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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 13, 2008 - 33 Raiders girls reach final at All-Catholic volleyball tourney The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders senior girls' volleyball team must have known good things were in store when its flight to Ottawa was the only one that was not cancelled during last Wednesday's snowstorm. Aquinas persevered through five grueling days and 23 sets to reach the final at the 24-team All-Catholic Volleyball Championships in the nation's capital, coming heartbreakingly close to winning tournament gold. The Raiders extended top-seeded Sudbury Marymount to a third and deciding set in the championship match, and held an 11-8 lead at one point. Marymount, however, rallied to win seven of the next nine points and claim a 25-20, 24-26, 15-13 victory. "We had our chances," said Raiders head coach Peter Szpakowski, noting Marymount got the benefit of a controversial line call in the late going of the third set, "but we just couldn't put them away." The high-flying spikes of Tessa Medlock and Jaime Neefs paced the Raiders on the opening day of the tournament, as Aquinas won its pool and advanced to the elite A division. The second day featured consistent setting by Jess Pecora and stellar defence by Taryn McKenna and Victoria Miliucci, helping the Raiders tie for first in A Pool preliminary play. Aquinas opened the playoff round with a hardfought 26-24, 26-24 victory over Hamilton champion Bishop Ryan. The Raiders then edged North Bay Scollard Hall 2521, 26-24 in the semifinal. Grade 10 student Jess Reynolds provided the memorable moment of the match, and possibly the tournament, when she ran into the scoring table to save a point, sending the table and the two scorekeepers flying. Alicia Ronca, Danielle Labine, Lori Isaj, Gisela Panza and Mary Quintieri also contributed to the silver-medal showing. The Aquinas seniors looked to build on their weekend result when they opened the Halton high school playoffs yesterday (Tuesday). If the Lester B. Pearson Patriots lost their opening-round match, the Raiders would have qualified for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) double-A tournament with a victory over King's Christian Collegiate. MORE MEDALS: The Oakville Vytis atom boys' basketball team, or the "Break" as it is now called, earned gold at the recent Hamilton Wildcats tournament. Oakville has won medals in three of four tournaments this year. Recent gold third medal of year for atom Vytis The Oakville Vytis atom boys' basketball team's tournament success stories continue. The "Break", as the team is now called, won gold in the AA division of the recent Hamilton Wildcats tournament, the third medal Oakville has claimed in four tournament outings this season. Oakville opened the competition with a 38-20 rout of St. Catharines, paced by a 10-point effort from Jasman Gill. Jared Hines added eight. Jake Szpakowski was a one-man wrecking crew in Oakville's next game, scoring 18 points in a win over Pelham. Griffin Moore and Chris Hankins each contributed six. The Break's lone loss of the tournament came in its final round-robin game, as a 14-point lead evaporated in the late going of a 50-45 loss to the Mississauga Monarchs #1. Oakville's Jordan Solomon led all scorers, netting seven points. In the semifinal, Oakville again relinquished a lead, but managed to regroup in time to down York 47-37. Szpakowski (nine), Nick Howie (eight) and Dillon Rudman (eight) were the Break's top scorers. In the final, a rematch with Mississauga, Oakville turned to its big man -- Gill, who held a significant height advantage over the Monarchs -- and the move paid off. Gill scored nearly at will as the Break outscored Mississauga 31-12 in the second half, prevailing 56-37. Gill had 18 points and was named tournament MVP. Conor O'Brien added eight and Hankins played stellar defence, limiting the Monarchs' top player to three second-half points. Other members of the team are Karl Lepp, Griffin Moore, Brandon Miller and Kyle Francis. Peter Szpakowski coaches the squad. WEEKEND EDITION It's a new weekend Host a party for one News, Classified & Careers, Sports, A&E, Weekend Reader, Travel, GoWeekend, Spec Homes, New Homes, Wits and Pieces. 10 beautiful sections. 1 relaxing weekend. 2 WEEKS FREE! 1021 Discover the indulgence of unwinding with The Hamilton Spectator. Call: 905-522-7732 or 1-800-263-8386