Marauders SOSSA bound
Tori was the story for the A.N.Myer Marauders Thursday afternoon.
Tori Rigas-DiDomenico was nearly unstoppable, pouring in 40 points to lead the Marauders past the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 65-49 at ND to capture the senior girls AAA zone 3 basketball title.
The Marauders advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary School Association (SOSSA) playdowns at Westdale in Hamilton next week.
“It feels awesome,” Rigas-DiDomenico smiled. “We haven’t been to SOSSA since Grade 9 so I really wanted to finish out my last year by getting there.”
Rigas-DiDomenico, a 17-year-old, Grade 12 student, admitted she thought a lot about the fact a loss would have ended her high school playing career.
“It was all I was thinking about,” said Rigas-DiDomenico, who also plays with Niagara JUEL and for a summer club team in Buffalo. “I wanted to make sure this was not my final high school game.
“I always want to keep playing and repping my school.”
The Marauders lost in the first round at SOSSA four years ago.
“We’re hoping for a better turnout this year, maybe an OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) run,” she said.
Rigas-DiDomenico didn’t come off the floor and was dominant from start to finish, scoring 18 points in the first half and 22 in the second. She also canned five from three-point range.
“It’s not about being in the spotlight,” she said, when asked if he enjoyed being a difference maker. “I like distributing the ball and that they can count on me to keep them all involved, that’s important.”
Rigas-DiDomenico said the Marauders are more than a one-player team.
“We have some girls who can really finish under the basket. We’re good for that,” she said.
Myer coach Dave Shaw was effusive in his praise of his star guard.
“She played phenomenal today,” Shaw said. “She did it on the defensive end containing her check and she did it on the offensive end. She just made the right decision every time and took the right shots and made the passes when she needed to. She pushed the tempo and controlled the pace.
“She controlled the game today.”
Shaw was thrilled to see his club get back to SOSSA.
“We were close the last couple of years and that was our goal this year,” he said. “To realize that goal is very exciting. The girls worked hard all year and persevered through some injuries and some other stuff that goes with the season.”
The Marauders led 13-7 after one quarter, 30-23 at the half and 48-35 after three quarters.
“We controlled the tempo so when they tried to push, we slowed the pace and made them play out of their comfort zone,” Shaw said. “We were patient on offence and made them work hard on defence and when you can do those things, it’s hard to get an offensive rhythm.”
Stats Pack
Marauders 65 Fighting Irish 49
Johnny Rocco’s/Mick and Angelo’s Player of the Game: Myer guard Tori Rigas-DiDomenico with 40 points.
For the A.N. Myer Marauders: Rigas-DiDomenico 40; Emily Braun 13; Sarah Elkayed 5; Molly Taylor 5; Ava C 2.
For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Emily Forest 19; Abigale Phillips 15; Alissa Mete 11; Ashley Lewis 2; Emma Angelo 1; Mackenzie Camden 1.
Up next: The Marauders advance to the SOSSA AAA playdowns Thursday, Nov. 15 at Westdale in Hamilton.
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