Youthful Phoenix top Raiders in NCAA hoops
Youth will be served this season with the Saint Francis Phoenix varsity girls basketball team.
“We have a very young team with a lot of Grade 9s and 10s and we are a varsity team this year which means Grades 9 to 12,” Phoenix coach Ava Hitchcock said Wednesday, after visiting Saint Francis defeated Holy Cross 34-25 in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association play. “We have great skill on this team and we took a lot of younger girls so in future years we can improve with them.”
Last season, the Phoenix were NCAA AA finalists and won the consolation championship at the BPSN Girls Basketball Tournament.
Hitchcock is excited about this year.
“We are hoping for a really good season and this game we came out with a win 34-25. For a lot of these girls, it was the first time they had played basketball. We’ve only had two practices before this and I was very impressed with everyone.”
One of the key players for the Phoenix will be Grade 10 player Riyana Chahoud.
“She is young and she is an amazing player. I have so many great things to say about her,” Hitchcock said. “She has speed and her defence is the main thing. You could tell during that game that she has lockdown defence. She is incredible on defence but also on offence. She drives to the net.”
The 15-year-old St. Catharines resident, who plays her travel basketball with the Pelham Panthers under-16 squad, feels playing varsity basketball last season will benefit her in 2023.
“It really helped me to progress and see how other girls played. I was playing against bigger, older and faster girls and I was able to adjust to the game’s level. It helped me to improve my game.”
The 5-foot-5 player knows her defensive play will be crucial to the team’s success.
“I feel like everything roots from the defence. If we can play good defence as a team, it will result in points on offence.”
She is looking to take her game to the next level this year.
“I want to push myself to be a better talker on the court and to keep shooting the ball and not lose confidence on the court. Confidence is everything. You can’t get down on yourself, otherwise you will bring the whole team down.”
She is more about process with her team rather than wins and losses.
“I am hoping we can push and do the best that we can. I want to see everyone progressing rather than winning or losing results.”
Holy Cross lost Tuesday in front of an incredibly loud crowd but head coach Erin Gauthier was pleased with her charges.
“I thought it was a great game. We put a lot of effort into the game and the girls moved the ball well up the floor. They put a lot of effort behind everything they did today.”
She is excited about the potential of her roster.
“Everything looks really good. I’ve got Tessa Vahrmeyer injured right now and I am looking forward to her coming back in a couple of weeks to play with us. I have Mairead Newhouse who is a returning player for me and we are going to look to get her the ball a little bit more inside. Other than that, I thought the girls did really well.”
PHOENIX 34 RAIDERS 25
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game; St. Francis’ Riyana Chahoud with five points and a strong defensive game.
For the Saint Francis Phoenix: Kaylee Giesbrecht 10; Alysha Kryzanowski 6; Riyana Chahoud 5; Sydney Chavez 5; and, Rozlyn Ciocca 5.
For the Holy Cross Raiders: Lara Claire Martines 13; Mairead Newhouse 10.
