Raiders rally
KCI puts finishing touches on perfect basketball season
KITCHENER — As individuals, some are better known as rugby players, hockey players, soccer players and wrestlers.
As a unit, they are the only undefeated team in the Waterloo County (WCSSAA) senior girls basketball league.
The KCI Raiders put the finishing touches on a perfect regular season Tuesday, downing the Galt Ghosts 35-28 in a backand-forth showdown at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School. Kamilah Henderson and Ashley McCutcheon led KCI with 10 and eight points respectively as the Raiders finished with a 12-0 record and advanced directly to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
Azaliah Colquhoun had 14 points for Galt, which slipped to 9-3 overall and a share of fourth place with the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders. “(We have) many multi-sport athletes … we have had a great season coming together as a group with much athleticism from each player,” Raiders head coach Jennifer Armatage said.
“We really share the load on offence, our outside shooting has been good, and we’ve played great defence.”
The Ghosts led 13-12 at halftime and were ahead for the majority of Tuesday’s game before the Raiders staged a late run.
Jillian Bernard-Jardine hit a basket with less than three minutes remaining to put KCI ahead 27-26 and Natalie Armatage followed up that effort with a three-point basket to extend the Raiders’ lead to four.
A basket by McCutcheon made it a six-point lead and that was pretty much it.
Several KCI players have played club basketball in the past but some of the top performers are better known for their prowess in other sports.
Natalie Armatage was recently named Rugby Ontario’s U18 player of the year and has attended training sessions with Canada’s national 7s team. She played Ontario 7s and 15s earlier this year and is also a successful wrestler and rugby standout at KCI.
Meanwhile, McCutcheon does her best work on the ice and plays midget AA hockey in Cambridge and occasionally gets the call from the Cambridge Rivulettes of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League.
The majority of the girls played for the KCI squad that captured a WCSSAA junior championship two years ago, so this is definitely a team to watch as the playoffs progress. The squad also includes a pair of Grade 10 players — Henderson and Bernard-Jardine — who were deemed ready to make the jump to senior.
Twelve of the league’s 16 teams are still alive after the completion of the regularseason schedule on Tuesday.
The top four advance to playoff quarterfinal games next Tuesday, with the remaining eight to compete in playoff qualifying games Thursday.