Hometown Capers win Debbie Ruiz Memorial
Three teams finish round robin tournament at 2-1
Hometown Capers win Debbie Ruiz Memorial
Three teams finish round robin tournament at 2-1
By Corey LeBlanc
Sydney, NS – The host Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers captured the 2022 Debbie Ruiz Memorial women's basketball tournament on Saturday afternoon at Sullivan Field House.
Three teams finished the three-day round-robin event with 2-1 records, with the Capers winning the crown on the strength of having the best plus-minus mark.
CBU wrapped up the tournament with a heartbreaking 71-69 overtime loss to the Mount Royal University Cougars of Calgary, one of the other teams that finished 2-1.
In the first quarter, both sides looked to establish their interior offense early on, but points were hard to come by, with the Capers holding a slim 6-4 edge after the opening five minutes of the first quarter.
After driving to the hoop, Caper guard Chermensa van la Parra (Rotterdam, Netherlands) headed to the bench with an injury, further narrowing the options for a line-up already without fifth-year guard and starter MacKenzee Ryan (Glace Bay, NS).
With options dwindling in the backcourt, CBU continued to focus on getting the ball inside to their perennial double-double machine Kiyara Letlow (Toronto, ON), while – on the defensive end – Letlow and Erin Vreim Holm (Oslo, Norway), off the bench, battled to keep the Cougars and their size upfront out of the paint.
With the score knotted 8-8 late in the first quarter, van la Parra returned to the floor and was promptly fouled on a three-point attempt. She made two free throws to give the home side a slim lead in low-scoring early action.
The teams were deadlocked 11-11 after the first quarter.
In the opening seconds of the second quarter, Maddison Hooper (Perth, Australia) swished three free throws after being fouled on a shot attempt from beyond the arc.
After a Hannah Smith (Bedford, NS) three-point attempt popped out – just moments after she sank one from downtown – Claudia Pellerin (Sudbury, ON) corralled the offensive rebound and muscled in a lay-up while being fouled. With the subsequent free throw from the freshman, the Capers led 17-16.
Moments later, after Letlow snagged a long defensive rebound, she started the Caper fast break and found van la Parra for a lay-up to make it 21-16 for CBU.
The Caper fast break continued to click, with Hailey MacLeod (Marion Bridge, NS) providing an athletic lay-in off the glass to widen their edge to 23-16, on the strength of a 10-0 burst.
Off a strong drive down the lane, Megan Wellingtonhurts (Louisville, KY) sank a floater that ended the CBU run.
Metcalfe capped off a 6-0 run for the Cougars with a hoop in the paint, which trimmed the Caper lead to 25-22.
In the final seconds before halftime, with Mount Royal looking to pull within one point or tie the contest, CBU smothered their opponents and did not allow a shot before time expired.
Heading to the locker room, Letlow had already fashioned a double-double, with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Both teams struggled to score, with CBU and Mount Royal shooting 26.5 and 28.1 percent, respectively, from the floor.
The Capers led 26-22 at halftime.
In the first 30 seconds of the third quarter – keyed by five consecutive points from Jenessa Ramsoomair (Leduc, AB) – the Cougar regained the lead at 27-26.
Letlow ended the 9-0 run by Mount Royal to start the second half with a strong drive to the basket, which sliced the Caper deficit to 29-28.
By the four-minute mark, both sides were finding a better offensive rhythm and started to trade baskets.
Halfway through the third quarter – by outscoring the Capers 13-6 – the Cougars led 35-32.
Off a sensational finish on the fast break by Letlow, CBU regained the advantage at 36-35.
Late in the stanza, the sophomore forward seemed to be channeling NBA legend Magic Johnson as she engineered a pair of Caper opportunities in the open floor.
The Cougars led 44-40 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the visitors extended to a nine-point edge – 49-40 – with one of the key Cougar baskets coming on a Hooper three-pointer.
The Capers responded with a 7-0 spurt, one highlighted by a pair of strong lay-ups by MacLeod, which led to a Cougar timeout.
With just less than five minutes remaining in regulation, the Cougars led 55-49.
On a great feed from MacLeod, Smith knocked down a three-pointer for the Capers that trimmed the Cougar edge to 57-54 with just more than 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Hooper – with a steal and basket – made it 59-54, and then the Capers committed a turnover.
Down by five points, Letlow gobbled up a miss by MacLeod and then finished the hoop-and-harm three-point play to make it 61-59 for the Cougars.
On the next possession, the Capers forced a 24-second shot clock violation.
After back-to-back spectacular drives by Letlow, CBU led 63-61 with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Jamie Lalor (Red Deer, AB), with ice water in her veins, sank both free throws after she was fouled with 0.4 seconds left in regulation.
The teams were tied 63-63 at the end of the fourth quarter.
In the first two of the extra five minutes, Lalor scored the lone points to give Mount Royal a 65-63 edge.
Letlow responded with a hard-fought basket inside to tie the contest.
With 1:20 remaining, Wellingtonhurts sank two foul shots, and then Lalor finished a lay-up to make it 69-65 for the Cougars.
A relentless Letlow would not give in, finishing a left-handed drive to the basket – with 17.5 seconds in OT remaining – to make it a two-point contest.
Metcalfe regained the four-point Mount Royal edge with a pair of free throws.
MacLeod responded in the final seconds, but the Capers ran out of time.
For the Cougars, Hooper finished with a team-high 18 points, while adding five rebounds and four steals. Ramsoomair drained 15, along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Lalor – the last-second foul-shooting hero – finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and an assist.
A monster performance from Letlow – 33 points, 22 rebounds, two blocks and a steal – led the Capers, while her frontcourt mate MacLeod added 14 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Lawlor leads Panthers
In the opener on Saturday afternoon, the UPEI Panthers – the third 2-1 team in the tournament – outscored the Windsor Lancers 26-10 in the fourth quarter to secure a convincing 70-50 victory.
Both teams came out ice cold in the first quarter, scoring only two points apiece in the opening three minutes.
By the midway point of the stanza, after back-to-back three-pointers from Devon Lawlor (Millcove, PE) and Grace Lancaster (Fall River, NS), the Panthers led 10-6.
The Lancers worked hard to establish their interior game, with forward Vanessa Budimunda (Montreal, QC) leading the way.
With an acrobatic lay-up from Lauren Rainford (Toronto, ON), who sliced through the Lancer defense with ease, UPEI led the contest 12-8 after the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Rainford kept taking it to the basket with surgeon-like precision for the Panthers, while the Lancers continued to pound the ball inside, with UPEI extending its advantage to 20-14.
After an 8-0 spurt – keyed by consecutive hoops from Mariame Dehkissia (Sherbrooke, QC) and a spinning lay-in by Budimunda at the rim – the Lancers took a 22-20 edge.
The sides traded points in the final couple of minutes of the second quarter, with the Panthers taking a razor-thin 27-26 lead to the locker room at halftime on a last-second lay-up from Sydney Cummings (Wolfville, NS).
In the third quarter, both teams came out determined to get into the paint; after Budimunda muscled in a lay-up off a strong low-post move, the Lancers led 30-28.
Off a nifty three-way passing play by the Panthers, Alicia Bowering (Orangeville, NS) drained a three-pointer from the wing to trim the Lancer lead to 32-31.
Early in the second half, Windsor upped its defensive effort, causing UPEI to take a handful of contested opportunities late in the shot clock.
After Cummings drove to the basket and found Elisa Plaschka (Brockville, ON) for a hoop off the window – and Lancaster connected from beyond the arc, the Panthers jumped to a 38-34 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Windsor replied on a drive to the hoop by Julia Chiarot (Hamilton, ON), who could not make the and-1 free throw, so the UPEI edge remained 40-36.
With the Panthers attempting to widen their advantage, Budimunda put on a display with a variety of low-post moves that kept the Lancers within striking distance.
Heading to the fourth quarter, the Panthers led 46-40.
Early in the final frame, Devon Lawlor scored to give UPEI its first double-digit lead – at 50-40 – and then extended it with a rainbow three-pointer.
Less than four minutes in – after a Bowering three-pointer – the Panthers led 58-40, having tallied the first 12 points of the fourth quarter.
On the strength of another Devon Lawlor shot from beyond the arc, UPEI's lead exploded to 20 points – at 63-43.
With four minutes remaining in regulation, after Lauren Rainford notched five consecutive points, the Panthers were up 68-43.
From there, UPEI cruised to the win.
Lauren Rainford led the Panthers with 18 points, while chipping in two assists and two steals. Devon Lawlor – off the bench – notched 13, while adding six rebounds, one assist and one steal. Cummings added eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
For the Lancers, Budimunda finished with a game-high 20 points, while adding nine rebounds.
Windsor finished the tournament at 0-3.
Honouring a champion
The Debbie Ruiz Memorial honours the late CBU alumnae who played for the Caper women's basketball program from 2004-2007, before serving as an assistant coach in 2008. The two-time Atlantic University Sport (AUS) all-star was a driving force for the Capers when they won the conference title in 2006, along with the program's first U SPORTS (then CIS) medal (silver).
Ruiz, a native of Montreal, graduated from CBU in 2008 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree. Before her tragic passing from cancer in 2016, she had established a stellar reputation as an inspirational leader and community champion – specifically in helping girls get involved in sports.
Proceeds from the annual three-day tournament go to the Debbie Ruiz Always a Champion Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Caper guard Chermensa van la Parra received the 2022 award during the three-day tournament.
All-star team
Kiyara Letlow and MacKenzee Ryan of the Capers were the hometown selections for the tournament all-star team. They were joined by Vanessa Budimunda (Windsor), Tanis Metcalfe (Mount Royal) and Lauren Rainford (UPEI).
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