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It was a memorable
weekend for the Vanier College basketball program as the Women’s
AAA Cheetahs captured the National Championship with an exciting
come-from-behind 82-80 triumph over league rival Édouard-Montpetit
at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton.
The ladies took full
advantage of their first appearance at the National Championships
and brought home the gold to their St. Laurent campus.
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In the tournament opener last
Thursday, the #1 ranked Lady Cheetahs dominated the #8 Mount Saint Vincent
Mystics 67-46. Vanier held a 5 point advantage after the first frame and
never looked back in this well-earned win.
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Kristin Portwine (seen
playing at right) held the hot hand for the Lady Cheetahs with
20 points to go along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist and was named
Vanier’s Player-of-the-Game for her efforts.
On Friday, the Lady
Cheetahs held off the tough Seneca College Sting on their way
to a 73-60 semi-final victory, earning them a much-coveted birth
in the final. The ladies nailed a few three point shots in the
last 5 minutes of the second quarter to take a 32-28 lead at half
time. Vanier pulled away from their opponents in the third quarter
before the Sting moved to within 4 points but that would be as
close as they would come. Anneth Him Lazarenko was honored as
the Lady Cheetahs’ Player-of-the-Game with a 17 point, 10
rebounds and 1 assist effort.
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In the all-Quebec gold-medal
final game on Saturday, the top-ranked Lady Cheetahs showed why they
deserved their ranking with an incredible 82-80 win over Édouard-Montpetit,
in a game where they trailed by 14 points in the second quarter and
were down 49-38 at the half. Vanier intensity grew in the third quarter
when they found their rhythm and narrowed the deficit to 4 points. The
fourth quarter was a see-saw battle that saw the scored knotted on four
different occasions and with Édouard-Montpetit taking a 76-71
with only minutes to play in regulation time. The game ended as Édouard-Montpetit
missed two foul shots with 5 seconds remaining in the contest.
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Kristin Portwine
(left) was named Tournament M.V.P. as she shot 19/25 from the
floor (76%) and 19/23 (83%) from the free throw line. Anneth
Him Lazarenko (right) made the All-Tournament team with 13 points
and 13 huge rebounds in the final game.
The gold-medal performance
capped off a dream season for the Lady Cheetahs as they earned
the #1 ranking in Canada, finished first in the regular season
standings, won the school’s first-ever Provincial Championship
and then finished it all off with the CCAA National Women’s
Basketball Championship.
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Congratulations on a job
well done to the coaches Ruby Viray, Tina Fasone and Mai-Anh Nguyen
and the entire Lady Cheetahs team.
For photos
from the entire Nationals tournament and Awards banquet, visit this
page.
Note:
You can add your personal message of congratulations to others already
posted on this web page.
NEW:
View a video clip of Coach
Ruby Viray and Kristin Portwine on Global TV's This Morning Live.
(note:
this page containes a 9MB WMV video file. High-speed internet recommended.)
THE
2006-2007 LADY BASKETBALL CHEETAHS
CLICK FOR A HIGH
RESOLUTION VERSION OF THE TEAM PHOTO
CONGRATULATIONS
TO EACH AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE TEAM
| # |
Name |
Height |
Position |
Year |
|
5
|
Magalie
Beaulieu |
5'8
|
Guard
|
2
|
|
6
|
Anneth
Him Lazarenko |
5'11
|
Forward
|
2
|
|
7
|
Marie-Pier
Brabant |
5'2
|
Guard
|
2
|
|
8
|
Soumia
Abboub |
5'7
|
Guard
|
3
|
|
9
|
Julia
Manacas |
5'7
|
Guard
|
1
|
|
10
|
Anne
Marie Prophete |
5'10
|
Forward
|
2
|
|
11
|
Marie-Eve
Martin |
5'8
|
Guard
|
1
|
|
12
|
April
Hill |
5'8
|
Guard
|
1
|
|
14
|
Kristin
Portwine |
5'10
|
Forward
|
3
|
|
15
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Arianne
Duchesne |
5'8
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Guard
|
2
|
|
22
|
Heather
Eason |
6'1
|
Forward
|
4
|
|
24
|
Jessica
Paul |
5'10
|
Forward
|
1 |
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Head
Coach
Ruby Viray
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Assistant
Coaches
Tina Fasone, Mai-Anh Nguyen
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Athletic
Director
Linda Macpherson
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Therapists
Max Hanna, Jean Paul Raphael
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MEDIA
RELEASE 
