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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, November 14, 2012 · 26 Sports Oakville Beaver NOWHERE TO GO: Abbey Park Eagles player Devyn MacKenzie (with ball) grimaces as she tries to get past the defence of Loyola Hawks opponents Sam Pocrnic (5) and Sarah Traynor. Loyola limited the Eagles to 11 firsthalf points on the way to a 41-31 victory in Friday's Halton senior girls' basketball Tier 1 final at Sheridan College. MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILE BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Loyola holds off Eagles to repeat as Halton champ extend its lead to 26-11. But Abbey Park would battle back with a 15-5 surge to get back in the game. The Loyola Hawks have been here before, Leading the Abbey Park charge was but they hope to alter the script one more Erica Mandel, who scored eight of her 11 time. points in the second half by driving to the For the third year in a row, Loyola is one net and following up on her own win from advancing to the provincial high rebounds. school girls' basketball championships, "It was tough," said the Grade 11 stuhaving inched closer with each attempt. In dent, a captain on the Eagles junior cham2010, the Hawks lost the Halton final and pionship team last year. "We were able to then the Golden Horseshoe qualifier. Last get close. We were playing like we wanted it year, Loyola won Haltons but was again bad." denied at the next stage. This time, after an Keeping Abbey Park from pulling even undefeated season in league play capped by was Alex Ruscica. She scored all five Loyola a 41-31 victory over Abbey Park in Friday's points during that nine-minute stretch, regional senior Tier 1 final, the Hawks hope including a three-pointer at the thirdtheir time has finally quarter buzzer. Ruscica, "(A win) would mean arrived. also a member of that Standing between them everything to us. They Ontario Games championand the Ontario Federation beat us last year so ship team, had a game-high of School Athletic now, second year, 13 points as well as six Associations (OFSAA) tourrebounds. second chance and nament is St. Thomas More. "We couldn't give up," The Hamilton school has anything can happen." she said. "It means a lot to beaten the Hawks twice this us. Most of us are seniors so season -- by six and two Loyola Hawks player Emily to win (Halton) again was points -- so, again, Loyola Wilk, looking ahead to important to us." is hoping the third time is a tomorrow's OFSAA qualifier "She's really a true guard against St. Thomas More charm. but we play her at the post "It would mean everyjust because she's our bigthing to us," said Emily Wilk. " They beat us gest player," added Loyola coach Tina De last year so now, second year, second chance Carvalho. and anything can happen." Despite the loss, Abbey Park's season was The Halton final was proof of that. not over. It was scheduled to play Hamilton's Loyola had dominated the Halton league St. Mary's yesterday (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. in this season, winning all 13 of its games by Hamilton for the right to represent the at least 23 points. The Hawks scored a deci- Golden Horseshoe at triple-A OFSAA. sive 64-35 victory over Abbey Park, their "I don't know where we pulled that opponent in the final, during the regular from," Fleming, who had eight points season. Friday, said of the Eagles' showing in the Yet, with less than a minute to play final. "I'm really proud of our team. (St. Friday, Abbey Park had cut Loyola's 12-point Mary's) has won seven of the last 10 OFSAA fourth-quarter lead to just four. The Hawks (tournaments) so we're going to have to would seal the victory by making six straight play hard, play like we did today." free throws down the stretch to claim their Abbey Park did manage to limit Loyola, second straight Halton title. which averaged 60 points this season, to Don't count the Hawks among those just 41 with a tenacious defensive effort. surprised by Abbey Park's performance, Loyola, meanwhile, will face St. Thomas though. More tomorrow (Thursday), with the win"We expected them to give us a run," ner advancing to the quad-A OFSAA toursaid Wilk, who won gold at the 2010 nament. The Hawks will likely need the Ontario Games with the Eagles' Rasheeka same balanced attack they had Friday, Gunn, Leah Fleming and Devyn MacKenzie. which saw four players with at least eight "They're a great team and they've made points, including Sarah Traynor with nine huge strides." and Sam Pocrnic with eight. It looked like Loyola might be on its way to another easy victory after it opened the -- Herb Garbutt can be followed second half with a seven-point run to on Twitter @Herbgarbutt By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF Jr. Titans capitalize on second chances in victory over Aquinas By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR The Holy Trinity Titans' grip on the Halton junior girls' Tier 1 basketball title was slipping away, and there wasn't anything Ema Brazdeikyte could do. Stuck on the bench because of foul trouble, Brazdeikyte was forced to watch helplessly as the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders erased a 12-point deficit to tie the championship game with less than four minutes to go Friday at Sheridan College. Once Brazdeikyte got back into the game, however, she quickly reversed the tide. The Grade 9 forward scored three baskets in the final two minutes of regulation, lifting Trinity to a 45-40 victory and spoiling an impressive 31-point effort by the Raiders' Melody Wyslobicky. "I was so nervous. We'd worked so hard and if we didn't win, we'd be so upset. We wanted to go back in and try our hardest," Brazdeiykte said of her mentality in the fourth quarter, when teammate Tayania Siwek-Smith was also on the bench with four fouls. "I was trying to (support) my teammates... but I just wanted to be out there and help them." Getting a second chance was the theme of the afternoon for Trinity, since the offensive rebounding of Brazdeikyte and Siwek-Smith -- the two tallest players on the court -- was what had given the Titans their big lead in the first place. The two combined to score 10 points on put-backs as Trinity built a 34-22 advantage early in the fourth quarter. "(Rebounding is) something we've been developing throughout the season. It was not a strength at the beginning," said Titans coach Christina Nayyar. "It's something they See Aquinas, page 28