(GIRLS) STA takes convincing win over Luther College (Regina) in semi-final action

Saint Thomas Aquinas vs Luther College

Written by Stu Mittlestead, Carson Graham Grad ‘06

Well after the sun set on Jones avenue, the 7pm tip off at Carson Graham Secondary was between Saint Thomas Aquinas and Luther College. The Luther College Lions in black have made it all the way from Regina, Saskatchewan while the Saint Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints in white are from just down the hill in North Vancouver.

The Fighting Saints came out swinging in the first quarter with Jessica Clarkes’ 10 points to start the opening 5 minutes. Rumour has it she will be taking her talents to Washington State in 2020. Clarkes’ chemistry with #11 Gemma Cutler was evident from the tip off and the pair combined for 22 points in the frame.

The 2nd quarter started with a pushback from Luther College. The combination of hustle and passing led to a few opportunities for black, yet the height advantage of white was hard to overcome. Saint Thomas Aquinas spread the scoring around with Olivia Maglieri draining two jump shots from inside the arc. Natalie Hamm of Luther College finally got rewarded with a basket from the paint after multiple instances of physical rebounding. Teagan Seiterling also converted a jump shot and with that Luther finished the half on a 6-2 run and closed the gap to 14.

Quick halftime fact: Luther College was sure happy to attend a basketball tournament. They also host an annual basketball tournament and have been doing so since 1953 - the longest running basketball tournament in Western Canada. Congratulations on earning a spot in the Regina Sports Hall of Fame!

After some back and forth play to open the 2nd half, a long stretch pass to Cutler opened the scoring for STA. She came right back with another quick basket followed shortly with going 2 for 2 from the foul line. Six points for the eventual Player of the Game in the first 3 minutes. Off the bench, Taleen Markarian had perfect timing for a half court steal and was clutch on the resulting fast break. Closing the 3rd, Luther was showing a never-quit attitude. After a block by Katie Elliott, her teammate Rachel Vanderhoott was able to drain a shot from the high post. That same tenacity by the Lions led to a couple injuries to key players.

The STA coach had a brief stint taking a page outta the NBA coaches handbook and used some “load management” on his stars. For part of the 4th quarter he had 11 and 14 back on the court together and they showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with on championship Saturday.

The game came to a close with a score of 72-24. STA will play for the championship Saturday against Argyle. Luther College will play for Bronze against Heritage Woods before escaping the west coast rain and flying back to Regina. Congratulations to both teams on an entertaining evening and great sportsmanship.