Lancer girls claim consolation at OFSAA championships

After dropping their opening two games at the 2013 OFSAA Girls AA Basketball Championships in Windsor, the Lasalle Lancers had just one chance to reach their pre-tournament goal of bettering their performance from the 2012 event.

To the credit of coaches Mitch Lalonde, Denis Gauthier and eight very resilient young athletes, they did exactly that, advancing to the consolation final for a second straight year, and coming out on top this time around.

A sluggish start out of the gate provided some initial challenges as the Lancers were held to just 10 first-half points in their opener, eventually dropping a 34-31 decision to the Thériault Flammes from Timmins.

Keegan Anderson hit for eight points for Lasalle, with Kayla Deschatelet and Desirée Groulx pacing the Flammes with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Though the scoring started to come around on Friday, Lasalle fared no better in Game 2, beaten 49-46 by the Bishop Macdonell Celtics from Guelph. Laura Graham (17), Karli Marcotte (14) and Anderson (12) topped the scoring charts for the Lancers, while Jessica Morris registered a game-high 20 points for the winners.

Relegated to the consolation side in their return visit to OFSAA, the NOSSA representatives would make the most of it. Deadlocked 18-18 at the half and 26-26 after three quarters, the Lancers pulled away in the fourth against the St. Theresa Titans of Belleville, chalking up a 43-35 victory.

Grade 10 newcomer Kendra Muffo held the hot hand for Lasalle, finishing with 15 points, with Marcotte (12) and Graham (11) close behind. Piper Kehoe countered with 14 points in a losing cause.

An all northern affair awaited Lasalle in the consolation semifinal as the Lancers set the tone early, leading from start to finish in a 34-22 triumph over the Hammarskjold Vikings of Thunder Bay.

Laura Graham added another 12 points to her tournament stat line for the winners, with Aliisa Heiskanen leading all scorers with 14 for the Vikes. With one year of high school still remaining, Graham showed the form that should garner some post-secondary interest in the consolation final, heating up for 23 points as Lasalle bounced the St. Matthew Tigers from Ottawa 56-44.

Kennedi Cashmore chipped in with 11 points for the locals, while Jordan Faris and Madeline Wakefield netted 10 each for the National Capital Association champions.

Despite losing three key starters at the end of this year, the Lancers are expected to return as city favourites in 2014, with Graham and Muffo leading the charge on a team that will also incorporate some key contributors from a junior squad that lost in the NOSSA final this year.