Varsity Blues Women's Basketball

2011-2012 SEASON

Win Streak Extends to Five (Fri Jan 27-28)

  On Friday Queens travelled down the 401 to take on the Varsity Blues. As in the Kingston matchup three weeks ago, the two teams were evenly matched for three quarters. The Blues took a slim 23-19 lead after the first period but the Gaels fought back to even things at 31 in the middle of the second. Toronto made another run and took a 42-34 lead into the break. Both teams slowed down in the third as Toronto stretched the lead to 58-45. As the Blues did in their previous meeting, Toronto dominated the final frame and out-scored the Gaels 27-16 to close out an 85-61 victory and keep the Blues tied with Carleton for second place.

  Toronto had 23 more shots as Queens coughed up 31 turnovers and the Blues out-boarded the Gaels 44-36.

  For Toronto Sherri Pierce was the Player of the Game with 21 points and 4 steals, while Jill Stratton had her usual 15 points, 5 boards and a big 8 assists. Julie Longauer had a big game off the bench with 15 points, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals in less than 10 minutes of action. Joanna Medri followed with 12 points and 5 rebounds while Kristy Chute chipped in with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

 On Saturday the Blues took on RMC in a one-sided blowout as Toronto rolled to a fifth straight win and kept on pace with Carleton in a battle for second that will probably go down to the last weekend. With only 9 players dressed, they all played double digit numbers and all contributed to the scoring.

 The Blues were up 24-11 after one, continued the roll to 51-18 at the half then coasted to an 87-39 victory leaving the Palladins still looking for their first win of the season.

 Toronto shot 40% from the floor but a strong 46% from behind the arc as well as out rebounding RMC 50-38 and forcing 39 turnovers.

 Jill Stratton led the Blues with 19 points and 3 steals while Liane Bailey had 14 points and 6 rebounds, Megan Stoncius had 12 points and 4 boards and Kristy Chute scored 10 to go with her 8 rebounds.

  Next weekend the Blues will play at Ryerson (Fri Feb 3, 6:00pm) as Toronto starts the home stretch run with just five games remaining.

Double Road Victories Put Blues Back on Track

(Jan 20-21)

  On Friday Toronto travelled north to Sudbury to take on the Laurentian Voyageurs. It was the 4th game in 7 days and after the starters recent large playing minutes it was going to be important that the bench come through with some big contributions.

  The Blues had a good strong start and took a 22-7 lead after 10 minutes but the Vees bounced back with a strong 17-16 second quarter and continued with a 16-7 third as Laurentian closed to within three of the struggling Blues. In the fourth the Blues came back to life led by Jill Stratton and it was the Vees that had trouble scoring. Toronto won the quarter 23-9 and pulled out a tough 68-49 victory.

  Joanna Medri scored just 3 points although she did have 5 steals, Sherri Pierce scored just 4 points to go with her 5 assists and Jill Stratton hit 12 which is 4 below her 16.4 ppg average although she did have 7 rebounds. The Blues needed some help from the bench and they did get it. Kristina Menton had a big game with 12  points and 5 rebounds, Julie Longauer had 9 points and Kristy Chute chipped in 8 points.

  The Blues had 27 more shots than the Voyageurs because of the 39 Vees turnovers and Toronto hit 5 for 15 from the three and 15 for 20 from the line.

  On Saturday the Blues made the long bus ride from Sudbury to York to complete their 5th game in 8 days and once again the game was a struggle. York took a 13-17 lead after one and Toronto finally got untracked in the second taking a 35-32 lead at the break. The Lions roared in the third quarter to tie the game up at 48 with 10 minutes to play. In the fourth the Blues hit threes and an "and 1" to pull ahead again and finally pull out a hard fought 77-64 win. The 29-16 final quarter made it look easy but the Lions stayed within reach into the last 2 minutes.

  Joanna Medri rebounded from her Friday game with a career high 25 points on 9 for 16 shooting including 5 for 11 threes to go with a big 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. Jill Stratton had her usual 16 points, Meg Stoncius had 9 points and Liane Bailey had 9 points to go with 8 rebounds as the Blues shot 37% and hit 7 for 21 from behind the arc.

  The 3 game win streak has kept the Blues tied with Carleton in the battle for second place.

Blues Bounce Back vs Ryerson (Jan 18)

  After two weekend losses on their home court the Blues had a short turn-around with a rare mid-week game. The double losses knocked Toronto out of the Top Ten so the Blues will probably have to wait until their games in Ottawa (Feb 17-18) to try and return to the list.

  Toronto returned to the court Wednesday to host Ryerson and try and put the two losses behind them. It was a back and forth 1st quarter as the Rams and Blues were tied four times before Toronto took a slim 22-19 lead at the first break. In the second both teams struggled to score but the Blues extended their lead to 34-28 at the halftime break. As the third period started it looked like a different pair of teams were on the court as the suddenly red-hot Blues exploded for an 18-3 run and pulled away from the Rams. It was 58-39 going into the final frame and after the Rams scored 4 free throws Toronto hit 4 threes in a row to finish off Ryerson. The final was 87-56 as the Blues hit 53 second half points.

  In the decisive second half Toronto shot 60% from the floor and went 6 for 12 from the three. The win moved the Varsity Blues back into a tie for second with Carleton but Ottawa is safely in first as both teams would need help from someone else to catch the leader. Queens is still in position to join Carleton and Toronto in the battle for the second spot and a first round bye.

  The usual big three for the Blues led the squad as Jill Stratton topped the scoresheet with 16 points to go with her 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Sherri Pierce led the team with 5 assists to go with her 15 points while the Player of the Game was Joanna Medri who had a balanced 15 points, 4 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals for a busy night. Liane Bailey had a strong game off the bench with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

Double Loss at Home Drops Blues into Tie for Third

(Jan 13-14)

  Friday the thirteenth was an unlucky day for the Blues as the first place Ottawa GeeGees pulled out a 56-69 win. Toronto was down 13-19 after one but a 24-17 second quarter put the Blues up by 1 at the break. A cold spell in the third leading to an 11 point run by the GeeGees left the Blues behind 43-55 with 10 minutes remaining. In the fourth both teams had difficulty scoring and Toronto could not close the gap. Although the Blues had 4 more shots for the game, a poor 31% finish rate compared to Ottawa's 48% shooting left Toronto behind - Toronto scored just 19 points in the second half.

  For the Blues Jill Stratton was Player of the Game with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Sherri Pierce followed with 12 points and 5 boards while Joanna Medri chipped in 11 points and 3 steals.

 After a similar Carleton loss Friday at Ryerson, Carleton and Toronto were still tied for second place as they met in the Saturday game. The Blues had a good start taking a 13-4 lead but the Ravens bounced back to tie the game at 14 at the quarter. In the second Toronto pulled ahead again leading 24-19 but Carleton came back again and took a 35-36 lead at the break. In the 3rd the Ravens pulled ahead 49-54 but in the final frame Toronto came back to take a 63-61 lead at 4:45. The teams fought back and forth down the stretch but Carleton came through with  the final basket and two of three free throws to pull out a 67-71 win. The loss dropped the Varsity Blues into a tie for third place with Queens.

  Again the Blues had more shots and this time had an improved 40% shooting compared to the Ravens 38% but Carleton hit the only threes of the game and outscored Toronto at the free throw line.

  Sherri Pierce was Player of the Game with 15 points, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jill Stratton had 17 points and 5 rebounds, Joanna Medri had 10 points and 6 boards while Rachael Sider added 10 points.

Blues Win Two (Jan 6-7)

 The Blues returned to league play with two wins that kept them tied with Carleton for second and just one win behind Ottawa in OUA East action.

 On Friday Toronto travelled to RMC after beating the Palladins easily at the Calgary tournament eight days earlier. Again it was a one-sided game as all 12 Blues players played double digit minutes. They all scored points to contribute to the win. After one period the Blues were up 21-5 and at the half it was 47-17. Toronto cooled down and the teams played a closer second half but the final score was 76-40. The Blues shot 48% for the game and a hot 21 for 25 from the free throw line. The two teams split 48 rebounds and each had 11 steals.

 For the Blues Jill Stratton had 10 points, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Lianne Bailey had 11 points while Christy Chute had 10 in a balanced team effort.

  On Saturday the Blues played at Queens another team that they had beaten earlier in pre-season tournament play. This was a much closer game as Toronto led 14-12 after one and the Gaels tied it up at 31 by the mid-game break. In the third Queens pulled ahead 52-54 so the game would be decided in the final frame. Jill Stratton put the Blues ahead with a quick three and Toronto dominated with a 21-9 quarter to pull out a 73-63 win.

 The Blues shot just 36% but a strong 6 for 12 from the three and 23 for 30 from the line made the difference.

 Jill Stratton led the Blues with 16 points and 8 rebounds but Player of the Game Sherri Pierce was close behind with 15 points to go with her 3 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Joanna Medri had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while Megan Stoncius and Rachael Sider chipped in 10 points and 7 boards.

Blues at Calgary Tournament (Dec 28-30)

 After the exam and Christmas Break, the Blues returned to action at the annual University of Calgary tournament. On opening day the Blues took on the host Dinos. It was a close but sloppy first quarter as the teams were dead-locked at 12. Both teams picked it up in the second and the Dinos pulled ahead 31-36 as the Blues shot a poor 26%. After the break both teams struggled a bit again but Calgary extended the lead to 45-52. In the fourth Toronto cut the lead several times but each time Calgary responded with a big 3 to hang on to a 65-73 win.

 Toronto out-rebounded the Dinos 51-43, had 10 more shots and 5 more free throws as well as 9 fewer TOs but 31% shooting cost another win opportunity. For the Blues Player of the Game Jill Stratton had 16 points, 5 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Joanna Medri followed with 10 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.

 On day 2, Toronto took on OUA East partner Royal Military College. The Blues dominated the Palladins as all 13 Toronto players were on for double digit minutes of action and 11 players contributed to the scoring. Toronto rolled to an easy 93-35 victory forcing 41 TOs and out-shooting RMC 44% to 26%.

 Julie Longauer had 15 points and 5 boards while Player of the Game Lianne Bailey had 10 points, 3 boards, and 2 steals. Rachael Sider went 5 for 6 and had 12 points and 2 steals while Jill Stratton had 11 points, 2 assists and 3 steals. Kristy Chute bounced back after her ankle fracture in mid November to score 10 points with 7 assists and 2 steals.

 In the third game Toronto had a re-match with Victoria. The Vikes scored first and Toronto responded to tie it up and then Victoria made a run to pull ahead 10-2. The game was never tied and Toronto never had a lead. After one it was 14-19, at the break 27-35, after three it was 40-52. In the fourth the Blues were still down by 12 with just over 3 minutes left but then Player of the Game Joanna Medri hit three 3s, Jill Stratton hit a pair and Toronto closed to within 4 in the last minute. Joanna was fouled on another three and hit the free throws to close to 1. Vic hit 1 of 2 free throws to lead by 2 with seconds left. Toronto moved the ball up with a time out and got the ball in to Jill who was covered and the ball went to Rachael Sider who took a shot at the buzzer. The ball went through and the referee's arms went up to signal a three - the Blues win 68-67 with their only lead of the game.

 Joanna Medri had 20 second half points to go with her 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Jill Stratton had 13 points, 6 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals for another big game. Rachael Sider ended up with 10 points and 2 assists.

 Vic out-shot the Blues 33%-46%, the teams were even on rebounds and Toronto led in TOs 21-26 but the difference that won the game for the Blues was the 27 free throws compared to just 10 for Victoria. 

 Congrats to Jill and Joanna who were selected as Tournament All Stars.

 Toronto will open the OUA East part of the schedule Fri Jan 6 at RMC and then Sat at Queens. Both game times are 6:00pm

Double Loss for Blues (Dec 2-3)

  Toronto travelled down the QEW Friday to start the final weekend of cross-over play at MacMaster. The Blues (5-2) got off to a slow start and found themselves down 23-11 after the first quarter. Toronto continued to miss shots and trailed 41-26 at halftime. The Blues started to score in the third but Mac continued to dominate inside and responded to increase the lead to 65-48 going into the final period. The Blues chipped away throughout the fourth quarter, outscoring the home team 24-16 but falling to the unranked Marauders 72-81.
  Second-year guard Jill Stratton led all players with 25 points, going 8-for-14 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, to go with her 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists. Fifth-year forward Megan Stoncius had nine points and six boards, while Alicia Van Kampen added eight points in the loss. Toronto had 12 more shot attempts but Mac shot a  hot 53% as two post players split 44 points and 21 rebounds to control the paint. The Blues forced another 29 turn-overs but couldn't convert enough to close the gap.

 On Saturday Toronto travelled to St Catherines to take on the undefeated Brock Badgers. The Blues wanted to make up for Friday's loss and jumped to an early 23-18 lead but the Badgers fought back in the second period and closed to within 3 at the half as the Blues hung on to a 38-35 lead. Brock continued the pressure, forced turnovers and continued to take control moving ahead 51-55 after three periods. In the final frame the Blues got back on track but couldn't slow down the Brock run. The Badgers continued their winning streak and sent the Blues into the Christmas Break with a 69-79 loss.

 Toronto had 30 turnovers to Brock's 21 and the Blues were beaten on the boards 43-46 to give the Badgers 12 more shots for the game. Toronto did shoot a good 23 for 27 from the line but it was not enough to make up for the Badger's extra scoring opportunities.

 The Blues were led by Sherri Pierce who came up with 22 points to lead all players. Jill Stratton followed with 11 points, 4 assists and 3 steals but she committed 8 turnovers. Megan Stoncius added 10 points and 7 boards.

The two losses bounced the Blues back to Number 10 in the CIS Rankings.

 The Blues will take an exam break for three weeks and then get back into action in Calgary on Dec 28-30 to get ready for the OUA East schedule.

Blues Beat Western and Windsor (Nov 25-26)

  On Friday Toronto hosted Western and for 20 minutes the teams went back and forth as the Blues took a 19-18 lead after 10 minutes and a 9-7 low scoring second period put the Blues up 28-25 at the half. Toronto finally pulled away from the Mustangs in the third taking a 49-39 lead but Western closed the gap in the final 10 as Toronto held on for a 71-67 win.

 The Blues were led by Player of the Game Jill Stratton who put up 20 points by shooting 9 for 15 to go along with her 3 steals. Sherri Pierce had a big game with 17 points and 5 steals as the Blues forced the Mustangs into 30 turnovers. Western out-rebounded Toronto 36-41, out-shot the Blues 1 to 6 from the three but the 9 extra shots created by the turnovers gave the Blues enough opportunities to hang on for the win.

 On Saturday the CIS#3 Windsor Lancers came to town. The #10 Blues fell behind the defending National Champions 17-22 after 10 minutes. The Lancers extended the lead by 1 more at the half (36-42) and another 1 after three (52-59) but the Blues weren't finished. Toronto had a big 29-21 final period to take a lead on Jill Strattons final shot with 10 seconds left to pull off the 81-80 upset.  The Player of the Game was Joanna Medri who scored 24 points on 5 for 6 from the three to go with her 3 assists and 2 steals. Megan Stoncius had a big game against the tall Lancer front court as she tallied 16 points and 5 rebounds while Jill Stratton followed with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Sherri Pierce had an outstanding 7 assists to go with her 9 points. Toronto out-rebounded Windsor 45-35.

  The two wins over the weekend put the Blues into first place in the OUA East and back into #8 for the CIS Rankings with just one more weekend before the December exam break.

 Blues Lose at Lakehead, Bounce Back at Guelph

(Nov 18-19)

 On the first road trip of the OUA season the CIS #8 Blues travelled to Lakehead, always a tough place to play. Instead of the usual Blues big start it was the Thunderwolves that exploded out of the gate and jumped to a 6-17 lead after 10 minutes. The Blues responded with full court pressure trapping all over the court and forcing numerous Lakehead turnovers as Toronto chipped away at the lead. At 3:00 it was 15-23 ,at 1:00 it was 20-25 and then 20-27 at the halftime break. The third quarter was big for the Blues as the pressure continued to frustrate the Thunderwolves. At 6:00 it was 26-27, at 4:00 it was finally tied at 30. Lakehead responded with a small run to go ahead again 30-34 and then 34-38 at 2:00. The Blues fought back again to tie the game at 41 but gave up a late 3 to finish the 3rd down 41-44 but definitely back in the game.

 Five quick points by the Wolves made it 41-49 with 8 minutes to play. At 3:30 it was 48-53, at 1:47 it was 53-59 and at 1:28 it was 56-59. Jill Stratton went 1 of 2 from the line and the Blues stole the inbounds pass and Jill scored again to tie the game at 59 with 1 minute to go. Another turnover and Sherri Pierce scored to put the Blues up 61-59 with 42 seconds. Lakehead hit 1 of 2 free throws and then two from the line  to take back a 61-62 lead with 25 seconds left. In the worst possible ending - Toronto was about to get a 5 second call on the baseline inbounds when the Blues committed a holding foul that meant two shots and possession for the Thunderwolves. One for two, then another foul and 1 for 2 on the extra possession gave Lakehead a 61-64 lead. The Blues had three attempts at a 3 to tie it up as the clock ran out but the earlier big comeback was to no avail as Lakehead pulled out the win.

 The Blues were led by Jill Stratton and Sherri Pierce with 15 points. Jill also had 3 assists and 5 steals while Sherri had 3 assists and 4 rebounds. Toronto forced 30 Lakehead turnovers but shot only 28% from the floor and were out-rebounded 28-44.

 On Saturday the road trip continued on to Guelph where the Gryphons had opened at home with a big win over Ryerson the previous evening. It was a close battle throughout as the hometown team took a 18-19 lead after one as the Blues continued to force turnovers (10 to 3), resulting in a big shot advantage (22-10) but Toronto again showed two main areas of weakness. The Gryphons out-rebounded the Blues 8-13 and Toronto's shooting woes continued as Guelph took their slim lead on a 27% to 40% finish rate. A slight improvement in the second quarter ( 33% shooting, 3-1 lead on the boards plus 10 more Guelph TOs ) put the Blues up 34-29 at the break. In the second half the two teams battled evenly with Toronto maintaining control and pulling out a 64-56 win.

 The Blues were led by Alicia Van Kampen's double-double of 15 points and 10 boards. Jill Stratton had another strong effort with 16 points, 4 assists and 6 steals while backcourt mate Sherri Pierce had 12 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Joanna Medri had 9 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.

 Toronto was out-rebounded 31-45, out-shot 34% to 36% but forced 32 turnovers compared to the Blues 16.

 The win Saturday put the CIS #8 Blues back into a tie for first place in the OUA East after the first two weekends of league play.

Blues Win Two at Home (Nov 11-12)

  After a Remembrance Day Ceremony the CIS #10 ranked Blues opened their regular season hosting last years winless Waterloo Warriors. The Blues took control early hitting two 3s on the first two possessions and pulled away to a 28-9 lead after first 10 minutes as Toronto shot 50% and forced 9 turn-overs. The Warriors fought back in the second period out-scoring the Blues 18-17 as Toronto continued to shoot 50% and out-rebound Waterloo 24-18. Toronto dominated the second half holding the Warriors to 14% shooting and just 13 points on only 4 field goals. The final score was 84-40 as Player of the Game Joanna Medri led the game with 15 points and 5 steals. Julia Longauer and Alicia Van Kampen came off the bench to split 26 points while Alicia also led the game with 11 rebounds for a double-double.

  On Saturday the Blues hosted Laurier. In their last meeting at Nationals the Golden Hawks made up for two earlier losses to the Blues with a win in the 5th-6th game to end the Blues season with a tough loss. Toronto had another good first quarter and took a 25-12 lead into the first break. The Hawks got back on track in the second out-scoring the Blues 20-18 but Toronto still had an 11 point lead and extended it to 60-45 after three. Laurier closed to within 9 but Toronto held on for a 75-66 win.

  Player of the Game Jill Stratton had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals to lead the Blues to victory. Sherrie Pierce got back on track with a big 16 point, 6 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Kristy Chute chipped in 10 points, Joanna Medri added 8 while Alicia Van Kampen led the team with 7 rebounds.

 Toronto out-shot Laurier 42%-39% from the floor but a poor 11 for 22 from the line compared to the Hawks 18 for 25 kept the game close. The Blues did out-rebound the Hawks 46-39.

Blues Finish PreSeason Play With A Win (Oct 30)

  After six games on the road, Toronto hosted Bishops for the first game on their home court. It was a sloppy, turn-over filled game with 69 foul shots attempted as the game became a walk from foul line to foul line. The Blues took control after 4 minutes as Joanna Medri's three put Toronto ahead 11-9 and the Blues continued the run to lead 24-17 at the first break. The Gaiters fought back to tie the score at 27 but again the Blues pulled away to a 45-34 lead at the half. In the third period the Blues put together their best quarter of the pre-season and with a 31-14 quarter, Toronto took a 76-48 lead into the final period. Bishops did make a late run to close to a final score of 89-70. Both teams showed that their offense may be ready but their defense will need some work before the regular season starts in two weeks.

  For the Blues Jill Stratton was the Player of the Game leading the game with 20 points, 5 boards and 4 steals. Joanna Medri followed with 15 points while Megan Stoncius scored 12 on 8 for 10 from the foul line. Liane Bailey had 9 points, Sherri Pierce had 8 and Kristy Chute also had 8 in a balanced Blues offense.

 Toronto out-rebounded Bishops 40-38, forced 36 TOs and shot 43% from the floor and 78% from the line (25 for 32).

Blues Drop Two Then Finish with a Win

at UofAlberta Tournament (Oct 21-23)

  The Varsity Blues opened the tournament against the host team and it was a close battle for 32 minutes as both teams took slight leads and then allowed the other back into it. After a tight first quarter the teams were knotted at 12 each, after 6 minutes of the second Toronto held a 21-20 lead but a late spurt by the Pandas put them up 29-31 at the break. In the third at 5:30 the Blues were up 41-40, then down 44-45 at 4:00. Another late Panda run put them up 47-54 after three. The Blues fought back and closed to 53-55 at 8:00 but after that Alberta took control and finished out a 77-64 win.

  The Blues were led by Sherri Pierce who had 8 points and 3 fouls in the first half but exploded for another 19 points in the second for a big game high 27 point night. Joanna Medri, Jill Stratton and Liane Bailey added 9 points each.

 Alberta pounded the Blues on the boards 32-16, getting more offensive rebounds (11) than Toronto's defensive boards (8). The Blues did a great job at the foul line going 15 for 18 but shot just 38% compared to the Pandas 56% from the floor. The Blues inside game was a no-show as 3 post players shared a total of 3 baskets and 2 rebounds.

  On Saturday the opponent was UBC another big team that would cause problems for the Blues on the boards. The Blues had a solid start and were up 9-8 after 5 minutes, but Thunderbirds took over and pulled ahead 9-14 after 7 minutes and rolled on to a 11-18 lead at the quarter. Things didn't change much in the second and Toronto was behind 23-36 at the break. In the third UBC went up 27-45 and Toronto put in a zone press that slowed down the Thunderbirds for a while as the Blues closed within 10 but 2 quick 3s and UBC pulled away again to lead by 43-56 after three. In the 4th, Toronto closed to 8 at 48-56 but another pair of 3s gave UBC some breathing room again. At 2:23 UBC was up 53-71 and the final was 57-79.

  Top player for the Blues was Jill Stratton with 14 points, 2 assists and 3 steals. Megan Stoncius had 11 points and 7 boards while Sherri Pierce and Joanna Medri added 9 points each.

  The Blues were out-rebounded 35-25 and out-shot 45% to 34%.

  On Sunday Victoria was the opponent. Toronto was trailing 13-14 after the first 8 minutes but a strong close put the Blues up 19-16 at the end of one. The second was a big quarter for the Blues who continued their run to a 35-19 lead after 6 minutes and a 41-25 lead at the break. The Vikes turned it on after the rest and closed to 50-41 forcing a Blues TO at 2:39. Toronto hung on to a 57-47 point going into the final 10 minutes. At 5:08 the Blues called another TO with the Vikes down just 63-59. A 6-0 run put Toronto back in control and the much improved Blues hung on for a well deserved 71-62 win.

  The Player of the Game again was Jill Stratton who led the game with 17 points, 3 assists and 3 steals while Julie Longauer broke out with 16 points in just 15 minutes of PT. Rookie Jenalle Vanhie started her first game as a Varsity Blue and kicked in with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Kristy Chute also added 8 points. Toronto out-rebounded Vic 40-39, out-shot them 38%-32% but 26 fouls allowed Victoria to out-score the Blues 26-13 from the free throw.

 Congratulations to Jill Stratton who was selected as a Tournament All Star.

  Next Sunday (Oct 30) the Blues will host Bishops at 1:00pm in the final Exhibition game before the home season openers Nov 11-12.

Blues Open Season At Bishops Tournament (Oct 14-16)

 In the season opener the Blues took on a senior women's team from Montreal. The big and strong Dynamo team was made up of recent graduates and included previous Quebec and CIS Allstars as well as National Team players. Toronto had a good start taking a 16-9 lead after the first 6 minutes and held on for a 21-20 lead at the first break. The Dynamo continued their run and took a 30-32 lead after 16 minutes and extended the lead to 36-43 at the half.

  In the third, the Blues hung in just down 47-48 with 4 minutes to go but the Dynamo pulled away again going up 57-63 after three. In the final period Toronto was down 62-71 with 2:38 left but full court pressure D forced Montreal turnovers and allowed Toronto to get back in the game. The score was 71-73 with 59 seconds left but neither team was able to score down the stretch and the Dynamos pulled out the win.

  The Blues were led by Player of the Game Sherri Pierce who had 13 points, 5 rebounds and an incredible 7 steals. Jill Stratton also had a strong effort with 19 points and 3 steals while Alicia Van Kampen had a 10 point 8 rebound night. Toronto had a costly 5 for 15 at the foul line compared to the Dynamo 7 for 10 and although the Blues had 19 more shots their 40% shooting didn't compare with their opponents 54%.

 On Saturday the Varsity Blues played their first CIS competition of the year as they took on the host Bishop Gaiters. Toronto jumped out to an early 11-5 lead after 7 minutes and moved on to a 17-8 lead after the first 10 minutes. The Gaiters fought back in the second and at 3:12 the Blues called a time-out with the score tied at 21. The Blues then hung on for a 30-27 lead at the half. After the break the Blues started to dominate taking a 43-31 lead at 6:23 and extending it to 59-43 at the three quarter mark. Resting most of the starters in the fourth Toronto continued to pour it on and finished with an 87-60 win.

 The Blues were led by Player of the Game Joanna Medri who had 16 points, 4 boards and 3 steals. Sherri Pierce followed with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals while Jill Stratton had 10 points to go with 6 rebounds and a big 7 steals. Megan Stoncius had 10 points and Amanda Lauzon chipped in 8 as all of the Blues players contributed to the scoring total.

 Although Toronto was out-rebounded again, the Blues improved their foul shooting hitting on 81% of their opportunities (26 for 32).

 On Sunday the Blues took on Queens in the third game of the weekend. Toronto, led by Joanna Medri's two threes jumped to an early 18-11 lead after 10 minutes. The Blues continued their hot start with a 10-1 run to start the second period and continued the hot shooting streak to run up a 38-22 lead at the break. Things then changed as Toronto dropped from 55% to 31% shooting and the Gaels improved from 32% to 40% and Queens slowly clawed their way back into the game. With 4 minutes left Toronto hung on to a 62-54 lead, at 1:10 Queens scored to close to 67-60 but a final layup by Jill Stratton at :54 put the game out of reach as Toronto won 69-62.

 Toronto out-rebounded the Gaels 43-34 and both teams went 10 for 15 from the foul line. The Blues were led by Joanna Medri's 19 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jill Stratton had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals to be selected as the Player of the Game. Sherri Pierce had 13 points as the only other Blues player in double digits.

 Joanna and Jill were selected as Tournament All Stars.

Blues Announce Team Captains for '11-'12

The Varsity Blues will be led this year by three fifth year seniors Megan Stoncius, Sherri Pierce and Joanna Medri

Blues, Girlballer Summer League Champs

  The Summertime Blues team beat Ryerson 48-47 in the Final to win the Girlballer Championship. Toronto took an early lead, pulled ahead by 10 at the half, but then had to hold off a strong Ryerson fourth quarter comeback. In the last minute Sherri Pierce hit 3 of 4 free throws to close out the game. Jill Stratton was named the winner of the Most Valuable Girlballer award.

Blues Recruit Invited to National Junior Team Tryout Camp

 Jenalle Vanhie from Dorchester is one of 22 players invited to attend the final tryouts for the U19 team that will play at the Junior Worlds in Chile later this summer. Jenalle, a 6'2" forward, attended Catholic Central High School in London where she was twice named as the team MVP. She led her team to the London City Championship in '09 and as a TVRAA All Star this year she led them to the London AAA Final.

 Jenalle was a three-time participant in the Ontario Basketball Center of Performance and represented her Region on U15, U16 and U17 teams. She played Club for the London Ramblers where she twice won OBA silver medals and this year in the new elite JUEL League the Ramblers finished 4th.

 Jenalle, an honour roll student, will study Commerce and play for the Blues at UofT this fall.

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