Hoyas Senior Girls basketball team wraps up their season at OFSAA

Main photo (back from left) Celeste Dupuis (gr11), Jamie Steel (gr11), Gabby Arsenault (gr11), Alexis Roberson (gr12), Emma McAlpine (gr12), Joey Currie (gr12), Tullsi Clarke (gr12), Terry Barber (Coach); (front from left) Emma Fawcett (gr9), Riley Truax (gr9), Zoe Long (gr10), Abby Fawcett (gr11), and Anjali Jindal (gr11)

The OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) Senior Girls AA basketball championship made its way to four Muskoka-area high schools last week, welcoming more than 200 players along with their coaches and family members.

For the Huntsville Hoyas senior girls, it was an opportunity to play against some of their best peers in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

The Hoyas played their first game of the tournament on Thursday, November 23 at HHS against Lo-Ellen Park (who won Bronze in the tournament overall) but lost by half. Jamie Steel was the leading scorer for HHS earning seven points.

In the girls’ second game on Friday, November 24 against Wallaceburg, the team fought hard knowing that they had to win their next three games to move on to the finals but fell short. Abby Fawcett was the teams’ top scorer with 11 points.

Abby Fawcett looks for the pass

Friday evening had the Hoyas meet Nelson H.S. on the court in Bracebridge at St. Dom’s. The local girls pulled ahead and kept their lead from the second quarter winning 46-38. Abby Fawcett earned 14 points as the leading scorer.

On Saturday, November 25, the Hoyas geared up for the consolation semi-finals at St. Dom’s for a match against their GBSSA (Georgian Bay Secondary School Association) rival, St. Joseph’s. The Hoyas took the lead but then St. Joe’s caught up and the heat was on. Huntsville fans were watching basket for basket and chanting “no fouls”.

One parent spectator Paul Clarke described the game as a “nail biter” as the clock ticked down. In the final minute, the Hoyas were reaching for the basket but St. Joe’s tried to stop them and earned a foul. The Huntsville fans went wild – no pressure for penalty-shooter Jamie Steel, who put the ball in the basket to take the lead.

All the Hoyas had left to do was keep control of the ball without any fouls to take the win and the team did just that, winning 47-45 and earning a spot in the Consolation Championship game.

Coach Barber said, “It was especially nice to get the win over St. Joseph’s (our GBSSA rivals) in the consolation semi-finals. We had played them twice previously, winning the first and losing the second in the GBSSA finals, so it was great to beat them in the OFSAA Championship tournament.” Gabby Arsenault was the leading scorer of the game with 16 points.

In the championship game, the team worked together but could not slide ahead of St. Michael C.S.S. In the final quarter, as the team knew the championship was slipping away, the girls just wanted to enjoy the last few minutes on the court and play ball for the fun of the sport.

Emma McAlpine, the captain and long time Hoyas Basketball player, took the court with her team for the last 30 seconds, as she was injured earlier in the season but got to be a part of the OFSAA experience with her close teammates.

The tournament ended with both tears and cheers for the Huntsville Hoyas. Everyone should be very proud of the ir accomplishments over the season and at OFSAA. Good luck in your future athletic experiences.

Coach Terry Barber was also proud of the teams’ efforts “I thought we played well throughout the tournament. In particular I think Abby Fawcett had a great tournament for us and won the team’s tournament MVP. She played extremely well defensively and shot the ball really well. Joey Currie also had a very strong tournament”.

Joey Currie takes a shot on basket

Susan Fawcett, the tournament coordinator, was the recipient of the Leadership in School Sport Award from OFSAA. The award is based on nominations from parents, players, and colleagues and exemplifies the values of fair play and good sportsmanship while promoting enjoyment, personal growth and educational achievement through school sport. Congratulations and thank you for your dedication to the sport!

The Girls’ AA OFSAA Basketball 2017 twitter feed thanked all of the participating teams for their wonderful sportsmanship throughout the tournament and to all of the fantastic volunteers. The Huntsville High School twitter feed also congratulated the OFSAA organizing committee on such an outstanding tournament with a special thank you to Mrs. Wolfe, Mr. Cowan, and Ms. Leslie (teachers from HHS) for their efforts to ensure the games ran smoothly at Huntsville High.

Hoya Abby Fawcett agreed that the tournament was planned excellently with all of the small details.

Coordinator Susan Fawcett agreed, too: “The event was truly wonderful!”

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