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SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010 25 Aquinas fantastic five By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Less than two months ago, St. Thomas Aquinas senior girls basketball coach Mike Giammichele nearly folded the team because of lack of commitment. Now, the Raiders are Halton champions. Despite playing yesterdays (Wednesdays) Halton Tier 2 final without any substitutes on their bench, the Raiders gutted out a 38- 34 victory over the defending champion White Oaks Wildcats at Sheridan College. Aquinas began the season with seven players, but lost one due to disciplinary reasons and another to a trip to Cuba. That left just Nycole Lopes, Madeline Mann, Laura Medlock, Portia Ocran and Sam Turchyn for the biggest game of the season. I called it David vs. Goliath, said Giammichele. Monday (in the semifinals) we had five players, and we had five again today. I was worried about foul trouble, but we went to a 2-3 zone defensively and it helped us. While foul trouble was an obvious con- cern for the Raiders, so was the possibility of an injury. Their worst fears were nearly real- ized in the opening quarter as Nycole Lopes was hobbling around with a sore ankle. Lopes remained in the game, however, going on to score a game-high 16 points. Shes a tough kid. I knew she wasnt going to come out, Giammichele said. Aquinas held the lead through most of the game before the Wildcats stormed back in the fourth quarter, tying the game 34-34 with 4:32 to go in regulation. Mann hit three free throws and Medlock added another for the Raiders final four points, and Aquinas managed to keep White Oaks scoreless the rest of the way. Mann said the victory was a reward for the teams hard work throughout the year. I think we all had the commitment, the dedication, the passion to come out and work hard, said the Grade 12 student. We didnt want to fold the team. We wanted to do whatever we could to keep the team going. Turchyn had eight points, Mann added six, Medlock netted three and Ocran who wasnt going to play this season until realiz- ing the team desperately needed players contributed two for Aquinas. She stepped up, and we really appreciate it, Mann said of Ocran. She wasnt going to play and we needed people, so she volunteered. Im really glad she did. Aquinas will play a Peel representative next Wednesday in a qualifying game for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) AA tournament. Giammichele said the team will call up four junior players for that contest. For the Wildcats, meanwhile, the loss was a tough ending to a successful four years for core players Mira Krunic, Kaminda Musumbulwa, Ellie Hannaford, Lana Marcy, Nevena Aksin and Gabby Radulescu. The Wildcats won the Halton junior girls Tier 2 championship in 2007 and 2008, then claimed the senior Tier 2 crown last season. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experi- ence for everybody, said Allan Marcy, who coached the team with Ryan McLaughlin. They came to practice every day and worked hard. They didnt want to lose they were those kinds of kids. Everything we asked them to do, they did. Musumbulwa led the Wildcats in scoring yesterday with 12 points. Krunic and Hannaford each scored eight, while Lana Marcy added four. Short-staffed Raiders win Halton Tier 2 Sr. title We all had the commitment, the dedication, the passion to come out and work hard. Aquinas player Madeline Mann St. Thomas Aquinas player Nycole Lopes (right) guards White Oaks Mira Krunic during yesterdays Halton senior girls Tier 2 basketball final at Sheridan College. Aquinas defeated the Wildcats 38-34. GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER