(London, Ontario) – On Saturday night in the OCAA Women's Basketball Provincial final, the #1 CCAA ranked Fanshawe Women's Basketball team (23-1, 1st in West) prevailed over the St. Clair Saints (15-9, 4th in West) by a final score of 78-72 in Kingston. The OCAA Championship was the first for Fanshawe's Women's Basketball program in 16 years (2002-03).
On Thursday, the Falcons defeated the host St. Lawrence Vikings (6-13, 5th in West) in a quarterfinal game 91-51, with London native Natalie Warren being named player of the game for her excellent performance. Warren notched 17 points (8/11 from the field) in 18 minutes and added 6 rebounds. In the semi-final on Friday, Fanshawe won 80-39 over eventual bronze medalist Niagara (14-10, 5th in West). Chuot Angou (London, ON) was named player of the game with 14 points, shooting 50% from the field.
In Saturday's final against St. Clair, Fanshawe got off to a quick 5-0 start and led 20-15 after the first quarter. The tightly contested game was reflective of the talent on both sides of the court. At the half, the Falcons held a 33-29 lead. The Saints would continue to chip away in the third and closed Fanshawe's lead to three by the end of the quarter, 54-51.
In a very intense final frame with a number of lead changes, St. Clair led 69-67 with just under five minutes to play. With the Falcons gold medal hopes on the line, Claire Dechet (Sarnia, ON) stepped up and nailed a 3-pointer with 4:43 left to put the red and white up one. Fanshawe's Mary Ingribelli (St. Catherine's, ON) then hit a shot clock buzzer-beater to give the Falcons a three point lead that they would not relinquish. Dechet was named Fanshawe's player of the game in the final for her outstanding play on both ends of the floor. As a team, the Falcons shot 43.1% from the field, 56.3% from beyond the arc and 81.3% from the line, including going 6/6 in the fourth quarter. Angou led Fanshawe with 20 points in the game. She was named the Tournament's MVP and teammate Laura Vere (Stratford, ON) was named a Tournament All-Star.
The #1 ranked Falcons will now represent Ontario at the CCAA National Championship from March 14-16 in Quebec City, Quebec, hosted by Sainte Foy.
To see some of the excitement from Saturday's final, see below:
Saturday on repeat �� pic.twitter.com/JxDRMWK42M
— Fanshawe WBB (@FanshaweWBB) March 5, 2019