JUEL: Some of Ontario’s best female ballers face off in all-star game.
Follow Marian Agyei-Gyamera on twitter @M_Spalding12 & NPH @NORTHPOLEHOOPS
WATERLOO,ON–On Saturday, April 30th, the JUEL league’s top players, and perhaps Ontario’s elites played in the inaugural all star game. It was a classic East versus West game. With so much speed on the floor, the first quarter was an extremely fast paced game. The West team played in sync to the point where spectators were beginning to think they had all played together previously. They also had great ball movement and were able to make several offensive plays for themselves in the first half. Grade 12 guard, Annabel Hancock (Ingersoll X-Plosion) came out strong, constantly attacking the basket, making shots and taking advantage of second chance shots whenever possible. Danielle Carriere (London Rambles) and Danielle Biago (Blessed Sacrament) also contributed their talent to the West teams, with their lovely shots from the perimeter and their overall ability to play the game at a high level. By the end of second half, the score was 35-35.
The amount of talent on the East squad was immeasurable. The squad came back even stronger in the second half, dominating the remainder of the game. Top prospect, Dakota Whyte (Advantage Titans), did not have the best first half but proved why she deserved all the hype given to her. Her ability to shoot, drive to the basket and her great speed; make her an all around great player and she’s only in the 11th grade. Her defensive skills are also good and she barely gave her opponent enough space to breathe, let alone drive by her. Another 11th grader showing her hoop skills was Lindsay Shotbolt (North Toronto Huskies). Shotbolt proved to be a hustle player, that worked for every basket and rebound she got that night. She showed that with a little more time, she could really become a great player. Francesca Bellehumeur-Moya (Ottawa Capitals) was also a great asset to the Eastern team’s offense. She has great handles, loves to attack the basket even with her small frame and has a soft touch on her shots taken from the outside.
Two players that showed they definitely deserved to be part of the all star game were Ottawa National forwards Rashida Timbilla and Kim Pierre-Louis of the East team. Both girls played with a high level of intensity from the beginning to the end of the game. Timbilla proved to be a great overall player with her amazing defense, her quick pace, controlled dribbling and ability to run the post. Kim Pierre-Louis played her best on Saturday night, shutting down opponents in the key, driving strong to the basket and picking up an AND 1 each and every time. When Pierre-Louis was in the game she owned the key, and due to her great size, blocking and post plays were effortless. She even summed up the courage to take a lovely three pointer and had the crowd going wild when she sank the shot. At the end of the game, she was awarded for her amazing play and won MVP.
“I’ve never really gotten MVP before and you know, I just played and they gave me the ball whenever I wanted it” said Pierre-Louis, and she made sure to come through on every opportunity ending the game with 16 points.
At the end of the second half the East team had dominated offensively and won the game. Honorable mentions go out to Mariah Nunes (Advantage Titans), Kaili Lukan (Barrie Royals), Teleshia Riley (Brampton Warriors), Andrea Kiss (Windsor Valiants), Katelyn Carriere (London Ramblers), Jamie Hutcheson (Hamilton Transway), Vanessa Rampado (Niagara Falls Red Raiders) and Jose Ann Johnson for both their offensive and defensive contributions in the game.
