Pluvoise Leads St Laurent To Championship Finals Win

On November 11, 2012, Nadège Pluvoise (5’11”, SF, Gr 11) had a game to remember as she led her St Laurent Express to victory with 23 points in the Championship Finals of the Tournoi Express (Express Tournament).

Pluvoise led the Express in winning the Juvenile age category of the tournament that they hosted, with a convincing 85-30 Finals victory over the Tornades de Longueuil in Montreal, QC.

The stage for these finals had been set after Longueil defeated St Bruno by a score of 54-36 in one Semi-Final, and St Laurent beat Markham, ON’s Bill Crothers by a score of 74-54.

There was much anticipation as the Championship Finals got under way, full of excitement and drama. Shortly after the opening tip that was won by St Laurent, Mäel Gilles (6’1″, SF, Gr 10) drove to the basket and collided with the Tornades’ Center, Yasimne Bidikuindila (6’4″, C, Gr 11), a mere seven seconds into the game. The play, which could have been interpreted as either a Charge or a Foul, was seen as the latter and charged to Bidikuindila. Longueuil Head Coach, Nico Loureiro, a little surprised by the call and questioned the ref’s decision. The referee quickly responded in kind to Loureiro’s subtle displeasure, by giving him a Technical.

This set the wheels in motion to a quick flurry of action.

Looking for a quick strike to help alleviate some of the early deficit they found themselves in, Longueuil’s Delphine St-Cyr Robitaille (5’8″, SF, Gr 10) nailed a 3-pointer a couple feet beyond the arc. That bucket was quickly responded to by St Laurent’s Mäel Gilles, who hit a 3 of her own on her teams very next possession. These first 30 seconds of the came played a nice introduction to for what was to come. But the question loomed, could both teams keep up this pace and if not, which would be the first to crack.

Pluvoise joined the long ball party by hitting a couple of 3-pointers in the First Quarter. They were met by more successful long ball shooting from St-Cyr.

Budkuindila had done her best to patrol inside by recording a few key blocks in the opening frame, but she had her hands full, trying to contain Tamara Farquhar’s (6’0″, SF, Gr 10) strength and speed. Farquhar led her team with 9 points in the opening Quarter, as the Express jumped out to a 26-15 lead heading into the Second Quarter.

The Second Quarter, appeared to be the breaking point for the Tornades. The strong Point Guard play of Van Leap Sry (5’7″, PG, Gr 10), and the three pronged attack of Pluvoise, Gilles and Farquhar allowed the Express to be successful inside and out. They took advantage of Longueuil’s defensive breakdowns and further distanced themselves outscoring them 16-3, enabling a comfortable 42-18 lead at Halftime.

It was a lead that wouldn’t come in jeopardy, as the St Laurent Express would go on to win in impressive fashion, while becoming back-to-back tournament Champions, with the 85-30 win.

Finals’ Leading Scorers
St Laurent: Nadège Pluvoise 23 points, Mäel Gilles 20 points, Tamara Farquhar 16 points
Longueuil: Pascale Tardif 9 points

Related Game Tape:
Finals – Coming Soon
Semi-Final – St Laurent Express vs Bill Crothers Excellence

Special Thanks to tournament organizer Daniel Lacasse and the rest of the coaches for such a great tournament.

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