LaSalle edge St. Basil for NOSSA AAA title

The St. Basil Saints suffered an emotional loss on Saturday.

The Sudbury LaSalle Lancers scored a narrow 34-32 win over the St. Basil Saints to win the junior division crown at Northern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (NOSSA) AAA Girls Basketball Championship at St. Basil.

LaSalle followed the junior performance by squeaking out another tough victory as the Lancers captured the senior division championship with a 49-43 win over North Bay's St. Joseph - Scollard Hall Bears.

In the junior championship, the Lancers converted a Saints turnover on an inbound play into a fast break and an eventual two points on free throws to break a 31-31 tie and seal the victory.

Both teams battled back and forth throughout the game with several lead changes and neither team was able to build a substantial lead.

"Turnovers really hurt us," said Saints head coach Jim Pedatella. "They had more chances at our basket because we gave them those chances with our turnovers. That was really the story of the game.

"It was nice game and the officials did not have any effect on the outcome of the game," Pedatella added. "They called a great game and the kids decided it on the floor. Those guys take a lot of abuse and I think it's important to recognize the job they did today."

Adrianna Bruni and Amanda Vernelli led the Saints with eight points each while Abby DiDonato and Katie LaRue added six each.

"This is the hardest working team I have ever coached," said Pedatella. "We held open practices every morning, five days a week, along with our two hour regular practices after school. At least 50 per cent of the team made it out in the morning and everyone showed a commitment to the team. They are just the sweetest bunch of kids I've had."

"This was a really tough game to lose," said an emotional Vernelli following the game. "We have worked hard together all year, we like playing with each other and we love playing for our coaches.

"We played hard today, we worked as a team and we worked hard as a team all year. We deserved to be here and I think we deserved to win but it didn't happen."

Laura Furchner led the Lancers with 13 points while Carley Blaseg added eight and Erin Whittal six.

"To win a close game like this is a big thrill especially because it could have easily gone either way," said Lancers head coach Bill Sherman. "We were a very weak team in the fourth quarter early this season but the last three or four games we have played, including the city championship in Sudbury, we won in the fourth quarter."

In senior, the Lancers converted seven of eight free throws in the final three minutes of the game to secure a win over Scollard Hall and a trip to the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association (OFSAA) AAA championships in Sudbury beginning Thursday.

Sudbury Lockerby will gain the other NOSSA entry into the provincial championship as the host team.

"I think the difference for us was getting the lead in the third quarter after being down at the half and playing with the lead in the fourth quarter. We stepped it up defensively, stole the ball a few times, forced them to foul us at the end and we were able to make the free throws," said Lancer coach Jen Bourget.

"We were tight in the first half and they were shooting the lights out. We have been a good defensive club all year and it was unusual for a team for score 26 points against us in one half but we managed to tighten it up in the second half."

Lisa Furchner led the Lancers with 18 points while Amanda MacDonald added 17. Jennifer Abraham led Scollard Hall with 22 points while Erin Sallie added nine.

"We found ourselves in some foul trouble late in the game and LaSalle didn't miss too many from the line," said Bears skipper Jim Davidson. "We played hard and tough but we could get things to go our way at the end. It could have gone either way but we lost to a strong team."

In earlier action on Saturday, LaSalle advanced to the senior championship with a 42-23 win over the St. Mary's Knights. Lisa Furchner with 12 points and Sammi Garofolo with eight led the Lancers while Jessica Sicoly and Jen Sweezey led the Knights with seven points each.

Scollard Hall advanced with a 37-35 win over the Bawating Braves. Abraham scored 16 points and Sallie 12 in the victory while Scarlett Bordin and Christine Thayer led the Braves with nine points each.

In junior semi-final play, St. Basil beat the Mount St. Joseph College Royals 50-40. Vernelli with 14 points and Bruni with 13 led the Saints while Vanessa Chaimbrone led the Royals with 19 and Kirsty Mancuso added eight.

LaSalle defeated Scollard Hall 33-24 in the other semi-final as Laura Furchner and Erin Whittal led the Lancers with 11 points each. Dana Larente replied with nine and Melanie Savard six for the Bears.