Falcons Women’s Basketball Claim OCAA Championship

(London, Ontario) – On Sunday, March 8 at David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, the Fanshawe Falcons women's basketball team (15-5, 3^rd West) captured its 14^th Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Championship in program history.

The Falcons entered championship weekend as the lowest remaining seed left in the playoffs. For most outsiders, Fanshawe felt like the underdogs heading into the tournament, but this same belief wasn't shared by the Falcons roster. Sporting an 11-5 regular season record, Fanshawe was the third seed in the OCAA West Division, behind the two tournament favourites, the defending champions Mohawk (18-2, 1^st West) and perennial powerhouse, Humber (17-3, 2^nd West). Defence and culture were the two cornerstones behind this Falcons team as they finished as the best defensive team in the OCAA West Division, were led by a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian, and had a roster composed of women with experience playing together, who understood their roles. None of this however would've been possible without the leadership and guidance of Falcons head coach, Bill Carriere, who adds his seventh OCAA Championship to his trophy case.

Fanshawe opened championship weekend with a semifinal matchup on Saturday, March 7 against the host Mohawk Mountaineers, ranked second nationally by the CCAA. Having dropped both regular season meetings against the Mountaineers the Falcons had their hands full against a talented team playing in front of their home crowd. The game featured a Hollywood level script that kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout. The Falcons were outscored 19-11 in the first quarter but bounced back to outscore Mohawk 15-11 in the second to enter halftime with a four-point deficit. In the second half the Falcons defence continued to shut down the highest scoring offence in the OCAA (80.5 points per game). While Fanshawe was struggling to score the basketball, it was third-year guard Layla MacKenzie (Camlachie, ON) keeping the offence afloat, finishing with a game-high 23 points. Falcons All-Canadian, Ashlyn Anderson (Latchford, ON) was a force to be reckon with on the defensive glass, pulling down a Fanshawe women's basketball playoff single-game record with 22 rebounds, breaking her own record she previously set against Seneca in the quarterfinals on February 28.

For MacKenzie, she delivered in the largest moment for Fanshawe. Down 50-49 with only five seconds left on the clock, the Falcons drew up the perfect inbounds play as Karyn TeBrake (Ottawa, ON) hit MacKenzie with a pass in the right corner where she drained the clutch three-point shot on the defender closing out with less than three seconds remaining on the clock. The Falcons had knocked off the host Mountaineers and advanced to the OCAA Championship final where they would face the Humber Hawks.

In the final, the Falcons defence was set for another tough test against the Hawks high-powered offence that averaged 75 points per game which ranked them third in the entire OCAA. In the battle between the birds, each team took turns trading blows. After a high-scoring first quarter that saw both sides net 21 points, the defences stepped up in the second quarter and Fanshawe entered the halftime break up 32-28. Little separated the teams coming out of halftime as the Falcons narrowly outscored Humber 18-17 to carry a slim lead into the final frame. In the fourth, with the championship within reach, the Falcons offence came alive for a 16-6 run to put the Hawks to bed. As the clock ticked down and the buzzer sounded, reality had set in for the Falcons, they had defeated Humber 72-61 and now sat atop of the OCAA.

Shining brightest for the Falcons was the trio of MacKenzie, TeBrake and Anderson who received recognition for their performances. Anderson, who was the centerpiece of the Falcons success all season, was named a Championship All-Star after averaging 16 points, 18.5 rebounds, four blocks and over two steals per game. TeBrake, a fifth-year veteran leader and often the orchestrator of the Falcons offence was also named a Championship All-Star after dazzling in the final game with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. MacKenzie was named the Championship Most Valuable Player after delivering clutch baskets all weekend. Averaging 21.5 points per game in two games, MacKenzie's consistent and prolific scoring was the exact compliment Fanshawe's defence needed to win the title.

With the victory the Falcons have now booked their ticket to the CCAA Women's Basketball National Championship, hosted by Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec from March 18-21. Fanshawe's women's basketball team will be in search of its first National Championship in program history.

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