Cougars figure out Cyclone
The third time was a charm for the Centennial Cougars.
After losing to the E.L. Crossley Cyclone twice during regular season play, the Cougars topped the Cyclone 52-38 in the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 3 senior girls AA final Wednesday at Crossley.
The Cougars advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) playdowns next week at Bernie Custis Secondary School in Hamilton.
“It feels really good, especially after losing to them twice and being able to like come back and beat them in the finals,” Centennial guard Jayda Rodrigue said. “It was very intense going back and forth and it was very aggressive.”
Rodrigue, who led the Cougars with 13 points, felt the Cougars came together over the course of the season.
“Our teamwork improved and we became more of a family and it was easier to work together,” the 17-year-old, Grade 12 student said.
Centennial coach Craig Maltais agreed.
“The first time we played them, I believe it was our first game and for a lot of our players, that was the first game in 18 months,” he said. “So just being back on the court was tough at the beginning. Here at the end of the season we had a couple of games under our belt and we’re more used it and were able to start the game how we wanted and make the right adjustments throughout the game.”
Rodrigue played a big part in the victory, not only leading the Cougars in scoring, but also distributing the ball.
“I asked her to play the whole game today, and that worked out well,” Maltais said. “She sees the floor so well she is able to make the right play.
“She’s just a great overall athlete. I mean, a couple passes that she made, I don’t know how the ball got through, but she made it happen multiple times. It’s not luck, she’s comfortable doing that and she can make the big play when it matters.”
Rodrigue, who previously played Niagara Juel Prep but gave that up to concentrate on soccer where she plays with the Burlington provincial U21 squad, has also taken on a leadership role.
“Being in Grade 12, I have to lead the team and help the others and communicate with them and obviously create plays for everyone and give them opportunities,” she said.
Rodrigue said the Cougars aren’t simply satisfied to have qualified for SOSSA.
“We’re definitely really happy to be there but of course we want to do some damage and get to OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations).”
Maltais joked he didn’t even look to see where SOSSA was for fear of jinxing the Cougars.
“We want to win and we have to see who’s going to be there,” he said. “We just want to play good basketball. We’ve got some good players and we can score the ball and we can defend so we’d like to go in and see what we can do.”
The loss marked the end of the season for the Cyclone, who trailed 32-26 at the half and 38-34 after three quarters.
“Centennial came out and had something to prove,” Crossley coach Aaron Belding said. “We came out and because we won twice in the past season, they figured it would be cakewalk and just wasn’t that way.
“It’s just not how we wanted to finish. We played well all season, had a couple of injuries, and figured if we played as a team we should be able to make it but Centennial had other plans.”
STATS PACK
Cougars 52 Cyclone 38
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Centennial guard Jayda Rodrigue with 13 points while also distributing the ball.
For the Centennial Cougars: Rodrigue 13; Jenna Dobbie 12; Alexis Wright 9; Emma Smith 9; Audrey Bevaqua 6; Jessica Gibson 3.
For the E.L. Crossley Cyclone: Jordan Hilton 14; Izzy Brenzil 10; Grace Sodtke 6; Mackenna Belding 2; Katie Brophy 2. 4 points unaccounted for on game sheet.
Up next: The Cougars advance to the SOSSA AA playdowns next week at Bernie Custis Secondary School in Hamilton. OFSAA will be hosted by Saint Paul High School in Niagara Falls.
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