The brackets have been set for the OCAA Women’s Basketball Championships slated for March 1-3 at Algonquin College in Ottawa, ON. This Championship will mark the second time that the format of the tournament has been changed to an eight-team Championship.

The two teams winning their region along with the runner-ups secured their berths to the OCAA Championships earlier this week at the end of the regular season. Seneca (East) and Algoma (West) both took home their respective regional championship with Algonquin and Sheridan claiming the runner-up positions, all receiving byes to the provincials.

The other four remaining spots were claimed this week as eight teams participating in qualifying games over the weekend. Behind 28-points from Bailey Lomas, the St. Lawrence Vikings qualified for the bash by defeating the Mohawk Mountaineers 74-41. The Vikings began the second half on a 13-0 run, sewing up the victory and a berth in the Championships.

The East region’s Humber Hawks ensured their trip to Ottawa as they defeated the Niagara Knights 63-51. The Hawks got out to a sluggish start falling behind 21-10 at one point during the first half. Felon Harris (20 points) and the rest of her Hawks teammates managed to turn things around quickly before their championship dreams faded away as they scored 47 second half points to snatch the game away from Niagara.

Despite Samantha McConnell’s 30-point performance, the Durham Lords were upended on the road as the St. Clair Saints cruised to a 63-44. Second year guard Whitney Lucas of the Saints scored a team-high 14-points in the win while freshman teammate Sophina Phillips added 12 points. St. Clair hopes the month of March is as good as February as they won five of six games played.

The Loyalist Lancers were unable to pull off an upset as the Fanshawe Falcons defeated the squad from Belleville 55-39. Fanshawe’s defense was impenetrable as they held the Lancers to just 12 first-half points. Freshman centre Taylor Knipe was too tough for the Lancers to handle as she scored 16 points. Kara Muhlhausen led the Lancers in scoring with 18 points.

In the opening round, the defending Champion Seneca Sting (16-0) will face red-hot St. Clair Saints (7-5), who come into the match after eliminating Durham 63-44 in their crossover game.

The Algoma Thunderbirds (9-3) will make their championship debut after winning the West Region. The Humber Hawks (9-7) will hope their experience in the finals will propel them to the upset win. The “T-Birds” will turn to OCAA leading scorer Danielle D’Ettorre who is averaging 26.0 PPG.

Also involved in an evenly matched showdown will be the St. Lawrence Vikings (11-5) and the Sheridan Bruins (9-3). Sheridan will make their Championship debut since their return to Women’s Basketball last season. The Vikings head into the championships on a six game winning streak.

Host college Algonquin College (13-3) will square off against the Fanshawe Falcons (8-4) in the primetime match-up at 8:00pm. The crowd at the Ron Port Athletic Centre will certainly be lively, as the Thunder will look to win their first provincial title since 1973.

Championship Schedule

March 1, 2007
St.Clair vs. Seneca – 2pm
St. Lawrence (K) vs. Sheridan – 4pm
Humber vs. Algoma – 6pm
Fanshawe vs. Algonquin – 8pm

March 2, 2007
Semi Final #1: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 6pm
Semi Final #2: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 8pm

March 3, 2007
Bronze Medal Game: Losers of Semi Finals - 6pm
Championship Gold Medal Game*: Winners of Semi Finals - 8pm
*Winner advances to the CCAA National Championships in Alberta.