Reds back in the win column
If anyone appreciates winning, it’s Jenna Berry.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 guard for the Denis Morris Reds has incurred more than her share of losing in her previous three years with the team, including a pair of back-to-back winless seasons.
The Reds got back into the win column earlier this season with a victory over Saint Mike’s in regular season play and have continued their success at the BPSN High School Basketball Tournament.
The Reds dropped their opening game to the Governor Simcoe Redcoats, but rebounded with a win over Centennial Wednesday in the consolation round quarter-finals, and followed that up with an impressive 53-22 triumph over the West Niagara Wolfpack in semifinal action at Simcoe Thursday.
“It feels really good. I wasn’t expecting it going into the tournament. I couldn’t go to the first game because I was at a Grade 12 grad retreat,” Berry said. “(Now) I feel confident.”
Berry, who plays for the St. Catharines Rebels U19 team, wanted to finish her high school career on a winning note.
“It was discouraging because when you get out there you basically know you don’t have a great chance to win,” she said. “This year going into my senior year I really wanted to get some wins so over the summer I put in a lot of work so I could win at DM,” she said.
Following their win over Saint Mike’s head coach Stefanie DeMizio went on maternity leave and former Sir Winston Churchill player George Berry stepped in behind the bench.
“With these girls it’s an easy transition,” said George Berry, who also coaches for the Rebels. “We have four girls that play travel ball and it was just an easy transition.”
George Berry felt the pieces of the puzzle were in place to have success.
“I thought we had a competitive team and we just needed to put the pieces together,” he said.
He was impressed with the Reds effort Thursday.
“After doing some press breaks and working our full court press and just moving the ball,” he said when asked for the Reds key to success.
George Berry admitted the Reds entered the tournament with modest expectations but are now looking at a chance for a consolation title.
“We just wanted to have fun and be competitive and just try to put the ball in the net,” he said. “It (winning) would be incredible, not only for DM as a school, but for our girls team who haven’t won anything in a while.
“It would be like winning the NBA championship.”
STATS PACK
Reds 53 Reds 22
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: DM’s Sofia Sestili with 21 points.
Denis Morris Reds: Sestilli 21; Aeryonah St. Amand Thomas 11; Trinity King 7; Tessa Pingue 6; Jenna Berry 5; Neveah Jones 4; Lailany Sherwood 2.
West Niagara Wolfpack: Coco Van Nynatten 8; Peyton Ransom 6; Ireland Lacroix-Hamilton 6; Harper MacQueen 2.
Up next: The Reds take on Thorold for the consolation title at 6 p.m. at Simcoe.
The tournament is made possible with the help of Women Networking in Sports of Niagara, Tora Inc., Regional Doors and Hardware, Bromac Construction Inc., the Brock women’s basketball program, Alltech Automotive, St. Catharines CYO Basketball, Pelham Panthers basketball, Niagara Falls Red Raiders basketball, Niagara Rangers basketball, Lasting Images, the Niagara District Referees Association, the District School Board of Niagara and the Niagara Catholic District School Board.
