Highlanders stay perfect
Mighty seniors top defending champs, while moving to 10-0 in WCSSAA play
BADEN — Madison Sherman didn’t lead her team in scoring and didn’t nail a buzzer-beater to secure the victory.
She did, however, have the hot hand when her team needed her most.
Sherman exploded for six consecutive fourth-quarter points to lead the Sir John A. Macdonald senior Highlanders to a 63-55 win over the Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders on Thursday afternoon. The Highlanders improved to 10-0 in Waterloo County (WCSSAA) senior girls’ basketball league play and the defending champion Crusaders dropped to 8-2.
“Honestly, it was so great for me to get those points and it was even better that we could pull out the win,” said Sherman.
“It’s crazy, we really stepped it up with our intensity and all the cheering really helped us out.”
Fifth-year standouts Joanna Bamberger and Griffin Lack Shane led the Highlanders in scoring with 18 and 15 points, respectively, in a game between two teams that could potentially meet again in next month’s WCSSAA final.
The atmosphere was electric at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School and most of the noise was being made by visiting fans and SJAM’s junior players who had won the opening game of the doubleheader.
The Highlanders led 32-21 at halftime and 45-38 after three quarters, but the Crusaders rallied to tie the game 48-48 on a three-point effort by Madi Sadler. Madi Sousa had hit back-to-back three-point shots to give the Crusaders a strong start in the final quarter.
Waterloo-Oxford went ahead 53-48 with five minutes to play in the game, but was outscored 15-2 down the stretch, including the 6-0 run by Sherman. The Crusaders played the final six minutes without their top player, MacKeely Shantz, who fouled out.
“I was impressed with how (SJAM) played, they definitely kept the positive energy going and that was very beneficial to them,” said Shantz, a Grade 11 player who also excels at track and field, volleyball and badminton.
“And I’m proud of the way my team stayed in it, despite how the calls weren’t going our way.”
Waterloo-Oxford beat SJAM in a tournament game earlier this month, so players on both teams know a third meeting has the potential to go either way. Waterloo-Oxford’s other loss came to the Waterloo Vikings in the first game of the season.
Former national team player Kate Moran, whose career was cut short by a knee injury, is back at SJAM this year as a Grade 12 student and is assisting teacher Andrea Richardson with coaching.
Sherman said the leadership of Moran, combined with the experience of Lack-Shane and Bamberger, gives SJAM a huge lift that could be beneficial in the playoffs.
“Oh gosh, we get amazing leadership from our captains, and they really help us stay positive and stay in the game,” she said. “And Kate’s been an amazing coach for us.”
Waterloo-Oxford’s leading scorers weren’t available because of a glitch at the scoring table.
Elsewhere Tuesday, the KCI Raiders (9-1) moved into sole possession of second place with a 47-37 win over the Elmira Lancers (8-2). And WCI improved to 7-3 with a 38-20 win over the Huron Heights Huskies.