Women snag silver and head to Nationals

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: FANSHAWE ATHLETICS
Fanshawe’s Felicia Mazerolle will lead the Falcons to the National Championship March 14 to 17.

Fanshawe's women's basketball coach Matt White went into the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association provincial championship at Humber College with two goals in mind: to win provincials and qualify for nationals. They achieved one of them.

The women's team won their ticket to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championship in Truro, Nova Scotia. All it took was an outstanding season and two big wins at the OCAAs, resulting in a silver medal finish.

The women dominated the regular season coming out strong and finishing with a fabulous 16-2 record, edging Algoma for the top spot in the OCAA West Division.

The women started off the OCAAs with a huge win against rivals the Humber Hawks, who had home court advantage. The game was more than just a semi-final: it would mean the difference between advancing to the gold-medal game and qualifying for the National Championship.

White prepared the girls for what to expect from Humber. “We knew Humber would play well and they would be playing in front of home fans. We expected a rowdy environment, and we just wanted to focus on the court and what we were trying to do,” he said.

And focus they did. The Falcons battled it out against the Hawks, narrowly defeating them 67-63. Janine DeLeon came up big for Fanshawe, landing a crucial three-pointer with 30 seconds left in the game to secure the win. DeLeon was named MVP of the game.

Two other Falcon players' skills were duly noted. Point guard Felicia Mazerolle and centre Natasha Amo were chosen as First Team All-Stars, they were two of six players named.

Despite the loss in the finals to Algonquin, White was pleased with their performance.

“Once we got into the finals, we were a little more relaxed, and we ran into a very determined Algonquin team.”

Mazerolle played a fantastic final match with eight points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal after the first half.

After two days of rest, the women returned to practice in preparation for the National Championships, which takes place from from March 13 to 16 at Dalhousie University.

“Personally, I'm just excited for the girls. This will be a first-time experience for me and it's one I hope to be able to go back to again,” said White.