Posted: Mar 07, 2026
Consolation Final
In a matchup for the Consolation Final, the Briercrest Clippers and St. Mary's Thunder came ready for a hard-fought battle, with both teams showing energy from the opening tip.
Briercrest immediately applied full-court pressure, hoping to force turnovers and create quick scoring opportunities. The first basket of the game came from Clippers' #9 Dori Seaborn, who knocked down a three-pointer. St. Mary's answered quickly when #5 Russell backed down her defender for a strong two inside.
Seaborn continued to make her presence felt early, grabbing a steal and finishing a layup. Thunder's #14 Nuako responded with a mid-range jumper, but Seaborn countered again with a short jumper. Briercrest kept the pressure on with their full-court press, and #24 Neustaeter added to the lead by grabbing an offensive rebound and converting the putback.
With the Clippers ahead 10–4, St. Mary's called a timeout to regroup and responded with a press of their own. Thunder's #12 Ejim converted a layup off a nice feed, but Briercrest's #6 Waind answered with a corner three. On the next possession, Seaborn attacked the basket for a smooth scoop layup.
Russell knocked down an open three for St. Mary's with four minutes left in the quarter. Waind responded with a drive through the middle and a spinning short jumper. Thunder's #8 Hidalgo hit a three-pointer, and Russell added another basket off a drive. Clippers' #3 Duerksen then scored on a short jumper off an assist from Waind before St. Mary's #4 McLeod finished a layup to tie the game at the end of the first quarter.
McLeod opened the second quarter with a corner three for the Thunder. The Clippers answered with two quick baskets: Waind drove hard and dropped a pass to Neustaeter for an easy bank shot, and #15 Anderson followed with a long three. Thunder's #6 Deng then converted an and-one play to tie the game at 24.
The teams continued to trade baskets. Clippers' #10 Matuszewski hit a three, while St. Mary's Hidalgo fought through traffic for a layup. Briercrest's #5 Klassen added another open three, and Seaborn went coast-to-coast for a layup. With two minutes left in the half, St. Mary's reached the bonus, but Briercrest continued to find offense. After Waind grabbed an offensive rebound, #15 Anderson knocked down another three. #7 Prinsen added a strong post move inside, and Seaborn capped the half with another three after excellent ball movement. The Clippers also blocked the final shot of the half to head into the break with a 41–31 lead.
At halftime, the crowd was treated to entertainment as nearly 100 people joined in a line dance, and the entire gym sang to a young fan celebrating his second birthday.
St. Mary's started the third quarter with a long two from the corner by #7 Nickersen. Briercrest responded with a short drive by Neustaeter and another three from Anderson. St. Mary's Nickersen added a hook shot in traffic, and #11 Murray hit a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, but Waind answered right back with a three for the Clippers.
Russell pushed the pace for St. Mary's with a coast-to-coast contested layup, forcing Briercrest to call a timeout with four minutes remaining in the quarter while leading 49–40. Prinsen then scored on a tough drive through contact with a scoop finish. After a Thunder timeout, Clippers' #11 Prodanovic battled for a loose ball and finished a tough shot inside.
St. Mary's Murry hit a mid-range jumper, and #7 added a long banked three, but Briercrest continued to respond. Waind knocked down a mid-range jumper after a quick crossover, and #13 Beattie finished a tough one-footed floater in the lane. Anderson added a late three to close the quarter with the Clippers leading 60–45.
The final quarter set the stage for a heated battle. Beattie opened the quarter with a three-pointer off a drive-and-kick from Seaborn. After Ejim hit two free throws for St. Mary's, Seaborn responded with another three. McLeod scored inside for the Thunder, but Briercrest's Waind banked in a three and Beattie pulled up in transition to drain another.
Waind continued her strong play with a twisting layup through traffic. Thunder's #13 Chalmers converted an and-one on a strong drive, but Waind answered again with a mid-range jumper after creating space with a quick pullup. Russell scored over an outstretched defender, but Seaborn quickly responded with another three-pointer.
With three minutes remaining, St. Mary's entered the bonus while Briercrest had yet to draw a foul in the quarter. Hidalgo added a short drive for the Thunder, but Anderson stretched the lead with another three with just over two minutes remaining, pushing the Clippers' advantage to 24.
St. Mary's kept battling to the end. #1 Richards drove through contact for an and-one, and Murry added another strong drive. Richards finished the game with a buzzer-beating layup, but the Clippers had already secured the victory.
Briercrest claimed the Consolation Final with an 86–67 win over St. Mary's.
Players of the Game
Thunder – #4 Calla McLeod: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
Clippers – #9 Dori Seaborn: 20 points, 5 steals, 7 assists, 2 rebounds
Thunder – #4 Calla McLeod: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
Clippers – #9 Dori Seaborn: 20 points, 5 steals, 7 assists, 2 rebounds