DCVI junior girls win Huron-Perth title

The St. Marys DCVI Junior Girls basketball team won their second consecutive Huron-Perth Championship on Nov. 6, defeating St. Michael Catholic Secondary School 25-19 in the league final. Pictured in front row, from left to right, are Regan Jones, Charlotte Richardson, Alanna Savile and Holly Black. In the back row, from left, are head coach Tim O’Connor, Lily Hollestelle-Black, Maeve Wheeler, Lena Thompson, Aryn Sheldon, Melody Weber, Raegan Stacey, Emma Hodkinson, Charlotte Johnson, Lu Zulu, Silver Breckon and coach Jack Taylor.

By Spencer Seymour

For the second straight year, the St. Marys DCVI Junior Girls basketball team finished the Huron-Perth playoffs atop the field when they won their league final against St. Michael Catholic Secondary School on Nov. 6 by a final score of 25-19.

Head coach Tim O’Connor told the Independent his team’s victory was well-deserved.

“I'm proud of them,” said O’Connor. “We played well and had to fight for it. We fell down 8-0 but our bread and butter all year long has been our half-court defence, and that's what we said after the first quarter. We reminded them to lock things down, trust in our defence and eventually, good things will come. St. Michael is also a really good defensive team and they made it tough for us to score, but we were able to get enough to get the job done.”

After going down by eight points, the Salukis managed to claw back to make it a one-point deficit at halftime, heading into the third down 11-10.

O’Connor noted that the team experienced some jitters early in the contest.

“When we run up against a good defensive team, we sometimes play more tentatively. We start looking to get rid of the ball too quickly and forget their fundamentals in terms of stepping around and assessing our options. It was a credit to St. Michael, to be honest. They are very aggressive and very athletic, so it just took us a little while to find our footing.

“We got a couple of big buckets early in the third quarter and I think those really helped us take a breath and settle in,” O’Connor continued. “Then, we locked things down defensively. We got some stops and really didn’t give them a good look. Our kids guarded the perimeter really well and we didn’t give them anything easy.”

Alongside O’Connor, Jack Taylor was part of the junior girls’ coaching staff. Taylor credited the team’s mostly rookie contingent of players for making positive strides throughout the season.

“The improvement we’ve seen this year was incredible. Most of these girls haven't even played a game of competitive basketball in their lives, so the way they've developed being coached by Tim and getting all of his tips, it's been great to watch. They've learned so much from Tim and they’ve worked really hard to get better.”

The Salukis held St. Michael to just two points in the third quarter while scoring seven points of their own, taking a 17-13 lead into the fourth. Charlotte Richardson, one of the team’s Grade 10 veterans, scored 14 points in the game, but arguably none were bigger than her three-pointer just moments into the third.

According to Richardson, the group was able to battle through their early struggles by not giving up on one another.

“I think it was just about sticking together as a team,” said Richardson. “We win together and we lose together. That’s something we’ve believed since the start of the season. I just told the girls during the game that, whatever happens, we do it together as a team.”

The team’s Grade 10 leadership group also includes Holly Black, Regan Jones and Alanna Savile, the latter of whom chipped in seven points and described the team’s mentality entering the league final.

“It was important for all of us to keep encouraging each other and cheer each other on from the bench,” Savile noted. “I feel like that really keeps us in the game and helps us to stay calm. It’s really important in these close games to stay focused and stay calm but also play with enthusiasm.”

Jones echoed those sentiments, praising the rest of her team for helping pick each other up.

“We were all excited and we all wanted to win,” Jones said. “I feel like we started a little bit nervous, but once we got into the game, everyone played excited and everyone was playing and cheering with lots of energy.”

Black, meanwhile, praised the team’s ability to help their teammates on the defensive side.

“Our defence was very good. We communicated very well. We were doing a good job of helping when someone got past one of our defenders.”

Savile also mentioned her happiness with the group’s effort and winning their second consecutive league championship, which Black followed up with a show of confidence in the squad.

“Going in, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Savile remarked. “It was a 50-50 battle since we knew we were playing a really good team. It's amazing. I'm so proud of our team.”

“It’s nothing new; we did it last year,” Black added with a laugh. “This is another one to go with our collection.”

The junior girls look to add to their successful season when they compete at WOSSAA on Nov. 13.