2017-2018

(From the Stanstead College yearbook)

Senior Girls

At the risk of making a self-fulfilling prophecy, I am confident that I will never again coach a team as dominant as these 2017-2018 Spartans. To begin with, the raw numbers are staggering. We were crowned champions at the SIT, the BCS Invitational, the MIS, and the Bailly Small Schools Provincials. We won the ETIAC League Banner and the Playoff Trophy We met two AAA club teams during the season and beat them both. We played 41 games, winning 37 of them. After starting the year 7-4, we finished the season on a 30-game win streak(!); of those 30 games, 28 of them were decided by 20 pts or more. And finally, for the second straight year, we grabbed the ultimate brass ring at the MacLeod Provincials. Complete domination, like I'd never experienced. An endless succession of high-fives, victory celebrations and medal presentations. But it's not the actual wins that I will remember the most. Instead I will remember the answers to two questions: why and how.

WHY were we so insanely good? Experience. This season taught me that the cliché is true; there is no substitute for experience. Six of our players had played basketball for at least eight years each. Huge advantage. But even more importantly, this was Mackenzy's third year at Senior, and both Chloe's and Rina's fourth year. The core of the team had a combined 11 years(l) of experience playing together on the same team at the highest level. When that happens, you get a team with an absurdly high basketball IQ. A team that understands the game, the flow, the angles, the rules, the situations, the subtleties, like no team I'd ever coached. The players didn't just execute strategy, they understood WHY, and took ownership of what we were trying to do as a team.

And HOW did we dominate like this? Because the girls played unselfish, beautiful basketball. As Gregg Popovich says, they were always "giving up a good shot to get a great shot." It was about the team, never about the individual. New players bought into their roles, no matter what those roles were. And returning veterans who were first options on offense last year took way fewer shots this year. Every single player did what was asked of them, with no ego, and the results were a joy to watch. Yes, you need the aforementioned basketball IQ to move the ball the way we moved it this year, to see all the angles, to know where your teammates are going to be, but you also need the will to make that pass, the unselfishness. This team, improbably, had both. And the results speak for themselves.

Finally, a message to our graduating players, Rina and Chloe. Don't ever forget what you helped build. Your journey started four years ago as 9th-graders. There were tough losses the first two years, but you used those losses to get better, you grew up, then you became leaders, and for the last two years you've been the face., the heart and the soul of the most successful era in SC basketball history. Thank you for all you've given to the program. We will never forget you!

Junior Girls

Michael Jordan, one of my favorite basketball players, said threes quotes that I believe define OUR basketball team.

#1: "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."

The beginning of the season was really hard. We lost a lot of games. In the first game away after the first quarter in Massey, I called a timeout after only 45 seconds because we were loosing by 6 points. Yes, the other team scored 3 baskets in 45 seconds. I told the girls: "Why are you so scared?" Ana Sofia answered, "Because we lost against them 10-1 in soccer." I was shocked and I said, "I don't understand. It's not the same sport." I mean, the other team was not even that good! Believe it or not, we beat them by 3 in this game even though we were down by 10 at half. OUR special and unique team spirit showed up and we fought until the end of the game. This truly captures OUR season....

#2: "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

Each team member had a moment where they felt like giving up. Camilla claimed she didn't know how to play, but then she would shoot a basket. Or Sam saying she never shot a three-pointer in her life and just making it. A large reason for a few losses was due to our injuries. At one point, more than half of the team were unable to play, but I was so proud because everybody tried their hardest, and that was all I cared about.

#3: "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."

While we didn't win any championships this season, I can tell you that this team with a little more experience and time to understand the game could win. Ladies, I hope you will always remember these three sentences from me. Charlotte, it is my favorite drill! If you don't know what to do run, and HAVE FUN.

Bantam Girls

Years from now - when you are reading this yearbook, you'll be laughing at these four months we spent together. Sometimes the practices felt too long, and most times the games rushed by too quickly. You will not remember the wins and losses, but you will remember each other, your friendships and smiles when you think of it. I thought I would refresh your memory with a few things you might forget - and some you might want to remember.

Things you can probably forget

• Burpees -

• Long waits for away games -

• Losing games -

• Losing jump balls -

• Passing to the other team -

• Forgetting your sneakers & searching for peacoats, passports, white socks, hair ties, hat & mitts -

• Basketball fingers sprained ankles -

• probably everything I said

Things you will want to remember -

• Tere's amazing 3 pointer

• Helen's beautiful rebound put-backs -

• Shu's ninja steal @ BCS -

• Crystal's jumpshots -

• Corali doing the splits (and always jumping bock up) -

• Karen never crossing 1/2 court in our ultimate games

• Elisa's sneaking walking when I wasn't looking -

• Loraly popping up from nowhere to steal and being surprised by the ball -

• Sage & Ella trying to out-scream each other -

• Alicia looking very nice and friendly just before she rips the ball away from you -

• Iris's rebounds @ Rotary tournament and hilarious, uncontrollable sense of humour,

One final piece of advice: never dribble into a corner. Thanks for the memories.

(From the Stanstead College website, November)

The Spartans Awaken

A new era. A new team, with 7 new players. A New Hope. How would the 2017-18 Spartans kick things off, coming off the most successful season in Stanstead College basketball history?

After a full three weeks of practice, the girls were rarin’ to rip. Finally, game time. And in our own Stanstead Invitational Tournament, no less, hosting three teams from Montreal. Here we go…

Game #1 vs West Island College:

Fifteen seconds in, Rina Takahashi finds Alyssa MacPherson with a sweet dish inside, and just like that it’s 2-0. Easy, eh? But that was the last thing that would come easy that first half. WIC consistently found holes in our zone defense with crisp passing (our guards were leaving the high post open and our forwards were slow closing out), and they ultimately made us pay with hot 3-pt shooting. Offensively we were fine, led by Chloe Van Dyke and Mackenzy St-Pierre, but at halftime Stanstead held a slim 19-16 lead against a hardworking, well-coached opponent.

The good news is, we cleaned up some of our defensive issues in the 2nd half. The guards committed to defending the high post, and the forwards, led by Abigail Murray and M.K. Koketso, improved their closeouts. With only 6 pts allowed in the 2nd half, the Red & White created separation (a 14-0 run to ice the game!) and finished with a hard-earned 40-22 win.

Game #2 vs Lower Canada College:

With four of their starters unable to make the trip, LCC was outmatched in this one. Unable to break down our defense, we forced the Lions to take uncomfortable shots from outside. Offensively your Spartans were good on the fast break, but disorganized in the set offense. Final score 34-10, but going forward we are going to have to work on our offensive discipline in the halfcourt.

Game #3 vs E.C.S.:

The game of the tournament. Perennially tough ECS, always superbly coached, always in your face. We seem to meet this team 2 or 3 times each year, always with something on the line. This time it would be the SIT Championship Plaque, as we were both 2-0 going into this game. This was The Finals.

And for the first time this season (and hopefully not the last), the Spartans played phenomenal basketball. Coming together like true teams do after Chloe went down with a knee injury, the girls put on a show that had the fans loving it and the gym rocking. How about an 11-0 run to start the game? How about only 4 pts allowed(!) in the first half?

Rosemarie Ladouceur had a breakout game replacing Chloe at the bottom of the defense, with quickness, intensity, and intelligence that players in their 2nd year of organized basketball aren’t supposed to have. Rina was ridiculous at the top of the zone, using her mutant-like quickness and competitive desire to harass anything within 15 feet of her. And Alyssa put on the best offensive display of her life in the 4th quarter, galvanizing the crowd with a series of offensive rebounds, putbacks, and slick, confident post moves.

Then there was Emily Willis, whose all-around excellence in this critical game earned her a Tournament All-Star. Fast break runouts, magical layups (seriously, how did she catch and finish that?), 3-point shooting, and all while playing their best player man-to-man? Welcome to Sr Basketball, Emily – glad you’re here!

And finally, Mackenzy proved why she is one of the best players in the Eastern Townships. Lockdown defense on ECS’s top shooter, dominant rebounding, one-woman fast break, no subs, and still enough energy leftover to be the focal point of the offense. A well-earned Tournament MVP Trophy, but most importantly, when the final buzzer sounded, the Spartans had won 49-26 and successfully defended their 2016 title!

Congratulations to the entire team for such an exceptional day. We learned a lot this past Saturday, but we gotta keep improving because today we have our first road game (against LaRuche), and in less than

48 hours(!) we hop on a plane to fly to one of the biggest highlights of the season – CAIS 2017!

Wear your medals with pride, ladies – you earned them!

Reflections – Sipping at the Stream of Consciousness

......musings, observations and the occasional insight from our Silver Medal finish at the CAIS National Tournament this past weekend in Winnipeg, Manitoba......

“we went a long way, and we came a long way”

…game scores first. We went 2-1 in round-robin play, losing our 1st game to

Ashbury 39-46 (Ottawa, Ont). This made our next two round-robin games must-wins if we wanted to qualify for the Championship Division. 45-31 win vs St. Mildred’s (Oakville, Ont), followed by a 50-24 win vs St. Clement’s (Toronto, Ont) assured us a place in the Top Eight. 52-25 quarterfinals win vs Rothesay Netherwood School (Rothesay, New Brunswick). 46-18 semifinals win vs St. John’s Ravencourt (Winnipeg, Manitoba). Finals loss to Ashbury 36-52…

…that first game vs Ashbury was a wakeup call. It made us realize that we were playing soft. No offensive rebounds. No hustle points. No toughness. After watching RNS and the York School battle it out like their lives depended on it, the coaches asked for a change in attitude. Would we get it?...

…darn right, we would! From that point on, the tournament changed, the SEASON changed. We were no longer a team that depended on pretty baskets alone. We became a team that crashed the boards and hit the floor, a team where Emily Willis rips the ball away from girls twice her size. We became hungry.

Fighters. Diggers. Thasswhatimtalkinabout!...

…after a tough first game, Rina Takahashi’s decision-making reached another level this tournament.

This is the most like a point guard I’ve seen her play. Truly directing the offense, making the right reads, putting her teammates in positions to succeed, limiting turnovers. Her basketball IQ is off the charts, and she is a conductor out there now, The Maestro…

…our must-win games vs St. Mildred’s and St. Clement’s were hard-earned, as both teams had

an AAA elite player that could score at will. You can’t completely stop SMSH’s #4 or SCS’s #40, but smart defense by Emily, Kenz, Chloe, Rosie and especially Rina did limit the damage (14 and 12 pts respectively) enough for us to come out on top…

…the difference between 2016 Alyssa MacPherson and 2017 Alyssa MacPherson? This year Alyssa isn’t just happy to be at Senior. This year she believes in her game, and she has NO DOUBT that she belongs and that she can play, and even dominate (24 pts vs St Clement’s!) at this level…

…I was very happy with the improvements some of the 1st-year players made on defense. Our system

isn’t easy, it takes just as much intelligence as hustle, but Alex Smith, Abigail Murray, Maya Goudreau and especially Van Pham (who also showed impressive poise on offense) made major strides this weekend…

…I really enjoyed the camaraderie we had with other teams at this tourney, especially WIC. I love when sports brings kids together. Even if it means both teams belting out Backstreet Boys on an airplane packed with people(!), earning some serious shade from the pilot. Yes, I do WANT IT THAT WAY!...

…one of my favourite highlights of the weekend, M.K. Koketso with three offensive rebounds on one play and finishing with an and-one. All at 5 foot nothin’…

…I know she had trouble accepting and dealing with her injured knee, but Chloe Van Dyke was a warrior out there. She wouldn’t accept not playing, and gave all she had to give. Heck, she even bought a knee brace in Winnipeg! And when Chloe plays, even at 60%, her poise, experience and truly exceptional basketball IQ make us so much better…

…Mackenzy St-Pierre had THAT breakout game vs RNS, the best I’ve seen her play. Always elite defensively, she put on an offensive display that would have had university scouts drooling. Jumpers, euro-steps, end to end rushes, pinpoint hi-lo passes, 3-pointers, driving the lane, getting fouled, hitting free throws. Kenz had it all going on. I think we watched her turn the corner in that game…

…rookie Rosie Ladouceur continues to impress defensively; we have now asked her to play three different positions on defense (top of Spurs, bottom of Spurs, and bottom of the triangle), and she has answered the bell every time. Now if we could just get her to score her first basket…

…some words of wisdom: 1) nothing makes waiting at the airport gate more enjoyable than a visit from the LCC boys team, 2) if you’re a male coach at a team supper, be prepared to step out for a while, and 3) if you’re looking for taxis in Winnipeg, just don’t…

…the Highlight Of The GameTM of that RNS match: the opposing coach (a friend of mine) lifting his hands in a disbelieving “what am I to do” gesture after trying 3 different defenses against us, and having us play perfectly against all 3 of them, in a row, no timeouts called, just a series of sublime execution and easy baskets. We looked SOOO good in that game!…

…but I am MOST PROUD of the CAIS Finals. Our opponent, Ashbury once again.

We put a few wrinkles into our offense and defense, warm up well, the ball goes up for the opening tip…and they blow us out of the gym . 18-4 after one quarter. 29-6 at half. I’m trying to remember playing a team that played that flawlessly, maybe once before in my career. Suffocating, disciplined man defense. Hard-nosed. Fast. Incredibly well-coached. Elite defensive rebounding. Did I mention their defense?

And they hit everything they looked at. Quick trigger threes, circus layups, pick n pops, elbow jumpers from their 4th best player. They were perfect…

…So why was I proud? Because of how your Spartans reacted. With 14 other teams looking on,

watching us get smoked in the Finals? Zero quit. Effort even increased. Rabid cheering from the bench players. At the start of the 4th quarter, down a ton, I told them “This is our chance. Yes, they’re better than us today, but in the next 4 minutes you’re going to score 20 points and show everyone, show yourself, what you do when things get bleak. Anyone can play hard and loose when things are going well. It takes character to give it all when everything is going to hell.” So in the next five and half minutes, with no chance of winning the game, your Spartans scored 20 points against the best team I’ve seen in a looonng time. Incredible guts and heart…

…in fact, looking back over the entire tournament, this loss means waaayy more than our wins in the tournament. This is the game that the girls will remember years from now, all the way down to the buzzer-beating halfcourt three that Rina hit to end the game, galvanizing the crowd and producing our happiest team celebration, despite losing the game. This is the game that we will use as an example

for the rest of this season. This is what we are capable of…

“we went a long way, and we came a long way”

(From the Stanstead College website, November 28th)

Return of the E.T.I.A.C.

Friday Feb 13th, 2015. Your Spartans walk off the floor, all smiles and high fives, after a 53-24 victory over BCS. Little did they know that it would be two and a half years before the Mackay Gymnasium would host another Senior ETIAC basketball game…

But the ETIAC is back! Even though it’s only a 3-team league this season – us, MVR and BCS – a 3-team league is way better than no league at all. An ETIAC banner to play for. A Playoff Trophy at stake. Welcome back! And what better way to kick off the ETIAC season than with a tilt this past Tuesday against, who else, BCS? Perfect.

And “perfect” is just about how we played in the first half. With a focus on containing BCS’s two elite guards, our defense was phenomenal. Mackenzy St-Pierre, Emily Willis and Rosemarie Ladouceur continuously hounded #10 and #20, giving them nothing easy, and Rina Takahashi was simply outstanding at the top of the D. Proof? How about 5 measly points allowed in the 1st quarter, and even fewer pts allowed (4!) in the 2nd quarter? Fantastic. And offensively, we were almost as good, as for 16 straight minutes everything seemed to work; Kenz nailing hi post jumpers, Emily swishing threes, Rina finishing in transition, Alyssa MacPherson dominating down low – the Red & White had it all going on. 32-9 halftime score, and the outcome was pretty much decided.

But not before two rookies provide us with the Highlights Of The GameTM! First Rosy, after several near-misses, scores her first points of the season on consecutive jump shots. And then Maya Goudreau does the exact same thing! You only get to score the first points of your senior career once, and the smiles on both of their faces said it all. The fans loved it, their teammates went nuts, and it put the finishing touches on a thoroughly enjoyable game. Final score 52-34, and congratulations to all the girls for a great team win!

(From the Stanstead College website, December 8th)

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Well, that was rough.

On the big show court at Triolet, against one of the top teams in the RSEQ, your Spartans laid their biggest stinker of the year.

The Good

N/A

The Bad

Kenz caught the Ebola virus that’s been going around the school, and was scratched from the lineup.

Warm-up was sluggish, and lacked intensity. Against a quality opponent, just not good enough.

Chloe, after starting the game looking spry, tweaked her knee after 5 minutes and was only able to play at 60% the rest of the way.

Fatigue led to some terrible outside shooting. With the exception of Emily Willis, we laid enough bricks to build that new senior boys’ residence we’ve been hoping for.

The Ugly

Our zone rotations were awful, allowing wide open outside shots and even uncontested layups. We need to understand WHY we’re doing things, not just memorize where we’re supposed to go. Ugh.

Despite having an elite point guard, we were unable to make Triolet pay for their full court zone pressure. Rina would beat 2 or 3 players at the top of the press, but no one would flash open, no one would intelligently find space, no one would make themselves open in the frontcourt despite outnumbering our opponents 3 or 4 against 2. That kind of passive disinterest cost us dearly. Ugh-ly.

Loose balls were rare, and offensive rebounding non-existent. The last time we were this soft was during the first game at CAIS. I thought we had put those times behind us. Ugh-lier.

And transition defence was even worse. The few times when we all did run back, we didn’t run back with a purpose, often not even realizing the fast break was coming. Les Harfangs ran all over us. We allowed more breakaway layups in this one game than in the rest of the season’s games combined. Ugh-liest.

Final score 42-16. Something has to be the worst performance of the year and this was it. In fact, maybe that’s the one piece of good news – it’ll be tough to play much worse .

Ah well, they can’t all be good games. Your Road Warriors – four road games in 8 days(!) – return to action next Monday @ Galt. Let’s enjoy the weekend off, and get our mojo back next week.

(From the Stanstead College website, December 11th)

Answering the Bell

That’s what bouncing back looks like! After being humbled by Triolet three days earlier, your Spartans picked themselves up off the mat and brought real defensive intensity to bear at Alexander Galt this past Monday. Quicker rotations, deflections, guards digging down, forwards forcing desperate passes, defensive rebounding – we had it all going on. In fact, the girls allowed only 4 pts in the 1st quarter, 5 in the 2nd, 3(!) in the 3rd and 7 in the 4th to a scrappy, well-coached Pipers team that threw the kitchen sink at us. Outstanding!

And good thing we were on lockdown, because it was one of those days when we couldn’t put the ball in the ocean. Jumpers, chippies, free throws, it didn’t matter – we showed we could miss them all equally.

But thanks to the law of averages a few shots did indeed fall, and with balanced scoring (7 from Chloe,

8 from Emily, 10 from Rina and 11 from Kenz) we finished with a comfortable 42-19 road victory, our first win of the season in the RSEQ league.

Kudos to all the girls for successfully putting the Triolet game behind them, and special congratulations to rookie Van Pham for scoring her first Spartan basket (!) on a sweet, confident jumper in the 4th quarter (and almost scoring again 1 minute later from the same spot on a shot that looked just as good in the air).

Mission accomplished, ladies. But don’t even think about resting – College Sacre-Coeur, their loud home crowd, and their tiny little gym are up next in less than 24 hours. The Road Warriors journey on!

Instant Classic

The weather outside was frightful, but Sacre-Coeur and your Spartans put on a delightful show last night in RSEQ league action. With both offenses clicking and both coaching staffs forced to make in-game adjustments, the CSC faithful (as well as some Champlain Cougars) were treated to lots of scoring by lots of different players in lots of different ways.

In a game that featured several exciting runs, CSC jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Stanstead was wholly unprepared for their opponents’ intensity, and an early timeout was called to remind the players that yes, this is Division 2, if you don’t give 100% you may as well stay home. We scored the next 6 pts out of the timeout, primarily in transition, and the game was well and truly on.

But Sacre-Coeur went on another run, this time 9-0, thanks to some impressive shooting. If their #5 and #7 weren’t splashing threes, they were hitting contested, running jumpers over outstretched, challenging hands. It’s not like we were playing soft defense, but sometimes great offense beats great defense.

But the Red & White were in this now. Down 16-6, Rina Takahashi took over, by breaking down their man defense off the dribble, drawing the help, and dishing beautiful dimes to wide open post players. In fact, after Rosemarie Ladouceur scored 6 straight points off of Rina’s sweet passes to make it 17-16 at the end of that high-octane 1st quarter, CSC’s man D would not be seen again. 2-3 zone from then on.

And that’s when Mackenzy St-Pierre took over from her high-post position. With the offense running through her, CSC ended up scrambling, their defense compromised. Rina, Abigail Murray and Emily Willis were the beneficiaries of these late closeouts, and they knocked down enough shots to keep us up 28-25 at the half.

Sacre-Coeur made another adjustment at half, surrounding Kenz with three players to keep the offense from running through her, thereby forcing other Spartans to take advantage of all the space now left open. Rina up top, Chloe Van Dyke down low, and especially Player Of The GameTM Emily Willis (17 pts) all said “thank you” for this strategy and lit up the scoresheet with midrange jumpers, and-ones underneath, and open triples. But #7 could not be denied and single-handedly kept her team in the game. 43-37 for the good guys, with an entire 4th quarter left to play.

Five minutes left in the game now, 46-41 for us, still anybody’s game, the crowd cheering every good play from CSC…but then Rina nails her first three-pointer of the game, and the floodgates open. Emily drains a three, Kenz goes coast to coast, Emily hits another three, and that’s all she wrote. When the buzzer finally goes the scoreboard reads 58-46 for SC, but the game was much closer than that. With five minutes left the outcome was totally up in the air, but our best shooting display of the season put us over the top. Man, it’s fun when shots go in!

Congratulations, ladies – it is never easy beating CSC on their home floor. Enjoy the feeling now, because we’ve got one more Road Warrior game (4th in 8 days) this Friday, at RSEQ league-leading Tandem-Boise. Well done, team – the mojo is officially back!

(From the Stanstead College website, December 15th)

Friday Nite Lights? Pitch Perfect

Well, we made it .

Your “Road Warriors” finished off their 4-away-games-in-8-days stretch this past Friday night, travelling all the way to Victoriaville to take on Tandem-Boise.

But although the girls had every reason to be sluggish after such a rough week, I’ve gotta hand it to them – they came out ready to play. Rina Takahashi was at her Tasmanian Devil best, slicing through Tandem’s press and setting her teammates up for easy baskets. Mackenzy St-Pierre was in full attack mode. And Emily Willis, who worked all last practice to extend her range, was all smiles after nailing a long-distance triple. In fact, when Rina stepped into a three off a nice feed from Kenz to make it 16-9 just a minute into the 2nd quarter, all looked good.

But Tandem would not go away so easily. They changed up their defense, and started finding hi-lo success against our zone. Add in a little foul trouble for Rina, and when the halftime buzzer sounded we had given up an 8-0 run to end the half down 17-16.

But we made our own adjustments at halftime, and thanks to timely finishing down low from Alex Smith and Alyssa MacPherson, and all-round excellent play from Chloe Van Dyke and Mackenzy (including defensively, I mean they gave up NOTHING on their side of the defense), the Spartans exploded for 17 points in the 3rd quarter and then followed that up with a 10-0 run to start the 4th, effectively icing the game. 45-30 final score, a 3-game RSEQ win streak, and a satisfying end to the first half of the season.

Although years from now it may seem like Just A Dream, win or lose I would never change a thing about this team; I like you Just The Way You Are.

(From the Stanstead College website, December 20th)

Athlete of the week: Emily Willis

It is not easy for a player to make the jump from junior basketball to senior basketball, especially when the senior team plays against the toughest competition in the area in RSEQ’s Division 2 league.

But that is just what Emily Willis has done this year – she’s made it look easy! Despite not being the tallest or fastest player on the court, her work ethic, her outside shooting, her focus, her uncanny ability to finish contested layups in traffic, her coachability, her vision, and most of all her exceptionally high basketball IQ have made her so integral to so many things that we do that it is becoming more and more difficult to take her off the court.

And nowhere were these impressive qualities on display more than this past week, when the Sr Girls basketball team embarked on their roughest stretch of the season, i.e. four road games in eight days. She was easily our most consistent outside shooter; she was our best guard at running out in transition; she was effective and smart defensively, digging down from her guard position and fighting for rebounds; she showed her no-nonsense toughness when she played through sickness early in the week; and as mentioned above, she willed the ball into the basket on so many contested breakaway layups that I’ve stopped being amazed at how she does it. (Okay, that’s a lie – I’m still amazed!).

Emily’s seamless transition to the level and pace of Senior Basketball is one of the reasons why her team has experienced as much success as it has so far this season. She is a perfect teammate who coolly, calmly and consistently gives her best every practice and every game.

Congratulations, Emily!

Barnburner at LaRuche

It seems like we always have tight, exciting games against LaRuche, and this past Monday was no exception as there were six ties and eleven (11!) lead changes in our first RSEQ fixture of the young season.

Points were hard to come by in this one, as neither team had much offensive flow so early in the year. After the opening quarter the score was only 7-5 for us. We extended the lead to 11-5 but then LaRuche started crashing the offensive boards with purpose. We didn’t react well, got rocked back on our heels, and gave up a slew of second chance opportunities which sparked a 9-0 run for our opponents. We managed to score the last basket of the half to go into halftime only down 14-13, but we needed to shore up our defensive rebounding if we wanted to pull this one out.

2nd half. With both teams scratching and clawing for all they were worth, the 3rd quarter finished with LaRuche up 24-21. It wasn’t pretty out there, but the sweat was pouring. Defensively we worked hard but made enough mistakes in our rotations and rebounding to give up 10 points, which is too much. Luckily we were sparked on offense by the outside shooting of Emily Willis and Abigail Murray, who between them nailed enough jump shots to keep us within striking distance.

4th quarter, and in the best stretch of the game your Spartans dig in defensively and shut LaRuche down. We slowly, ever so slowly come back to tie the game 26-26. And then, with only a minute left, Alyssa MacPherson gets the ball down low, gets hacked, but makes the shot anyway. She coolly drains the free throw, putting us up 29-26 with 60 seconds left to go. And the way we’d been playing defense up to that point, that seems like a pretty solid lead.

However, on the next possession LaRuche finishes a tough, contested layup inside to make it a one-point game. We go down, run our offense well, and take an uncontested jump shot that just…barely…rims out. LaRuche rebounds and attacks, but we force a tough shot and grab the rebound. 30 seconds left, our ball, up by 1. But on our next possession we panic and shoot (and miss) right away, taking no time off the clock, and leaving LaRuche plenty of time. They come down, move the ball well, and sink a pressure jumper to take the lead. 15 seconds left. Down by one. Timeout to make sure we know what we’re doing. Inbound the ball, good passes, uncontested jumper, looks good in the air, but again it just…rims…out. The horn sounds, and we lose 30-29.

But these are exactly the types of games we want to play. We learned a lot about our own strengths and weaknesses, and the rookies on the team gained valuable experience playing at senior speed. These are the games that will make us improve – the more of these barnburners, the better.

From the archives of Mr. Van Dyke, January

MIS Tournament - Every Play Matters

SC 43 – SHSH 17

It was definitely a turkey-n-gravy start to the tournament, as you could tell we’d been off for a month. Dribbling, catching, finishing inside, even moving – we were bad at all of it. And more concerning, we looked like we’d never played our defense before, as the Sacred Heart School of Halifax consistently found holes in our zone and created good shots. But with 4 minutes left in the 1st half we got our legs under us, finished the half on a 6-0 run, and then outscored the Saints 23-7 in the 2nd half to pull away. Highlights from the game include Rina cleverly finding Alyssa and Alex down low for easy buckets, Mackenzy and Chloe blocking 8 shots between the two of them, and Player Of The GameTM Emily “Lebron” Willis who scored 13 pts on only 8 shots, including 3 of 4 from deep and a buzzer-beating baseline jumper from almost behind the backboard. I guess she figured out how to extend her range!

SC 38 – St-George’s 9

When Kenz won the opening tip to Chloe who scored after only 3 seconds, you knew the Dragons were outmatched, but definite kudos to them for playing hard until the final whistle. Game highlights for me were Maya playing point guard for the first time (I’ll never forget her expression when we told her) and doing a good job, the Manu offense scoring 3 straight times in 3 different ways, “Lebron” splashing two more threes, and hometown hero M.K. Koketso ripping down a game-high 8 rebounds.

SC 36 – Villa Maria 16

We hit our stride on defense in this one, as we started the game on a 14-0 run. Despite their best efforts, the Lynx could not create good shots, not inside and not outside. Rosie and Maya in particular had strong defensive games, not only in the halfcourt but in defensive transition as well. Highlights for me included the team shooting over 70% from the free-throw line, and M.K.’s hi-lo assist to Alex for a sweet two points.

Quarterfinals: SC 45 – ECS 21

It’s never easy against the Beavers, and when the score stood 6-6 after the first 5 minutes it looked like it could be another no-holds-barred knock-down-drag-em-out affair, like we seem to play every year. But two things kept that from happening. First of all, Rina’s decision-making at point guard reached an elite level; she was like Chris Paul out there directing traffic and putting her teammates in position to score time and time again. Secondly, we changed our defense and put Player Of The GameTM Mackenzy St-Pierre man-to-man on their superstar #24. I’m starting to think it may be unfair when we do that to other players, that’s how much of a ridiculous shutdown defender Kenz has become. Case in point, before we Unleashed The Kenz, #24 scored 7 1st-quarter points. After The Unleashing, #24 scored zero pts. Nada. Heck, I don’t even know if Kenz allowed her to take a shot. You see what I mean about feeling a little bad about it?...No, you don’t feel bad?...okay, I’ll get over it …

Semifinals: SC 50 – LCC 27

The Lions are an athletic, well-coached team who like to press, so this one was a track meet from start to finish. And you know who likes track meets? Rina and Kenz. After a scare in the 1st quarter where we lost Chloe to a knee injury, Rina and Kenz took turns breaking down the LCC full-court pressure and creating layups for either themselves or Alyssa (11 pts) and Alex (6 pts) down near the basket. In the end Rina finished with 10 pts on only 8 shots, and Kenz stuffed the statsheet with 19 pts, 14 rebs(!), and 5 blocks. But everyone contributed to this game – due to the fast pace we had to substitute a lot – and the bench players, in particular Rosie Ladouceur, had a huge effect in this one.

Finals: SC 36 – Mtl Bluehounds 33

I think I am more proud of this game than any other game this season, even the CAIS Finals vs Ashbury. And here’s why. The Bluehounds are a better team than us. Club basketball players, with elite athleticism. For one of the rare times this season we were the underdogs going in, as our opponents had scored over 60 points in their last two games, running time. That, my friends, is seriously impressive. So how did we win? Because your Spartans, up against it, treated every play, from the opening tip, like it was the most important play of the game. And the Bluehounds did not. That’s it. That’s the reason. Our uber-talented opponents confidently coasted through the first half playing at ¾ speed, which allowed us to forge an 18-7 halftime lead built on grit, opportunism, amazing support from our bench, and desperate defense. Kenz and Chloe (back from her injury - phew!) were absolute beasts on the boards (17 between them for the game), Rina was at her decision-making best, Alyssa confidently finished Rina’s sublime passes, Emily and Chloe each drained a triple, and the team defense was phenomenal. Think about it, we allowed 7 pts to a team that had scored 69 pts the game before – now that’s a lockdown!

But the Bluehounds coach obviously had a few choice words for his team at halftime, because they came out flying. They crashed the boards like demons, seemingly flying over us for rebounds, and blocked our shots time and again. They started making outside shots. And most impressively, they challenged every pass, every dribble, every attempt at offense. We could barely get a good shot off for the entire 2nd half, but when we did get our chance, we took it. Rina squirmed inside for a hoop, Kenz gutted out baskets inside, Chloe hit a runner and Emily lebronned two more threes. But that was it. And the Bluehounds just kept inching closer. 28-17…28-23…the pro-Montreal crowd going nuts…30-25…33-31...30 seconds left…and finally a HEE-YUGE three by Emily and a clutch defensive rebound by Chloe and the buzzer finally went. What a win! I tellya, if that game goes 5 minutes longer, we lose, that’s how tough it was to do anything against our opponents in that 2nd half. But games are about more than 2nd halves. Every play matters. Every play in the 1st quarter means as much as the plays in the 4th quarter. And that’s the only reason we pulled this out. Because we outworked our opponents early, and just enough to overcome the gap in talent. And in my opinion, there is NO better way, no better reason, to win a basketball game.

Be proud, ladies. Against a superior opponent in a hostile environment, you gave yourself a chance through effort, positivity, and supporting each other. You fully deserve that Championship Banner!

(From the Stanstead College website, January 15th)

LaRuche Barnburner Part II

Below is the opening paragraph of the writeup for the first time we played LaRuche, back on Nov 20th;

“It seems like we always have tight, exciting games against LaRuche, and this past Monday was no exception as there were six ties and eleven (11!) lead changes in our first RSEQ fixture of the young season.”

True to form, this past Tuesday we played LaRuche again and had three ties, eight lead changes, and the score was 25-24 for Les Carnicas with 6 minutes left to play. It was a tough, hard-nosed affair up to that point, with both teams digging hard defensively, but with neither team shooting well. To add to the fun, Kenz, Chloe and Rina all had to sit out with foul trouble at different points in the game, which hurt our offensive flow.

But that’s what teammates are for. Alyssa (14 pts) and Emily (11 pts) picked up the offensive slack, keeping us in the game despite the rough patches. And then, with 6 minutes to go, down by 1, the defense took over. Three consecutive steals (Rina, Rina again, then Chloe) on three separate possessions set the tone for the rest of the game, Emily drained a triple, Kenz hit big free throws, Chloe hit a backbreaking runner, and your Spartans finished the game on a 14-6 run to earn a hard-fought 38-31 victory.

Kudos to the entire team for maintaining focus and discipline, even when it seemed like everything was going against us. Control what you can control – a valuable lesson for coaches as well as players!

(From the Stanstead College website, January 23rd)

We've come a long way

After a dominant performance at the BCS Invitational two days earlier, this past Monday’s tilt vs Triolet was going to be the true yardstick for how far we’ve come. Last December 8 they basically ran us out of their building, shellacking us 42-16.

We slunk out of that gym legitimately humbled, with our tails between our legs, but also with a purpose. You learn more from a loss than you do from a win. Don’t you?

You got that right! In one of our best wire-to-wire games of the season, your Spartans put on a show in front of the home fans. Defensively we allowed only 27 points, leaving one of the best coaches around scratching his head for answers. And offensively we did what we do best, i.e. if you try to take something away from us, we’ll exploit what you don’t cover. You choose to double- and triple-team Kenz in the middle of the offense? Then you’re leaving Emily enough time and space on the perimeter to pump in 15 pts. You collapse on Rina penetrating into the key? Then you’re not paying enough attention to Player Of The GameTM Alyssa MacPherson, whose 24 pts and 6 rebs represents one of the best games of her life.

What a turnaround! Last time Les Harfangs killed us on the fast break. This time we sprinted back on defense. Last time our defensive rebounding was atrocious. This time Kenz and Chloe were vacuums on the glass (22 rebounds between them). Last time their pressure rattled us. This time Rina (and Kenz) calmly broke it. The number of things we learned from the first time we played Triolet, the improvements it forced us to make, made me realize something – if I could go back in time to erase that brutal loss, I wouldn’t. Without it, we wouldn’t be the team we are today. We wouldn’t be the team that just hung a 50-27 loss on arguably the top team in RSEQ Div II.

We are really rolling right now, on one of the best streaks I’ve ever been a part of. But let’s not jinx it… let’s not even mention it…

(From the Stanstead College website, January 25th)

Clear the tracks!

Firing on all cylinders, your Spartans looked to keep their hot streak going this past Wednesday against their sister school down the road, BCS.

And in what has become an enjoyable trend, they once again started the game with intensity and purpose. A dominating 12-0 run to begin the game. An imposing 26-7 margin at halftime. And then, to make things even tougher for their opponents, a scorching shooting performance in the third quarter where they scored 17 points to put the game out of reach. 51-24 final score, and the SC train just keeps on rolling on.

Player Of The GameTM honours go to Mackenzy St-Pierre for dominating on both ends of the floor; locking down and limiting their superstar point guard to only 5 pts, while pouring in a game-high 16 pts of her own. Honourable mentions to Chloe Van Dyke for leading the team in rebounding (8 defensive & 3 offensive) and Rina Takahashi for her stellar defensive work at the top of the zone.

Next stop for this train? Massey-Vanier, two days from now. Rides like this don’t happen very often, ladies – let’s enjoy it while it lasts!

(From the Stanstead College website, January 27th)

SG Basketball clinch ETIAC banner

It wasn’t pretty this past Friday in Cowansville, but your Spartans did enough to clinch the coveted ETIAC regular season banner with a 41-13 victory over an over-matched but hard working Massey-Vanier team.

The main problem was a lack of intensity, which manifested itself in two ways. First, predictably, was hustle stats, or a lack thereof. We got to almost zero loose balls, and if we did get there, the ball would squirt through our unprepared hands. No diving on the floor, no ripping the ball out of our opponents’ hands, no fighting for rebounds. Just a lot of flat-footed ball watching. And secondly, turnovers. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this team throw the ball away like that. And just to be clear, I didn’t miss it.

Well, if anything, this game proved once again, undeniably, that we cannot just get by on talent. If we don’t work hard, we don’t play well. Period.

But let’s finish on a positive note, i.e. after a 2-year hiatus, the ETIAC league banner is coming back home to Stanstead College. Congratulations, team – I can’t wait to see that bee-yoo-tiful banner up on the wall in Amaron.

(From the Stanstead College website, February 6th)

SG Basketball: locked in VS Boise

Games like this are why we joined RSEQ Div II in the first place. The opposing teams are always tough, the opposing players work their tails off and are passionate about basketball, and the opposing coaches are smart.

Case in point, when your Spartans once again started quickly, jumping out to an early 11-2 lead, this team from Victoriaville did not panic, and they did not fold. Down 19-7 to start the second quarter, they stuck to their game plan (quick, precise interior passing) and outscored us 10-4 in the frame. That got our attention, and the Red & White came out with renewed intensity to start the second half. But so did Tandem. They met us blow for blow, never backing down. 31-25 for the good guys in the middle of the third quarter. We had ourselves a ball game.

But that was as close as we would let them get, as Stanstead locked in and went on a 12-0 run (with six different players scoring!) that spanned the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth to ice the game. 45-29 final score.

Kudos to the entire team for making it through the past month. 15 games in 24 days. That’s a lot of basketball. But now we’ve got eleven days until we play next. Eleven days to rest up, and prepare for one of the true highlights of the season: the Anderson-Bailly. As defending champions.

(From the Stanstead College website, February 19th)

Defending the Home Floor

There were a lot of things to like in our 39-14 victory over Alexander Galt this past Monday night; Emily’s 9 pts on 10 shots, Kenz’s 14 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, Rina’s highlight reel passing, Abby’s increased confidence on offense (6 pts on 8 shots), Van’s permanent smile after she hits a jumper, Alyssa’s 11 pts & 8 rebs. Yep, lots of things that kept the home fans cheering in the friendly confines of Mackay.

But what I liked the most from this game can be summed up by the following numbers; 6, 4, 2, 2, and 10.

- 6 pts allowed in the 1st quarter

- 4 pts allowed in the 2nd

- 2 pts in the 3rd

- 2 pts in the 4th

- 10 players

This was a defensive clinic put on by, not just the starters, but by everybody wearing an SC jersey. After the 1st quarter we subbed five for five every 4 minutes, and our defensive performance just kept improving. It is a JOY to watch how far the some of the girls have come in 4 months. Alyssa covering triple the space she used to cover, deflecting passes like crazy. Abby chopping her feet on closeouts and bumping back with a purpose. Maya moving her feet and playing with speed, showing off her athleticism. Van and M.K. sticking their noses full-force into loose balls and rebounds. Rosy improving her defensive rebounding. These players are not just doing what their coach tells them. Much better than that, they are UNDERSTANDING why it is we do the things we do. They get it. They’re starting to take pride in, and take ownership of, their defense, and when all five players on the floor take ownership, that’s when good things happen. That’s when you get 6, 4, 2 and 2.

Well done, team. When you all work together like that, you’re pretty darn tough to beat.

(From the Stanstead College website, February 24th)

Experience

A week ago the head coach of the Champlain AAA Cougars, Steve Cassivi, called me. He had invited a club team from Ontario, called Toronto North, to travel to the Eastern Townships to play against his CEGEP team, and against CEGEP de Sherbrooke as well. The Toronto North head coach was looking for one more game to make the trip worthwhile, and Coach Cassivi figured ‘why not ask Stanstead?’. I asked the players the next day, and to my surprise they all eagerly said yes. (I was not surprised that they liked the idea of challenging themselves, that they relished the experience, but I WAS surprised that they didn’t value a weekend off even more – it’s been a busy February!).

So we hopped on the bus this past Saturday and took our 24-game win streak to Bishop’s University, to play on their main floor, against some serious competition. The girls were nervous, and so was I. I was scared of getting blown out. Who knew how good these Ontario players were going to be? Man, just let it be a close game, just let us be competitive at least…

Well, we were more than just competitive . And the reason is EXPERIENCE. I’ve learned over and over this season that there is no substitute for experience, and there is no shortcut. Rina Takahashi, Chloe Van Dyke and Mackenzy St-Pierre have played a combined 11 years of Senior Girls Basketball together. They don’t get rattled anymore. They’ve seen it all. Together. And together these three captains coolly, calmly, handled the pressure and led their team to a 45-31 victory.

Rina played beautifully, attacking their full court press, breaking down defenders who played her too closely, and firing pinpoint passes to her teammates for easy baskets inside. In fact, if we could have caught and finished better, she would have finished with 9 or 10(!) assists.

Mackenzy was her Swiss Army Knife self, doing it all. Helping Rina break the press, initiating the offense from the high post, corralling 10 rebounds, going coast-to-coast, and being that defensive monster with 5 steals and 8(!) blocks.

And Chloe was simply the Player Of The GameTM, combining elite defense and veteran poise with a game-high 13 rebounds and a game-high 16 pts on only 12(!) shots. Inside, outside, pull-up jumpers, offensive rebound putbacks, threes – she had it all going on.

Three years ago, these three Spartans don’t handle this situation the way they just did. But that’s why experience is so valuable. All the lessons learned over the last four years, all the mistakes, all the joy, all the heartbreak, all those game situations – they all contributed to this game, and to this remarkable season. You can’t short-circuit experience. You’ve gotta learn from your mistakes, and you’ve gotta put in the time.

But man oh man, the things you can accomplish once you’ve put in that time.

(From the Stanstead College website, March 6th)

…excerpts from Senior Girls Basketball SENIOR NITE, March 6th, 2018…

…AND NOW, the real reason we’re here, to say goodbye to our graduating SENIORS. There are only 2 of them this year, but they are as “Senior” as you can get. They both joined the Senior Team way back in Grade 9. They’ve both played four – FOUR(!) – years of Senior Basketball. They’ve both given real blood, real sweat and real tears to this program. They suffered heartbreaking losses in the early years, and thrilling victories in the later years. And together they’ve made history as the Captains of the most successful dynasty in Stanstead Basketball history.

They are elite players, they are leaders, and they are teammates for life…

…our first Senior is, simply, the best point guard in Stanstead basketball history. When she joined The Program four years ago, she was already an elite dribbler and defender, but that was not enough for her. She worked constantly to get better, and over her career improved her shooting, her poise, her vision, and her passing so much that she is now almost un-guardable. She is a one-woman press-break, she is a warrior, and as Captain she always, ALWAYS, sets the example for her teammates. She’s won almost everything there is to win in high school basketball, individually and as a team member, and still, at the end of the day, she is the one counting uniforms and hauling bags, making sure that the program she loves, HER program, is always running the right way…

from Tokyo, Japan…#7 in the program, but #1 in our hearts…Rina Takahashi!

…our final Senior is that rare Spartan who has played 6 years of basketball at Stanstead College. A true basketball lifer. From a Grade 7 Bantam with Miss Hessian, to Mrs. Wolfe’s Junior team, to playing Senior for her dad the last 4 years. On the court nobody has a higher basketball IQ, and there’s nothing she can’t do – score, defend, rebound, block shots, dribble, make steals, shoot threes – she has the ultimate skillset. And off the court she has become the dynamic embodiment of Sr Girls Basketball. When she walks into a gym, opposing players know she’s a baller. She’s the emotional leader that provides the fun, the music, and the “cool”. She’s the one who wears her heart on her sleeve, she’s the

Captain with the Attitude, and she’s got your back. Homegrown right here in Stanstead, Quebec…

don’t even think about messing with one of her teammates…#14… Chloe Van Dyke!

Thank you Rina and Chloe! We will all miss you!