Taurie the story as Raiders edge Phoenix
Taurie Cunningham was clutch for the Holy Cross Raiders Tuesday.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student poured in a game high 15 points as the Raiders edged the St. Francis Phoenix 45-40 before a packed gym at the Second Annual BPSN Girls Basketball Tournament.
Cunningham, who earlier this week was named the school’s female athlete of month, admitted it was a bit intimidating tipping off before a sea of green and white fans.
“At the beginning it was pretty stressful but once we started playing all the energy got the team going,” she smiled. “It’s so unreal. I didn’t know what I was missing until now.
“It’s crazy. “
Cunningham iced the game away with a pressure-packed three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining and the shot clock down to three seconds.
“I heard a lot of yelling so I assumed not much,” she said when asked if she knew how much time was on the shot clock. “It was like I blacked out after it went in.
“Everyone jumped. It was crazy.”
Holy Cross coach Erin Gauthier plans to put a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Cunningham this season.
“Her role is to be a leader both on and off the court. Her role is to move the ball well, to shoot and to score,” Gauthier said. “She’s got to do it all for me this year and I think she’s ready to do that.”
Gauthier was thrilled to see the return of the BPSN tournament in front of so many fans.
“It’s awesome. Everyone had face paint on, everyone was cheering and doing all the right things for us. We just took that energy and brought it to the floor with us. I told the girls before the game to use that energy,” she said. “It felt amazing. The girls are ready to get back on the floor. They’re ready to run, they’re ready to listen, they’re ready to learn, they’re ready to play.
“It’s absolutely fantastic.”
Phoenix coach Karly Ruetz also appreciated being able to play in a local tournament once again.
“I felt really bad for the girls last season who didn’t have it. I’m so happy for them to experience something that is so important, especially because a lot of the girls on the team don’t play outside of school basketball so having them experience this is very special,” she said.
Ruetz said the Phoenix now have their sights set on a consolation title.
“One hundred percent. We’re always looking to win,” she said.
STATS PACK
Raiders 45 Phoenix 40
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Holy Cross guard Taurie Cunningham with 15 points.
Holy Cross Raiders: Cunningham 15; Sophia Franklin 14; Mairead Newhouse 9; Julia Diemer 3; Tessa Vahrmeyer 2.
St. Francis Phoenix: Mikayala Wallace 10; Rozlyn Ciocca 9; Kyla Pylpyiw 9; Riyana Chahaid 6; Kori Zukowsky 5; Emma Collini 1.
Up next: Consolation quarter-finals at Governor Simcoe: Thorold vs. Brebeuf at 2:30 p.m. and Denis Morris vs.Saint Francis at 4 p.m. Championship quarter-finals at Governor Simcoe: Myer vs. Simcoe at 5:30 p.m. and Holy Cross vs. Eden at 7 p.m. Consolation quarter-finals at Churchill: Crossley vs. Churchill juniors at 2:30 p.m. and St. Mike’s vs. Smithville Christian at 4 p.m. Consolation quarter-finals at Churchill: Churchill seniors vs. Saint Paul at 5:30 p.m. and Notre Dame vs. Blessed Trinity at 7 p.m.
REDCOATS 40 LYNX 23
Jamie Addy led all scorers with 19 points as the Governor Simcoe Redcoats topped the visiting St. Jean de Brebeuf Lynx at Simcoe in one of eight-opening round games.
Also scoring for the Redcoats were: Keira Teske 15; Madison Hollingsworth 2; Briar Rogers 2; Briana Peters 2.
Scoring for the Lynx were: Solange Savoury 10; Amelia Wendling 6; Isabelle Roberge 5; Bethanie Irwin 2.
The tournament is made possible with the help of primary sponsors, Women Networking in Sports of Niagara and Tora Inc., and secondary sponsors, Alltech Automotive, St. Catharines CYO Basketball, Pelham Panthers basketball, Niagara Falls Red Raiders basketball, Niagara Rangers basketball and the Niagara District Referees Association.
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