerrina, who completely dominated down low with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Post moves, free throws, jump shots, Guerrina had the whole repertoire going for all four quarters in one of her best games of the year.

Our second round-robin game, unfortunately, went into the books as a default win when Chateauguay Valley Regional High School failed to show up. This meant an automatic berth into Friday’s semi-finals against a familiar foe with whom we had split our previous two meetings: ETIAC rival Alexander Galt.

The game started very well for Stanstead, as we dominated the first quarter on both ends of the floor. Defensively we could not have played better, and our set offense, led by Ling Chiu’s aggressive play, created many open looks and free throws. However, we did not take full advantage of these opportunities; even though we held a 12-4 lead after the first eight minutes, we missed our first seven free throws and several wide open jump shots.

This poor shooting caught up to us in the second quarter, where Galt outscored us 9-5, making our lead at halftime only four points. Yes we were still working hard, but the Piper defence was forcing us to take jumpers, and we were ice cold from outside. And then in the second half, to add to our troubles, Galt started to manhandle us on the offensive boards. Our initial defence would usually make them miss, but on every possession we seemed to give up second, third, even fourth chances to our aggressive opponent.

But despite everything, the difference in this game would prove to be Andrea Dumas. She scored the last six points of the game for her Spartans, including two huge free throws, and calmly handled the pressure in the final minute when Galt went all-out trying to steal and foul. This narrow 33-31 victory meant that Stanstead was going to the McLeod finals for only the second time in the history of our school! Great stuff!

Unfortunately, our finals opponent would be the host school, Centennial Regional High School, widely hailed as one of the best high school teams in recent years. To illustrate this point, the Chargers (whose entire starting line-up has already been recruited to AAA CEGEPs) had entered three CEGEP tournaments this season… and won them all.

But in a testament to the grit and character of the 2008 Spartans, we came out, not intimidated by CRHS, but with a healthy respect and a desire to prove ourselves. And it didn’t hurt that for a while we couldn’t miss from outside! What a first half! Andrea nailed three three-pointers, Necola chipped in with 6 points, we beat Centennial down the floor in transition, and our defensive rebounding was the best it had been all tournament. When the dust cleared after a furious 16 minutes the score was 25-19 for Centennial, and the little school from the Eastern Townships had actually gotten the attention of the mighty Chargers and their faithful.

However, the magic finally ran out in the second half. CRHS made halftime adjustments that made it very difficult for us to get the ball into Andrea’s, Necola’s or Melissa’s hands, and offensively they started consistently hitting their outside shots. In fact, if there was a point where the Chargers took complete control of the game it was when their fifth-best scoring option, who we had sagged off all game, drained four straight baseline jumpers to extend to a 17-point lead. Oh well, you can’t cover everybody, and the better team won by a 59-37 final score.

Despite losing the final game, this tournament was an indisputable success. We defeated two very good schools (both of whom had beaten us earlier in the season) en route to a David vs. Goliath final where the girls played their hearts out until the final whistle. Yes, we’ve experienced a lot of success during this special season, but this team impressed me just as much on Friday during adversity and failure. Against an invincible team we never came close to giving up, even when we couldn’t realistically win.

Those silver medals that you received, that Finalist Banner that will hang in the Amaron Gymnasium, should mean as much to you players as the gold medals we’ve been fortunate enough to win all season long. They represent what’s really important; you can’t always win, but you can always try.

Wednesday, February 20

Another comeback in Cowansville

This past Tuesday the Spartans travelled to Massey-Vanier for their last regular-season ETIAC fixture. As we had already clinched the league banner there was a chance the players could come out a bit flat in this game, especially after the thrilling but exhausting events of the past Bailly weekend.

And flat we were. For the first three quarters we were out-worked, out-hustled and out-played by a much improved Vikings squad. Everything we did was a little bit slower, a little bit less intense, and as is always the case against a quality opponent, it’s that “little bit” that is the difference between winning and losing.

In the fourth quarter we regained complete focus and played as hard as we could. But had we left it too late? With six minutes remaining, despite playing desperately, the score was still 36-31 for a Massey team whose energy was not about to flag.

Then came the turning point, and unlike most turning points this wasn’t a particular play, not a basket or a rebound, not a foul or a steal. No, the turning point of this game seemed to be Stanstead’s senior boys hockey team (who just happened to be in the area ) walking into the gym and, without delay, starting to cheer like a pack of crazed dogs! This immediately energized our players; from that point on we couldn’t miss, and the Vikings couldn’t score.

Led by Necola Guerrina’s 10 fourth-quarter points and Andrea Dumas’s fast breaking, the Spartans went on a dominating 15-0 run to end the game, escaping with a 46-36 victory. The Quote Of The Week was given shortly after the handshakes by Tania Laroche-Duhamel: “Sir, maybe we’re just a fourth-quarter team!” Yes, well, any more exciting fourth-quarter comebacks this year and this coach’s hair will go completely grey.

This win gives us a final 5-1 record in league play, ranking us #1 for next Wednesday’s season-ending ETIAC playoffs in Lennoxville. If we can prevail and win both games that day, it would mark only the third time in the history of the ETIAC that Stanstead College’s name would be engraved on the Playoff Championship Trophy.

The year so far… Overall Record: 20 wins 3losses

ETIAC League Play: 5 wins 1 loss

Points for per game: 45.1

Points allowed per game: 30.4

Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalists

Montreal Independent Schools Tournament Champions

B.C.S. Invitational Tournament Champions

Bailly Small Schools Provincial Tournament Champions

ETIAC League Championship Banner

February 15-17

Storybook weekend at Small Schools Tournament

Why do we play organized sports? Why do teenagers put themselves through the practices, the travel, the highs and the lows? Why do adults join recreational leagues, even if well past their prime? Why do coaches voluntarily endure so many seasons of hair-greying drama and disappointment? The answer is that maybe, if you’re lucky, you will have an experience like the senior girls’ basketball team had this weekend. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you will be part of something truly special.

The Anderson-Bailly Small Schools Provincial Tournament has a storied past; the boys’ tournament (the Anderson) is over 40 years old, while the Bailly has been run since 1973. Stanstead College has won this coveted title only twice in their history (in 2001 and 2002), and knew that they would have to beat some very stiff competition to claim the championship this year. After all, not only would perennial rivals BCS be there but Quebec High School as well, the only team this year with a winning record against us; in our only previous meeting, back in November, they handed us a 39-32 loss at the finals of our own invitational.

Was the memory of that defeat in our minds Friday morning as we squared off against QHS in our first round-robin game? I would go with yes! But we were not nervous, more like excited at another chance at them. We were much improved since our last meeting, and had spent several practices preparing specifically for the Blazers’ quickness, athleticism and disciplined style of play.

But it was clear from the opening tip that Quebec had also spent the last three months improving. They surprised us with their man defence and came out fast and aggressive offensively. But so did we, and after a well-played first half we were only down 24-21. As the third quarter progressed it was obvious that both teams had made defensive adjustments. Baskets were harder to come by; the game slowed down. But this was fine with the Spartans. We were only losing by a slim 30-27 margin to start the fourth quarter, and we had been a great fourth quarter team all year. It was our time now to win the final eight minutes and greatly increase our chances to make Sunday’s final.

But not this time. QHS completely shut us down. No transition. No easy looks. And, if it can be believed, not a single point all quarter! Not a single Spartan ever gave up, but our opponents completely frustrated us. And not only was this 37-27 loss demoralizing for its own sake, but now making the finals was in serious jeopardy. Not only would we have to win the rest of our round-robin games, but we would have to hope for favourable results in other games, games that we had no control over. Things did not look good.

Our second game of the day was against the Knights, a spirited but undermanned team from St. John’s High School. And although we won 50-16, it was a sub-par performance. Little energy. Poor offensive execution. Sloppy play, especially the last three quarters. We did not make ourselves better during this game; we did not learn a single thing. Riding home that night on our silent, darkened bus we knew that we had just experienced our worst day of basketball of the season. How would we react?

Our final round-robin game was against (who else?) BCS. It would be our sixth meeting of the year, it was a must-win, and we answered the bell with an excellent all-round first half. Five different players scored, we silenced the hostile crowd, we got to the free throw line, and defensively we played near-perfectly. We went into the third quarter with a hard-earned 19-10 lead, and it looked like we were well on our way. But this is BCS we’re talking about, and we were painfully reminded of this when the Purple & White ripped off a 10-0 run to finish the third quarter, cutting the Spartan lead to a single point.

The fourth quarter was as pressure-packed as I’ve seen in years. Up and down. Every play magnified. Then with time running down, and Stanstead with a slim 1-point lead, BCS super-post Angel Atomate tipped an inbounds pass, corralled the ball, sprinted the length of the floor and, with the crowd absolutely roaring, hit the layup for a one-point lead with under 40 seconds remaining. The celebrations of the Purple faithful almost drowned out the ref’s whistle announcing that the Spartans were taking their last, critical time-out.

And then, unable to score on their first possession, Stanstead played the final card in their hand; the last resort, fouling in desperation, extending the game, hoping for divine intervention. BCS obliged by missing four of their six free throws, but it still meant that with only 6 seconds left on the clock the Red & White were losing by three points. We needed a miracle.

Andrea Dumas took the inbounds under our own hoop, dribbled the length of the floor against modest pressure, pulled a hard crossover to lose her defender, and launched a three from the top of the arc. Amidst thunderous cheers from the delirious crowd, the ball lazily flew towards the hoop. You could barely hear the final buzzer sounding as the ball caromed off the side of the rim, circled the hoop once, and somehow rattled home off the backboard. The undisputed Play Of The Year.

And then the Spartans bench, with the help of the hugely outnumbered but raucous Stanstead faithful in the stands, went absolutely nuts. Overtime!!!

But the story doesn’t even end there! Each team managed only 2 points in the three-minute overtime period, forcing the game into rare territory – double overtime. And that is where somehow, with their top post player fouled out and the crowd trying to bring their team to victory, Stanstead stood strong. And none stronger than Melissa Gilpin, who calmly drained two free throws to seal the most improbable victory in my 15-year career. We’ve all seen these types of finishes in cliché Disney movies, but to actually experience one is once in a lifetime.

So what, if anything, could the Red & White do for an encore in the finals the next day, against a QHS team that had now beaten us both times we’ve met this season?

To our players’ credit, they came out very strong. We were faster and more aggressive than at any point in the tournament, and we played smarter on the defensive end. However, maybe QHS just had our number because they played very well despite our best efforts and forged a 21-11 lead at halftime, making tough shot after tough shot while completely stifling our own attempts to score. And when the Blazers nailed two quick baskets in the first minute of the second half to go up by 14, things definitely looked bleak for the Red & White.

But these players had yet to give up all season, and they weren’t about to start now. Catching a lucky break when Quebec’s top post player got into foul trouble, Stanstead started pounding the ball down low to Necola Guerrina, who responded by abusing her defender for six quick points. Then Gilpin drove the lane for two. The defence tightened up even more. Then Tania Laroche got into the act. Then back to Guerrina. Then two consecutive pull-up jumpers in transition for Dumas. Then Ruveneko Ferdinand found Necola in transition for two more. And suddenly, somehow, when the smoke cleared the Spartans had gone on a 19-2 run to end the third quarter and were in the lead 30-27! 19-2 run, against an extremely good team! When we definitely, positively, HAD to have it!

The Spartan faithful and Blazer fans then decided to spend the entire fourth quarter trying to overwhelm each other. The gymnasium was, once again, rocking. Somehow the QHS players were able to pull themselves off the mat and compete valiantly for the final eight minutes, but at 39-38 Andrea Dumas did what only Andrea Dumas can do. Two consecutive ridiculous steals in the frontcourt led to two clutch baskets, including an and-one, and this flurry essentially sealed the most timely, the most implausible, the most important comeback in recent Stanstead memory. Wow!

As the players lined up to proudly receive their gold medals, as Captains Dumas and Guerrina accepted the Bailly Championship Banner and Trophy, as photos were taken and hugs were given, I could not help thinking about how many little things had to go right for this moment to happen. How the perfect storm of events led to this conclusion. How important every single play was on this improbable road. If ever a player doubts their importance to their team, they should remember tournaments like Bailly 2008, where the sum total could never have been reached without every individual part contributing.

In conclusion I would like to say something about the Bailly Tournament itself. It remains for me a shining example of sportsmanship and competition at the high school level. The respect between the players is unparalleled. The treatment of referees above reproach. The camaraderie between the coaches is beyond compare. And the level of competition? There always seems to be a thrilling final come Sunday. This Bailly Tournament just seems to get it, and I commend the AAESQ for keeping it this way year after year.

Overall Record: 19 wins 3 losses
ETIAC League Play: 4 wins 1 loss
Points for per game: 45.1
Points allowed per game: 30.2
Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalists
Montreal Independent Schools Tournament Champions
B.C.S. Invitational Tournament Champions
Bailly Small Schools Provincial Tournament Champions
ETIAC League Championship Banner

Wednesday, January 30

Home Sweet Home: ETIAC League championship clinched at Amaron Gymnasium!

In the friendly confines of their own home court the Stanstead College Spartans made a little history this past Wednesday against (who else?) perennial rivals BCS. The stakes could not have been higher; the winner of this do-or-die contest would claim the ETIAC Regular Season Banner. The loser would not. ‘Nuff said.

Knowing the importance of this game, the Spartans had spent their last two weeks of practice exclusively preparing for their opponent. This season in the ETIAC. familiarity breeds not contempt, but respect.

In the first half our preparation paid off better than we could have hoped for. Defensively the team played as a unit as well as it has all season, frustrating the BCS scoring threats, allowing no easy shots and taking care of the defensive glass. The guards moved their feet, the post players battled, and everybody boxed out. In fact we allowed only 6 points in the entire first quarter, and then repeated that impressive feat in the second quarter! Offensively we were carried by Andrea Dumas’s fast break wizardry and Necola Guerrina’s outside shooting, to the tune of 27 first-half points, the most we’ve ever scored against Bishop’s in one half. A 27-12 lead at halftime against this tough team? What a performance!

However, as is usually the case against the Lennoxville squad, their halftime adjustments made things much more difficult in the second half. The third quarter was evenly contested (9-8 for us), so Stanstead entered the fourth quarter with a (seemingly) safe 16-point lead. If we could hang on to this advantage, we would win the League Banner! But Bishop’s had something to say about it, as they pulled out all the stops and started the final quarter on a gritty 8-0 run. Suddenly the lead was down to 8, and the Purple & White had all the momentum. But luckily, that’s when the Spartans responded with the Play Of The Game. Dumas, stopped on a penetration into the key, finds Kristina Wilson uncovered on the low block, and Wilson, from a bad angle, drains a 6-footer to stop the bleeding and restore the 10 point lead! That was the TSN turning point. From that moment on the Red & White had their mojo back, finished the game on a 9-1 run, and secured the Regular Season Title!

Congratulations to all the players for such a great team effort, especially defensively! Tania, Kristina and Necola did the dirty work down low for 32 straight minutes, aided by Melissa’s excellent help on defence. Andrea, Krista and Ling (playing on a bad ankle) worked hard AND smart on the perimeter, communicating well all game. And on the offensive end another virtuoso performance by Dumas (28 points!) and efficient shooting from Guerrina (3 of 5 from the three-point line) sealed the deal.

ETIAC League Champions! I’ve been grinning the past two days! Each player should think back to the first game of the season, that heartbreaking last-second loss to Galt. From that moment on we had no margin for error; we had to run the table to win the Banner. And you guys did it! You should all be immensely proud of yourselves. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. You’ve all earned this.

The year so far….(wow, this is getting a little crazy!)
Overall Record: 16 wins 2 losses
ETIAC League Play: 4 wins 1 loss
Points for per game: 45.7
Points allowed per game: 29.5

Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalist Plaque
Montreal Independent Schools Tournament Championship Banner
B.C.S. Invitational Tournament Championship Banner
** E.T.I.A.C. League Championship Banner **

January 18-19

Gutsy victory at BCS Invitational Tournament

This past Friday and Saturday the girls travelled to Lennoxville to participate in the annual BCS Invitational Tournament, their second large two-day tournament in as many weekends. The previous weekend saw them play near-perfect basketball on their way to the Montreal Independent Schools title, and they were hoping to play at a similar level here closer to home.

On Friday the Spartans recorded round-robin victories over two Montreal-based schools. In the early game Stanstead beat a tough Sacred Heart team 46-26, and followed that up with a 49-12 win over Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s School. These victories notwithstanding, many mistakes were made in both games. Hopefully we could correct them the next day, as the competition would be fierce.

Saturday’s first matchup was against a familiar opponent, none other than tournament host BCS, and it was another hard-fought battle similar to our first three meetings this year. The key play was made with less than 30 seconds left in the game: with a slim 3-point lead and under intense man pressure, we committed the cardinal sin of turning the ball over on the inbounds. But on the subsequent play Bishop’s returned the favour by throwing their possession out of bounds also, which essentially sealed the game for Stanstead. Three free throws later and the Red & White had escaped with a 34-28 victory, and were on to the finals.

Our opponent would be a talented team from Montreal, Trafalgar, who we probably would not be able to surprise as we did a week earlier at the Independent Schools Tourney. And as expected, this game was much closer than the first meeting. Early foul trouble, some attrition at the guard position, and a well-executed game plan by Traf produced a tie score at the end of the third quarter. It was definitely anybody’s game. But in the fourth quarter of the final game of the tournament the Spartans answered the challenge and played their best basketball of the weekend, locking down defensively and scoring several transition baskets en route to an impressive 35-28 win, sealing the championship banner!

This is only the second time in the school’s history that Stanstead College has won this prestigious tournament. But what makes it even more gratifying is that we had to make it through some adversity. It was not pretty basketball out there. We did not play as well as last weekend. Some players were injured, some were ill, and the rest were extremely tired playing their tenth game in eight days. But despite the mistakes and fatigue, when crunch time came no one was looking for excuses. Instead every single player dug deep, refused to panic, refused to give up, and performed when it mattered the most -- in the fourth quarter.

The team left everything on the floor this weekend, both physically and mentally. As a coach I could have asked for a better performance, but there is no way I could have asked for a better effort. And your effort was rewarded! Great job! But boy, do we have a lot of things to work on in practice this week…

Overall Record: 15 wins 2 losses
ETIAC League Play: 3 wins 1 loss
Points for per game: 45.6
Points allowed per game: 29.6
Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalist Plaque
Montreal Independent Schools Tournament Championship Banner
BCS Invitational Tournament Championship Banner

Wednesday, January 16

Second time’s a charm

This past Wednesday the Spartans hosted Alexander Galt for an all-important ETIAC League game. In the only previous meeting Stanstead lost a heartbreaker in Lennoxville 50-49 on two made free throws with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. The team was hoping to avenge this demoralizing defeat, but not only for payback; another ETIAC loss would mathematically put the all-important league title out of reach. The Spartans must run the table in their remaining league games to win the banner, hopefully starting with this tough game.

Coming off a successful weekend in Montreal and two good practices, the Red & White started the game on a 10-4 mini-run. But the rest of the half was battled tooth and nail. The Pipers converted numerous hustle plays into points and shot the ball well, to offset Stanstead’s transition attack and pressure defence. The half ended 23-17, but we knew better than to rest on a 6-point lead. In fact, the players actually stepped it up in the second half, especially defensively. Andrea Dumas, Ruven Ferdinand and Melissa Gilpin played inspired defence at the top, while Necola Guerrina, Kristina Wilson and Tania Laroche-Duhamel did the dirty work down low. As is usually the case, great defence led to good offence, and the Spartans essentially put the game out of reach with a 17-6 third quarter! The fourth quarter saw Stanstead play smart basketball, beating the Galt press when necessary and slowing the play down when possible. When the final horn sounded the Red & White had recorded an impressive 50-30 victory against a formidable well-rounded opponent, keeping their ETIAC banner hopes alive!

Player Of The Game goes to Andrea Dumas whose 27-point 7-steal performance left the fans shaking their heads, with an Honourable Mention going to Necola Guerrina for another double-double: 10 points, 12 rebounds. But most importantly kudos to the entire team for their defensive effort. Holding a team like Alexander Galt to 13 points in the second half is truly impressive, and the reason we won this game. Well done! Next up: the BCS Invitational Tournament this weekend, where we will try to improve upon last year’s ninth-place finish.

Overall Record: 11 wins 2 losses
ETIAC League Play: 3 wins 1 loss
Points for per game: 47.0
Points allowed per game: 31.5
Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalist Plaque
Montreal Independent Schools Tournament Championship Banner

January 11-12

Montreal Independent Schools Invitational Tournament

After an extended Christmas Break the team returned to action January 11-12 at the annual Independent Schools Tournament in Montreal. It was a 12-team tourney this year, featuring teams from Toronto, Montreal, the Eastern Townships, and Halifax.

We had practised hard for the four days leading up to this much-anticipated event, and were anxious to see if our effort was going to pay off. It did. Our first opponent, LCC, with their home crowd cheering them on, was completely unprepared for our running game, as the fast break assaulted them for a 30-4 halftime lead. Everyone got into the act as seven different players scored, eight different players recorded steals which led to transition layups, and the entire team took care of the defensive rebounding. In the end this impressive team effort led to a convincing 46-22 victory. What a great way to start the tournament, and the New Year!

Country Day School from King, Ontario was our next adversary, an athletic, defensive-minded team that had finished third in their own league in Toronto. Their weakness was supposedly their lack of shooting touch, but that did not seem to be the case as everything seemed to drop for them in the early going, making it a 6-point game late in the first half. However, our defence finally made some stops, allowing the Red & White to go on a 17-2 run (and I do mean run!) to finish the first half and start the second, effectively putting the game out of reach. Final score: 53-25. Players of the game were Andrea Dumas with a ridiculous linescore of 21 points, 8 steals, 6 rebounds, and Necola Guerrina with a breakout double-double 13 points 14 rebounds. The reason I say “breakout” is that it looked like Necola may have turned a corner during that game. Was the mojo back?

Those two Friday wins put us in the first place division on Saturday. Our early morning matchup was Sacred Heart of Montreal, a strong, fast team that knew our style of play and who were athletic enough to keep up with our transition game. But luckily for us, Necola’s mojo WAS back – 23 points and 13 boards, including a 9-for-11 performance from the line! But even that would not have been enough without Andrea’s 11-point 5-steal effort, and Tania Laroche-Duhamel’s best game of the year: 6 points 10 rebounds 1 steal as well as solid individual defence, which helped Stanstead hold the dangerous Saints to only 22 points. This hard-nosed 49-22 victory kept our hopes alive of winning the whole thing, but there were still two daunting challenges ahead.

The first was Trafalgar, undefeated thus far in the tourney. Scrappy, athletic, and with at least three solid basketball players including a natural scorer at small forward, they definitely presented matchup problems. Luckily for us they had not yet seen us play, and were knocked back on their heels by our pressure defence and fast-paced attack. In our best-played half of the tournament we surged to a 36-11 halftime lead, led by Ling Chiu’s 10 first-half points, and solid team defensive rebounding. Good thing we built that lead too, as Traf adjusted at half-time with severe all-or-nothing pressure on the ball, and out-played us 27-18 the rest of the way. Nonetheless, this 54-38 win put us in the finals against our perennial rivals, none other than BCS.

The problem with playing against BCS is that they know us so well. No surprises. Add to that the fact that they are talented, disciplined, and extremely well-coached, and it means that any win against them must be earned. If we get outworked, we lose. Bottom line. And as expected, this game was an exciting slugfest. A knock-down, drag ’em out brawl from the opening tap to the final whistle.

The game started with my favourite play of the tournament, the Mastercard TM Charge of the Week: Necola, defending the Crusaders’ all-star centre in the high post, beat her to the spot on a strong drive and drew a textbook charge (a la Junior Battle vs. Ty Crane!). But Stanstead couldn’t score early either, and the game remained scoreless for the first two minutes until Ling hit the first two baskets of the game. After that the two teams traded hard-fought baskets until another ultra-tough play: the BCS point guard, tussling to win a jump ball, received an inadvertent knee in the nose, almost breaking it. Despite losing a significant amount of blood she gamely returned to action five minutes later, a strip across her nose the only evidence of the violent collision.

Play continues. Back and forth. Back and forth. Down by one just before halftime, Andrea nails a three to go into the break with a slim 2-point lead. Second half exactly like the first. Every free throw magnified, every rebound huge. With four minutes remaining the two teams are tied at 31. The tension mounts. And then, after Stanstead made one of two from the line, came the P.O.T.T. (Play of the Tournament): Andrea drives left, draws help, and under pressure kicks out to Necola, who confidently buries a three-pointer over the outstretched block attempt for a 4-point lead that we would never relinquish. Sweet! The rest of the way the defence stood tall, we calmly ran the clock down, Andrea hit her free throws, and the whistle finally blew. The Championship Banner was ours with a 40-33 win!

What a weekend! Undefeated at 5-0, in the process winning the 12-team Montreal Independent Schools Tourney for only the second time in the history of Stanstead College! Every player should be proud of herself for her contribution and focus. We succeeded, we bonded, and we learned a lot. Hopefully we can build on this as we have a pivotal ETIAC game vs. Galt this coming Wednesday. !! Trubs !!

Overall Record: 10 wins 2 losses
ETIAC League Play: 2 wins 1 loss
Points for per game: 46.7
Points allowed per game: 31.6
Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalist Plaque
Montreal Independent Schools Tournament Championship Banner

Wednesday, December 5

Vital victory in the 'Ville!

This past Wednesday the Spartans played a pivotal ETIAC League game vs. BCS, on their home floor no less. Due to the miniscule league schedule (only six regular season games for the entire year), and because of our heartbreaking 1-point loss to Galt early in November, a loss to Bishop’s would essentially eliminate any possibility of Stanstead winning the coveted Regular Season Championship Banner.

In our only previous meeting we had scratched out a hard-fought victory in the S IT, but with weeks of practice since then we knew the Crusaders would come out with a game plan designed to take away our strengths.

Nevertheless, the game started very well for the Red & White; our aggressive defence held our opponents to only 6 first-quarter points, while at the same time forcing turnovers that led to critical fast-break baskets. Similar play in the second quarter meant a 22-12 halftime lead, which is a substantial advantage in this style of game, where there are no easy baskets and every point is earned the hard way.

As it turned out, the second half was eerily similar to our last meeting. BCS started making hustle plays that resulted in points, while the Spartans often looked lost against Bishop’s halfcourt defence. In fact, after a frantic two-minute span in the fourth quarter the lead had dwindled to 6 points, and the Purple & White had the all-important momentum. But that’s when Andrea Dumas decided to put her final stamp on the game. With three minutes remaining she would not be denied on a semi-break, and hit a difficult lay-up to stop the bleeding. And then, on the next possession, she hit a huge three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to earn a well-deserved Highlight Of The Game Award. This immediately re-energized the Spartan defence, who from that point on held the Crusaders scoreless. Once the final horn sounded Stanstead had recorded a key 40-29 victory over their Lennoxville rivals!

Player of the Game goes to Andrea Dumas, whose 29 points (29!!) and lockdown defence for 32 straight minutes represents one of the best individual performances I’ve ever seen. Honourable Mention goes to Ruven Ferdinand, who came off the bench in the second half to completely stifle the dangerously quick BCS shooting guard. And a huge shout-out to the entire team whose commitment to defence won us this game. If we can continue to hold dangerous teams to only 29 points, we’ve got a good chance to make some noise this year! Well done! Now it’s time to enjoy a well-deserved Christmas Break!

The year so far
Overall Record: 5 wins 2losses
ETIAC League Play: 2 wins 1 loss
Points for per game: 45.6
Points allowed per game: 34.2
Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalist Plaque

Wednesday, November 28

First ETIAC win of the season against M-V

This past Wednesday the Spartans hosted the Vikings from Massey-Vanier in our second league game of the season. As MVR did not have a senior team in the ETIAC last year we did not know what to expect, except that they were probably a young squad.

The previous weekend’s SIT had exposed some crucial weaknesses that we had tried to address in practice throughout the week leading up to this important game. And from the opening whistle it appeared as though we had learned from at least some of our mistakes. We avoided turnovers, we made good decisions in the open floor, we executed offensively in the halfcourt, and most importantly our defensive intensity was very good. In fact, despite missing several close-in opportunities and four early free throws, we had engineered a 15-0 lead after one quarter thanks to solid team defence that allowed no easy shots. And even when Massey broke through for their first fieldgoal in the second quarter and attempted to press us, Kristina Wilson immediately started our pressbreak which resulted in a quick Spartan score.

When all was said and done the Red & White recorded a 47-25 win for their first ETIAC victory of the year. The Offensive Player of the Game award goes to Andrea Dumas whose penetration of the Viking zone resulted in 19 points, including 13 trips to the free throw line. Defensive Player of the Game was Ling Chiu, who kept her feet moving all game in front of the MVR point guard. And this week there are two HOTG awards, which were mirror-images of each other. On the right side Chiu drove into the Massey zone, drew the defence up, then fed Tania Laroche-Duhamel underneath for a lay-up. Then five minutes later Melissa Gilpin and Necola Guerrina hooked up in the exact same way on the left side. Great stuff!

There remains one game left for the Red & White before the Christmas Break, and it’s a HUGE one. This coming Wednesday. Dec 5. ETIAC League game. At BCS. The last time we played them the second half was basically a draw. And if we want to challenge for the League Championship Banner this year, we’re going to have to keep improving and find a way to beat this tough, disciplined BCS team. In their building. Sounds like fun!

Overall Record: 4 wins2losses
ETIAC League Play: 1 win 1 loss
Points for per game: 46.5
Points allowed per game: 35.0
Stanstead Invitational Tournament Finalist Plaque

Saturday, November 24

Strong showing at home invitational

This past Saturday the senior girls basketball team hosted our own Stanstead Invitational Tournament. In this, the 16 th year of this event, the invited teams looked to be the strongest we’d had in quite some time, with perennial power BCS, the defending champs from Quebec High, and first-time invitees Sacred Heart School of Montreal all competing with Stanstead for the tournament plaque.

The first game of the tourney saw the Spartans square off against their ETIAC rivals from BCS, a team we hadn’t beaten in three years. But from the opening tip it was clear that we had a good chance of ending this streak. With the Crusaders taking some time to adjust to our defence, the first quarter ended 10-4 for the Red & White. The second quarter saw Bishop’s adjust and create better scoring chances, but Stanstead took advantage of transition opportunities to go into halftime with a seemingly comfortable 23-12 lead. However, BCS is a well coached and a never-say-die team, and the remainder of the game was played basically to a draw. Both teams worked hard on both ends of the floor, but a disciplined rebounding effort and opportunistic early offence enabled the Spartans to close out this tough game 45-31. Finally the streak is over! And what a great way to start the tournament!

Our second game was against another squad we hadn’t beaten in some time, Sacred Heart, who looked very

dangerous in their first tournament game, an overtime thriller against QHS. The Saints were athletic, and they were tough. But in the first six minutes of this contest, the Red & White put on a basketball display the likes of which I have rarely seen. For six minutes we played perfectly. For six minutes we forced turnovers and ran the floor off of them, especially Melissa Gilpin who looked like she was in a track meet out there on the wing. For six minutes every lay-up was perfect, every pass was pin-point, every jump shot found the bottom of the bucket. For six minutes we could do no wrong. At the end of these magical six minutes the score stood 19-0, and the game was essentially over. Kudos to Sacred Heart for never giving up and playing hard all the way to the final whistle of this 50-30 win, and congratulations to the Stanstead players for starting the game like a house on fire. Hopefully we can bottle that beginning and use it again later in the year!

These two wins put us in the finals against the defending champions from Quebec High. Tension was high, not only because of the magnitude of the game but because Spartan point guard Andrea Dumas was playing her former team for the first time in her life. Numbers would suggest that Stanstead would be favoured in this game, as our two wins were much easier than Quebec’s two barnburners, but numbers never tell the whole story; match-ups do. From the opening whistle the well-coached Blazers took away our transition game by hustling back on D, and made us work for every open look against their 2-3 zone. Offensively they ran a disciplined motion offence that we were slow to adjust to, and at halftime we were on the wrong end of a 22-18 score. The second half saw both defences tighten up as they became accustomed to their opponent’s offensive tendencies, but this game was ultimately decided on the boards in the 4 th quarter. Simply put, Quebec massacred us on the glass. They stole offensive rebound after offensive rebound from us, while limiting us to only one shot on their end. These offensive boards not only resulted in second chance points for them, but effectively kept us from running the floor as well. Ultimately the Blazers beat us 39-32, making them well-deserved tournament champs of the Stanstead High Invitational Tournament for the second year in a row. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and improve before we meet them again, most likely at the Bailly Small Schools Provincial Tournament in February.

One final note: this tournament was extremely successful, not only due to the high quality of basketball that was played, but because of the sportsmanship of the players and the camaraderie of the coaches. Impressive basketball, respect for officials, coaches modeling proper behaviour and appreciative fans made for a truly enjoyable high school sports atmosphere this past weekend in the Amaron Gymnasium. I’d like to personally thank Doug Grant, Christine Batley, Glen Faucher and Sarah Neeff for bringing their classy teams down to Stanstead for the S.I.T., and look forward to seeing them all for years to come.

Saturday, November 17

Revenge is sweet

Quote from almost exactly one year ago: “The fans were loving it, and even though we came out on the wrong end of a 51-45 score, it was a GREAT game.” These are the final words from my write-up of last year’s inaugural Stanstead-Appleby exhibition game, a game that the Spartans ended up losing, and a game that Appleby Head Coach Stephen Telling (SC alumnus, personal friend and son of current faculty Geoff & Sue Telling) reminded me that we lost after he read the write-up online. Hopefully we could avenge last year’s defeat, even up the series, and earn our first victory of the 2007-08 season all in one shot here this day.

Well, avenge the loss we did, as the Appleby guards just could not handle Stanstead’s defensive pressure. Turnover after turnover resulted in easy transition baskets, and six players scored on the way to a 31-9 halftime lead. The second half was more closely contested, but in the end the Red & White won their first game of the season, at home, 56-35! Exciting stuff! Game highlights featured the hard-nosed play of the post players down low, Christine OOOOOOOOOsei’s first points of the year (two jump shots!), solid decision-making by the guards in transition, and improved boxing out against a tall, accomplished rebounding team. Things to improve upon in practice this week will be perimeter defensive help, communication, avoiding silly fouls, and of course more boxing out.

Highlight of the Game : In a free-throw shooting display the likes of which we’ve rarely seen, “The TLD Express” Tania Laroche-Duhamel went 4-4 from the line, bringing the fans to their feet with every swish! Congratulations Tania on winning this season’s first HOTG Award!

Next up on the schedule is our own Stanstead Invitational Tournament, exactly one week from now this coming Saturday. This year’s draw is the best I’ve seen in the history of the tourney: perennial powers BCS, defending champions Quebec High, and for the first time ever Sacred Heart School of Montreal. It should be a great tournament and a great day with these well-coached, disciplined teams.

Ouch

The 2007-08 edition of senior girls basketball kicked off its season this past Friday, not with an exhibition game or an early-bird tournament, but with an all-important ETIAC League fixture against Alexander Galt. To make matters worse, the Pipers had started practising earlier than us this year, and had even played two games prior to this one in a different league. We would have to do some serious learning on the fly if we were going to prevail in this game.

After the dust settled, a spirited first half ended 23-20 for Galt. The Pipers were featuring a balanced attack, with points coming from everywhere, while the Spartans were relying on Andrea Dumas and Necola Guerrina for most of their offence. But defensively it was a team effort, and even though allowing 23 points is not all that impressive, given the context of the situation I was still pleased. Despite some severe pre-game jitters, every player was giving her all, even if it was disorganized at times.

The third quarter started much like the first half, but after three minutes something clicked, and the Red & White started hitting their stride. We rebounded, we created steals and forced turnovers with our defence, and we ran the floor. In the half court, Guerrina found herself in single-coverage a few times and took advantage, while the rest of the team attacked the basket and managed to get to the free throw line.

The final quarter featured much of the same, for a while anyway, with the added bonus of Melissa Gilpin finding her stroke for nine fourth-quarter points. In fact, with two minutes left in the game, Stanstead had gone on a 22-10 run and built a 6-point lead.

But it was not to be. In a monumental collapse we crumbled in the final minute with three turnovers and four missed free throws, as Galt climbed all the way back and won the game 50-49 with two made free throws with 0.3 seconds left in the game. Ouch.

Obviously a devastating loss; hopefully it’s our worst one of the year, we can’t take many more of those! But it’s a long season, and it just means we will have to start working harder NOW if we want to ultimately challenge for the ETIAC title in February. The league appears to be strong and well-balanced, which means we must learn from every mistake we make to get better.

Spartans Senior Girls Basketball 2007-2008

Wednesday, February 27

One more magical moment

! WOW !

February 21-22

The McLeod Provincials

Wednesday, February 20

Another comeback in Cowansville

February 15-17

Storybook weekend at Small Schools Tournament

Wednesday, January 30

Home Sweet Home: ETIAC League championship clinched at Amaron Gymnasium!

January 18-19

Gutsy victory at BCS Invitational Tournament

Wednesday, January 16

Second time’s a charm

January 11-12

Montreal Independent Schools Invitational Tournament

Wednesday, December 5

Vital victory in the 'Ville!

Wednesday, November 28

First ETIAC win of the season against M-V

Saturday, November 24

Strong showing at home invitational

Saturday, November 17

Revenge is sweet

Ouch