SG Basketball D2: Thoughts on the Bailly Three-peat

 

Mackenzy St-Pierre’s jump shot was silky smooth all weekend. With that added to her repertoire,

she is close to unguardable.

 

The atmosphere in Mackay was fantastic all weekend, with no better example than the epic 53-52 barnburner between our boys and QHS. The intensity of the game, the back-n-forth, and in particular the raucous cheering by both girls teams made that gym rock. It’s hard to be as loud as the Blazers’ fans

(I swear they must take a course in cheering!), but in that game our girls pulled it off – what a thriller!

 

Trivia Question: Who is the only player, boy or girl, to splash 4 threes(!) in one half this weekend? Answer: Emily Willis vs Richmond. And did you really have to ask…?

 

Sometimes what turns a game around is big and flashy, like an Emily triple or a Kenz block, but sometimes the momentum-changer is subtle, not even noticed by the casual observer. In the final vs WIC, we were down 7-4 early and had given up a steady diet of wide open elbow jumpers. If that trend continued, we were going to lose. But wing forwards Mariama Barry and Alex Smith made the adjustment, started bumping aggressively and intelligently, and from that point on COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN the Voyageurs offence. Alex in particular was fantastic, with multiple deflections and 4 outright steals. This triggered a relentless 28-2 run that WIC had no answer for, and by the end of the third quarter the outcome was basically decided. Your Stanstead Spartans had pulled off the Bailly Three-peat!

 

Ex-player and two-time MVP Rina Takahashi, who saw the girls play at CAIS in November: “Wow, they’ve improved so much!”

 

Mariama had her best game of the season in the semi vs Richmond. Her 8 pts, 7 rebs, and 5 blocks tell a lot of the story, but don’t completely express just how comfortable and confident she was in the flow of the offence AND the defence. Bright future, that one!

 

Trivia Question: Who is the only player, boy or girl, to corral 19 rebounds(!) in one game this weekend? Answer: Mackenzy St-Pierre vs WIC. And did you really have to ask…?

 

The number of ex-players who made a point of coming to the Bailly this weekend warms my heart. Seeing Chloe, Rina, Alyssa, Mya, Maya, Lyanne (and anyone else I’m forgetting, sorry) made me feel like an emotional grandpa at a family reunion. A special sisterhood, this whole Spartans basketball thing.

 

Once again, Van Pham brought the house down with one of her signature crowd-pleasing jumps shots. She definitely knows how to steal the show, that Van.

 

The way Emily reacted to being the focus of WIC’s box-and-one in the final says a lot about her maturity and her team-first mentality. No whining, no forcing bad shots, just doing exactly what is needed to give her team the best chance of success, even if it means that she can’t play her usual game.

 

Vs QHS, another ridiculous statline from Kenz, who was ultimately awarded the Drohan MVP Trophy for her dominant Bailly Tournament performance: 21 pts, 11 rebs, 9 blocks… My word!

 

Trivia Question: Who is the only player to make a list of all the cute boys on every visiting team? Answer: Lea-Rose Remillard. And did you really have to ask…?

 

I really get the sense that hosting the Bailly this past weekend has brought the team to an unusually high level of camaraderie and togetherness. Sitting with them at Early Supper, I love the vibe, the laughter, the inclusiveness, the joy of being together. And that says a lot about the leadership of our veterans, who have fostered this culture. Success is nice, but it only matters if everyone feels a part of it.

 

Congratulations, Spartans, for such an amazing achievement! Every single one of you has EARNED it!

 

 

- Coaches Van Dyke & Wolfe

 

 

Overall Record: 27 wins 5 losses      

Points for per game: 38.2     Points allowed per game: 27.3