DCVI senior girls win WOSSAA title in electric single A final

The St. Marys DCVI Senior Girls Basketball team won the WOSSAA single A championship plaque with a 39-27 victory over Monseigneur-Bruyère on Nov. 13. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are Alanna Saville, Charlotte Richardson, Marin Chateauvert and Libby McCurdy. In the back row, from left, are coach Brian Chalupka, Maeve Wheeler, Emma Hodkinson, Reagan Jones, Holly Black, Lena Thompson, Valentina Urbano Martinez and coach Tim O’Connor. Not pictured was head coach Monica Ryan.

By Spencer Seymour

The St. Marys DCVI Senior Girls Basketball team, backed by one of the craziest crowds in DCVI sports history, won the WOSSAA single A championship with a 39-27 win over London’s Monseigneur-Bruyère, earning the Salukis an OFSAA berth.

Brian Chalupka, who, along with Tim O’Connor, was filling in for head coach Monica Ryan, noted the team’s intensity and defensive prowess led them to the win.

“They just don’t stop,” Chalupka said. “That’s the way they’ve been playing all year, ever since I joined the team halfway through the season. They are intense on defence and offence. I think the main reason we won was our defence. We basically shut them down in the half-court all game long.”

O’Connor added the team’s defensive ability is built on their cool, calm and collected nature.

“These girls enjoy defending and making the other team have to really earn things. Our opponent didn’t have a lot of shooting, and they weren’t really pressuring, so we were able to be very patient, and our girls have a lot of composure. They know what’s going on and they make good decisions.

“Their demeanour, their patience and their composure are absolutely a reflection of Monica (Ryan) and her coaching style,” O’Connor continued. “She’s great with the kids and very calm in all situations. I’ve never been to an OFSAA, so it’ll be fun to help out, but this is definitely Monica’s team and they are a reflection of how great a coach she is.”

DCVI had a narrow, one-point lead after the first quarter, but extended the gap to six by halftime, leading 20-14 after two quarters. The Salukis’ biggest quarter offensively came in the third when St. Marys put up 15 to take a 35-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter, in which they closed out the impressive victory to win the WOSSAA single A championship.

Marin Chateauvert led the Salukis with 20 points, an offensive outburst that included a three-pointer in each quarter. O’Connor noted Chateauvert’s scoring touch was pivotal in taking control of the game.

“Marin (Chateauvert) hit a few shots that gave us a little breathing room. If she doesn’t hit a couple of those three-pointers, we go into halftime with a one- or two-point game, and that could have changed the outcome. Marin has a very calm demeanour out there, and she never gets too flustered.”

Chateauvert explained how the team’s well-balanced play led to their WOSSAA title.

“I think we got the win because we work so well as a team,” Chateauvert told the Independent. “Every time we’re on the court, we’re just having fun and it’s a little unserious, but we still work really hard at the same time.”

Chateauvert also said the team had some nerves entering the game, but also had momentum after a triple-overtime win on Nov. 3 over Mitchell, which earned the Salukis their WOSSAA finals appearance.

“It was a little bit nerve-wracking, but we had just come off a big win against Mitchell (on Nov. 3), so it felt good knowing that we had the ability to beat really good teams. Coming into this, we didn’t really know what to expect, so we just wanted to play hard like we can right off the bat.”

Charlotte Richardson put up 14 points for St. Marys, while Alanna Savile chipped in five. Savile and Regan Jones were also pinpointed by O’Connor for their strong efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

“Alanna (Savile) was worth mentioning because she was relentless on offence,” said O’Connor. “Even when she missed a few shots, she kept battling through it and made a few, and made some big free throws for us.

“Regan (Jones) did a fantastic job defensively today. Regan plays fabulous defence. She plays with good composure, she’s so tough to score on, and she doesn’t try to do more than she can do. Both Regan and Alanna use their strength very well, and they always fight hard, and they are both huge parts of this team’s defence.”

One of the biggest factors in the Salukis having momentum behind them was a rowdy, boisterous crowd piled into the Salukis’ home gym, a full capacity of students creating one of the loudest environments for a DCVI sporting event in recent memory.

“I like to see crowds getting loud,” O’Connor said. “The crowd was great and that’s exciting for the kids. I’m excited that they had this opportunity. I think it was a huge part of our success. When we played St. Michael (on Nov. 5), the crowd was very loud in favour of the other team, so it was definitely more fun to hear the cheers when you score.”

Both Chateauvert and Libby McCurdy, two of the team’s most veteran leaders, raved about the positive impact the crowd had on the Salukis’ performance.

“It was insane,” Chateauvert said of the crowd. “I don’t even know how to describe (the atmosphere and the crowd reaction). It was just so much fun hearing the crowd cheering for us and knowing that we were all able to work as a team and feed off that energy.”

“I think the crowd was really with us today,” said McCurdy. “The bench was really loud, too, and the environment in the gym was crazy. It was the first time I’ve ever heard the gym like this before. I didn’t know how loud it would be, but it was electric.”