Womens U17 National Championships:Alberta moves on to play for 5th place

 

The morning started off with a U17 match between Saskatchewan and Alberta in consolation semi final.  Alberta was dominant in the first half but let up on the pressure in the 2^nd and allowed Saskatchewan to bring it to within reach.  Alberta was however able to hold them off winning 73-64 and advancing to the 5^th place game.

Alberta started off with a strong first quarter led by Renee Byrne and Madeleine Rodgers taking a 10-0 to start the game.  They would not let off the gas pedal as they continued to attack the Saskatchewan defence with successful drives.  Saskatchewan would hit two 3 pointers near the end of the quarter to bring the lead down to 13.

The 2^nd quarter consisted of the same pressure by Alberta, as they pulled away taking a 44-23 lead going into the halftime break.  A strong rotation by the Alberta team allowed them to sub players in and out and continue to dominate against the Saskatchewan team that was trying to find its offense.

Saskatchewan was able to match Alberta’s pressure in the 2^nd half, but they still remained down by a large amount. The momentum would be short lived as Alberta was able to start the 4^th quarter strong.  Midway through the 4^th Quinn Dornstauder had a great few minutes earning a few rebounds, a block and scoring in a small stretch of time.  Unfortunately a poor first half put Saskatchewan too far behind to make a significant comeback.  Although with that being said Saskatchewan was down by 23 at one point but had an amazing 4^th quarter thanks to a number of players who gave quality minutes.

Alberta was led by Renee Byrne who had a game high 17 points, she also added 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Alberta was also aided by Madeleine Rodgers who had a significant impact on the court not on the stat sheet, leading her team yet again by making cuts, setting screens and bringing up the ball efficiently.  Jordan Maclean scored 13 points and added 6 rebounds.  Samantha Hanrahan and Jessica Stroud both added 11 points 6 and 7 rebounds respectively.

On the other side, Saskatchewan was led by a number of players who the reason to Saskatchewan bringing it to a closer game.  Charlotte Kot finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds leading the way for the Saskatchewan side.  Caitlin Zacharias added 11 points, along with Quinn Dornstauder adding 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Alberta will play Manitoba for 5^th place, and Saskatchewan will face Newfoundland for 7^th place.