Sainte-Foy found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this St. Patrick’s Day in a 86 to 56 victory.
In the intense all-Quebec final of the CCAA 2012 BMO Women’s Basketball Nationals between the College de Sainte-Foy Dynamiques and the Dawson Blues, the Dynamiques emerged as champions.
The two teams met earlier this season in the finals of the RSEQ Championships, producing very different results when the Dawson Blues took home the honours.
The games’ top scorers were Marilyse Roy from the Blues with 13 points and Sarah-Jane Marois from the Dynamiques with 25 points.
The first quarter saw both the Dynamiques and Blues running the floor and relying on fast-break opportunities to generate some offence. The back-and-forth scoring and rhythm of play was present throughout the entire quarter, keeping the numbers on the scoreboard tight. The score at the end of the first was 21 – 16 for Sainte-Foy.
A couple quick baskets from Dawson started off the second quarter, amplifying the level of excitement from fans, coaches and players in the gymnasium. Evenly matched, the Dynamiques and Blues controlled the boards in their own end, providing equal scoring opportunities.
The Dynamiques managed to pull ahead in the middle of the quarter, gaining a nine point lead on the Blues thanks to a series of points from inside the key. At the half, Sainte-Foy lead 43 – 36.
The second half opened with aggressive play on both sides, as the Blues tried to close the gap with some success. Sainte-Foy struggled to put the ball in the net from outside the key until the end of the third quarter, when they pulled ahead with a 16-point lead thanks a couple great field goals and ended the quarter 60 – 46.
The final quarter saw Sainte-Foy work the perimeter as well as the key, which made defence duties hard for the Blues. Dynamiques’ three-point shooting played a huge factor in the final minutes, firmly closing the door on any chance of a comeback by the Blues.
“I’m so proud of them, they played great all weekend. We lost against the Blues in the provincial final and it was a tough loss,” says Patrick Dagenais, head coach of the Dynamiques. “They came back and played with such heart. I’m so proud of them.”
Second team all-stars for the tournament were Jenn Silver from Dawson, Kady Dandeneau from UNBC, Kelly Debow from St. Thomas, Richelle Gregoire from Dawson and Abeer Farhat from Algonquin.
First team all-stars were Gabrielle Girard from Sainte-Foy, Marilyse Roy from Dawson, Jessilyn Fairbanks from Grant MacEwan, Ashley Bawn from St. Thomas, and Genevieve Derome from Sainte-Foy.
Tournament MVP went to Sarah-Jane Marois from Sainte-Foy.