North prevails in Top 20 hoops game
Anna Deliyannis and Brooke Lennox were named the Players of the Game in the top 20 all-star game.
Saint Paul’s Brooke Lennox had an impressive conclusion to her high school basketball career.
The Grade 12 student scored a game-high 15 points Wednesday night as her Team South squad dropped a 56-52 decision to Team North in the Top 20 game of the 16th Annual Niagara Girls Basketball All-Star Games. She was named her team’s player of the game.
It was a bittersweet end for the 17-year-old Niagara Falls resident.
“I am really sad because I have been playing basketball since I was seven and it has always been a big part of my life,” the Niagara Falls Red Raiders travel player said. “It was a really good year. We got to go to SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association).”
She enjoyed her years of Patriots’ basketball
“My entire life my dad (Josh) has been coaching me for high school and he has always said it’s not all about basketball skills. It is about teamwork and being a leader and it has helped me make lifelong friends.”
Her favourite memory of Saint Paul basketball will be getting a chance to play at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA championships when her team hosted in 2021.
She loves the sport.
‘It is the team environment which makes it really worth if for me.”
Next fall, Lennox will head to Niagara University in Lewiston to study education.
Named the player of the game for Team North was Eden’s Anna Deliyannis with 11 points.
“It was a lot of fun. I never thought I would be even chosen for top 20 and I am really happy to be here,” the Grade 11 student said. “I got to play with a lot of my former teammates from school and from Juel and it was great to get out and play with them.”
Even though it was an all-star game, the 5-foot-10 forward and her Team North teammates were taking the game seriously.
“We talked about boxing out and communicating with each other because we don’t know each other the best,” the 16-year-old said, “It was just going off of that we know because a lot of us are good players and we were chosen to play.”
Proceeds from the game went to Women’s Place. Sponsors of the event were: St. Catharines CYO basketball which bought the shirts; the Brock women’s basketball team which provided water bottles to all the participants and sponsored player of the game awards; and, the Niagara District Referees Association which officiated the games at no charge.
STATS PACK
Team North 56 Team South 52
Cat’s Caboose Players of the Game: Anna Deliyannis and Brooke Lennox.
Team North: Eden’s Anna Deliyannis 11; Collegiate’s Emily Privensal 9; Eden’s Annika Rigby 7; Churchill’s Kate Smyth 6; Saint Francis’ Kyla Pylypiv 6; Denis Morris’ Jenna Berry 6; Holy Cross’ Sophia Franklin 4; Thorold.’s Ava Conway 4; Governor Simcoe’s Kiera Teske 3; and, Heritage’s Kate Ybema.
Team South: Saint Paul’s Brooke Lennox 15; Notre Dame’s Nicole Dixon 8; St. Jean de Brébeuf’s Mia Wendling 7; A.N. Myer’s Maia Walker 7; Westlane’s Hannah Braye 5; Greater Fort Erie’s Riley Mueller 3; Smithville Christian’s Kyra VanGeest 3; Centennial’s Emma Saver 2; Niagara Christian’s Zoe Chan 2; and, Saint Michael’s Jordan Howcroft 2.
Scoring by quarters: North 15-16-14-11=56; South 10-10-13-19=52.
