(GIRLS) Semi-Final Action Sees Churchill's Hemrich Money From Beyond Arc
S.W. Churchill Bulldogs vs. McMath Wildcats
December 10, Round 2
Written by Jamie Keast, Handsworth Grad ‘06
On a snowy-turned rainy evening at Handsworth, McMath Wildcat Sr. Girls took on Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs in semi-final action. The opening of the game saw a few minutes of back-and-forth chances for both teams with no success, until McMath’s #11 Kee Hohlweg opened up scoring 2.5 minutes into the game. Marah Dykstra #9 opened up scoring for Churchill with a strong drive to the basket, and then a pick-and-roll with #3 Claire Huang to put Churchill up mid-way through the first quarter. Blocks on both ends by Dykstra and then by McMath’s #13 Caitlin Kippan kept the score stagnant at 6-6 with 4 minutes left in the first. Marah Dykstra then took Churchill up by 2, but that was returned by a layup by #11 Hohlweg for McMath. McMath’s #9, Marina Radocaj, then hit the game’s first 3 to put McMath up 12-10. Marah Dysktra, in traffic, scored a lay-in to tie the game at 12. Bulldogs’ Coach Dykstra called a timeout with 5 seconds left in the quarter and apparently drew up something fancy because Churchill’s #12, Emily Zhang, hit a buzzer-beater three to bring the first quarter score to 16-15 in favour of McMath.
McMath opened up the second quarter of scoring thanks to an offensive rebound from #8 Teagan Ng who put it out to Radocaj for a banked runner. Churchill’s Claire Huang attempted a three, got her own rebound, and passed it out for McMath’s second 3 of the game. Huang’s speed and craftiness in passing the ball is posing a challenge for McMath as Churchill took the lead 22-20 with 6 minutes to go in the first half. Radocaj wouldn’t let it get to McMath though as an easy pass to Kippan inside tied the game. Hohlweg thought this lead wasn’t enough and hit a three; that lead didn’t last long as Churchill returned the long ball for a three. This game has seen quick scoring early on this quarter and a timeout is called to slow things down-Churchill leads 28-25.
Out of the timeout, McMath changed to a zone defense; this caused a turnover for Churchill and an easy layup for McMath’s #5 Andreas Chan. Churchill continued with their offensive rebounding which earned them an easy second chance from #10 Louise Dykstra who scored back-to-back layups for the Bulldogs. This put them up 32-27 with just over one minute left in the half.
Churchill again came out of another timeout strong with a steal and a jumper by #3 Huang. McMath’s Kippan attempted a jumper from the baseline but was blocked by two Churchill guards; one of them, #6 Amber Hemrich, returned with a three to give Churchill its biggest lead of the game to end the half 37-27 in their favour.
Half-time Fact: Simon Dykstra, head coach for Churchill Sr. Girls, coached Quinn Keast in the Western Canada Summer Games in the early 2000s when Quinn was 15 years old.
Hohlweg opened up the scoring in the second half for McMath, but this was nullified by Churchill’s return possession. Churchill’s Huang got into foul trouble early in the second half with a possible officiating mistake as she somehow earned her third foul but was not involved in the play. This didn’t phase the Bulldogs as, on back-to-back possessions, Marah Dykstra helped her team earn 5 points to put them up by 16 points. McMath’s Coach Kippan called a timeout to re-strategize with his team; their #10 Quincy Hinds came out and hit a jumper to try to close the gap. McMath’s #5 Andreas Chan to #8 Teagan Ng for a lay-in brought McMath to within 12 points, but the Bulldog’s Amber Hemrich didn’t let that last long as she hits a three in transition, bringing her to 12 points scored so far this game, scored on 4 three-pointers. Score at the end of the third quarter: Churchill 51- McMath 41.
In the fourth quarter, McMath’s #9 Radocaj put two on the board for the Wildcats, which was followed by a series of turnovers by each team until Radocaj, again, hit a mid-range jumper. Churchill’s bench livened up with ‘defense’ chants, but it wasn’t enough to encourage Hemrich’s fifth three-pointer of the game at the other end of the floor. McMath continued to struggle with turnovers that Churchill capitalized on. With four minutes left in the game, Churchill’s pressure mounted, causing a shot-clock violation for the Wildcats.
With 3.5 minutes left in the game, Hemrich hit’s her fifth three to take Churchill up by 18 points. McMath, with only three players on their bench, are starting to look tired as Churchill continued to transition the ball quickly. McMath’s #5 Andreas Chan scored off back-to-back layups thanks to a steal under their basket. McMath started to full-court press, causing a Churchill turnover off the inbound and leading to an ‘and-one’ for Wildcat’s #11 Hohlweg. She finished the free throw for a three-point play. McMath’s sudden full-court press continued to cause problems for Churchill late in the game as the Wildcats scored on three turnovers in a row to bring it to an 11-point game. With 18 seconds left in the game, Hohlweg returned to the line for another possible three-point play as she was fouled beyond the arc. She went 3-for-3! In the end, it wasn’t enough for McMath as Churchill heads to tomorrow night’s final at Collingwood at 5pm.