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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 8, 2008 - 25 Milton's sister act too much for Raiders to overcome Aquinas falls in senior girls' basketball Division 2 final returned to play the rest of the game. But, by the time she returned to the court, Milton had stretched its seven-point halftime lead to 27 As a team captain, Emily Quinn has been a with a 24-1 run that began in the final minute player for her teammates to look up to. of the opening half. But Thursday at Sheridan College, it was "Heart can only take you so far," said Quinn who was looking up -- way up -- to Quinn, who will graduate this year along with another player on the court. Anne O'Connor and co-captain Taryn The St. Thomas Aquinas Grade 12 student McKenna. "But if you look at the scoreboard, often found herself with the unenviable task of it really wasn't that bad. We scared the crap guarding Milton District's Kayla Alexander in out of them. We left everything out there. the Halton high school senior girls' Division 2 They've got a national player, we have one rep basketball final. A key member of the national player." junior team, the 6-foot-4 Despite losing two starters Alexander towered over her oppo- "Heart can only from last year's team to other take you so far. nents. Halton schools -- one to Holy "She's huge," said the 5-foot-4 (Milton has) a Trinity and one to Assumption -- Quinn. "A lot of the time I had to national player, the Raiders had the likes of box her out and she would just we have one Melanie Enright and Grade 10 reach over me and grab the ball." rep player." post player Nycole Lopes to step Not surprisingly, Alexander Aquinas player in. Aquinas went 8-3 and knocked dominated the boards on her way Emily Quinn off the defending champion to a 30-point game that led Milton Burlington Central Trojans (10-1) to a 63-35 victory. For the first half of the to reach the final. Aquinas had set the bar high game, though, the Raiders were determined to from the outset, though. play the role of the upstart spoiler. "We had this goal to go undefeated," Knowing his team was unlikely to have Giammichele said, "of course, not knowing much success in the battle under the basket, Milton was going to have a 6-foot-4 girl comcoach Mike Giammichele's plan was to fire at ing back." will from the outside -- which fortunately was Alexander spent last year at the National his team's strength. Aquinas hit four threes, Elite Development Academy in Hamilton, but including two from Denise Belisan and one decided in late August to return to Milton so each by Quinn and Madeline Mann, in the first that she and her sister Keisha, who had 17 10 minutes to offset Alexander's control in the points, could play their final high school seapaint as Aquinas kept pace at 18-18. The son together. Raiders were even doing surprisingly well Quinn was looking to bookend her high gathering in offensive rebounds in the early school career with Halton titles. She was a going. member of the senior team in Grade 9 when However, the Raiders' shooting magic Aquinas won the AA championship. This time, would not last. After going 4-for-8 on their she was hoping to contribute more to a victofirst attempts from beyond the arc, they went ry. just 1-for-9 the rest of the way, not hitting "I had a role, but not a huge role (in Grade another until the fourth quarter. 9)," she said. "Being a senior this time, and a MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER The Raiders also briefly lost Quinn, who captain, I felt more like someone the other LOOKING UP: Emily Quinn of the St.Thomas Aquinas Raiders (left) attempts to solve the defence had a team-high eight points, when she players could look up to." of Milton District Mustangs player Keisha Alexander. Aquinas fell 63-35 to the Mustangs in Thursday's sprained her ankle in the third quarter. She Even giving up a foot to her opponent, Halton high school senior girls' basketball Division 2 final at Sheridan College. went to the bench to have it quickly taped and Quinn seemed to be able to do that. OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF By Herb Garbutt Aquinas seniors hope to soar to Division 2 volleyball title The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders are hop- ers." ing to reach greater heights. Led by fourth-year senior powers Joseph The Raiders' senior boys' volleyball team, Asztalos and Anthony Starcevic, the Raiders coming off an 11-1 regular season, defeated went to three sets only twice this season -- in the Milton District Mustangs Tuesday to their one loss to Corpus Christi and in a vicadvance to the Halton high school Division 2 tory over Pearson. The Raiders also have a pair final. The Raiders will face the of third-year seniors in setter Acton Bearcats Monday, when "We've got some Tyler Vadacchino and middle Aquinas coach Ron Szpakowski boys who can Evan St. Hilaire. Add that to last feels the game will be decided in jump out of the year's MVP (middle Matt Blaha) the high altitudes of the Sheridan gymnasium." returning libeiro Patterson College gym. Farrell and 6-foot-5 Charlie Aquinas coach "We've got some boys who can Ron Szpakowski Drouin, who moved up from the jump out of the gymnasium," junior squad, and the Raiders Szpakowski said. "If we can control our pass- boast a deep lineup. es, then we can beat them above the net." And that's after losing two eligible-toThe Raiders are a veteran team -- they can return starters from last year. Eric Fram, the put six players on the court with at least 18 team's most valuable player two years ago, years of combined experience at the senior chose to play football this fall and Ryan level -- with the size to complement their Thomson took the season off to concentrate abilities. on his final year of basketball. "We've been fortunate. We've got some big The Raiders swept Acton in their regularboys," Szpakowski said. "They're all six-foot- season meeting, but split two tournament clashes with the Bearcats. Acton does have the experience of having played in a Halton final. "They have a number of players who have been to Sheridan, before so there won't be any wobbly knees on their side," Szpakowski said. Regardless of the outcome, both teams are headed to the provincial championships, with Aquinas representing the Golden Horseshoe in AA and Acton representing A. The Raiders' juniors also advanced to the Halton final Tuesday with a three-set upset over Milton District. The Mustangs came in with a 10-1 record, including a win over the 72 Raiders. Aquinas built an early lead in the deciding game, then held off a Mustangs rally for a nail-biting 16-14 victory. Aquinas learned from its loss to Milton and kept the ball away from the Mustangs' best player. Three returnees -- middles Ben Szpakowski and Will Coulthard as well as libeiro-turned-setter Thomas Meagher -- are benefiting from extensive playing time as Grade 9s. "Our young guys got a lot of court time and got a chance to learn to play the game, and that's been obvious this year," said Szpakowski, who also coaches the juniors. The Raiders will now face another 10-1 team in the White Oaks Wildcats, who are a more balanced team with a decided height advantage. "They're six to eight inches bigger than us in each and every spot," Szpakowski said. "We've surprised a lot teams with David and Goliath performances. We'll have to play tough D and make smart plays." The Division 1 finals, also slated for Monday, will feature all-Oakville matchups. The Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers will face the Loyola Hawks in the junior final, with the Holy Trinity Titans squaring off against the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils in the senior championship game. -- Herb Garbutt