Algoma U settles for provincial silver (Updated)

The Algoma University College Thunderbirds women's basketball team saw their dreams of a provincial championship dashed in the gold medal game.

In the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) final at Algonquin College in Ottawa on Saturday night, Algoma fell to the Seneca College Sting 75-56.

Danielle D'Ettorre was named the lady Thunderbirds player of the game.

The following is a news release provided by the OCAA:

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Seneca Women’s Basketball Win Back To Back Titles March 5, 2007 - Seneca College Women’s Basketball team stung the competition this past weekend as All-Canadian standout Natasha Thombs led the Sting to back to back Provincial Championship titles.

The path to gold was extremely balanced for the Sting, as the ladies in red and black averaged 75.6 PPG enroute to the Championship. In the opening round 72-64 victory over St. Clair College, it was Thombs and Heather Elchuk who paced Seneca’s offence by netting 16 points each. Ashley Docking (10), Alana Vicks (10) and Stephanie Chau (11), also contributed to the Sting numbers with double digit efforts.

The Semi-finals proved to be another well balanced game for Seneca with Elchuk again leading the way in the points department with 15 in the 80-53 romp over St. Lawrence Kingston. A first year point guard, Docking, furthered the team’s march to the gold medal by adding two more points to her first game total for 12 semi-final markers. Charlene Siopis and Thombs also contributed 12 points each.

In the Championship game it was a battle of All-Canadians and Regional Scoring Champions as Thombs and Algoma’s Danielle D’Ettorre met on centre stage. Although D’Ettorre got the upper hand on the score sheet with 31 tallies in the final, it was the team’s balance that propelled Seneca over the top and to a 75-56 victory earning them the title and the right to represent the OCAA at the CCAA National Championship at Grant MacEwan in Edmonton, Alberta.

Thombs earned her second consecutive Championship MVP honour as the Scarborough native averaged 16.6 PPG throughout the tournament.

Player of the Year Danielle D'Ettorre showed why she was crowned Queen of the hard court, as she topped the tournament with a 23 PPG average. The silver medal performance was the first medal ever won by Algoma University College in Women’s Basketball history.

In the Bronze Medal game is was the host Algonquin Thunder taking the final place on the podium after they defeated the St. Lawrence Vikings 60-59 in a nail biting thriller.

Championship All-Stars Algoma - #21 - Danielle D'Ettorre Algoma - #44 - Jessica King Seneca - #10 - Ashley Docking Algonquin - #22 - Bojana Bejatovic St. Lawrence - #5 - Britt Pegg

Championship MVP - Seneca - #20 - Natasha Thombs

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